This source, titled “Jane Austen and Food,” meticulously examines the role of food and dining within Jane Austen’s novels and her own life. It analyzes how meals structure domestic life, the social significance of food and hospitality, and the evolving customs of mealtimes and menus in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The author draws upon Austen’s novels, letters, family papers, and period cookbooks to illuminate the culinary landscape of her world, including specific dishes, ingredients, and the societal implications of food-related behaviors like greed or the refusal of nourishment. Ultimately, the book uses food as a lens to explore social dynamics, gender roles, and the moral values present in Austen’s works and era.
Jane Austen and Food: A Study Guide
Quiz:
According to the introduction, how does Jane Austen’s descriptive style differ from that of authors like Dickens regarding physical details such as meals?
The author argues that when Jane Austen mentions specific foodstuffs in her novels, what is the primary purpose beyond simply describing a scene? Provide an example from the text to support this claim.
What is the apparent paradox the author identifies regarding Jane Austen’s own attitude towards food in her letters compared to its presentation in her published fiction?
The author suggests that the novels Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion explore which theme related to social interaction and food? What contrasting theme is presented in Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park concerning food?
In Chapter One, what evidence is provided to illustrate the self-sufficiency of the Austen household concerning food during Jane’s upbringing?
How did Mrs. Austen’s views on potatoes as a food source for the village people contrast with a specific opinion expressed by a character in Mansfield Park?
Explain the significance of venison as a food mentioned in Jane Austen’s novels, according to the text. What social message did its presence on the table convey?
The author discusses “eating disorders” in some of Austen’s heroines. According to the text, what might motivate characters like Marianne and Fanny to reject food, beyond just the “cult of sensibility”?
How does the author use the characters of Mr. Hurst and General Tilney to illustrate negative aspects of male attitudes towards food within a patriarchal system?
In the chapter on Emma, how is food presented as more than just sustenance, evolving into a broader symbol within the novel?
Answer Key:
Jane Austen’s descriptive style is sparing of physical detail, rarely pausing for lengthy descriptions of things like meals. Unlike Dickens, who builds his world through extensive detail, Austen compliments the reader by allowing them to imagine these aspects for themselves.
The primary purpose of mentioning specific foodstuffs is to bring the speaker and their attitude towards other people into focus. For example, Mrs. Bennet’s comments on the soup and partridges reveal her social climbing aspirations and her desire for Darcy’s approval.
The paradox is that while Jane Austen writes with unselfconscious enjoyment about food in her personal letters, her heroines never talk or write about it in such a way. This is because such particularity on sensual pleasures or domestic details was seen as potentially “trivial-minded or vulgar” for female characters in fiction.
Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion explore the meaning of true hospitality and its potential changes. Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park are concerned with good and bad housekeepers, reflecting the interdependence of class and domestic duties for women at the time.
The Austen household was virtually self-sufficient in food, as Jane’s father was a gentleman farmer who worked his land. Evidence includes mentions of his successful sheep farming and the praise received for his mutton.
Mrs. Austen recommended potatoes to the village as a valuable and varied food source. In contrast, Dr. Grant in Mansfield Park makes a “scathing remark” about potatoes, comparing their flavor unfavorably to a moor park apricot, suggesting a lack of enthusiasm for them in some social circles.
Venison was a socially significant food, indicating either ownership of a large country estate with deer or connections to such estates. Prior to the eighteenth century, keeping deer implied a royal grant to “empark” land, making venison a symbol of high social standing and privilege.
Beyond the “cult of sensibility,” Marianne’s and Fanny’s rejection of food might be a response to feelings of rejection or neglect from their mothers at critical times in their lives, representing a form of control in a world where they have little power.
Mr. Hurst, who lives “only to eat, drink and play at cards,” and General Tilney, with his over-the-top household provisions, illustrate how men can use their relationship with food to create unpleasant domestic atmospheres and exert power over their families, showcasing excesses within the patriarchal system.
In Emma, food functions as a symbol or extended metaphor for human interdependence and the social commonwealth of Highbury. The giving and sharing of food, or the withholding of it, reveals characters’ social standing, moral worth, and their capacity for genuine care and philanthropy within their community.
Essay Format Questions:
Explore the ways in which Jane Austen uses descriptions (or the absence thereof) of meals and food-related activities to delineate character and social standing in one or more of her novels. Consider specific examples of characters and their attitudes towards food.
Analyze the “paradox” of Jane Austen’s personal enjoyment of discussing food in her letters versus its more limited and often symbolic portrayal in her fiction. What might account for this difference, and what does it reveal about her literary aims?
Discuss the argument that Jane Austen’s focus on food in her novels supports a feminist reading of her work. Consider the gendered aspects of eating habits, food provision, and the connection between food and female destiny presented in the text.
Compare and contrast the presentation of hospitality in two different Jane Austen novels. How do characters’ attitudes and practices related to food and entertaining reveal broader social values and individual moral qualities within those fictional worlds?
Examine the significance of food as a symbol of community and moral development in Emma. How does the act of giving, sharing, and even rejecting food contribute to the novel’s central themes and the heroine’s journey?
Glossary of Key Terms:
Domestic Economy: The management of household affairs and resources, particularly related to food preparation, housekeeping, and the provision of necessities.
Sensibility (Cult of): An eighteenth-century intellectual and cultural movement emphasizing feeling, emotion, and subjective experience as primary sources of knowledge and moral action. Often associated with heightened emotional responses and sometimes with physical manifestations of feeling, such as a loss of appetite in times of distress.
Patriarchal System: A social system in which men hold the primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.
Bon Vivant: A person who enjoys a sociable and luxurious lifestyle, with a particular fondness for good food and drink.
Housekeeping: The management and care of a household, including cleaning, organizing, cooking, and ensuring the smooth running of domestic affairs.
Hospitality: The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, often involving the provision of food and drink.
Material Life: The aspects of life related to physical objects, possessions, and tangible realities, such as food, clothing, and dwellings.
Satire: The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Proto-feminist: A term used to describe individuals or works from earlier periods whose ideas or actions foreshadowed or aligned with later feminist concerns about gender equality.
Philanthropy: The desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes or by actively working to improve their lives.
Briefing Document: Jane Austen and Food
This briefing document reviews the main themes and important ideas presented in the provided excerpts from “Jane Austen and Food.” The central argument of the book is that while Jane Austen’s novels are sparing in physical descriptions, particularly of food, the specific mentions of food, attitudes towards eating, housekeeping, and hospitality are crucial for defining character, illustrating moral worth, and exploring social and feminist themes within her fictional worlds.
Main Themes and Important Ideas:
1. Food as a Tool for Characterization and Social Commentary:
Austen rarely provides lengthy descriptions of meals for mere descriptive purposes. Instead, mentions of specific foods and the characters’ reactions to them serve to highlight their personalities, social standing, and attitudes towards others.
“Almost every other mention of a specific foodstuff occurs when one character is talking to another. Thus Mrs Bennet: ‘The soup was fifty times better than what we had at the Lucas’s last week; and even Mr Darcy acknowledged, that the partridges were remarkably well done’.” (P & P, 342) – This quote illustrates how food-related comments reveal Mrs. Bennet’s social climbing aspirations and her need for external validation, even from someone she initially dislikes.
Mr. Woodhouse’s anxieties around food, as seen in his cautious recommendations of apple tart and warnings against custard, underscore his valetudinarian nature and controlling tendencies.
Mary Crawford’s comment on Dr. Grant’s illness being linked to his refusal of pheasant reveals her sharp wit and perhaps a degree of cynicism.
2. The Paradox of Food in Austen’s Life and Fiction:
While Austen’s novels feature a narrator and heroines who generally maintain a ladylike aloofness from detailed discussions of food, her personal letters reveal a genuine and unselfconscious enjoyment of eating.
“Caroline, Anna and I have just been devouring some cold souse, and it would be difficult to say which enjoyed it most.’ (L, 6)
“At Devizes we had comfortable rooms and a good dinner, to which we sat down about five; amongst other things we had asparagus and a lobster, which made me wish for you, and some cheesecakes . . . ’ (L, 59)
The author argues that this discrepancy highlights societal expectations for women of the gentry, where expressing too much interest in sensual pleasures like food could be seen as “trivial-minded or vulgar.”
3. Domestic Economy, Housekeeping, and Hospitality as Moral Indicators:
The novel explores how attitudes towards housekeeping and hospitality reflect a character’s moral worth and social standing.
The self-sufficiency of the Austen household at Steventon Rectory demonstrates the practical realities of gentry life and likely influenced Austen’s understanding of domestic economy.
Mrs. Bennet’s pride in her daughters not being needed for tasks like making mince pies contrasts with Charlotte Lucas’s more practical domestic involvement, revealing different class perspectives on female roles.
The contrasting views of Mrs. Grant and Mary Crawford on the “sweets of housekeeping” highlight the divide between town and country life and differing levels of understanding of domestic responsibilities.
Sir John Middleton’s excessive and indiscriminate hospitality in Sense and Sensibility is presented as a key element of the social framework against which the heroines are tested. Emma Woodhouse’s journey involves learning to be a truly attentive and considerate hostess, moving beyond mere social credit.
4. Food and Gender Dynamics:
The book argues for a feminist reading of Austen’s use of food, noting the gendered patterns in eating habits and attitudes.
The observation that “in the published fiction, all the gluttons are men and all the (near-) anorexics women” suggests a commentary on societal pressures and control.
Female destiny is intrinsically linked to food, whether through providing it, avoiding it, or being shaped by it within a patriarchal system where male desires often dictate the terms.
The eating disorders (or restrictive eating) of characters like Marianne Dashwood and Fanny Price are interpreted not solely as manifestations of sensibility but also as responses to their disempowerment within a male-dominated society, offering a sense of control in a limited sphere.
Emma’s initial slighting of Jane Fairfax’s offered food is revealed to stem from jealousy and a perceived rivalry, illustrating how interpersonal dynamics can influence food-related interactions between women.
5. Mealtimes, Menus, and Manners Reflecting Social Change:
The text touches upon the evolution of mealtimes (the emergence of “lunch”), dining etiquette (taking wine together), and the significance of specific foods.
The satire in The Watsons regarding fashionable late dining hours highlights Austen’s critique of social pretension.
The presence (or absence) of silver cutlery and proper table settings indicates social status.
The association of specific dishes with national identity (roast beef with English patriotism, ragout with foreign sophistication) reveals underlying cultural debates.
6. Food as Symbolism in Emma:
Emma is presented as uniquely rich in food references, where food transcends mere realism to become a central symbol of human interdependence and the social commonwealth.
The act of giving and sharing food acts as an “extended metaphor for human interdependence, resonating through the entire text.”
The numerous named servants in Emma, across various households, contribute to this sense of a connected community where food production and consumption are shared.
Mr. Woodhouse’s peculiar anxieties around food and his controlling offers to guests reveal his character flaws, while Emma’s initial motivations as a hostess are shown to prioritize “credit” over genuine care.
The contrasting food-related behaviors of Robert Martin (offering walnuts) and Mr. Elton (boasting about his rich meals) effectively delineate their characters and suitability as partners for Harriet.
Mr. Knightley’s brewing of spruce beer is symbolic of his quintessential Englishness and upright character.
The various instances of Emma providing food, from broth to pork to arrowroot, mark her moral journey and growth towards true philanthropy.
7. Critique of Gluttony and Selfish Consumption:
The novel critically examines male characters who exhibit excessive greed and self-indulgence in their eating habits.
Characters like Mr. Collins, John Thorpe, General Tilney, and Dr. Grant are judged not only for their large appetites but also for how their preoccupation with food negatively impacts those around them, demonstrating a violation of the duty to avoid causing unnecessary suffering.
General Tilney and Dr. Grant’s demanding attitudes towards food and those who prepare it are seen as a manifestation of patriarchal excess and their expectation of entitlement.
Conclusion:
Through a detailed examination of food-related elements in Jane Austen’s novels and letters, this study reveals how Austen subtly yet powerfully employs food as a literary device. It serves not only to ground her fictional worlds in the realities of everyday life but, more importantly, to illuminate character, critique social norms, explore gender dynamics, and symbolize the complexities of human relationships and moral development. The act of eating and the practices surrounding food are consistently presented as significant indicators of individual character and the broader social fabric of Austen’s England.
Jane Austen: Food, Society, and Character in Her Novels
# How does Jane Austen use descriptions of food in her novels?
Jane Austen’s writing style is notably concise when it comes to physical descriptions, including food. Unlike authors like Dickens, she rarely provides lengthy descriptions of meals. Instead, specific mentions of food are often integrated into dialogue, serving to illuminate the speaker’s character and their attitude towards others. The narrator also generally refrains from detailing sensual pleasures like eating, maintaining a ladylike reserve. This scarcity of detailed food descriptions makes the instances where they do occur particularly significant, often serving a purpose beyond mere scene-setting.
# What does food reveal about character and social status in Austen’s novels?
Food plays a crucial role in defining character and illustrating moral worth in Jane Austen’s works. Attitudes towards eating, housekeeping, and hospitality are key indicators of an individual’s personality and social standing. For instance, a character’s appreciation for simple or elaborate fare, their generosity in offering food, or their preoccupation with meals can reveal their priorities and values. Furthermore, the types of food served and the manner in which meals are conducted often reflect a family’s wealth and social aspirations. Characters who excessively indulge in food or are overly concerned with the details of dining are often portrayed critically.
# How does Jane Austen’s own relationship with food, as seen in her letters, differ from its portrayal in her novels?
In her personal letters, Jane Austen writes with unselfconscious enjoyment about food, detailing meals and expressing her culinary preferences. This contrasts sharply with her published fiction, where her heroines and the narrator rarely discuss food in such a direct or appreciative manner. Austen seemed to believe that such detailed interest in food would make her characters appear trivial or vulgar. Therefore, while food was a part of her everyday life and a topic of interest in private, she strategically employed it in her novels to serve specific literary purposes, primarily related to character development and social commentary.
# What can be learned about domestic life and the role of women in Austen’s England through the lens of food?
Food is deeply intertwined with domestic economy in Austen’s novels, reflecting the self-sufficient nature of many households, particularly in rural settings. The ability to manage a household and provide food was a significant aspect of a woman’s role, especially for those aspiring to or within the gentry class. The novels explore the “sweets” and “vexations” of housekeeping, highlighting the responsibilities and expectations placed upon women in managing the household’s resources. Furthermore, the text suggests a feminist reading through its depiction of gendered attitudes towards food, with male characters often portrayed as gluttonous and some female characters exhibiting restrictive eating habits, potentially reflecting their limited control within a patriarchal society.
# How are mealtimes and dining customs depicted in the novels, and what do they signify?
Mealtimes in Austen’s novels are not merely about sustenance; they are significant social events that reflect the manners and customs of the time. The evolution of dining hours, the importance of being fashionable in meal timings, and the rituals surrounding meals, such as offering wine or engaging in polite conversation, are all depicted. These customs serve as a backdrop for social interactions, courtship, and the display of social graces. Disruptions to mealtimes or inappropriate behavior during meals can reveal social awkwardness, rudeness, or a character’s disregard for societal norms.
# What is the significance of specific foods mentioned in the novels, such as mutton, venison, or potatoes?
Certain foods in Austen’s novels carry symbolic weight. Mutton, for example, often appears as a generic term for meat or dinner itself, sometimes used humorously when a more elaborate meal is expected. Venison, associated with large country estates and the right to hunt, signifies high social status and connections. Potatoes, a relatively new crop at the time, are mentioned in the context of agricultural concerns and dietary changes, with varying levels of enthusiasm from different characters, reflecting contemporary attitudes towards this foodstuff. The specific mention and reception of these and other foods contribute to the novels’ social and cultural fabric.
# How does the novel Emma uniquely utilize food as a literary device?
Emma stands out among Austen’s novels for its abundant references to food. In this novel, food transcends its role as a marker of character or social status and becomes a central symbol of human interdependence and the social commonwealth of Highbury. The giving and sharing of food acts as an extended metaphor for care, affection, and the bonds within the community. Emma’s journey of moral development is closely linked to her understanding and practice of hospitality and charity, often expressed through her interactions with others involving food. The detailed mentions of meals, ingredients, and even recipes underscore the interconnectedness of the village life and Emma’s place within it.
# What social and moral commentaries does Jane Austen make through her portrayal of food and eating habits?
Through her depiction of food and eating, Jane Austen subtly critiques various aspects of her society. She highlights the importance of balance and moderation, contrasting characters who are greedy or self-indulgent with those who practice thoughtful generosity in providing for others. The novels also touch upon gender inequalities, particularly in the context of eating disorders and the pressures faced by young women. Furthermore, Austen examines the nature of true hospitality versus superficial displays of wealth and social standing through the way her characters offer and receive food. Ultimately, food serves as a lens through which Austen explores themes of social responsibility, moral integrity, and the complexities of human relationships within her social world.
Jane Austen: Food, Society, and Character
Jane Austen’s writing style is characterized by its sparing use of physical detail. Unlike authors such as Dickens, she does not provide lengthy descriptions of faces, clothes, rooms, or meals, instead allowing the reader to imagine these details. She even advised her niece against giving ‘too many particulars’ in her writing.
Despite this lack of elaborate description, her characters are frequently eating, as domestic life and social interactions often revolve around meals. However, the food itself is ‘rationed’ in her descriptions, with only a few specific details provided, which are then made to carry significant weight. For instance, in Sense and Sensibility, only Willoughby’s hurried lunch at an inn is described out of numerous meals taken by the characters. Jane Austen’s masterful use of such limited detail suggests that it holds significance that would be lost with excessive description.
The purpose of mentioning food in Jane Austen’s work goes beyond mere realism; it contributes to the text artistically. Almost every reference to a specific food item helps to illustrate character, both of the speaker and sometimes of the person being spoken to or about. This is because specific foods are almost always mentioned in dialogue, reported speech, or free indirect speech, with the meal at Pemberley being a rare exception where the narrator directly describes the food. Examples such as Mrs. Bennet discussing soup and partridges, Mr. Woodhouse offering tart, and Mary Crawford mentioning pheasant all serve to highlight the speakers’ attitudes and personalities.
One reason for this focus on food in speech is its economy and vividness in illustrating character. Another equally important reason is Jane Austen’s own distaste, as narrator and on behalf of her most esteemed characters, for discussing food at length. Characters who frequently mention food often reveal some form of vulgarity, triviality, or selfishness. Notably, characters favored by the author, including Emma (except when responding to her food-obsessed father or providing for others), never describe a meal that has been eaten or anticipated, and the narrator also maintains a ladylike distance from sensual pleasures.
This contrasts with Jane Austen’s personal letters, where she writes with unselfconscious enjoyment about food, detailing meals and her own culinary preferences. She also freely discusses fashion and clothes in her letters, subjects that would immediately mark a character in her novels as trivial or vulgar.
This dichotomy is partly attributed to Jane Austen’s own circumstances. Her family was comfortably off but still practiced economies, especially after her father’s death. They kept a cook, but Jane’s mother and later her sister Cassandra, with Jane’s assistance, managed the housekeeping, making such matters a frequent topic of their correspondence. Evidence of this interest is seen in Mrs. Austen’s contributions to Martha Lloyd’s recipe collection. While Jane Austen herself absorbed this housekeeping knowledge from an early age, her fiction generally aligns more with her nephew’s idea of gentility, where ladies were not directly involved in cookery. Mrs. Bennet’s boast in Pride and Prejudice about her daughters’ lack of culinary skills exemplifies this, although Mrs. Bennet is portrayed as a flawed maternal figure.
Jane Austen’s attitude towards housekeeping was somewhat ambivalent. While at times she found it tedious when she had other intellectual pursuits, she also took pride in her ability to manage a household and cater to her own tastes. Her letters reveal an interest in food prices and a keen awareness of the differences between households that practiced economy and those where expense was no object. While not snobbish or greedy, she found it ‘vulgar’ to be overly preoccupied with prices. She appreciated the elegance and luxury afforded by wealth, not so much for the material goods themselves, but for the freedom from constant contrivance.
Her fiction, in some ways, presents a more ‘refined’ world than her own immediate experience, aligning more with the Victorian ideal of gentility. There’s a sense of her looking towards the future societal norms while also valuing the best aspects of the older country ways of living.
Mealtimes and manners in Jane Austen’s society were more leisured and formal than today. Breakfast at Chawton was at nine, possibly early to allow Jane time for writing, while at Godmersham and in Mr. Gardiner’s London home, it was typically at ten. Tea, all of which came from China in her time, was either green or brown. The term ‘a dish of tea’ lingered on, being used by older or less refined characters. Breakfast preparation at Chawton likely involved toasting bread and boiling water, possibly with the ladies handling the china themselves.
The concept of luncheon was evolving during Jane Austen’s lifetime. She uses the words ‘nuncheon’ and ‘luncheon’ sparingly, and only in the context of meals taken at an inn, suggesting these terms were not commonly used for midday meals at home. Instead, refreshments offered at midday in a domestic setting were not typically given a specific name. Terms like ‘cold meat’ and ‘a great set-out’ were used instead, and the author often referred to ‘the cold repast’.
Dinner time gradually shifted later during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Austen family’s dinner hour moved from half past three in 1798 to five in 1808, reflecting this trend. The fashionability of a family could be judged by their dinner hour. Jane Austen satirized the snobbery associated with dining times in her Juvenilia and The Watsons, where the Watson family dined at three and their fashionable neighbor at eight.
Social etiquette governed meals. On formal occasions, the host and hostess sat at the head and foot of the table. In the host’s absence, a strict hierarchy determined the substitute. The separation of sexes after dinner, where women withdrew to the drawing-room while men remained in the dining-room, was a common practice.
Tea time typically occurred about three hours after dinner. It was a significant social event, often involving a ‘solemn procession’ of the tea-board and refreshments. Young ladies of the house often took on the duty of making and serving tea, which was seen as enhancing their charms. After tea, entertainment such as reading aloud, playing backgammon, cards, or music was common.
Supper became less common as a formal evening meal during the period Jane Austen was writing. While light refreshments might still be taken privately at the end of the day, offering supper to dinner guests was becoming a social misstep, as noted by Jane Austen herself regarding Pride and Prejudice. However, light suppers of tart and jelly or other simple fare were sometimes taken in a more informal setting. Emma arranges warm and comforting yet delicate suppers for her father’s guests.
Specific foodstuffs and dishes mentioned by Jane Austen provide insights into the culinary habits of the time. White soup was considered elegant and was often served at balls. Mrs. Austen contributed a recipe for a white sauce for boiled carp to Martha Lloyd’s collection. Pease-soup was a simpler dish, part of a family dinner at Steventon. Potatoes were not universally embraced, with Dr. Grant making a disparaging remark about them. Beef pudding was a dish of the time. Oysters were common and cheap at inns. Venison held social prestige, indicating connections to large country estates. Sallad often referred simply to lettuce or leaves. Asparagus was another mentioned vegetable. Sweet puddings included apricot and apple tarts, mince pies, and apple dumplings. Arrowroot was a relatively new ingredient used to make a dish for invalids.
Medicine and food were closely linked, with substances like hartshorn and aromatic vinegar used for ailments. Rhubarb was used medicinally.
Attitudes towards eating reveal character and moral worth in Austen’s novels. Taking too much interest in food could be seen as frivolous, selfish, or gross. Jane Austen’s most esteemed characters are rarely preoccupied with eating and drinking, doing so to live rather than living to eat. This aligns with the prevailing idea that for ladies, being ‘divine rather than sensual’ was preferable.
In her Juvenilia, there is more explicit focus on food, possibly because the young Austen was not yet censoring mundane details or because she found humor in the clash between enjoying food and the literary ideal of female incorporeality. The Juvenilia feature both women who refuse to eat and those who eat excessively. As her writing matured, Austen adopted a more delicate approach, but the theme of eating disorders in young women, particularly as a response to their disempowerment in a patriarchal society, is evident in characters like Marianne Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Jane Fairfax.
The heroines in her mature novels generally display indifference towards food, eating for health, sociability, or conformity, but never expressing particular pleasure in it. This aligns with the idea that for women of her social class, a lack of pronounced interest in food was a sign of refinement.
Characters who show excessive preoccupation with food, like General Tilney and Dr. Grant, are often portrayed negatively, revealing their epicurism, hypocrisy, and disregard for others. Dr. Grant’s gluttony is a key aspect of his character, and Mary Crawford recognizes the negative impact it has on his wife.
Providing food for others is presented as a commendable act in Jane Austen’s world, in contrast to the self-gratification of eating. This is evident in acts of charity, though Austen focuses more on the social contracts formed through housekeeping and hospitality.
Housekeeping is a significant theme, and Jane Austen draws clear distinctions between good and bad housekeepers, linking it to moral worth. The term ‘housekeeper’ could refer to the mistress of the house or a senior female servant. Characters like Mrs. Jennings are depicted as actively involved in domestic affairs. While a fascination with the minutiae of housekeeping is seen as slightly unworthy for heroines, a proper interest is necessary for domestic comfort. Mrs. Bennet’s pride in her large number of dinner parties is presented with irony, as true social security does not require such pronouncements. The contrasting approaches to housekeeping of Mrs. Price, Lady Bertram, and Mrs. Norris in Mansfield Park highlight their characters and moral standing. Mrs. Norris’s meddling in household affairs and her relationships with servants are portrayed negatively. Fanny Price, through her observations, learns the best way to manage a household. Mary Crawford’s indifference to farming, a precursor to housekeeping, further contrasts her with Fanny as a potential wife for Edmund. Housekeeping was a shared interest among women in Austen’s life, but in her novels, it often becomes a competitive matter of status.
Hospitality is another crucial theme, reflecting societal values and manners. Jane Austen uses hospitality to illustrate individual character and comment on the evolving social norms of her time. Her novels frequently feature characters inviting others into their homes, making the spirit of hospitality a subject of scrutiny. Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion particularly focus on this theme, exploring the meaning of true hospitality. Austen initially mocked exaggerated displays of sensibility in hospitality. Characters like Sir John Middleton in Sense and Sensibility are portrayed as excessively enthusiastic hosts, sometimes to the detriment of their guests. In her youth, hospitality was frequent, both in London and in country neighborhoods, driven by social interaction and the pursuit of marriage partners. Mansfield Park reflects a shift towards a more guarded form of hospitality, with an emphasis on protecting the sanctity of the home from undesirable guests, indicative of a bourgeois withdrawal into domesticity. Sanditon brings the discussion of hospitality into a commercial context, contrasting genuine, need-fulfilling hospitality with more business-like and less generous forms. Austen values hospitality motivated by warmth and concern for others.
Food as Symbol is a less overt but powerful aspect of Jane Austen’s writing. Specific foods can suggest deeper qualities about characters or situations. Mrs. Jennings’ detailed description of Delaford, focusing on food provisions, illustrates her practical and warm-hearted nature. The pyramids of hot-house fruit at Pemberley symbolize the rigid social hierarchy that Elizabeth and Darcy’s love must overcome, and the shared enjoyment of the fruit signifies their growing connection. In Mansfield Park, the pheasant’s eggs symbolize Fanny’s potential for growth nurtured within the Park’s environment. The contrast between a plain dish and a ragout in Pride and Prejudice serves to highlight Mr. Hurst’s worthlessness and Elizabeth’s simple English tastes, tapping into a contemporary debate about fashion and patriotism. Mr. Knightley is associated with Englishness and plainness, while Frank Churchill is linked to French aimability. In Emma, Mr. Woodhouse’s obsession with bland food symbolizes his fear of life and change, and the Christmas Eve dinner at Randalls represents an unnatural and discordant social gathering. The abundant but unspecified supper at the Westons’ ball emphasizes Miss Bates’s gratitude and the joyous atmosphere. The focus on food in Emma, including the vignettes of Highbury life, underscores themes of community, social interaction, and perhaps even economic realities. Some interpretations of Emma suggest that food can also be seen as a currency of power and servility. Ultimately, food in Emma, the most food-laden of Austen’s novels, serves multiple symbolic purposes.
In summary, Jane Austen masterfully uses the seemingly mundane topic of food to enrich her narratives, reveal character, comment on social customs, and even employ symbolic meaning, all within her characteristically economical and insightful prose.
Jane Austen and the Significance of Food in Her Novels
While Jane Austen’s novels are not known for lengthy descriptions of meals, food plays a significant role in her work, serving various artistic purposes beyond mere realism. According to Maggie Lane in “Jane Austen and Food,” no reference to food in Austen’s writing is without significance, often contributing to character illustration, plot development, and thematic enhancement.
Sparseness of Description, Significance of Detail: Austen’s style is characterized by its sparing use of physical detail, including descriptions of meals. Unlike authors like Dickens, she does not build up her world through detailed accounts of food. Instead, she provides just a few particulars about food, which are made to carry considerable weight. The limited descriptions suggest that any mention of food is deliberate and carries significance.
Food as a Tool for Characterization: A key function of food in Austen’s novels is to illustrate character. Specific foods are almost always mentioned in dialogue or reported speech, bringing the speaker and their attitude towards others into focus. For instance, Mrs. Bennet’s comment on the superiority of the soup at Netherfield compared to the Lucases’, or Mr. Woodhouse’s recommendations about tart and custard to Miss Bates, reveal aspects of their personalities.
Interestingly, characters who show too much interest in food are often portrayed as vulgar, trivial, or selfish. With the exception of Emma, who caters to her food-obsessed father, characters admired by the author rarely describe meals they have eaten or anticipate eating. This contrasts with Austen’s personal enjoyment of food, as evidenced in her letters, where she writes with “unselfconscious enjoyment” about meals.
Mealtimes, Menus, and Manners: The book explores the domestic framework of Austen’s characters’ lives, including mealtimes, menus, and manners. Although specific menus are rarely detailed, the text does mention various dishes. For example, Mr. Bingley’s ball in Pride and Prejudice is contingent on “white soup enough” being made, a soup with medieval French origins based on veal stock, cream, and almonds. Pease-soup is another dish mentioned, forming part of a family dinner in one of Austen’s letters.
The text also touches upon the evolution of meal terms. “Noonshine” was a term used by Austen in her letters and could be corrupted into “nuncheon,” which she uses to describe Willoughby’s hasty meal. The word “luncheon” appears only twice in her novels, both times referring to meals taken at an inn. In domestic settings, refreshments at midday were often offered without a specific name.
Food and Social Significance: Food in Jane Austen’s world carries social messages. Venison, for example, signifies connection to large country estates and social standing. Attitudes towards eating, housekeeping, and hospitality are examined as ways to assess individuals and form themes within the novels. Good and bad housekeepers are central to novels like Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park, particularly concerning heroines marrying above their station.
Greed and Gender: The book also explores “Greed and Gender” in Austen’s fiction, noting that in her published works, all the gluttons are men, while (near-) anorexics are women. This observation supports a feminist reading of her novels, as female destiny is often intimately connected with food.
Food as Symbol: Beyond its role in character and plot, food also functions as a symbol in Austen’s writing. In Sense and Sensibility, the detailed description of the fruit trees at Delaford can be interpreted as a symbol of the emotional and physical nourishment awaiting Elinor and Marianne. Similarly, the hot-house fruits at Pemberley signify Darcy’s elevated status.
Mansfield Park employs metaphorical food, where Fanny’s imagination or despair is “fed”. The presence of a butcher’s shop in a village is linked to emotional and physical nourishment. Willoughby’s simple lunch of cold beef and porter in Sense and Sensibility can be seen as a mark in his favor, associating him with honest English fare. In contrast, Mr. Hurst’s preference for a “ragout” in Pride and Prejudice aligns him with French sophistication and is used to subtly criticize him.
The Significance of Food in Emma:Emma stands out as the novel most laden with references to food, where it serves as an extended metaphor for human interdependence within the community of Highbury. The giving and sharing of food symbolize goodwill. The very first food mentioned is wedding-cake, which announces the theme of weddings and community bonds. Even Mr. Woodhouse’s anxieties surrounding food reveal his character. The novel uses food to illustrate kindness, as seen in Robert Martin bringing walnuts to Harriet, and to contrast characters, such as Mr. Elton’s self-centered conversation about food. Mr. Knightley’s preference for simple, indoor meals reflects his grounded nature. The abundance of food in Highbury also contrasts with the poverty seen in the visit to the poor cottager, highlighting social inequalities.
In conclusion, while Jane Austen’s descriptions of food are not elaborate, food is a pervasive and significant element in her novels. It acts as a subtle yet powerful tool for character development, plot progression, thematic exploration, and symbolic representation of social dynamics and moral values.
Austen’s England: Food, Hospitality, and Social Customs
Drawing on the provided source, Jane Austen’s novels offer a rich portrayal of the social customs prevalent in England during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These customs, often intertwined with food and hospitality, reveal much about the characters, their motivations, and the societal values of the time.
Mealtimes and Their Significance:
Breakfast: The timing of breakfast varied, with a later hour often considered a sign of fashion. Even in middle-class households, breakfast might be at ten, while in more fashionable circles, it could be even later. The start of social events or visits could be linked to breakfast time.
Dinner: The dinner hour was a significant indicator of a family’s social standing and fashionability. It gradually shifted later during Jane Austen’s lifetime, and families that dined later were often seen as more fashionable. Even within families, shifts in the dinner hour were notable. The custom of changing attire, particularly for ladies, preceded dinner, marking the end of the ‘morning’.
Refreshments between meals: Formal occasions might involve “cold repasts” served during morning calls. More relaxed visits could include a “sandwich tray”. These unnamed midday refreshments lacked a fixed hour and were offered when guests appeared.
Tea: Tea time usually followed dinner and was a common occasion for social visits. While called ‘tea’, coffee was often also available. Light refreshments like cake, toast, or muffins might be served with tea, especially to those not invited for dinner.
Supper: Supper as a substantial evening meal was becoming less fashionable during the period in which Austen wrote. Offering a “hot supper” to dinner guests could even be seen as vulgar. By the time Pride and Prejudice was published, Austen herself noted that suppers at Longbourn might have been an outdated custom. However, supper retained its importance at private balls due to the late hours and energy expended in dancing, often including soup as a key component.
Dining Etiquette and Customs:
Entrance to the Dining Room: Customs regarding entering the dining room were in transition. Formerly, ladies entered first, followed by men. Later etiquette introduced the practice of gentlemen offering their arm to a lady. Emma’s dinner party illustrates a blend of these customs.
Seating Arrangements: At the table, the host and hostess typically sat at the head and foot. In their absence, a strict hierarchy determined the substitute. With the exception of principal guests, attendees generally chose their own seats.
Service of Food: The prevalent method of serving food during Austen’s time was the service à la française, where a variety of dishes were placed on the table at once. Servants would later clear these away and bring in another complete course. This differed significantly from the later service à la Russe with courses served individually by servants.
Drinking Wine: Wine was typically associated with the dessert course. A custom existed where gentlemen would propose a toast by filling their own and their female neighbor’s glasses.
Departure of Ladies: After dinner, the ladies would often withdraw from the dining room, leaving the men to their own conversation and drinks. Jane Austen notably does not depict scenes where no women are present.
Hospitality: A Reflection of Character and Society:
Country vs. Town Hospitality: The source contrasts country hospitality, often characterized by a more open and friendly approach, with town hospitality, which could be more formal and driven by social appearances.
Motivations for Hospitality: Hospitality could be offered for genuine kindness and social obligation, or for more self-serving reasons like social advancement or impressing others. Characters like Sir John Middleton embody a more enthusiastic, albeit sometimes overwhelming, form of country hospitality. In contrast, Elizabeth Elliot prioritizes social appearances over genuine hospitality in Bath.
Thematic Significance: Attitudes towards hospitality are used by Austen to define character and explore themes of social change and moral worth. Novels like Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion particularly examine the meaning of true hospitality and how it evolves.
Decline of Open Hospitality:Mansfield Park and Emma hint at a growing trend of domestic retreat and a more cautious approach to hospitality, driven by a desire for privacy and the sanctity of the home.
Critique of Inhospitable Behavior: Characters who fail in their duties as hosts, such as General Tilney in Northanger Abbey, are often presented negatively, with their lack of hospitality linked to other negative traits.
Social Visits and Gatherings:
Morning Calls: Women who were not occupied with pressing household duties often made ‘morning calls’ on their friends, typically between twelve and one o’clock.
Dinner Parties: Dinner parties could range from regular social events in some circles to more special occasions in others. The planning and execution of dinner parties, as seen with the Coles in Emma, could reveal social aspirations and insecurities.
Balls: Balls were important social events, providing opportunities for dancing, socializing, and forming connections. Private balls often included supper as an essential component.
Tea Parties: Invitations to ‘drink tea’ were common and could include light refreshments, offering a less formal way to socialize, sometimes for those not invited to dine.
Gender Roles and Social Customs:
Separate Spheres: The sexes often pursued their duties and pleasures independently during the morning, with social visits being primarily a female activity. Evenings brought the sexes together in more formal settings.
Women and Housekeeping: Housekeeping was a significant domain for women, and their attitudes towards it were used to assess their character. However, while a basic interest was necessary for domestic comfort, excessive preoccupation with petty details could be seen as slightly unworthy.
Social Hierarchy Reflected in Customs:
Food and Status: Certain foods, like venison, carried social prestige. The abundance and elegance of meals could be a way for individuals to assert their social standing.
Treatment of Servants: Social customs also extended to the treatment of servants, who were expected to serve but generally not partake in the food and drink enjoyed by their employers. Exceptions or complaints about the cost of provisioning servants highlight social inequalities.
Charity and Social Obligation: While charity towards the poor was considered an obligation, Austen’s focus tends to be on the social interactions within the gentry and middle classes. The stark contrast between the well-fed inhabitants of Highbury and the poverty of the lower classes, as depicted in Emma, subtly underscores social inequalities.
In summary, Jane Austen masterfully uses the details of social customs, particularly those related to food and hospitality, to paint a vivid picture of her society. These customs serve not only as background details but also as crucial tools for characterization, plot development, and insightful commentary on the evolving social landscape of her time. They highlight the importance of etiquette, the nuances of social interactions, and the underlying social hierarchies that shaped the lives of her characters.
Jane Austen’s Domestic World
Drawing on the provided source, domestic life is a fundamental element of Jane Austen’s novels, intricately woven into the fabric of her characters’ lives and the social fabric of the time. Her works offer a detailed glimpse into the management of households, the roles and responsibilities of family members, and the significance of everyday activities within the home.
Housekeeping: A Central Concern
The Management of the Household: In Jane Austen’s world, the running of a household was a primary concern, particularly for women. Whether undertaken by the mistress of the house or delegated to servants under her supervision, housekeeping involved significant organization, planning, and constant attention to detail. This included managing stores of food, directing servants, and ensuring the smooth operation of daily routines.
Female Roles in Housekeeping: For women of the gentry, proficiency in domestic economy was considered a vital skill and a source of pride. Jane Austen’s own life reflects this, as she and her sister Cassandra were involved in the practicalities of running the household, especially after their father’s death. Mrs Austen diligently performed her role as housekeeper, and saw it as her part in the marriage partnership. This expectation extended to their daughters, as it was considered essential training for their future roles as wives and mothers, regardless of their potential social standing.
Wealth and Housekeeping: The level of involvement in hands-on work varied with wealth. While wealthier households could afford cooks and housekeepers to manage the daily tasks, the mistress of the house still held the responsibility of presiding over and directing the household. Even in such establishments, understanding the intricacies of housekeeping was considered useful. In contrast, families with more limited incomes, like the Austens themselves, practiced constant economies, and the women of the household often played a more direct role in planning and supervising domestic duties.
Moral Implications of Housekeeping: Jane Austen uses attitudes towards housekeeping to define character and illustrate moral worth. Good housekeepers, like Charlotte Lucas, are often portrayed as sensible, contented, and fulfilling their responsibilities with cheerfulness. Conversely, poor housekeepers, such as Mrs Price, are often associated with helplessness and a lack of order. An excessive pride in one’s housekeeping, especially when stemming from social insecurity, as seen in Mrs Bennet, is also subject to Austen’s scrutiny.
Jane Austen’s Personal Perspective: Austen’s own experiences shaped her understanding of domestic life. Her letters reveal her familiarity with household tasks and her occasional enjoyment of “experimental housekeeping”. However, her fiction often presents characters who are “above ‘vulgar cares’” related to domestic minutiae, suggesting a nuanced perspective on the ideal level of engagement with such matters for women of a certain social standing.
Mealtimes as Domestic Rituals
As discussed in our previous conversation, mealtimes structured the day and held social significance. Within the domestic sphere, they were also essential rituals, reflecting the household’s organization and the provision of sustenance. The preparation and consumption of meals were central to daily life.
Family Dynamics and the Home
The Woman’s Sphere: The smooth running of the home was largely considered the woman’s responsibility. Even unmarried women were expected to be prepared to take on this role if needed. The temporary absence of the woman of the house could significantly disrupt the household, as highlighted by Mr Austen’s letter referring to his wife as his “housekeeper”.
Training for Domesticity: Mothers played a crucial role in training their daughters in the arts of domestic economy, seeing it as a vital contribution to their future families’ well-being.
Financial Constraints: Financial circumstances heavily influenced domestic arrangements, from the number of servants employed to the quality and variety of food served. The Austens’ move to Bath brought a heightened awareness of the cost of provisions and the need for careful budgeting, contrasting with the self-sufficiency of their life in Steventon.
Harmony and Discord: Austen portrays a range of domestic environments, from the harmonious cooperation of the Austen women in Southampton to the chaotic and uncomfortable household of Mrs Price. The character of the individuals within the home significantly shaped the atmosphere and well-being of the family.
Town vs. Country Domestic Life
Self-Sufficiency in the Country: Life in the country, as experienced by the Austens at Steventon, often involved a degree of self-sufficiency in food production. This placed a considerable burden on the housekeeper but also offered benefits in terms of economy and wholesomeness.
Reliance on Markets in Towns: Moving to a town like Bath necessitated a shift towards purchasing most food items from markets and shops. This change brought both conveniences and drawbacks, including the expense of buying everything and fluctuations in prices.
Differing Perspectives: Attitudes towards town and country domestic life varied. Some, like Cassandra Austen, missed the “amusement and so many comforts attending a Farm”, while others, like Mrs Allen, appreciated the ease of access to shops in town. Mary Crawford, raised in town, viewed country housekeeping with disdain.
Food as a Symbol in Domestic Life
As noted in our discussion of social customs, food and its provision often carried symbolic weight. Within the domestic context, the way food was managed, offered, and consumed could reveal character traits, social standing, and the underlying dynamics of family relationships. Hospitality, a key aspect of domestic life, was particularly telling in this regard.
In conclusion, domestic life forms a rich and multifaceted backdrop in Jane Austen’s novels. Through her detailed portrayal of housekeeping practices, family interactions, and the contrasting experiences of town and country living, Austen provides insightful commentary on the social expectations, gender roles, and moral values of her era. The seemingly mundane details of daily life within the home become significant lenses through which Austen explores broader themes of character, society, and the complexities of human relationships.
Jane Austen’s Mealtime Customs: A Social History
Drawing on the provided source and our conversation history, mealtime practices in Jane Austen’s era were significantly different from modern customs and held considerable social and cultural importance. Mealtimes punctuated the day and were often central to social interaction and domestic life.
Breakfast:
The breakfast hour varied depending on social standing and household routines. At Chawton, it was at nine o’clock, possibly to accommodate Jane Austen’s writing schedule. However, at Godmersham and in the London home of Mr. Gardiner, breakfast was typically at ten. Even travelers like Georgiana Darcy might have a ‘late breakfast’ upon arrival.
In contrast, an early breakfast might be served to travelers or when gentlemen were going hunting. On hunting mornings at Steventon, uncles would take a ‘hasty breakfast in the kitchen’.
Georgian breakfasts were generally dainty meals of various breads, cakes, and hot drinks. They differed from the more substantial breakfasts of previous generations (bread, ale, and cheese) and the later Victorian and Edwardian breakfasts with hot dishes.
Breakfast was often served in a breakfast-parlour, if a grand house possessed one, rather than the dining room, and eaten off fine china. General Tilney boasts about his breakfast set in Northanger Abbey.
Common breakfast fare included ‘ordinary comforts of tea and toast’ which suited the elegance of the age. However, more substantial options like boiled eggs and pork chops might be available at inns or for travelers. Parson Woodforde’s inn breakfast included chocolate, tea, hot rolls, toast, bread and butter, honey, tongue, and ham. Jane Austen herself enjoyed rolls for breakfast in Bath.
Toast was typically made by the consumers themselves in front of the fire. Making breakfast at Chawton likely involved toasting bread and boiling water for tea.
Midday Sustenance (Lunch/Nuncheon/Noonshine):
As dinner times shifted later, a need for midday sustenance arose. Terms like ‘lunch’, ‘luncheon’, ‘nuncheon’, and ‘noonshine’ emerged to describe this snack or light meal taken between breakfast and dinner.
Dr. Johnson defined ‘lunch’ or ‘lunch-eon’ as ‘as much food as one’s hand can hold’. ‘Nuncheon’ derived from ‘noonshine’ and meant a snack taken at noon. Jane Austen used ‘noonshine’ in her letters.
Jane Austen uses ‘nuncheon’ once in Sense and Sensibility to describe Willoughby’s hasty meal of cold beef and porter at an inn. ‘Luncheon’ is also used only once, in Pride and Prejudice, for a cold meal of salad, cucumber, and cold meat at an inn.
Interestingly, Austen never uses these terms for food taken at home at midday. In a domestic context, refreshments would be offered without a specific name.
On formal occasions, a ‘collation’ with ‘abundance and elegance’ might be prepared. More relaxed visits might involve a ‘sandwich tray’ or unspecified food brought in on a tray.
These midday refreshments were often cold and eaten in the room the family used for sitting in the morning, not necessarily the dining room. The time was flexible, offered when guests appeared.
Even without visitors, families would have some refreshment, though Austen rarely mentions it. Examples include ‘cold meat’ eaten between church services.
Drinks at midday might include porter (at an inn), spruce beer, mead, beer, or fruit cordial.
Dinner:
Originally a midday meal, dinner became later and later in the 18th and early 19th centuries, eventually settling around six or seven for fashionable society. This shift was driven by social pretension.
The dinner hour became a marker of a family’s fashionability. Jane Austen was aware of this snobbery from her early writings.
The earliest dinner hour in Austen’s fiction is four o’clock (Barton Cottage and the Woodhouse household), while later ones are half past four (Mansfield Parsonage), five (Northanger Abbey and Mrs. Jennings’s London home), and half past six (Netherfield). Longbourn’s dinner was at four, highlighting the difference between country and town hours.
A complete change of costume, at least for ladies, signified the end of the ‘morning’ and preceded dinner. The fashionable Bingley sisters took an hour and a half to dress.
Dinner service was typically ‘à la française’ during this period. This involved multiple courses served simultaneously on the table, with a large variety of dishes ‘smoking before our eyes and our noses’. Diners helped themselves and their neighbors.
Cookery books provided diagrams for arranging dishes attractively. Key elements often included large joints of meat, fowl, soup at one end, and fish at the other.
After the first course, there was a significant interval while servants cleared and brought in the second course, also with many dishes, emphasizing lighter savories and sweet items.
Clean plates and utensils were provided as needed. Leftovers were used for subsequent meals.
Ordinary family dinners consisted of just one course, although with a variety of dishes. Examples include Parson Woodforde’s dinner of rabbits, mutton, goose, and puddings, and the Austens’ London dinner of soup, fish, bouillee, partridges, and apple tart.
Dinners with company often involved two full courses, as Mrs. Bennet aspired to when entertaining Bingley and Darcy.
The phrase ‘to eat one’s mutton with someone’ was a common, somewhat informal invitation to dinner, even if the meal was expected to be more elaborate.
Knowing whether there would be one or two courses was important for diners to pace themselves. The phrase ‘You see your dinner’ indicated a single course.
Manners at the table were important, though Austen’s novels offer fewer explicit details than conduct books of the time. Guests generally chose their own places, except for the principal male and female guests.
Dessert:
After the main courses, the tablecloth was removed, and ‘the dessert’ was set out. This differed from the modern understanding of dessert, comprising dried fruits, nuts, sweet and spicy confections, often made with expensive imported ingredients. Mrs. Jennings offers Marianne sweetmeats, olives, and dried cherries as a typical dessert.
Wine was typically served with the dessert. The servant and tablecloth might be dismissed at this stage.
A custom of gentlemen proposing toasts to their female neighbors by offering wine together was becoming obsolete during Jane Austen’s time.
Afternoon Tea/Coffee:
The period between dinner and tea was known as the afternoon.
Tea, often accompanied by coffee, was typically served in the evening, marking a social gathering that could last the rest of the evening.
The serving of tea was a ‘solemn procession’ often headed by the butler.
Making tea was often the duty of the young ladies of the house. Jane made tea and Elizabeth poured coffee at Longbourn.
Little sustenance was usually served with tea and coffee after a large dinner, but cake, toast, or muffins might be offered. This was particularly welcoming for guests invited only ‘to drink tea’.
The evening after tea was often spent in social activities like playing and singing, or card games. Impromptu dancing might also occur.
Supper:
Supper, the last meal of the day, diminished from a substantial repast to a tray of light refreshments as dinner became later.
Older, more old-fashioned characters like Mr. Woodhouse and Mrs. Goddard were more attached to the idea of supper. Mrs. Goddard served a goose at supper.
Offering a ‘hot supper’ to evening visitors could be seen as a sign of vulgarity by the time Pride and Prejudice was published. Jane Austen herself noted that there ‘might as well have been no suppers at Longbourn’.
Light refreshments on a tray became common for supper. Elegant ‘petit soupee trays’ were a new invention for this purpose.
At Hartfield, supper might be served on a smaller table in the drawing-room. Some grander houses, like Northanger Abbey, had a designated supper-room, which could be seen as pretentious.
Supper for a small party might consist of items like tart and jelly. Emma at Hartfield ensured suppers were warm and comforting for her father’s guests but still elegant.
Suppers at private balls remained substantial and essential due to the late hours and dancing. Soup was a key component of ball suppers. Mr. Bingley insisted on ‘white soup enough’ for his ball.
Meals at Inns:
Meals taken at inns, as noted in the context of luncheon, were often more practical and less elaborate in the ordering, focusing on quick sustenance.
Artistic Use of Food in Dialogue:
Jane Austen rarely describes meals in detail through the narrator’s voice. Instead, specific foods are almost always mentioned in dialogue or reported speech, serving to illustrate the speaker’s character and their attitude towards others. Examples include Mrs. Bennet’s comments on the soup and partridges, Mr. Woodhouse’s advice on tart and custard, and Mary Crawford’s remark about Dr. Grant and the pheasant.
Heroines and Food:
Interestingly, Jane Austen’s heroines rarely express pleasure in food or anticipate meals with excitement. They eat to maintain health, for social reasons, or to conform to social norms. Their indifference to food can sometimes be a mark of their refinement.
In essence, mealtime practices in Jane Austen’s novels reflect a structured social order with evolving customs. The timing, content, and manner of taking meals were all imbued with social meaning, and Austen skillfully uses these details to enrich her portrayal of characters and their interactions within the domestic sphere.
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The provided text offers insights into the character of Emma Woodhouse from Jane Austen’s novel Emma. It details her reactions to her former governess’s marriage, highlighting Emma’s sense of loss alongside her friend’s happiness. The text explores Emma’s inclination to manage the lives of those around her, particularly her new acquaintance, Harriet Smith, a project viewed skeptically by Mr. Knightley who sees Emma’s actions as stemming from her privileged position. Furthermore, the excerpts reveal Emma’s complex relationships and social interactions within the Highbury community, showcasing her occasional insensitivity alongside instances of kindness and self-awareness.
Study Guide for Emma
Quiz
Describe Mr. Woodhouse’s primary anxieties and how they influence his interactions, drawing specific examples from the provided text.
Explain the literary technique of free indirect discourse as it is used in Emma. What is its effect on the reader’s understanding of the characters?
According to the text, what are the dual tendencies of the “growth of mind” in the early nineteenth century, and how is Emma implicated in these?
Detail Emma’s initial motivations and perceived success in her matchmaking endeavors with Mr. Elton and Harriet Smith.
Contrast Mr. Knightley’s and Mrs. Weston’s perspectives on Emma’s character and her relationship with Harriet Smith.
Explain the significance of Miss Bates’s character as portrayed in the provided excerpts, particularly in relation to social dynamics.
Summarize the events surrounding Mr. Elton’s proposal to Emma and her reaction to it. What does this reveal about Emma’s self-perception?
Describe Frank Churchill’s behavior upon his arrival and Emma’s initial impressions of him, as suggested by the text.
Analyze the misunderstanding between Emma and Harriet regarding Mr. Martin’s proposal and Emma’s role in Harriet’s refusal.
Explain the circumstances and significance of Mr. Knightley’s emotional moment when he takes Emma’s hand.
Answer Key
Mr. Woodhouse is primarily anxious about change, separation, and loss, especially concerning marriage. He views marriage as “the origin of change” and resists it intensely, even struggling to comprehend how he himself ever married or fathered children. His anxieties lead him to oppose social gatherings and worry excessively about the health and comfort of those around him, particularly Emma.
Free indirect discourse is a narrative technique where the narrator blends their voice with the thoughts and feelings of a character, often Emma in this novel. This allows the reader intimate access to Emma’s consciousness, blurring the lines between narration and her direct thoughts. It enables Austen to explore Emma’s inner life with detail and nuance, revealing her self-deceptions and developing understanding.
The two tendencies are an expansion of self-consciousness through internal reflection and an expansion of the self through emotional expression via music and art. Emma is deeply involved in these conflicting impulses as she engages in constant self-talk and attempts to shape her own and others’ realities, highlighting the era’s focus on self-realization against societal constraints.
Emma believes she is guiding Harriet towards a suitable match with Mr. Elton, fueled by Harriet’s “young vanity” and Emma’s own conviction of her perceptive abilities. She interprets Mr. Elton’s politeness as romantic interest in Harriet and feels confident in creating a mutual liking, demonstrating her early overestimation of her influence and judgment.
Mr. Knightley is critical of Emma’s influence on Harriet, fearing it will harm both of them due to Emma’s spoiled nature and tendency to lead others astray with her misguided schemes. Mrs. Weston, having known Emma longer and with more affection, believes in Emma’s underlying good qualities and trusts that she will not make any lasting blunders.
Miss Bates, though sometimes seen as tedious and overly talkative, provides a glimpse into the social dynamics of Highbury. Her detailed and often tangential conversations reveal information and connections within the community, and Emma’s thoughtless mockery of her demonstrates a flaw in Emma’s character and social awareness.
Mr. Elton’s sudden and passionate proposal to Emma reveals her complete misreading of his affections, as she believed he was in love with Harriet. Emma is shocked and rejects him, realizing her own vanity and flawed judgment in her matchmaking attempts. This incident forces Emma to confront her self-deception and the harm her interventions can cause.
Frank Churchill’s arrival is marked by his efforts to be agreeable, particularly towards the ladies. Emma is initially charmed by his manners and takes pleasure in his attentions, finding him lively and engaging. However, a subtle suspicion lingers in her mind about the genuineness of his pronounced interest in Highbury, contrasting with his previous absence.
Emma strongly advises Harriet to refuse Mr. Martin’s proposal, believing him to be beneath Harriet and envisioning a better match for her. Harriet, easily influenced by Emma, follows this advice despite her own potential inclinations towards Mr. Martin. This highlights Emma’s social snobbery and her damaging interference in Harriet’s life.
Mr. Knightley takes Emma’s hand after she expresses her regret for her unkindness towards Miss Bates, and it seems he is on the verge of a more intimate gesture before stopping himself. This moment suggests a deeper affection for Emma than mere friendship, hinting at a growing romantic interest and underscoring the significance of Emma’s moment of self-awareness and apology.
Essay Format Questions
Explore the theme of social class and its influence on the characters’ relationships and decisions in the provided excerpts from Emma.
Analyze the development of Emma’s character as revealed through her interactions and internal thoughts in the given chapters. Consider her flaws and potential for growth.
Discuss the role of communication and miscommunication in shaping the events and misunderstandings within the selected passages.
Examine the significance of Mr. Knightley’s perspective on Emma and the events unfolding around them. How does his presence serve as a moral compass in the narrative?
Consider Jane Austen’s use of irony in the provided text. How does it contribute to the reader’s understanding of the characters and their motivations?
Glossary of Key Terms
Exogamous: In the context of Mr. Woodhouse’s views on marriage, meaning marriage outside of one’s immediate family or close social circle, which he inherently views as a loss and separation.
Free Indirect Discourse: A style of third-person narration that adopts the speech patterns and thoughts of a character, blurring the line between the narrator’s voice and the character’s consciousness.
Narcissism: Excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one’s physical appearance. In the text, this is hinted at in relation to Emma’s enjoyment of her own inner voice.
Penetration: A metaphorical attribute, conventionally male, referring to the ability to have sharp insight and judgment. In the text, it is used ironically in relation to Emma’s overconfidence in her understanding.
Hyperbole: Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. John Knightley’s account of Highbury’s increasing social activity is described as being in large measure hyperbole.
Self-consciousness: A heightened awareness of oneself and one’s own feelings, thoughts, and actions. The text discusses the expansion of self-consciousness in the early nineteenth century.
Self-realization: The fulfillment of one’s own potential and the awareness of one’s true self. The text suggests a growing apprehension in the early nineteenth century that individuals would need to fight against circumstances to achieve self-realization.
Match-making: The act of trying to arrange marriages or romantic relationships between people. Emma’s preoccupation with matchmaking is a central aspect of her character.
Spleen: Ill temper or irritability. Mr. Knightley jokingly says he will keep his spleen to himself regarding Emma’s relationship with Harriet.
Humourist: A person who is considered amusing or witty. Mrs. Elton calls Mr. Knightley a humourist, suggesting his remarks are to be taken lightly.
Flirtation: Behavior that suggests a playful romantic interest without serious intent. Emma’s interactions with Frank Churchill are described by others as flirtatious.
Cordiality: Warm and friendly affection. This is mentioned in the context of Mr. Knightley shaking hands with Emma after their disagreement.
Solicitude: Care or concern for someone or something. Emma initially attributes her dislike of Mr. Knightley marrying to the amiable solicitude of his sister and aunt.
Integrity: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Emma reflects on Frank Churchill’s lack of upright integrity after discovering his secret engagement.
Benevolence: The quality of being well-meaning and kindly. Mrs. Weston expresses her belief in Emma’s disinterested benevolence in her interactions.
Briefing Document: Analysis of Excerpts from “Emma” by Jane Austen
This briefing document analyzes the provided excerpts from Jane Austen’s “Emma,” focusing on key themes, characterizations, narrative techniques, and important plot points revealed within these passages.
Main Themes:
Emma’s Character and Flaws: The excerpts heavily emphasize Emma Woodhouse’s personality, particularly her self-assurance, tendency towards matchmaking, vanity regarding her judgment, and resistance to change.
“Although Emma is neither nervous nor easily depressed, she is nonetheless her father’s daughter. And in no characteristic is she more tellingly aligned with him than in her resistance to change—both change in general and in particular as it touches upon her own life circumstances, especially when it comes to marriage, marriage for herself, against which she has resolutely set her face.” This highlights her stubborn nature and aversion to personal marriage, mirroring her father’s anxieties.
Regarding her matchmaking: “‘Here am I come down for only one day, and you are engaged with a dinner-party! When did it happen before? or any thing like it? Your neighbourhood is increasing, and you mix more with it … every letter to Isabella [has] brought an account of fresh gaieties’ (p. 280).” This indirectly showcases the social circles Emma operates in and hints at her involvement in social dynamics.
Her enjoyment of her own company and inner voice is noted: “And one of the things we quickly come to learn is how much Emma enjoys the sound of her own (inner) voice. She is regularly aware of how delightful it is to be Emma. She talks to herself so much because she is such good company.” This reveals a degree of self-absorption.
Her vanity lies in her judgment, not her appearance: “‘I love to look at her; and I will add this praise, that I do not think her personally vain. Considering how very handsome she is, she appears to be little occupied with it; her vanity lies another way’ (p. 34).” This distinction, pointed out by Knightley, is crucial to understanding her motivations.
Social Dynamics and Class: The excerpts touch upon the social hierarchy of Highbury and the nuances within it.
John Knightley’s ambiguous remark about the “increasing” neighborhood suggests potential shifts in social boundaries or the inclusion of new individuals within the upper circles.
Emma’s interactions with Harriet Smith highlight the social differences between them and Emma’s attempts to elevate Harriet’s prospects, often misjudging social appropriateness. Her desire to prevent Harriet from marrying Robert Martin stems partly from a perceived social mismatch.
Mr. Elton’s pursuit of Emma after Emma’s attempts to pair him with Harriet underscore the complexities of social maneuvering and romantic expectations. His indignant rejection of Harriet reveals a strong sense of social standing. “‘Miss Smith! I never thought of Miss Smith in the whole course of my existence—never paid her any attentions, but as your friend: never cared whether she were dead or alive, but as your friend. If she has fancied otherwise, her own wishes have misled her, and I am very sorry—extremely sorry. But, Miss Smith, indeed! Oh, Miss Woodhouse, who can think of Miss Smith when Miss Woodhouse is near?’”
Marriage and Expectations: Marriage is a central theme, explored through various characters’ perspectives and Emma’s own evolving views.
Mr. Woodhouse’s fear of change is strongly linked to his opposition to marriage, which he sees as the “origin of change.”
Emma’s initial resistance to marriage for herself contrasts with her active involvement in trying to arrange marriages for others. Her assertion that a single woman with good fortune is respectable challenges societal norms that equate celibacy with pity. “‘Never mind, Harriet, I shall not be a poor old maid; and it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible to a generous public! A single woman with a very narrow income must be a ridiculous, disagreeable old maid! the proper sport of boys and girls; but a single woman of good fortune is always respectable, and may be as sensible and pleasant as any body else!’”
The revelation of Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax’s secret engagement highlights the constraints and expectations placed upon individuals within their social context, requiring secrecy and careful maneuvering. Frank’s letter to Mrs. Weston details the necessity of this concealment due to his aunt’s control. “‘You must all endeavour to comprehend the exact nature of my situation when I first arrived at Randalls; you must consider me as having a secret which was to be kept at all hazards. This was the fact.’”
Self-Deception and Misjudgment: Emma’s tendency to misinterpret situations and the feelings of others is a recurring motif.
Her conviction that Mr. Elton is in love with Harriet is a prime example of her flawed “penetration.”
Her surprise and shame upon realizing Mr. Elton’s intentions were directed at her, not Harriet, demonstrate her self-deception.
Her later embarrassment regarding Harriet’s sentimental attachment to a piece of court-plaister given by Frank Churchill, which Emma had facilitated with her own readily available supply, reveals a past instance of thoughtless manipulation. “‘Oh! my sins, my sins!—And I had plenty all the while in my pocket! One of my senseless tricks. I deserve to be under a continual blush all the rest of my life.’”
The Nature of Love and Affection: The excerpts offer glimpses into different forms of affection, from the comfortable companionship between Mr. Woodhouse and his daughters to the developing romantic interests.
The dynamic between Emma and Mr. Knightley showcases a relationship built on honest critique and underlying affection, even when they disagree. Their contrasting views on Harriet’s merits and Mr. Elton’s character illustrate this dynamic.
The passionate declarations of love by Mr. Elton (towards Emma) and later the revealed secret affection between Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax provide contrasting portrayals of romantic pursuit.
Narrative Techniques:
Free Indirect Discourse: The commentary explicitly points out Austen’s use of free indirect discourse to provide insight into Emma’s consciousness. “One of the technical devices that Jane Austen deploys to express and investigate this inner matrix is free indirect discourse, the narrator’s entry into Emma’s consciousness.” This technique allows the reader to experience the world through Emma’s perspective, including her thoughts and biases.
Irony: Irony is prevalent throughout the excerpts, often directed at Emma’s self-perceptions and flawed judgments. For instance, the repeated use of the metaphor of “penetration” in relation to her insights is often ironic.
Dialogue: Austen uses dialogue effectively to reveal character, advance the plot, and highlight social dynamics. The conversations between Emma and Harriet, Emma and Mr. Knightley, and the various social gatherings showcase these aspects.
Important Plot Points and Facts:
Emma is the mistress of Hartfield, having taken on this role after her mother’s death.
Mr. Weston has remarried Miss Taylor, Emma’s former governess, and Emma takes credit for facilitating this match. “‘It is the greatest amusement in the world! And after such success, you know! Every body said that Mr. Weston would never marry again… I planned the match from that hour; and when such success has blessed me in this instance, dear papa, you cannot think that I shall leave off match-making.’”
Emma attempts to orchestrate a romance between Harriet Smith and Mr. Elton, but Mr. Elton reveals his affections are for Emma herself.
Robert Martin proposes to Harriet Smith, but Emma, believing him to be socially beneath her friend, persuades Harriet to refuse him.
Frank Churchill’s arrival in Highbury and his interactions with Emma lead to Emma speculating about a potential romantic connection between them.
Mr. Knightley consistently offers Emma more grounded and critical perspectives, often challenging her assumptions and actions.
Jane Fairfax is presented as a talented and reserved young woman, admired by some in Highbury.
Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax are secretly engaged, a fact revealed later in the excerpts through Frank’s letter. Their engagement was concealed due to the dependence on Frank’s aunt, Mrs. Churchill.
Key Character Insights:
Mr. Woodhouse: Portrayed as deeply resistant to change, particularly concerning his daughters’ marriages, and overly concerned with health and comfort. His opposition to Emma attending dinner parties and his anxieties about the weather illustrate this.
Mr. Knightley: Presents himself as a voice of reason and moral judgment, often correcting Emma’s flawed perceptions. His affection for Emma is evident in his concern for her well-being and his honest criticisms.
Harriet Smith: Shown as easily influenced and somewhat lacking in independent judgment, relying heavily on Emma’s guidance. Her fluctuating feelings towards Robert Martin and Mr. Elton reflect this.
Mr. Elton: Reveals himself to be more socially ambitious than initially perceived, demonstrating a clear awareness of social hierarchy in his rejection of Harriet and pursuit of Emma.
Frank Churchill: Characterized as charming and agreeable but also capable of deception due to his secret engagement. His behavior with Emma appears flirtatious, serving as a cover for his true attachment to Jane Fairfax.
Jane Fairfax: Depicted as possessing talent and admirable conduct, facing a somewhat constrained social position and reliant on the kindness of others (like the Campbells). Her secret engagement suggests a degree of resilience and commitment.
Mrs. Weston: Acts as a kind and supportive figure, often offering gentle advice and a more balanced perspective than Emma.
These excerpts provide a rich insight into the central characters, themes, and narrative techniques that define “Emma,” setting the stage for the complexities of social interactions, romantic entanglements, and the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions about Emma
What are some of the defining characteristics of Emma Woodhouse?
Emma Woodhouse is presented as an intelligent, independent, and privileged young woman who resides in the village of Highbury. Though not conventionally nervous or easily depressed, she shares her father’s strong resistance to change, particularly concerning marriage for herself. Emma enjoys considerable social standing and possesses a lively imagination and a tendency towards self-satisfaction. She is also depicted as having a somewhat vain belief in her own powers of insight and judgment, often overestimating her ability to understand others and orchestrate their lives. Despite these flaws, she is generally considered good-natured, kind to her family and friends, and capable of genuine affection, even if her actions sometimes lead to unintended consequences.
How does Jane Austen convey Emma’s inner thoughts and perspectives to the reader?
Jane Austen employs a narrative technique called free indirect discourse to provide readers with access to Emma’s consciousness. This style blends the narrator’s voice with Emma’s thoughts and feelings, creating a fluid and intimate portrayal of her internal world. The narrative frequently shifts between objective description and Emma’s subjective experience, allowing readers to understand her motivations, perceptions, and misinterpretations directly. Additionally, the text notes that Emma habitually engages in silent conversations with herself, and the narrative often eavesdrops on these inner dialogues, revealing her self-awareness, her enjoyment of her own company, and the workings of her mind as she processes events and forms opinions.
What is the significance of match-making in Emma’s life and the novel?
Match-making is a central preoccupation for Emma Woodhouse. Having successfully orchestrated the marriage of her former governess, Miss Taylor, to Mr. Weston, Emma becomes convinced of her talent in this area and resolves to continue her endeavors. This pursuit drives much of the novel’s plot, as Emma actively tries to pair her friend Harriet Smith with various suitors, most notably Mr. Elton. Her confidence in her ability to read social cues and understand people’s affections leads her to make significant misjudgments, causing confusion and heartbreak for those around her. The theme of match-making serves as a vehicle for exploring Emma’s character flaws, her social perceptions, and the complexities of relationships and social expectations in her society.
How is the village of Highbury and its social dynamics portrayed in the novel?
Highbury is depicted as a relatively small and close-knit rural community, where social interactions and relationships are central to the characters’ lives. The novel subtly suggests that the neighborhood might be undergoing some changes, with potential increases in population and shifts in social circles. The inhabitants are characterized by varying degrees of social standing, from the landed gentry like the Woodhouses and Knightleys to those of more modest backgrounds like the Martins and Miss Bates. Social events, visits, and even small conversations are imbued with significance, reflecting the intricate web of connections and the importance of reputation within this confined setting. The novel uses Highbury as a microcosm to explore broader themes of social class, status, and the impact of individual actions on the community.
What is Mr. Woodhouse’s attitude towards change and marriage, and how does it affect Emma?
Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s father, exhibits a pronounced resistance to change of any kind, but especially to marriage. He views marriage as “the origin of change,” leading to separation and potential unhappiness. His opposition takes on a comically exaggerated and almost phobic quality. This fear of change and marriage significantly influences Emma. She is described as sharing this characteristic to some extent, particularly in her own reluctance to consider marriage. While she actively engages in match-making for others, she resolutely sets her face against the idea for herself, perhaps reflecting or reacting to her father’s strong views and her comfortable position as the mistress of Hartfield.
How are vanity and self-deception explored through Emma’s character?
Emma’s character is deeply intertwined with the themes of vanity and self-deception. She possesses a significant degree of vanity, particularly in her overestimation of her own cleverness, insight, and ability to manipulate social situations for the good of others (as she perceives it). This vanity leads her to deceive herself about her own feelings and the feelings of those around her, most notably in her misguided attempts to orchestrate Harriet’s romantic life and her initial blindness to Mr. Knightley’s affections and her own. The narrative highlights this flaw through the perspectives of other characters, such as Mr. Knightley, who recognizes her vanity but also sees her underlying good qualities. Emma’s journey throughout the novel involves a gradual process of recognizing her own vanity and overcoming her self-deceptions, leading to personal growth and a more accurate understanding of herself and others.
What role does music play in the lives of the characters and the development of the plot?
Music is presented as a significant aspect of social life and personal expression in the novel. Characters like Jane Fairfax are noted for their musical talents, and musical evenings or discussions about musical accomplishments are common social occurrences. Music serves as a form of entertainment, a social accomplishment that enhances one’s standing, and a means of expressing or discerning character. For instance, the high regard for Jane Fairfax’s musical abilities is mentioned as a significant attribute. Emma’s observations and judgments about others’ musical tastes and performances also reveal aspects of her own character and her perceptions of social graces and personal sensibility. The discussion and presence of musical instruments, like the piano-forte, contribute to the social fabric of Highbury and occasionally become points of interest or connection between characters.
What is the nature of the relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley as depicted in the excerpts?
The excerpts reveal a complex and evolving relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley. Their interactions are characterized by both affectionate familiarity and intellectual sparring. Mr. Knightley often acts as a moral compass for Emma, offering candid and sometimes critical assessments of her actions and judgments, particularly her misguided match-making efforts. Despite their disagreements, there is a clear underlying respect and concern for each other’s well-being. Mr. Knightley acknowledges Emma’s intelligence and beauty, while also pointing out her flaws, such as her vanity and tendency to be led by her imagination. Mrs. Weston observes a deep, albeit sometimes unspoken, affection between them. The dynamic suggests a relationship built on honesty and a willingness to challenge each other, hinting at a deeper connection beyond mere friendship that develops as the narrative progresses.
Emma Woodhouse and the Highbury Social Circle
Emma Woodhouse inhabits a confined country village located sixteen miles from London, where social interactions largely concern the internal goings-on of the community. Her social circle in Highbury consists of a carefully distributed array of characters.
Key members of Emma’s immediate and close social circle include:
Mr. Woodhouse, her father: Emma dearly loves her father, but he is not an intellectual companion for her and cannot meet her in rational or playful conversation due to his age and disposition.
Miss Taylor (later Mrs. Weston): Before her marriage, Miss Taylor was a close friend and companion to Emma, someone “peculiarly interested in herself, in every pleasure, every scheme of hers”. Emma viewed her almost as a surrogate mother. Miss Taylor’s marriage to Mr. Weston is the event that initially leaves Emma feeling a sense of loss and intellectual solitude.
Harriet Smith: Emma takes Harriet, an illegitimate girl with no known family who was a parlour boarder at Mrs. Goddard’s school, under her wing. Emma is drawn to Harriet’s good looks, deference, and artless simplicity and intends to “improve” her and elevate her place in Highbury society. Emma becomes quite invested in Harriet’s romantic prospects, particularly her misguided attempts to match Harriet with Mr. Elton and prevent her from marrying Robert Martin.
Emma’s social circle also encompasses other notable families and individuals in Highbury:
The Knightleys: Mr. Knightley is a close family friend and often provides Emma with moral guidance and criticism. The Woodhouses and the Knightleys are at the top of the social hierarchy in Highbury.
The Westons: Mr. Weston, a generally cheerful and sociable man, marries Miss Taylor. Emma believes she orchestrated their marriage.
The Eltons: Mr. Elton is the vicar, and Emma initially misinterprets his attentions to herself, believing he is interested in Harriet. He later marries Miss Augusta Hawkins, who becomes the socially presumptuous Mrs. Elton. Emma holds a low opinion of Mrs. Elton.
The Bateses (Miss Bates and her mother): They represent genteel poverty in Highbury and are dependent on the charity of their social equals. Emma often neglects them and finds their company tiresome, leading to a significant social blunder when she insults Miss Bates.
The Coles: They are a respectable family who have risen in social standing, which Emma views with some snobbery, feeling they need to be reminded of their “proper place”. However, their sociability reflects the increasing and changing nature of Highbury society.
The Martins (Robert Martin and his family): They are a respectable farming family residing in the parish of Donwell, on Mr. Knightley’s land. Emma looks down on Robert Martin as being socially beneath Harriet and actively discourages their relationship.
Jane Fairfax: An accomplished but poor young woman, the niece and granddaughter of Mrs. Bates and Miss Bates. Emma harbors some jealousy and coldness towards Jane.
The social dynamics within this circle are shaped by issues of rank, wealth, and established connections. Emma, being “handsome, clever, and rich,” occupies a privileged position and often seeks to exert her influence, sometimes with misguided consequences. The novel also touches upon the theme of social change in Highbury, with the arrival of new individuals and the shifting dynamics between families. Emma’s snobbery and resistance to change are highlighted in her interactions with those she perceives as socially inferior.
Emma’s “matchmaking” tendencies are a central aspect of her social engagement, revealing her playful yet often misguided attempts to direct the romantic lives of those around her. These fantasies often involve social maneuvering and manipulation, highlighting the intricate web of relationships within her social sphere. Ultimately, Emma’s journey involves learning to see beyond her own social biases and understand the true feelings and social standing of others within her community.
Emma: Marriage Prospects and Social Dynamics
The sources provide several insights into the marital prospects of various characters in Emma’s social circle, often highlighting societal expectations, individual desires, and the influence of social standing on these prospects.
Emma Woodhouse’s Marital Prospects and Views:
Emma herself declares that she has “very little intention of ever marrying at all”. She believes she has none of the “usual inducements of women to marry”.
She states she has never been in love and does not think she ever shall be. Without love, she sees no reason to change her comfortable situation at Hartfield, where she is “always first and always right in my father’s eyes”.
Emma acknowledges the societal pressure on women to marry to avoid becoming a “poor old maid,” but she believes that a single woman of good fortune, like herself, is always respectable.
She envisions a fulfilling future with her own independent resources and the affection of her sister’s children, believing this will provide enough “objects of interest” and affection to avoid the “great evil” of not marrying.
Despite her declarations, Mr. Knightley and Mrs. Weston discuss the possibility of her marrying. Mr. Knightley notes that Emma “always declares she will never marry, which, of course, means just nothing at all”. He even expresses a wish to see her “very much in love with a proper object”.
Emma’s resistance to marriage is also linked to her resistance to change. She states, “‘I cannot really change for the better. If I were to marry, I must expect to repent it’”.
Harriet Smith’s Marital Prospects and Emma’s Influence:
Harriet Smith receives an offer of marriage from Robert Martin, which Emma actively discourages because she considers him socially beneath Harriet. Emma believes Harriet deserves to marry a gentleman in education and manner.
Mr. Knightley strongly disagrees with Emma’s assessment, arguing that Robert Martin is Harriet’s superior in sense and situation and that Emma’s “infatuation” blinds her. He believes Harriet’s beauty and good temper are significant recommendations and give her the “power of choosing from among many”.
Emma, however, tries to direct Harriet’s affections towards Mr. Elton. She convinces herself that Mr. Elton is in love with Harriet and encourages Harriet’s feelings for him.
This endeavor ends in disappointment when Mr. Elton reveals his affections are for Emma, not Harriet.
Following this rejection, Harriet declares she will never marry, seemingly due to her feelings for someone she considers her superior (presumably Mr. Knightley, influenced by Emma’s matchmaking).
Mr. Elton’s Marital Prospects:
Emma initially plans to find a wife for Mr. Elton, feeling it would be a service to him. However, her plans go awry when Mr. Elton’s attentions turn to her.
Following his rejection by Emma, Mr. Elton quickly becomes engaged to Miss Augusta Hawkins, a woman with a “pretty fortune”. This demonstrates the importance of social standing and financial considerations in marriage prospects.
Jane Fairfax’s Marital Prospects:
Jane Fairfax’s situation as a gentlewoman without means makes her future prospects precarious. She is destined to become a governess, a situation likened to “semi-permanent homelessness” and even a “slave market” for human intellect.
Her excellent education is intended to enable her to earn a “respectable subsistence,” but this path offers little in terms of social equality or personal happiness.
Mrs. Weston entertains the idea of a match between Mr. Knightley and Jane Fairfax, though Emma vehemently opposes it.
Other Views on Marriage:
Mr. Woodhouse is generally averse to change, and matrimony, as “the origin of change, was always disagreeable” to him. He worries about how marriages “break up one’s family circle grievously”. He also believes that it is too early for a man of twenty-four (like Robert Martin) to settle.
Mr. Knightley, while sometimes critical of Emma’s matchmaking, advises her to “leave him [Mr. Elton] to choose his own wife. Depend upon it, a man of six or seven and twenty can take care of himself”. This reflects a belief in individual choice and autonomy in marriage.
The novel suggests that human nature is “so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure of being kindly spoken of”.
The discussions surrounding marital prospects in the sources underscore the complex interplay of personal feelings, social expectations, and economic realities within Highbury society. Emma’s initial disdain for marriage and her attempts to control the marital fates of others ultimately lead to misunderstandings and highlight her own journey towards self-awareness and love. The contrasting prospects of characters like Emma, Harriet, and Jane Fairfax also illustrate the varying levels of agency and societal constraints faced by women in their pursuit of marriage and happiness.
Emma Woodhouse: A Study in Character Flaws
Emma Woodhouse, despite her many attractive qualities, possesses several significant character flaws, which are explored in detail throughout the novel.
One of her most prominent flaws is her presumption and self-conceit, bordering on narcissism. Jane Austen famously declared that she was taking a heroine “whom no one but myself will much like”. This is evident in Emma’s disposition to think “a little too much of herself” due to having too much her own way. She enjoys the sound of her own (inner) voice and finds it delightful to be Emma. This self-love, while sometimes winning and a part of her immaturity, leads her to have an “unshaken faith in her own capacity of ‘penetration’” and judgment. She is “high on herself” and initially incapable of being truly self-critical.
Emma also exhibits significant snobbery. She holds a strong sense of her own social rank and privilege and expects others to recognize it as well. This is clearly demonstrated in her treatment of Harriet Smith and Robert Martin. She takes Harriet, an illegitimate child, under her wing and aims to elevate her socially, while simultaneously dismissing Robert Martin as “Hodge” simply because he is a farmer and labors for his livelihood, deeming him unworthy of Harriet. Emma’s snobbery also extends to her views on the rising social status of families like the Coles, and she regards genteel poverty as “spiritually sordid and even contaminating”.
Her maneuvering and manipulation, particularly in her role as a self-proclaimed matchmaker, are further flaws. Energized by the prospect of having something purposeful to occupy her, she immediately begins plotting an imagined future for Harriet. She convinces Harriet to reject Robert Martin’s proposal based on her own misguided assumptions about Harriet’s social prospects and Mr. Elton’s supposed affections for her. This interference, driven by Emma’s desire to be “first” and centrally involved, leads to significant misinterpretations and unhappiness.
A critical flaw is Emma’s lack of self-knowledge and her tendency towards misjudgment. Despite believing she can “see into everybody’s heart,” she is consistently wrong about the feelings and intentions of those around her, including Mr. Elton’s affections, Frank Churchill’s secret engagement with Jane Fairfax, and Harriet’s true feelings for Mr. Knightley. She unconsciously projects her own unacknowledged wishes and desires onto others, as seen in her interpretation of the supposed courtship between Elton and Harriet.
Emma displays an aversion to change, both in her personal life and in society at large. She vows never to marry and cannot envision leaving her father and Hartfield. This resistance to change is also reflected in her snobbery and her desire to maintain the existing social hierarchy in Highbury.
Her thoughtlessness and occasional cruelty are evident in her public insult to Miss Bates at Box Hill. This act, driven by her inability to resist a “cruel piece of wit,” reveals a lack of consideration for the feelings of others and marks a significant low point in her character development.
Emma is also prone to self-deception and self-bamboozlement. She constructs “cloudy pipe dreams” and can rationalize her actions to herself. Even when she begins to recognize her mistakes, she sometimes downplays their significance or readily forgives herself.
Finally, her vanity lies in her “preposterous overestimation of her powers of insight and judgment” rather than her personal appearance. She has an unshaken belief in her own “penetration,” which ironically leads her to be blind to the realities of the situations and people around her.
Despite these flaws, the narrative traces Emma’s journey of self-discovery and moral growth, where she learns to recognize her shortcomings and strive to overcome them. It is through her mistakes and the consequences they bring that Emma is ultimately educated and, to some extent, “cured” of her initial infatuation with herself and her own judgment.
Emma: Social Dynamics in Highbury
Social interactions are a central theme in the excerpts from “Emma,” illustrating the intricate web of relationships, societal expectations, and class distinctions within the confined world of Highbury.
Social Events and Gatherings:
The excerpts depict various social gatherings, including dinner parties, balls, a whist club, and excursions like the one to Box Hill. These events serve as crucial spaces for social interaction, courtship, and the reinforcement of community bonds and social hierarchies.
The significance of these events is highlighted by Emma’s reaction to not receiving an invitation to the Coles’ dinner party initially. She feels “disappointed, disgruntled, and offended” despite her usual social standing, underscoring the importance of inclusion and social recognition. Even the possibility of after-dinner dancing contributes to her feelings.
Frank Churchill attempts to “revive the good old days of the room’” for dancing at the Crown, but others point out the “want of proper families in the place” and the difficulty in enticing those from outside Highbury, reflecting the limitations and self-consciousness of their social circle. His “indifference to a confusion of rank” at such gatherings is seen by Emma as bordering “too much on inelegance of mind”.
The Box Hill excursion, intended for enjoyment, suffers from a “languor, a want of spirits, a want of union,” with the party separating into smaller, less harmonious groups. This episode reveals the underlying tensions and difficulties in maintaining smooth social interactions even among familiar acquaintances.
Influence of Social Hierarchy and Class:
Class distinctions heavily influence social interactions. Emma’s concern that the Coles need to be “taught that it was not for them to arrange the terms on which the superior families would visit them” exemplifies her strong sense of social rank. Her initial disapproval of Robert Martin as a suitor for Harriet stems from his lower social standing as a farmer [our conversation history].
The establishment of a whist club among the “gentlemen and half gentlemen of the place” illustrates the nuanced social gradations within Highbury. Jane Austen deliberately leaves the definition of a “half gentleman” to the reader, emphasizing the ever-finer distinctions of class and status.
Frank Churchill’s perceived “indiscriminate sociability” and his willingness to disregard social ranks are noted by Emma with disdain. She believes he cannot understand the “evil he was holding cheap” by not respecting social boundaries.
Even seemingly minor details, like the delayed invitation from the Coles being attributed to their waiting for a folding-screen to protect Mr. Woodhouse from drafts, reveal the lengths to which those of a lower social standing must go to accommodate and please their social superiors. Emma is obliged to acknowledge the “real attention” and “consideration” in their explanation.
Emma’s Role and Behavior in Social Interactions:
As a central figure in Highbury society and the “presiding and authorizing female center of social activity”, Emma significantly influences social interactions. She takes it upon herself to guide Harriet’s social life and marital prospects, often with misguided and manipulative intentions [our conversation history].
Emma’s snobbery and presumption are evident in her interactions. Her internal criticism of Frank Churchill’s sociability and her condescending attitude towards the Coles demonstrate her belief in her own superior judgment regarding social propriety.
Her attempt to orchestrate a romance between Harriet and Mr. Elton highlights her desire to be at the center of social happenings and to exert control over others’ lives [our conversation history].
The painful episode at Box Hill, where Emma cruelly insults Miss Bates, reveals her thoughtlessness and underscores a significant flaw in her social conduct. This public display of wit at Miss Bates’s expense leads to immediate regret and highlights the potential for personal flaws to disrupt social harmony.
Emma’s interactions with Jane Fairfax are often marked by reserve and a degree of dislike, stemming partly from Emma’s own “wickedness” in disliking someone so universally praised. This strained relationship contrasts with Emma’s more comfortable interactions within her immediate social circle.
Social Change in Highbury:
The narrative hints at social changes occurring in Highbury. John Knightley remarks that Emma’s “neighbourhood is increasing,” which could imply both an increase in her social activities and a potential growth or shift in Highbury’s social landscape.
There are indications of a past liveliness in the village that has waned, with a “visible downward demographic shift” and a loss of “leading and more prosperous social luminaries”. This suggests a community adapting to changing social circumstances.
However, the picture of social change is “mixed and uncertain,” with conflicting indications. While there’s a perception of decline in genteel families, new individuals and families like the Westons and the Coles are becoming more prominent in social life.
Connection to Emma’s Character Flaws:
Emma’s flaws, particularly her snobbery, presumption, and lack of self-knowledge, directly impact her social interactions. Her misjudgments of others’ feelings and intentions, fueled by her self-conceit, lead to social blunders and misunderstandings, as seen in her matchmaking attempts and her insult to Miss Bates [our conversation history].
Her aversion to change might also influence her resistance to the evolving social dynamics of Highbury, contributing to her sometimes rigid views on social propriety.
In conclusion, social interactions in “Emma” are portrayed as complex and deeply embedded within the specific social context of Highbury. They are shaped by established hierarchies, evolving community dynamics, and the individual characters’ personalities and motivations, with Emma’s own flaws and interventions often playing a significant role in the unfolding social landscape.
Emma: Family Dynamics and Social Interactions
Family relationships are a prominent aspect of the excerpts from “Emma,” revealing various dynamics, dependencies, and influences on the characters’ lives and social interactions.
Emma and Her Father, Mr. Woodhouse:
Their relationship is characterized by deep affection on both sides. Mr. Woodhouse has raised Emma with “great affection” along with her governess.
Mr. Woodhouse is portrayed as fretful, selfish, weak, and utterly incompetent as a father. He is prone to “somnolence” and laments over even positive changes like Miss Taylor’s marriage.
Emma acts as the mistress of his house and is highly protective of him, sometimes to the point of indulging his whims and anxieties. She shields him from anything she thinks might upset him, including the idea of her not being thought perfect.
Mr. Woodhouse is averse to change and dislikes his family circle being broken up by marriages. He also expresses anxieties about his daughter Isabella being attached to her husband. He prefers Isabella to stay with him longer and is comforted by the presence of his grandchildren at Hartfield.
Emma strives to keep her father happy and turns conversations to less “doleful matters”. She understands his anxieties and tries to manage social interactions in a way that accommodates them.
Emma and Her Sister, Isabella, and Her Family:
Isabella is Emma’s older married sister and is at least six years her senior. She has been married for seven years and has five children.
Mr. Knightley, returning from London, brings news of Isabella, her husband John, and their children’s good health.
John Knightley is Mr. Knightley’s younger brother and Isabella’s husband. He represents a departure in social sensibility, preferring his private domestic circle and being uncomfortable when separated from his family.
John Knightley can be “peevish” and has to control his temper when dealing with Mr. Woodhouse’s anxieties.
When John Knightley visits Hartfield with his two oldest boys, he enjoins Emma to send them home if they are “troublesome,” highlighting a somewhat strained dynamic, possibly stemming from his annoyance at Emma’s increased social life.
Emma appears affectionate towards her nephews. She uses her youngest niece to reconcile with Mr. Knightley after a disagreement, suggesting an understanding of the positive impact of children on family relations.
Isabella’s letters bring accounts of “fresh gaieties,” indicating a more active social life than perhaps occurs at Hartfield. She also expresses strong approbation for Mr. Knightley and Emma’s eventual union.
Emma and Miss Taylor/Mrs. Weston:
Miss Taylor was Emma’s beloved governess for about sixteen years after Emma’s mother died when Emma was around five years old. She is described as having raised Emma with “great affection”.
Her marriage to Mr. Weston is the central event at the beginning of the novel, causing Mr. Woodhouse much grief.
Mrs. Weston continues to have a close and affectionate relationship with Emma, acting somewhat as a surrogate mother.
Mr. Knightley sees Mrs. Weston as a “rational unaffected woman”.
Mrs. Weston often offers sensible advice and has a good understanding of Emma’s character, sometimes acting as a mediator between Emma and Mr. Knightley. She is pleased by Frank Churchill’s attentions towards her, seeing him as having a disposition to “hope for good” inherited from her. She also facilitates communication and understanding regarding Frank and Jane’s engagement.
The Knightley Brothers (Mr. Knightley and John):
They have a brotherly relationship marked by a “real attachment” buried under a calm exterior.
As a magistrate and farmer, Mr. Knightley often consults John, who had also lived at Donwell for a long time, on legal and agricultural matters, indicating shared interests and mutual respect.
John, despite his generally unsociable nature, engages with his brother on these topics with “equality of interest”.
John’s “reasonable and therefore not a blind affection” for Emma contrasts with Mr. Knightley’s deeper feelings.
Mr. Weston and His Son, Frank Churchill, and His Wife, Mrs. Weston:
Mr. Weston is exceedingly happy about his marriage to Miss Taylor and his son Frank’s potential integration into their lives. He is described as a “straightforward, open-hearted man”.
Mr. Weston is very sanguine about Frank’s visit and eager for him to be well-received. He is proud of his son and believes others will find him agreeable.
Mrs. Weston shares her husband’s happiness but is more cautious and aware of potential complications, particularly regarding Mrs. Churchill’s influence on Frank.
Frank demonstrates a desire to please both his father and Mrs. Weston, as seen in his polite attentions and inquiries. He also seems to have a good relationship with Mrs. Weston, confiding in her about his secret engagement.
The Bates Family (Mrs. and Miss Bates, and Jane Fairfax):
They are presented as part of the social fabric of Highbury, and their connections to the other families are noted.
Mr. Woodhouse expresses kindness and concern for them, showing a sense of social obligation.
Miss Bates’s talkativeness and Mrs. Bates’s good nature are mentioned.
Jane Fairfax is the niece of Miss Bates and lives with her and her grandmother. Mrs. Weston has a friendly relationship with Jane and invites her for an airing.
The Martin Family (Robert, his mother and sisters):
They are depicted as respectable people of a lower social standing than the Woodhouses.
Robert Martin’s proposal to Harriet Smith and Emma’s interference highlight the social barriers and Emma’s snobbery [12, 18, our conversation history].
Mr. Knightley sees the Martins as having “sense, sincerity and good-humour”. Emma initially holds a prejudiced view due to their station.
Influence on Emma’s Character and Social Interactions:
Emma’s relationship with her incompetent but beloved father has likely contributed to her tendency to take control and manage situations, as seen in her matchmaking endeavors. His anxieties and resistance to change might also subtly influence her own [our conversation history].
Her close bond with Mrs. Weston, her former governess, provides a source of guidance and a contrast to her father’s weaknesses. Mrs. Weston’s perspective often serves as a more rational counterpoint to Emma’s impulsive actions.
The dynamics within the Knightley family, particularly Mr. Knightley’s role as a guide and critic, are crucial for Emma’s moral development [our conversation history]. His honest opinions and occasional rebukes provide the necessary challenge to her self-conceit.
Emma’s interactions with the Martin family, driven by her social prejudices, reveal her flaws and lead to conflicts with Mr. Knightley [12, 18, our conversation history].
In conclusion, the excerpts illustrate a network of family relationships that are central to the social life and individual development of the characters in “Emma.” These relationships are shaped by affection, duty, social hierarchy, and individual personalities, and they play a significant role in Emma’s journey of self-discovery and moral growth.
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The provided text presents a psychological analysis of Jane Austen’s novels, focusing on character motivations and the author’s underlying values. It examines mimetic characterization, particularly in Mansfield Park, suggesting that Fanny Price embodies a self-effacing solution to basic anxiety, which the novel seems to glorify. The analysis contrasts this with Emma, where the protagonist’s narcissism and perfectionism are explored as defensive mechanisms, ultimately leading to a flawed “education.” Finally, the text considers Pride and Prejudice as a wish-fulfillment fantasy of an “expansive solution” and Persuasion as a nuanced exploration of duty and romance, while also categorizing Austen’s works through the lens of Horneyan psychology and her own potential personality trends.
A Study Guide to Bernard J. Paris’s Character and Conflict in Jane Austen’s Novels: A Psychological Approach
Quiz
According to Bernard Paris, what are the two main schools of thought concerning characterization in literature, and how do they differ in their approach to literary characters?
How does Paris utilize Karen Horney’s psychological theories in his analysis of Jane Austen’s characters? Briefly describe one of Horney’s “solutions” to basic anxiety and how Paris applies it to a specific Austen character.
In his analysis of Mansfield Park, how does Paris explain the contrasting moral development of Tom Bertram and Henry Crawford, despite their initial similarities in privilege?
According to Paris, what are the primary motivations and characteristics of the “narcissistic” personality type, and how does he apply this framework to the character of Emma Woodhouse?
Describe Fanny Price’s opposition to the play Lovers’ Vows in Mansfield Park, according to Paris’s psychological interpretation. What underlying fears and motivations drive her resistance?
How does Paris explain Henry Crawford’s initial and evolving interest in Fanny Price? What does he suggest motivates Henry’s desire to win her affection?
According to Paris, what is the central psychological conflict that prevents Emma Woodhouse from readily embracing marriage, even with someone she comes to care for like Mr. Knightley?
Explain Elizabeth Bennet’s initial negative reaction to Mr. Darcy’s proposal in Pride and Prejudice, according to Paris’s analysis. What aspects of Darcy’s behavior and her own character contribute to this rejection?
How does Paris interpret Elizabeth Bennet’s eventual acceptance of Darcy’s second proposal? Does he believe it signifies a fundamental change in her personality, and what factors contribute to her change of heart?
In his discussion of Persuasion, how does Paris frame the central conflict regarding Anne Elliot’s decision to break off her engagement with Captain Wentworth? What are the key questions he poses about this situation?
Answer Key for Quiz
Paris identifies two main schools: the “purists” and the “realists.” Purists argue that literary characters are purely constructs of the author’s design, existing solely within the fictional world for formal and thematic purposes. Realists, however, believe that characters acquire a degree of independence during the narrative and can be analyzed as if they were real human beings with psychological depth.
Paris employs Horney’s theories, particularly the concepts of basic anxiety and neurotic needs and solutions (moving toward, against, and away from people). For example, he might apply the “self-effacing solution” (moving toward) to Fanny Price, explaining her behavior as driven by a need for affection and approval to combat feelings of helplessness and worthlessness in her embedded position.
Paris argues that Edmund’s goodness is partly due to his being a younger son, which necessitates struggle and discipline. In contrast, Tom’s privileged position and poor influences lead to “thoughtlessness and selfishness.” Similarly, Henry’s “early independence” and the bad example of the Admiral result in his lack of responsibility and self-indulgence.
The narcissistic personality, according to Paris (drawing on Horney), seeks mastery through self-admiration and charm, possessing an unquestioned belief in their greatness. Paris applies this to Emma, highlighting her pride in her social position and abilities, her need for admiration, and her overestimation of her own judgment and capacity to control situations.
Paris interprets Fanny’s opposition to the play as stemming from her deep respect for Sir Thomas’s authority and her fear of challenging it. The choice of Lovers’ Vows compounds this as she perceives it as “improper.” Her refusal to participate and her censoriousness serve as defenses to reassure herself of her own goodness and avoid Sir Thomas’s potential disapproval.
Paris suggests Henry is initially drawn to Fanny by her moral rectitude, as a self-condemning aspect of his personality seeks her approval. His initial plan is to hurt her pride, but he becomes genuinely attracted to her. His desire to marry her is partly due to his lack of success in flirting and his wish to possess the qualities he sees in her, such as her affection and gratitude.
According to Paris, Emma’s reluctance to marry is primarily rooted in her complex relationship with her father. She feels that accepting a husband would be a betrayal of her father, as if she would be “killing” him and ceasing to be the devoted daughter. This conflict creates a strong tendency toward detachment in her.
Paris explains Elizabeth’s rejection as a result of wounded pride at Darcy’s condescending proposal, where he emphasizes her family’s inferiority and his own sense of degradation. Her own expansive nature and her perception of Darcy’s mistreatment of Wickham and interference with Jane and Bingley fuel her indignation and lead her to denounce his character.
Paris argues that Elizabeth’s eventual acceptance is less about a fundamental personality change and more about a restoration and inflation of her pride due to Darcy’s continued affection and the honor of his proposal, especially after the events involving Lydia. While she gains some self-knowledge, her core expansive tendencies remain.
Paris frames the central questions around whether Lady Russell’s advice to Anne was good or bad, whether Anne was right or wrong to follow it, and whether Wentworth’s response was justified. He suggests that the answers to these questions determine the reconciliation of the lovers, the vindication of Anne’s character, and the understanding of Austen’s proposed attitude toward life.
Essay Format Questions
Explore Bernard Paris’s argument that understanding Jane Austen’s characters through the lens of psychological theories, such as Karen Horney’s, offers a richer and more nuanced interpretation of their motivations and conflicts than purely formal or thematic approaches. Use specific examples from at least two of Austen’s novels discussed in the source material.
Analyze Bernard Paris’s concept of “dominating fantasies” in Jane Austen’s novels. How does he suggest these fantasies manifest in the plots and character interactions of Mansfield Park, Emma, and Pride and Prejudice?
Discuss Bernard Paris’s assertion that Jane Austen’s “code” involves a tension between sensibility and worldliness. How do various characters in Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Persuasion embody or deviate from this code, and what are the consequences of their adherence or transgression?
Compare and contrast Bernard Paris’s psychological analyses of two of Jane Austen’s heroines, such as Fanny Price and Emma Woodhouse, or Elizabeth Bennet and Anne Elliot. What are the key psychological needs, defenses, and conflicts that Paris identifies in each character, and how do these shape their actions and relationships?
Evaluate Bernard Paris’s claim that the romantic resolutions in Jane Austen’s novels, particularly in Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, are often less about profound personal transformation and more about the restoration of pride and the fulfillment of certain psychological needs.
Glossary of Key Terms
Basic Anxiety: (Drawing from Karen Horney) A fundamental feeling of insecurity, isolation, and helplessness in a potentially hostile world, which arises in childhood and can drive neurotic behavior.
Neurotic Needs: (Drawing from Karen Horney) Irrational and compulsive desires developed as attempts to cope with basic anxiety. These needs are often exaggerated, indiscriminate, and lead to internal conflict.
Neurotic Solutions: (Drawing from Karen Horney) Three primary strategies individuals employ to deal with basic anxiety and fulfill their neurotic needs:
Moving Toward (Self-Effacing Solution): Seeking affection, approval, and dependence on others.
Moving Against (Expansive/Aggressive Solution): Seeking power, control, superiority, and recognition through achievement or dominance (can manifest as narcissistic, perfectionistic, or arrogant-vindictive types).
Moving Away (Detached Solution): Seeking independence, self-sufficiency, and emotional distance to avoid being hurt or controlled.
Idealized Image: (Drawing from Karen Horney) An inflated and unrealistic self-perception that neurotic individuals create to compensate for feelings of inadequacy and self-hatred. They strive to live up to this impossible image.
Search for Glory: (Drawing from Karen Horney) The neurotic drive to actualize the idealized image, leading to relentless pursuit of external validation and a distorted sense of self-worth.
Self-Alienation: (Drawing from Karen Horney) The process by which individuals lose touch with their real selves as they invest their energies in maintaining their idealized image and living according to neurotic needs and solutions.
Mimesis: In literary theory, the imitation or representation of reality. Paris discusses how Austen’s characters relate to real psychological types.
Form: In literary analysis, the structure and organization of a literary work, including plot, narrative techniques, and genre conventions. Paris examines how Austen’s characterization interacts with comic form.
Theme: The underlying ideas or messages explored in a literary work. Paris analyzes how psychological characterization contributes to and sometimes conflicts with Austen’s thematic concerns.
Expansive Types: (Paris’s term, drawing from Horney’s “moving against”) Characters who adopt aggressive strategies to master life and overcome anxiety, often characterized by pride, ambition, and a need for superiority.
Self-Effacing Types: (Paris’s term, aligning with Horney’s “moving toward”) Characters who seek security and validation through compliance, dependence, and suppressing their own needs.
Detached Types: (Paris’s term, aligning with Horney’s “moving away”) Characters who cope with anxiety by withdrawing emotionally and seeking independence and self-sufficiency.
Perfectionistic Types: (A sub-type of expansive, according to Paris) Characters driven by exceptionally high standards, both for themselves and others, using these standards as a basis for superiority and a means of controlling fate.
Narcissistic Types: (A sub-type of expansive, according to Paris) Characters who seek mastery through self-admiration and charm, possessing an inflated sense of self-importance and a need for constant admiration.
Arrogant-Vindictive Types: (A sub-type of expansive, according to Paris) Characters motivated by a need for triumph over rivals, seeking to exploit and outsmart others to enhance their own position.
Worldliness: (In the context of Austen’s novels, as interpreted by Paris) A focus on social status, wealth, and superficial appearances, often leading to manipulative and self-serving behavior.
Sensibility (Cult of): An 18th-century movement emphasizing feeling and emotional responsiveness. Paris discusses Austen’s nuanced view of sensibility in relation to her moral code.
Briefing Document: Character and Conflict in Jane Austen’s Novels: A Psychological Approach
Source: Excerpts from “Character and Conflict in Jane Austen’s Novels A PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH” by Bernard J. Paris (1978)
Overview:
Bernard J. Paris’s “Character and Conflict in Jane Austen’s Novels: A Psychological Approach” offers a distinct perspective on Austen’s works by analyzing her characters through the lens of Karen Horney’s psychoanalytic theories. Paris argues against purely formalist interpretations of literary characters, suggesting that they possess a psychological reality and can be understood as individuals with their own motivations, defenses, and inner conflicts. The book examines four of Austen’s major novels – Mansfield Park, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Persuasion – and concludes with a discussion of Jane Austen’s own “authorial personality” as reflected in her creations.
Main Themes and Important Ideas:
The Psychological Reality of Literary Characters:
Paris positions himself against the “purist” school of thought, which views literary characters solely as elements of authorial design for formal and thematic purposes. He cites Martin Mudrick’s description of this view, where “any effort to extract them from their context and to discuss them as if they were real human beings is a sentimental misunderstanding of the nature of literature.”
Instead, Paris aligns with the “realists,” who believe that characters develop a degree of independence within the narrative and can be analyzed as if they were real people with psychological complexities.
He acknowledges the inherent tension between the author’s design and the characters’ perceived autonomy, stating, “They ‘run away,’ they ‘get out of hand’: they are creations inside a creation, and often inharmonious towards it; if they are given complete freedom they kick the book to pieces, and if they are kept too sternly in check, they revenge themselves by dying, and destroy it by intestinal decay.”
Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Theories as a Framework:
Paris explicitly utilizes Horney’s concepts of basic anxiety, neurotic needs, and “solutions” (moving toward, against, and away from people) to understand the underlying motivations and behaviors of Austen’s characters.
He introduces Horney’s three “aggressive types”: the narcissistic, the perfectionistic, and the arrogant-vindictive, explaining their core drives and manifestations. The narcissistic person seeks mastery through “self-admiration and the exercise of charm,” the perfectionistic through “high standards, moral and intellectual,” and the arrogant-vindictive through “vindictive triumphs.”
He also describes the “basically detached person” who “worships freedom and strives to be independent of both outer and inner demands,” handling a threatening world by removing themselves emotionally.
The concept of the “idealized image” is crucial, where individuals compensate for feelings of weakness and worthlessness by creating an exaggeratedly positive self-perception, leading to a “search for glory.”
Psychological Analysis of Individual Novels and Characters:
Mansfield Park: Paris analyzes Fanny Price as a character employing “self-effacing” strategies to cope with her feelings of weakness and worthlessness in the Bertram household. Her opposition to the play is linked to her fear of disobeying Sir Thomas’s authority. Henry Crawford is depicted as someone who became “thoughtless and selfish from prosperity and bad example,” exhibiting narcissistic traits. Edmund’s goodness is partly attributed to his status as a younger son requiring him to strive for his place.
Emma: Emma Woodhouse is examined as having both “narcissistic and perfectionistic trends” induced by her environment. Her matchmaking attempts stem from her pride and need for control. Her relationship with her father and her fear of disrupting it contribute to her detachment from romantic love. The Box Hill incident is analyzed as a result of her repressed contempt for her father being displaced onto Miss Bates. Her eventual submission to Knightley is seen not as maturation but as a shift in defensive strategies.
“With insufferable vanity had she believed herself in the secret of everybody’s destiny. She was proved to have been universally mistaken.”
” ‘Were I to fall in love,’ ” she tells Harriet, ” ‘indeed, it would be a different thing! But I have never been in love: it is not my way or nature; and I do not think I ever shall.’ “
Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth Bennet, while possessing many admirable qualities, is analyzed for her “expansive” tendencies and her father’s influence on her detached and critical perspective. Her initial dislike of Darcy is attributed to her wounded pride. Darcy’s proud and self-indulgent manners are shown to stem from his upbringing. His transformation is driven by Elizabeth’s rejection, which forces him into self-examination and a painful dependency. Elizabeth’s eventual acceptance is partly linked to the restoration and inflation of her pride.
” ‘She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.’ ” (Darcy’s initial remark about Elizabeth)
” ‘I was spoiled by my parents, who … allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and over-bearing, to care for none beyond my own family circle, to think meanly of all the rest of the world.’ ” (Darcy’s self-assessment)
Persuasion: Anne Elliot is portrayed as employing “self-effacing” strategies due to her past rejection and her family’s coldness. Her adherence to Lady Russell’s advice is explored in terms of its consequences for her happiness. Captain Wentworth is depicted as a “strong, masterful, self-assertive male” whose confidence is ultimately validated. Anne’s moral objections to Mr. Elliot highlight her internal values.
Anne feels the application of Wentworth’s conversation about firmness to herself “in a nervous thrill all over”; and Wentworth gives her a “quick, conscious look.”
Jane Austen’s Authorial Personality:
The final chapter delves into Austen’s own psychological makeup as inferred from her novels. Paris suggests that her works reflect a tension between “expansive” and “self-effacing” tendencies within her.
He argues that Austen critiques characters who embody the extremes of the “cult of sensibility” (infantile self-indulgence) and “worldliness” (callous pursuit of self-interest).
Her “code heroes and heroines” often possess strong egos and navigate the complexities of feeling and morality with prudence and principle.
Paris identifies dominating fantasies in Austen’s novels, often involving the triumph of a deserving protagonist and the correction of pride and folly.
Quotes Highlighting Key Arguments:
On the nature of literary characters: “For they have these numerous parallels with people like ourselves, they try to live their own lives and are con-sequently often engaged in treason against the main scheme of the book.”
On the “purist” view of characterization: “any effort to extract them from their context and to discuss them as if they were real human beings is a sentimental misunderstanding of the nature of literature.”
On the aggressive neurotic types: “They all ‘aim at mas-tering life. This is their way of conquering fears and anxieties: this gives meaning to their lives and gives them a certain zest for living.’”
On the idealized image: “In this process he endows himself with unlimited powers and with exalted faculties; he becomes a hero, a genius, a supreme lover, a saint, a god.”
On Emma’s narcissistic tendencies: “Narcissism means ‘being “in love with one’s idealized image.” ‘”
On Darcy’s transformation: “Your reproof, so well applied, I shall never forget: ‘had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner.’ Those were your words. You know not, you can scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me;-though it was some time, I confess, before I was reasonable enough to allow their justice.”
On the limitations of purely aesthetic interpretation: “It does not do justice to a whole range of human qualities which make people with similar defenses very different from each other and quite variable in their attractiveness and humanity.”
Conclusion:
Paris’s psychological approach offers a rich and nuanced understanding of Jane Austen’s characters, moving beyond surface descriptions and plot functions to explore their underlying motivations and inner lives. By applying Horney’s theories, he illuminates the defensive strategies and neurotic trends that shape their behaviors and drive the conflicts within the novels. While acknowledging the author’s design, Paris emphasizes the psychological coherence and complexity of Austen’s creations, inviting readers to engage with them as individuals grappling with universal human anxieties and needs.
FAQ on Character and Conflict in Jane Austen’s Novels (Based on Bernard J. Paris’s “A Psychological Approach”)
1. What are the two main schools of thought regarding literary characterization, according to Martin Mudrick, and how does Bernard Paris position Jane Austen’s work in relation to them? The two main schools of thought are the “purists” and the “realists.” Purists argue that literary characters are creations entirely within the author’s design, determined by formal and thematic considerations, and should not be analyzed as if they were real people with independent psychological histories. Realists, conversely, insist that characters in the course of a narrative acquire a degree of independence and can be understood in ways analogous to real individuals. Bernard Paris, advocating for a psychological approach, aligns more with the realist perspective, arguing that understanding Austen’s characters as individuals with psychological motivations enhances our appreciation of her work. He believes that their internal lives and conflicts often operate with a logic that extends beyond mere thematic or formal requirements.
2. How does Bernard Paris utilize Karen Horney’s psychological theories to analyze Jane Austen’s characters and their conflicts? Paris employs Horney’s framework, particularly her concepts of neurotic needs, the three interpersonal trends (moving toward, against, and away from people), and the idealized self-image, to provide in-depth analyses of Austen’s characters. He examines how characters like Fanny Price, Emma Woodhouse, and Elizabeth Bennet develop defensive strategies to cope with basic anxiety and feelings of inadequacy. For instance, he identifies Emma’s narcissistic and perfectionistic trends as ways she attempts to master life through self-admiration and high standards. Similarly, he analyzes Fanny’s self-effacing tendencies as a means of navigating a threatening world by seeking love and approval. By applying these psychological lenses, Paris aims to uncover the underlying motivations and intrapsychic conflicts that drive the characters’ actions and relationships.
3. In his analysis of Mansfield Park, how does Paris explain the contrasting character development of Edmund Bertram and Henry Crawford through a psychological lens? Paris attributes the differences between Edmund and Henry to their early life circumstances and the development of their character structures. Edmund, as a younger son facing hardship and the need to earn his place, develops a stronger moral compass. Henry Crawford, on the other hand, is presented as someone “ruined by early independence,” whose prosperity and the bad example of the Admiral lead him to become “thoughtless and selfish.” Paris suggests that Henry’s lack of responsibility and developed moral sense stems from not having faced the same pressures and disciplines as Edmund. Even Henry’s attraction to Fanny is analyzed through this lens, as a fleeting admiration for her moral rectitude that ultimately cannot overcome his ingrained self-indulgence.
4. According to Paris, what are Emma Woodhouse’s primary psychological flaws, and how do they manifest in her behavior and relationships? Paris identifies Emma’s primary psychological flaws as narcissistic and perfectionistic trends stemming from her early environment as a favored and admired child. Her narcissism leads to an overinflated ego, a belief in her superior judgment, and a need for self-aggrandizement, manifesting in her matchmaking attempts and her conviction that she can control others’ destinies. Her perfectionism drives her to maintain high moral and intellectual standards, leading her to look down on others and experience intense self-hate when she recognizes her own errors. These flaws result in her misjudgments of character, her interference in Harriet Smith’s life, her insulting behavior towards Miss Bates, and her initial blindness to Mr. Knightley’s merits.
5. How does Paris interpret Elizabeth Bennet’s character, particularly her wit and charm, in relation to her underlying defensive strategies? While acknowledging Elizabeth’s positive qualities, Paris argues that her wit, charm, vitality, and intelligence also serve as defensive strategies. Drawing parallels with her father, Mr. Bennet, he suggests that Elizabeth employs detachment and a focus on the absurdities of others as a way to cope with her family’s social awkwardness and her mother’s lack of approval. Her pride and quick retorts, especially in her interactions with Darcy, are seen as ways to protect herself from feeling inferior and to assert her own worth. Despite these defenses, Paris emphasizes that Elizabeth is not fundamentally detached but rather expansive, with high self-esteem and expectations.
6. What is the significance of Darcy’s initial rejection of Elizabeth and her subsequent reactions from a psychological perspective, as analyzed by Paris? Darcy’s initial dismissive remark deeply wounds Elizabeth’s pride, particularly because she is an expansive person with a high opinion of herself and because the rejection comes from someone of his social standing. Elizabeth’s angry and defensive reactions, including her determination not to like him, are interpreted by Paris as a natural response to this mortification. Her later misperceptions of Darcy’s behavior at Netherfield and Rosings are also viewed through the lens of her wounded pride and her tendency to project her own feelings of superiority onto him. The proposal scene becomes a moment of triumph for Elizabeth, where she retaliates for past injuries and gratifies her pride by rejecting such a significant man.
7. In his chapter on Persuasion, how does Paris analyze Anne Elliot’s character in terms of self-effacement and her journey toward vindication? Paris portrays Anne Elliot as a basically self-effacing character who has internalized the negative judgments of her family and Lady Russell regarding her past engagement with Captain Wentworth. Her decision to break off the engagement, though seemingly prudent at the time, has led to years of regret and a diminished sense of self-worth. Paris highlights Anne’s tendency to prioritize the needs and opinions of others over her own, a hallmark of the self-effacing trend. The novel’s plot becomes her journey toward vindication, as Wentworth eventually recognizes her worth and the error of his own initial judgment. Her quiet strength and genuine sensibility are contrasted with the coldness and superficiality of her family, ultimately leading to her triumph and the validation of her character and her feelings.
8. What does Paris suggest about Jane Austen’s own “authorial personality” in relation to the characters and themes she portrays in her novels? Paris posits that Jane Austen’s authorial personality is complex and can be understood through the psychological dynamics reflected in her works. He identifies elements of detachment, irony, and a critical perspective in her narrative voice, suggesting that Austen herself may have employed similar defenses to navigate the social world. Her creation of a range of character types, from the expansive to the self-effacing, and her exploration of the conflicts arising from different psychological needs and defenses, reflect a keen understanding of human nature. Furthermore, Paris argues that Austen’s thematic concerns often revolve around the tension between societal expectations and individual desires, and the process by which characters learn self-knowledge and achieve a more balanced and realistic self-perception, potentially mirroring aspects of her own psychological development and understanding of the world.
Mimetic Characterization: Realism, Form, and Theme in Literature
Mimetic characterization is a type of character portrayal in literature that aims at verisimilitude and the realistic representation of human beings. According to Robert Scholes and Robert Kellogg, behind realistic fiction, there is a strong “psychological impulse” that “tends toward the presentation of highly individualized figures who resist abstraction and generalization”. When we encounter a fully drawn mimetic character, “we are justified in asking questions about his motivation based on our knowledge of the ways in which real people are motivated”.
The sources contrast mimetic characterization with other types:
Aesthetic characters primarily serve technical functions or create formal patterns and dramatic impact.
Illustrative characters are most important in works with a strong allegorical or thematic interest. They are “concepts in anthropoid shape or fragments of the human psyche parading as whole human beings”. We understand them through the principle they illustrate.
Jane Austen’s mature novels are noted for their mimetic characterization. Her protagonists, such as Elizabeth Bennet, Fanny Price, Emma Woodhouse, and Anne Elliot, are realistically portrayed women, each fascinating and comprehensible in terms of her own motivational system. The author takes over “the life by values as well as the life in time,” creating characters with “numerous parallels with people like ourselves”. Because of this lifelikeness and complexity, readers have always responded to these characters.
However, the source argues that mimetic characterization in realistic novels, including Austen’s, often creates tensions with form and theme.
Conflict with Form: Comic structure, for example, follows the logic of desire and can involve manipulation and improbable resolutions. Realistic characterization, on the other hand, follows the logic of motivation, probability, and cause and effect. This can lead to a “disturbing sense of disjunction” for the reader when the world is manipulated for comic effect, as the reader expects a consistently realistic world for realistic characters.
Conflict with Theme:Mimetic characters tend to escape the categories by which the author tries to understand them and can undermine the author’s evaluation of their life styles and solutions. The author’s understanding of a mimetic character is often oversimple, and seeing the character solely through the author’s eyes sacrifices their complexity. Furthermore, a reader’s judgment of a mimetic character, understood psychologically, may differ from the author’s.
To fully appreciate Austen’s genius in characterization, the source advocates approaching her major figures “as creations inside a creation” and trying to understand them as though they were real people. This involves employing the “realist’s” approach to characterization, which recognizes that fully realized characters can have a life of their own and should be understood in motivational terms.
The source proposes using psychological theory, particularly that of Karen Horney and other Third Force psychologists, to analyze Austen’s characters and understand their motivations, defense mechanisms, and inner conflicts. This approach allows for a detailed explication of the text by focusing on the psychological processes dramatized by the author, without relying on speculation beyond the text. Understanding Austen’s characters psychologically can reveal that the combination of mimetic characterization, comic action, and moral theme poses artistic problems, as the conventions of comedy and the logic of realistic motivation can be incompatible.
Austen’s Comic Structure and Mimetic Characterization
Comic structure in literature, as discussed in the source, follows a basic movement “from threatening complications to a happy ending”. According to Northrop Frye, whose theories are used to analyze comic structures, the happy ending in Jane Austen’s novels typically involves the heroine gaining the love of a good man, the security and prestige of a desirable marriage, and the recognition of personal worth she deserves. The obstacles to the heroine’s desire form the action of the comedy, and the overcoming of them constitutes the comic resolution.
Key elements of comic structure include:
Manipulation: There is often a degree of manipulation involved in both creating and removing the blocking forces and in achieving the final resolution. Frye notes that “Happy endings do not impress us as true, but as desirable, and they are brought about by manipulation”. This can include unlikely conversions, miraculous transformations, and providential assistance, which are considered inseparable from comedy. Jane Austen, writing in a low mimetic mode (where the hero is “one of us”), disguises some of these irrationalities through displacement but also signals early on that the story operates within the conventions of comedy.
Moralization of Comic Action: Jane Austen harmonizes form and theme by moralizing the comic action. Her satire targets personality traits, failures of judgment, and social distortions that hinder the happiness of good and sensitive people. Her moral norms are derived from the existing society at its best, and her conservative value system is reinforced by the comic apparatus of rewards and punishments.
Liberalism vs. Conservatism: While comedy is generally liberal, celebrating the triumph of wish over reality, Austen’s comedy displays a displacement not only towards the plausible but also towards the moral. The wishes fulfilled in her novels are highly socialized, and primitive or selfish desires are rarely indulged. This can sometimes lead to the reader feeling less elation at the outcome, as sobriety and societal norms seem to triumph over youth and freedom.
Role of Protagonist: The wish fulfillment aspect of comedy often works best when the protagonist has a certain neutrality, allowing them to represent desire. However, Jane Austen’s protagonists are highly individualized human beings, with whom readers may not readily identify, making it harder to fully embrace the comic resolution.
Tensions with Mimetic Characterization: As we discussed previously, Jane Austen is also a creator of brilliant mimetic characterizations, where characters are realistically portrayed with their own motivational systems. This creates a tension with the demands of comic structure.
Conflicting Expectations: Readers who are sensitive to both comic form and realistic characterization may experience conflicting sets of expectations: one for the emotional satisfactions of overcoming obstacles and the triumph of desire (from the comic structure) and another for the pleasures of recognition derived from verisimilitude (from mimetic characterization).
Manipulation vs. Motivation: While comic plots might be manipulated for a happy ending, Austen’s fully realized mimetic characters tend to remain true to their own natures. When the world of these realistic characters is manipulated for the sake of comic action, it can create a sense of disjunction for the reader. This problem would be less pronounced if the protagonists were simply neutral figures or stock types within the plot.
In summary, comic structure provides the framework for a journey from complications to a happy resolution in Jane Austen’s novels. However, her commitment to mimetic characterization and serious moral themes introduces complexities and potential tensions, as the demands of a conventional comic plot can sometimes clash with the realistic motivations and inherent natures of her deeply developed characters. The reader’s engagement with these realistic characters can lead to expectations that are not always fully satisfied by the often somewhat contrived nature of comic resolutions.
Jane Austen: Morality, Comedy, and Character
Moral theme is a central and pervasive aspect of Jane Austen’s novels, deeply intertwined with her comic structure and her creation of mimetic characters. Austen employs her narratives to explore and reinforce a strict and narrow notion of goodness, often using the comic apparatus of rewards and punishments to underscore her essentially conservative value system.
Here are key aspects of moral theme in Austen’s work, drawing from the sources:
Moralization of Comic Action: Austen harmonizes form and theme by moralizing the comic action. The obstacles her heroines face and the journey towards a happy ending are often tied to failures of education and judgment or distortions of social customs that create pain and uncertainty for good individuals. The resolution of the comedy frequently involves characters learning moral lessons and adhering to societal norms.
Conservative Value System: Austen’s moral framework is presented as conservative, where no happiness is possible outside of societal institutions and no deviation from its values is ultimately successful. She places a high value on individual fulfillment, but this is contingent upon first being good, according to her defined standards. The happy endings often reinforce this system through rewards for virtue and implicit or explicit punishments for vice.
Satire of Moral Failings: Austen’s satire is directed at those traits of personality that lead to moral errors and social disharmony. This includes selfishness, stupidity, ill-nature, self-indulgence, pride, ambition, materialism, and vanity. Characters who embody these failings often serve as cautionary examples within the narrative.
Education and Moral Growth: Several novels, particularly Mansfield Park and Emma, explore the theme of education as a process of moral development. Austen emphasizes the importance of nurture in shaping character, highlighting the contrast between spoiled and unspoiled children and the consequences of privilege versus hardship. While some characters seem inherently sensible, others need to learn and grow morally through experience, suffering, and good example.
The Ideal of Goodness: Austen presents a specific ideal of goodness, often embodied in characters like Fanny Price and Elinor Dashwood. This ideal typically includes traits such as prudence, judgment, good sense, self-knowledge, sensitivity, perceptiveness, propriety, civility, self-control, sincerity, integrity, respect for authority, dutifulness, responsibility, unselfishness, consideration of others, self-denial, humility, and gratitude.
Tensions with Comic Liberalism: While comedy is generally “on the side of desire” and celebrates the “triumph of wish over reality,” Austen’s moral conservatism introduces a displacement in the direction of the moral. The wishes that are fulfilled are often highly socialized, and the reader may sometimes find it difficult to feel elation at outcomes that prioritize sobriety and social propriety over youthful exuberance.
Interaction with Mimetic Characterization: The source argues that Austen’s commitment to mimetic characterization can create tension with her moral themes. Her realistic characters, with their own complex motivations, may not always align neatly with the author’s moral framework or the demands of the comic plot. Readers who engage with these characters as “real people” may have different judgments about their actions and outcomes than the author intends. For instance, the source critiques the celebration of Fanny Price’s goodness, suggesting it stems from fear rather than genuine benevolence. Similarly, the analysis of Emma questions the completeness and healthiness of her moral growth.
Austen’s Code of Values: The source identifies a consistent code of values and conduct that serves as the norm in Austen’s fiction. Characters are judged based on their adherence to this code, which encompasses various aspects of life, from family relations to social intercourse. Those who embrace or come to embrace this code generally gain Austen’s sympathy and approval.
In conclusion, moral theme is a foundational element of Jane Austen’s novels, shaping her comic structures and influencing the reader’s perception of her mimetic characters. While her works aim to reward virtue and uphold a conservative moral order, the depth and realism of her characterizations can sometimes lead to complex interpretations and potential tensions between the author’s intended moral message and the reader’s psychological understanding of her creations.
Fanny Price: Character Analysis in Mansfield Park
Fanny Price is the central protagonist of Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park, and her character is a complex subject of analysis when considering the novel’s comic structure, moral themes, and mimetic characterization.
Fanny’s Role in the Comic Structure: Fanny functions as the heroine of the comic plot in Mansfield Park. The central action revolves around the creation and removal of obstacles to her desire for Edmund Bertram. Her primary obstacle is Edmund’s affection for Mary Crawford, which is resolved when Mary’s flawed character is revealed, allowing Edmund to transfer his affections to Fanny. From Fanny’s perspective, the story has a “miraculously happy ending” as she is united with the man she loves. Furthermore, the novel follows a “Cinderella story” archetype, where Fanny, initially treated as socially and personally inferior, eventually gains the esteem of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram, the love of desirable men, and recognition for her virtue and perceptiveness. The happy ending brings her the “full acceptance for which she has yearned and the recognition and respect which she deserves”.
Fanny as an Illustrative Character and Moral Theme: Thematically, Mansfield Park can be seen as a “novel of education,” although the source argues that it is not Fanny who is primarily educated, but rather the people around her who learn to appreciate her worth and share her values. Fanny largely remains the same, serving as a standard of goodness against which other characters are measured. The novel seems to glorify “early hardship and discipline” as formative influences, which Fanny embodies. Her “goodness” is consistently emphasized, and she is portrayed as having “some touches of the angel”. However, the source questions Austen’s “celebration of hardship, struggle, and suffering” and its supposed positive effects.
Fanny as a Mimetic Character and Psychological Analysis: The source argues that Fanny is a “highly realized mimetic character” whose human qualities are “not compatible with her aesthetic and thematic roles”. Psychologically, Fanny is depicted as a product of a “pathogenic environment” at home, leading to insecurity, low self-esteem, and a lack of selfhood and spontaneity. She develops “socially sanctioned but personally crippling defensive strategies” in response. Key psychological traits of Fanny include:
Self-effacing tendencies: She is “exceedingly timid and shy, and shrinking from notice”. She seeks to be “lowest and last” and avoids attention, competition, and triumph.
Basic anxiety: She feels weak, worthless, inconsequential, and inadequate, living in constant fear and searching for a protector.
Need for reassurance and protection: She seeks this by being useful and compliant, attaching herself to stronger figures like Edmund and eventually Sir Thomas.
Suppressed emotions: She represses feelings like resentment and envy, often experiencing feelings she believes she should have rather than her genuine emotions.
Embeddedness: She craves stability, peace, and order, clinging to familiar people and the environment of Mansfield Park.
Tension Between Mimesis and Theme/Aesthetics: The source highlights a significant conflict between Austen’s portrayal of Fanny as a psychologically damaged individual and the novel’s rhetoric, which aims at her glorification. Many readers find it difficult to identify with or admire Fanny in the way the author intends, perceiving her as “insipid” or a “prig”. This difficulty arises because when Fanny is understood psychologically, her “goodness” appears to be the product of fear and a desperate need for acceptance rather than genuine benevolence. Austen seems to “glorify suffering” and believe in its positive formative effects, but her own portrayal of Fanny reveals the “crippling effects of Fanny’s childhood upon her personality”.
Fanny’s Relationships:
Edmund: He is Fanny’s “most consistent champion” from the beginning, recognizing her true worth and offering her kindness and support. She views him as her mentor, moral superior, friend, champion, and protector.
Sir Thomas: Initially unsympathetic, Sir Thomas eventually becomes Fanny’s protector and comes to value her virtue. His approval is of paramount importance to Fanny.
Mrs. Norris: Fanny’s “chief persecutor,” who constantly demeans and tries to subordinate her. Fanny is terrified of Mrs. Norris and tries to conform to her expectations.
Henry Crawford: He is initially attracted to Fanny as a challenge and later appreciates her virtues, though he does not fully understand them. Fanny, however, is wary of his “corrupted mind” and cannot reconcile his moral character with her own values, ultimately refusing his proposal.
Key Episodes:
The Play: Fanny opposes the play due to her respect for Sir Thomas’s authority and her dread of exposing herself to attention.
Refusal of Henry Crawford: This act, while morally consistent for Fanny, leads to Sir Thomas’s displeasure and intense distress for Fanny, highlighting her need for his approval.
Visit to Portsmouth: This episode reveals Fanny’s “snobbish attitudes and unattractive behavior” toward her own family, stemming from her longing for the order and propriety of Mansfield Park and her resentment of her neglectful upbringing.
Return to Mansfield Park: Fanny experiences “exquisite happiness” at her return, even amidst the disgrace of her cousins, highlighting her self-centeredness resulting from her past deprivations.
Mansfield Park as Wish Fulfillment: The source suggests that Mansfield Park can be interpreted as a “wish fulfillment fantasy of embeddedness” for Fanny. She does not psychologically mature but finds security and acceptance in the familiar world of Mansfield Park, where her goodness is recognized, her persecutors are removed, and she achieves a desirable marriage.
In conclusion, Fanny Price is a complex character whose portrayal reveals a tension between the author’s thematic intentions and her insightful mimetic characterization. While Austen aims to present Fanny as a moral exemplar deserving of her happy ending, the psychological analysis suggests a deeply insecure individual whose “goodness” is a defense mechanism. This discrepancy can lead to a divergence between the author’s and the reader’s response to Fanny and the moral landscape of Mansfield Park.
Jane Austen: Tensions, Themes, and Character Psychology
Based on the sources and our conversation history, a discussion of Jane Austen reveals her as a highly skilled novelist whose works are rich with complex characterizations and explorations of social and moral themes, although they are not without internal tensions.
Here are some key aspects of Jane Austen as presented in the source:
A Master of Multiple Dimensions: Jane Austen is recognized as a “great comic artist, a serious interpreter of life, and a creator of brilliant mimetic characterizations”. Some critics believe she achieves a unique balance among these aspects of her art.
Tensions in Her Novels: The central thesis of the source is that Austen’s mature novels are “beset by tensions between form, theme, and mimesis”. This arises partly from the fact that her protagonists often serve aesthetic, illustrative, and mimetic functions simultaneously. As “creations inside a creation,” these characters can act in ways that are “often engaged in treason against the main scheme of the book”. Because they have “numerous parallels with people like ourselves,” they require understanding in terms of their motivations, similar to real individuals.
Psychological Depth: The source emphasizes Austen’s “brilliant but least recognized achievement” in mimetic characterization. Characters like Elizabeth Bennet, Fanny Price, Emma Woodhouse, and Anne Elliot are portrayed as “realistically” and “fascinating” women, comprehensible through their own “motivational system”. To fully appreciate Austen’s genius, her major figures need to be understood as “creations inside a creation” and analyzed as if they were real people. The book utilizes Horneyan psychology to analyze these characters, focusing on their “strategies of defense and the structure of inner conflicts”.
Moral and Social Themes: Austen’s novels are deeply concerned with moral themes and the relationship between the individual and society. She moralizes the comic action, directing her satire at “traits of personality, at those failures of education and judgment, and at those distortions of social customs and institutions which make daily life painful”. Her works often reinforce a conservative value system, where happiness is generally found within societal norms and individual fulfillment is linked to being “good” according to her defined standards.
Comedy with Moral Underpinnings: While writing comedy, Austen’s moral conservatism can sometimes “diminish some of her comic effects”. Unlike typical comedy that celebrates the triumph of desire, Austen’s fulfilled wishes are often “highly socialized,” and primitive or selfish desires are rarely indulged. This can lead to situations where readers may not fully identify with the heroines’ desires or feel complete elation at the outcomes.
The Authorial Personality: The source aims to reconstruct the “personality which can be inferred from all of Jane Austen’s writings,” referring to this as her “authorial personality”. This involves considering her “recurring preoccupations, the personal element in his fantasies, the kinds of characters he creates, and his rhetorical stance”. Critics hold diverse views of Austen, some emphasizing her “aggressive, satirical component,” others her “gentleness and conservatism,” and still others her “detached, ironic quality”. The source attempts to show how these diverse components are related within a structure of inner conflicts.
Austen’s Code of Values: A “code of values and conduct” serves as the “norm by which all deviations are satirized and judged” in Austen’s fiction. Characters who align with or come to embrace this code generally receive Austen’s sympathy and approval. This code contrasts with the “cult of sensibility” and “worldliness,” both of which Austen critiques.
Psychological Solutions: The source analyzes Austen’s characters through the lens of different Horneyan psychological “solutions”: expansive (aggressive), self-effacing (compliant), and detached. Austen displays a mixed attitude towards the expansive and detached solutions, while the self-effacing solution is often supported, though sometimes with irony towards simpler characters embodying it. The authorial personality is also described as having perfectionistic trends.
Development and Dominating Fantasies: By examining Austen’s novels in chronological order of composition, the source identifies “striking shifts of direction” and suggests that each novel embodies a predominantly different fantasy related to these psychological solutions. For example, Pride and Prejudice embodies a predominantly expansive fantasy, while Mansfield Park glorifies the self-effacing solution.
Reader Interpretation vs. Authorial Intention: The source acknowledges that readers may have interpretations of characters and outcomes that differ from Jane Austen’s explicit rhetoric. This is attributed to the mimetic depth of her characters, who can evoke responses based on psychological realism that may not align with the author’s formal or thematic goals. Our previous discussion of Fanny Price exemplifies this, where the source argues that Austen glorifies her self-effacing nature while a psychological analysis reveals a more complex and potentially unhealthy motivation.
In summary, Jane Austen is presented as a multifaceted author whose comedic novels delve into serious moral and social issues through richly developed, psychologically complex characters. The source highlights the inherent tensions within her works arising from the interplay between comic form, thematic intentions, and the mimetic realism of her characterizations. Furthermore, it explores the inferred complexities of Austen’s own personality as reflected in her diverse characters and narrative choices.
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This excerpt from “Jane Austen Education” recounts the author’s unexpected journey of encountering Jane Austen’s novels and how they profoundly impacted his understanding of love, friendship, and life’s significant aspects. Initially resistant to nineteenth-century British fiction, the author describes how Austen’s work, particularly Emma, challenged his intellectual arrogance and self-centeredness, leading to significant personal growth. He reflects on how reading Austen’s stories taught him about character, conduct, and the importance of observing and understanding others. Through his engagement with Austen’s world and characters, the author illustrates a transformative educational experience that extended far beyond the realm of literature.
A Study Guide to “A Jane Austen Education”
Review Questions
According to Deresiewicz, what was his initial impression of Jane Austen and why did he hold this view?
What is the significance of “minute particulars” in Austen’s writing, as Deresiewicz comes to understand it through reading Emma?
Explain the concept of the “Janeite” as described in the text. What does becoming a “Janeite” signify?
How did Austen’s personal life and family relationships influence the subject matter of her novels, according to the author? Provide specific examples.
What does Deresiewicz mean when he states that Austen taught him a “new kind of moral seriousness”? How does this differ from his previous understanding?
In the chapter on Pride and Prejudice, what aspects of Elizabeth Bennet’s character resonated most with Deresiewicz?
How does Deresiewicz interpret Austen’s portrayal of maturity in her heroines? What role does suffering play in their development?
Explain Deresiewicz’s argument against the “Brontëan” critique of Austen’s novels. Did Austen ignore passion and feeling?
According to the text, what is Austen’s perspective on the importance of friendship? How does she portray friendship in relation to family?
What was the “big, huge thing” that Deresiewicz felt was missing in his life before delving into Sense and Sensibility? How did Austen’s exploration of love influence his understanding?
Short Answer Quiz
Initially, Deresiewicz viewed Jane Austen as a writer of “silly romantic fairy tales” due to his preoccupation with modernist literature, which he perceived as complex, difficult, and rebellious. He associated Austen with conventionality and a lack of intellectual depth, fitting his self-image as an alienated young man.
“Minute particulars,” as Deresiewicz learns from Emma, refer to the small, seemingly insignificant details of daily life and conversation that Austen meticulously portrays. She demonstrates that these everyday matters—gossip, arrangements, and minor occurrences—are the very fabric of human experience and hold significant meaning.
A “Janeite” is a devoted and enthusiastic admirer of Jane Austen and her novels, forming a kind of literary “club” with shared appreciation. Becoming a “Janeite,” according to the text, signifies a deep understanding and valuing of Austen’s subtle artistry and profound insights into human nature.
Austen’s personal life, though seemingly uneventful, provided rich material for her novels. Her close relationship with her sister Cassandra, her brothers’ naval careers, and her knowledge of her extended family’s experiences in India and society informed her understanding of social dynamics and human relationships.
Deresiewicz explains that Austen’s “new kind of moral seriousness” involves taking responsibility for one’s immediate surroundings and personal conduct, rather than focusing solely on grand, abstract issues. It emphasizes the ethical significance of everyday interactions and self-awareness.
Deresiewicz was drawn to Elizabeth Bennet’s brilliance, wit, fun-loving nature, and her spirited independence, including her willingness to defy social expectations and protect her loved ones. He admired her resilience in the face of a difficult family and her initial disinterest in marriage.
Deresiewicz argues that Austen’s heroines achieve maturity not through easy lessons but through experiencing genuine suffering, particularly humiliation for their unjust actions witnessed by those whose opinions they value. This painful self-recognition forces them to confront their flaws and grow.
Deresiewicz counters the “Brontëan” critique by asserting that Austen did not ignore feelings but rather valued them without advocating for their uncritical worship. He points to characters like Lydia and Elizabeth themselves as evidence of passion within Austen’s world, arguing that Austen simply believed in the importance of reason and self-control alongside emotion.
Austen, according to the text, considered friendship a vital and chosen form of family, sometimes even more meaningful than biological ties. Her novels depict intricate networks of friends and family, where genuine connection, mutual understanding, and support form the bedrock of a fulfilling life.
The “big, huge thing” missing in Deresiewicz’s life was a meaningful romantic relationship. Austen’s exploration of love in Sense and Sensibility and her other novels helped him understand the complexities of romantic connection, the importance of genuine feeling over societal pressures, and the possibility of finding true intimacy.
Essay Format Questions
Explore William Deresiewicz’s initial biases against Jane Austen and analyze how his reading of Emma led to a significant shift in his perception. What specific elements of the novel and Austen’s writing style contributed to this change?
Discuss Deresiewicz’s interpretation of Austen’s social world. How does she portray issues of class, gender, and social expectations, and what insights did Deresiewicz gain about his own social milieu through her novels?
Analyze Deresiewicz’s claim that Austen taught him about “growing up.” In what specific ways did reading Austen’s novels challenge his youthful arrogance and contribute to his emotional and intellectual maturation?
Examine the significance of friendship in Austen’s novels as presented by Deresiewicz. How does Austen portray the complexities and importance of platonic relationships, and what did Deresiewicz learn about the nature of true friendship from her work?
Deresiewicz argues that Austen’s novels offer profound insights into “the things that really matter.” Based on the excerpts, discuss what these essential values are and how Austen’s narratives illuminate their importance in navigating life and relationships.
Glossary of Key Terms
Minute Particulars: This term, highlighted in the context of Emma, refers to the small, seemingly insignificant details of daily life, conversation, and social interactions that Austen meticulously observes and portrays in her novels, revealing their underlying significance.
Janeite: A term used to describe a devoted and enthusiastic admirer of Jane Austen and her works, often indicating a deep appreciation for her subtle artistry, wit, and insightful commentary on human nature and society.
Valetudinarian: A person who is in poor health or constantly concerned with their health; often used in the text to describe Mr. Woodhouse in Emma and his tendency to use his perceived weakness to control others.
Picturesque: A contemporary aesthetic vogue during Austen’s time that emphasized landscapes and scenes that conformed to specific artistic principles of visual beauty, often involving elements like ruins, gnarled trees, and dramatic lighting.
Dilettante: A person who cultivates an interest in an art or other field without real commitment or knowledge; used in the text to describe characters like Henry Crawford in Mansfield Park who dabble in various pursuits without genuine purpose.
Worldliness: Having or showing much experience and knowledge of the world and of fashionable life; in the context of Mansfield Park, it often carries a negative connotation, associated with the superficiality and moral ambiguity of the Crawford siblings.
Usefulness: A key concept discussed in relation to Mansfield Park, representing the value of having a purpose and contributing meaningfully to the lives of others, in contrast to a life of mere self-indulgence.
Constancy (in love): The quality of being faithful and unwavering in one’s affections or loyalties, a theme explored in the discussion of Persuasion and the debate between Anne Elliot and Captain Harville.
Self-Consequence: A sense of one’s own importance or status; in the excerpt from Northanger Abbey, it is used negatively to describe the pretentious attitudes of those who look down on novels.
Crossidentify: The act of identifying with a character of a different gender than oneself, a point raised in the text regarding the common experience of female readers engaging with male literary protagonists.
Briefing Document: “A Jane Austen Education” by William Deresiewicz
Source: Excerpts from “0031-A Jane Austen Education_ How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter ( PDFDrive ) (1).pdf” by William Deresiewicz.
This briefing document summarizes the main themes and important ideas presented in the provided excerpts from William Deresiewicz’s “A Jane Austen Education.” The excerpts detail the author’s personal journey of engaging with Jane Austen’s six major novels and how these literary encounters led to significant insights and transformations in his understanding of love, friendship, morality, and the complexities of human relationships. Initially dismissive of Austen, the author comes to appreciate the profound wisdom embedded within her seemingly simple narratives of domestic life.
Main Themes and Important Ideas:
1. Transformation Through Austen:
The book chronicles the author’s evolution from a self-absorbed, intellectually arrogant young man to someone more empathetic and attuned to the nuances of everyday life. He initially favored modernist literature, viewing Austen as “silly romantic fairy tales” that made him “sleepy.”
His engagement with Austen, starting with Emma, becomes a catalyst for self-reflection and personal growth. He realizes his own shortcomings, such as his obliviousness to the feelings of others and his need to constantly assert intellectual superiority.
Quote: “Like so many guys, I thought that a good conversation meant holding forth about all the supposedly important things I knew: books, history, politics, whatever. But I wasn’t just aggressively certain of myself—though of course I never let anyone finish a sentence and delivered my opinions as if they’d come direct from Sinai. I was also oblivious to the feelings of the people around me, a bulldozer stuck in overdrive, because it had never occurred to me to imagine how things might look from someone else’s point of view.”
2. The Significance of “Everyday Matters” (Theme of Emma):
Deresiewicz highlights how Austen elevates the “gossipy texture of daily life” to the level of serious artistic concern. He contrasts his previous focus on grand, abstract ideas with Austen’s meticulous portrayal of “little affairs, arrangements, perplexities, and pleasures.”
He initially finds Austen’s language plain and unremarkable (“No metaphors, no images, no flights of lyricism. This hardly seemed like writing at all.”), but later appreciates her subtle mastery in revealing character and power dynamics through seemingly simple descriptions.
Quote: “While she plotted her schemes and dreamed her dreams, her ‘daily happiness’ was right there in front of her, in ‘affairs, arrangements, perplexities, and pleasures’—the hourly ordinary, in all its granular specificity.”
He notes Austen’s ability to reveal character through seemingly insignificant details, such as Mr. Woodhouse’s controlling nature subtly conveyed through pronoun usage.
He acknowledges the historical and contemporary undervaluing of “women’s language” and “minute particulars,” which form the core of Austen’s narrative focus. He sees Austen’s work as a triumph in making these “long histories of private matters” compelling and insightful.
Quote: “‘Your friend Harriet will make a much longer history when you see her,’ he said. ‘She will give you all the minute particulars, which only woman’s language can make interesting.—In our communications we deal only in the great.’”
3. The Process of “Growing Up” Through Humiliation (Theme of Pride and Prejudice):
His reading of Pride and Prejudice coincides with his own academic and personal challenges. He identifies with Elizabeth Bennet’s wit and initial resistance to societal expectations.
He emphasizes the importance of learning from mistakes and the role of humiliation in achieving maturity in Austen’s novels. The heroines don’t grow up until they face the consequences of their actions and are forced to confront their flawed perceptions.
Quote: “Austen’s heroines, I discovered that summer, had their mistakes pointed out to them over and over again, only it never did them any good. They didn’t grow up until something terrible finally happened. When maturity came to them, it came through suffering: through loss, through pain, above all, through humiliation.”
He reflects on his own tendency to be condescending and how Austen’s characters helped him recognize this flaw.
4. Critique of Romanticism and the Value of Self-Knowledge:
Deresiewicz touches upon the Romantic movement’s emphasis on feeling and passion, contrasting it with Austen’s more nuanced view. While Austen acknowledges feelings, she doesn’t advocate for their uncritical worship.
He recounts his own youthful embrace of Romantic ideals of rebellion and individualistic isolation, which he eventually recognizes as foolish.
Quote: “The most important word in popular music today is not “love,” it’s “I.” And the second most important is “wanna.” Popular music is one giant shout of desire, one great rallying cry for freedom and pleasure. Pop psychology sends us the same signals, and so does advertising. “Trust your feelings,” we are told. “Listen to your heart.” “If it feels good, do it.””
He notes Brontë’s criticism of Austen for not delving into the “Passions,” but argues that Austen’s focus is on the understanding and management of those passions within a social context.
5. Learning to Learn (Theme of Northanger Abbey):
The excerpts briefly mention Northanger Abbey in the context of Austen’s defense of the novel as a literary form worthy of respect.
Austen criticizes the snobbery of those who dismiss novels as trivial and “feminine,” asserting that they can display “the greatest powers of the mind.”
Quote: “Yes, novels; for I will not adopt that ungenerous and impolitic custom so common with novel-writers, of degrading by their contemptuous censure the very performances, to the number of which they are themselves adding…”
The author also learns about the difference between acquiring knowledge as a status symbol (as exemplified by his father) and truly engaging with and understanding it. He highlights a professor who embodies a genuine love of learning and encourages students to spend time with “extraordinary people.”
6. Being Good (Theme of Mansfield Park):
The excerpts introduce Mansfield Park and the character of Fanny Price, initially finding her and Edmund “proper and priggish.”
He explores the theme of hypocrisy through characters like the Crawfords and Edmund’s shifting stance on the play.
He notes the societal pressures and the marriage market prevalent in Austen’s time, where pragmatic considerations often outweighed love.
The concept of “usefulness” is highlighted as a key value in Mansfield Park, contrasting with the dilettantism of characters like Henry Crawford.
Quote: “‘It is everybody’s duty,’ Mary said, ‘to do as well for themselves as they can.’ But the novel’s most important word of all was ‘useful.’”
The importance of genuine listening and empathy in human connection is emphasized through Edmund’s interactions with Fanny.
7. True Friends (Theme of Persuasion):
The theme of friendship takes center stage with Persuasion. The author recognizes Austen’s portrayal of friendship as a chosen family and as an essential element within family relationships.
He discusses the blurring lines between friendship and family in Austen’s world and in his own life experiences.
He highlights Austen’s progressive view of friendship between men and women, exemplified by the relationships between Anne Elliot and Captain Benwick and Captain Harville. Austen challenges the notion that such friendships are inherently romantic or impossible.
Quote: “Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything.” (Anne Elliot’s feminist declaration).
The author’s personal experiences of navigating friendships, including a difficult but ultimately positive interaction with a friend struggling with alcoholism, are linked to the lessons learned from Persuasion.
8. Falling in Love (Theme of Sense and Sensibility):
The excerpts touch on the complexities of love and the societal pressures surrounding marriage in Sense and Sensibility.
Austen critiques the purely transactional view of marriage prevalent in her time, where financial security and social status often overshadowed genuine affection.
The author notes Austen’s subtle treatment of sexuality and her awareness of the physical aspects of relationships, despite not explicitly depicting them.
His own journey towards finding love is subtly hinted at, with a reference to meeting someone at a party.
The importance of mutual vulnerability and the ability to apologize and learn from mistakes within a relationship is highlighted.
Conclusion:
The provided excerpts from “A Jane Austen Education” reveal a compelling account of personal and intellectual growth spurred by a deep engagement with Jane Austen’s novels. Deresiewicz demonstrates how Austen’s focus on seemingly ordinary lives and “minute particulars” can yield profound insights into human nature, morality, love, and friendship. By examining each of her six major novels, he uncovers timeless lessons that challenged his own preconceptions and ultimately led to a more nuanced and empathetic understanding of himself and the world around him. The author’s personal anecdotes effectively illustrate the enduring relevance and transformative power of Austen’s literary genius.
Discovering Austen: A Literary Journey and Personal Reflection
Questions & Answers
# What sparked the author’s initial interest in Jane Austen after a period of literary rebellion?
Initially, the author, a graduate student immersed in modernist literature, viewed Jane Austen as representative of a dull and narrow literary tradition, preferring the complexity and revolutionary spirit of writers like Joyce and Conrad. However, a course requirement forced him to read Austen’s Emma, which unexpectedly captivated him. He found himself drawn into the seemingly ordinary lives and “minute particulars” Austen meticulously depicted, realizing that her work held a depth and insight into human nature that he had previously overlooked.
# How did reading Emma challenge the author’s self-perception and understanding of daily life?
Reading Emma prompted a significant shift in the author’s self-perception. He had previously identified with rebellious, isolated figures in literature, but through Emma, he began to see his own tendencies towards arrogance, obliviousness to others’ feelings, and a focus on grand ideas over the “daily happiness” found in ordinary life. He recognized his similarities to characters like Emma and Miss Bates, realizing he was not an isolated rebel but a regular person whose everyday experiences held value and significance.
# What did the author learn about “moral seriousness” from reading Austen?
Austen taught the author a new understanding of moral seriousness. He had previously equated it with concern for large-scale issues like politics and social justice, often engaging in theoretical debates without genuine emotional investment. Through Austen, he learned that true moral seriousness lies in taking responsibility for one’s own “little world” and for oneself, paying attention to the impact of one’s actions and words on those around them.
# How did the author’s encounter with Pride and Prejudice influence his understanding of personal growth and maturity?
Pride and Prejudice, particularly the character of Elizabeth Bennet, resonated deeply with the author due to her wit, intelligence, and initial resistance to societal expectations. However, the novel also highlighted the importance of acknowledging one’s own mistakes and the painful but necessary process of humiliation in achieving maturity. The author recognized his own tendency to believe in his intellectual superiority, much like Elizabeth’s initial misjudgment of Darcy, and understood that genuine growth comes from recognizing and confronting one’s flaws.
# What does the author identify as a key lesson from Mansfield Park regarding usefulness and self-deception?
Mansfield Park taught the author about the value of being “useful” and the dangers of self-deception, particularly through the contrasting characters of Fanny Price and the Crawfords. Fanny’s quiet integrity and commitment to duty are juxtaposed with the Crawfords’ worldliness and self-serving motivations. The author came to see that true worth lies in contributing meaningfully to the world and to others, rather than in superficial charm or the pursuit of fleeting pleasures, and recognized how easily one can rationalize selfish behavior.
# According to the author’s reading of Austen, what is the true significance of friendship and family?
Austen’s novels emphasized the profound importance of both friendship and family, often blurring the lines between the two. The author learned that friends are the family one chooses, but also that family members can be true friends. Austen depicts communities formed through genuine affection, mutual understanding, and shared experiences, highlighting friendship as a vital source of support, happiness, and moral guidance, and demonstrating that these bonds are essential for navigating life’s challenges.
# What did the author discover about the portrayal of men-women relationships in Austen, particularly in Persuasion, that challenged conventional romantic narratives?
Through Persuasion, the author realized that Austen challenged the conventional romantic narrative that insists on sexual attraction as the primary basis for connection between men and women. The relationships between Anne Elliot and Captain Benwick, and Anne and Captain Harville, demonstrated that men and women could form deep, meaningful friendships built on mutual respect, understanding, and shared intellectual and emotional space, without romantic entanglement. Austen, according to the author, advocated for the possibility of genuine platonic relationships between the sexes.
# How did the author’s personal experiences intertwine with and illuminate his understanding of Austen’s themes of love and relationships in Sense and Sensibility?
Reading Sense and Sensibility while navigating his own evolving relationships helped the author understand Austen’s nuanced portrayal of love and the complexities of romantic choices. He saw how societal pressures and pragmatic considerations could conflict with genuine affection, as depicted in the choices of characters like Charlotte Lucas and Mary Crawford. Moreover, reflecting on his own difficulties in expressing vulnerability and offering sincere apologies mirrored the emotional journeys of Austen’s characters, highlighting the importance of emotional honesty and the willingness to learn and grow within relationships.
The Enduring Influence of Jane Austen
Jane Austen’s influence can be seen in how her novels have been received by readers and critics over time, her impact on the development of the novel as a genre, and the lessons about love, friendship, and personal growth that her works impart.
Initially, Austen’s novels were met with reactions that suggested they were “trifling,” lacking in imagination and narrative, and “too natural to be interesting”. Even Madame de Staël considered her work “vulgaire”. However, despite these early criticisms, Austen garnered a dedicated readership who felt like they had joined a “secret club” by “getting” her work. Some even considered a real appreciation of Emma “the final test of citizenship in her kingdom”. Writers like Rudyard Kipling celebrated this phenomenon. Conversely, some, like Mark Twain, expressed strong dislike for her writing. This divide highlights the powerful and often deeply personal connection that readers have with Austen’s novels.
One of Austen’s significant influences lies in her ability to make readers see themselves in her characters and learn from their experiences. The author recounts his own initial boredom with Emma, only to realize that Austen had deliberately created a heroine whose feelings mirrored his own in order to expose his own “ugly face”. Austen wrote about everyday things not because she lacked other material, but because she wanted to show their true importance. Her “littleness” was an “optical illusion,” a test for the reader to see the deeper meaning in the commonplace. Her language, seemingly simple, worked subtly to establish character and power dynamics. She presented ordinary people with such masterful arrangement and balance that they became vivid and meaningful, mirroring the complexities of real life.
Austen’s influence also extends to the themes and structure of novels. She shifted the focus from grand events to the intricacies of “domestic Life in Country Villages”. She gave a “long history of private matters,” elevating “woman’s friendship and woman’s feelings” as worthy subjects of literature. Unlike the traditional comic plot where external obstacles keep lovers apart, Austen placed the obstacle “on the inside,” arguing that we ourselves are often what stands in the way of our happiness. She championed reason as liberation and personal growth as true freedom.
Furthermore, Austen challenged the Romantic emphasis on unchecked emotion, advocating for the triumph of reason over feeling, as seen in Pride and Prejudice. While she understood and portrayed feelings and passions, she did not believe they should be worshipped. Her works invite readers to question their instincts and intuitions, urging them to engage reason and objectivity. She taught through showing rather than telling, refusing to insert authorial essays or opinions into her narratives.
Austen’s exploration of relationships, particularly love and friendship, has also been highly influential. She presents friends as the family we choose and suggests that family members can also be friends. Her concept of true friendship involves putting a friend’s welfare first, even if it means pointing out their mistakes. She also challenged the notion that men and women can only be interested in each other sexually, portraying deep and meaningful friendships between them. Austen’s definition of true love often begins in friendship and adheres to the principles of friendship, emphasizing esteem, respect, and a shared desire for personal growth. She suggests that love is not a sudden strike but a gradual development.
Finally, Austen’s influence can be seen in her feminist perspective. She gave voice to female experiences and intellect, challenging the societal limitations placed on women. Through characters like Anne Elliot, she asserted the power of women’s perspectives and the equality possible between men and women.
In conclusion, Jane Austen’s influence is multifaceted, impacting how readers engage with literature, shaping the themes and structures of novels, and offering enduring insights into human relationships and personal development. Her ability to weave profound observations into seemingly ordinary narratives has cemented her place as a significant figure in literary history.
Learning, Character, and the Mentoring Mind
The sources discuss learning and education in several key ways, highlighting a shift from a focus on acquiring knowledge to developing character, the importance of questioning and critical thinking, and the role of mentors in guiding this process.
Initially, the author approached literary education with the goal of “fill[ing] the gaps” in his knowledge, focusing on prestigious literature. However, his early encounter with Jane Austen’s Emma challenged his preconceived notions, as the novel seemed to consist of trivial subjects and commonplace characters. Despite his initial repulsion, the author eventually came to appreciate Austen’s work, realizing that her “littleness” was a test to uncover deeper meanings. This personal journey reflects a form of learning that goes beyond simply accumulating information.
The source emphasizes that true growing up and education have “nothing to do with knowledge or skills” but rather “everything to do with character and conduct”. According to Austen, you don’t improve your character by memorizing facts or developing self-confidence alone; instead, “growing up means making mistakes”. This suggests that learning involves personal experience and the development of moral understanding.
The role of teachers and mentors is presented as crucial in the educational process. The author’s experience with a particular professor is highlighted as transformative. This professor taught by asking profound questions that challenged students’ assumptions and forced them to think for themselves. He exemplified a teaching style that encouraged curiosity and humility, rather than professional certainty. This approach contrasts with the author’s initial attempts at teaching, where he tried to force students to arrive at pre-determined answers. The professor, much like Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey, acted as a “surrogate” for Austen, prompting students to reconsider their mental categories and conventions. Austen herself taught without being didactic, preferring to show rather than tell, and allowing her readers to arrive at their own understandings. She valued intelligent conversation and being informed about the world, but she ridiculed the mere acquisition of facts without deeper comprehension, as exemplified by the character of Mary Bennet.
The source also touches upon the idea of “miseducation,” where one’s mind is filled with elaborate theories that bear no relation to reality. True learning involves opening one’s eyes to what is actually in front of them and questioning acquired concepts. This is illustrated by Catherine Morland’s experience with the picturesque, where she learns the theory but misses the actual beauty around her.
Learning is portrayed as a lifelong habit, extending beyond formal education. The author’s professor suggested that just as Catherine could learn to love a hyacinth, individuals can keep learning to love new things throughout their lives. This includes learning to understand and appreciate others by paying attention to their “minute particulars” and listening to their stories. The act of conversing about daily life, seemingly trivial, is actually a way of attaching oneself to life and weaving the fabric of community.
The author contrasts his father’s view of education as the acquisition of facts and a means of cultural pride with the deeper understanding he gained through his literary studies. He learned that real strength lies not in certainty but in the willingness to learn, even from others.
Ultimately, the source suggests that the goal of education is not simply to transfer information but to “incite” students to discover their own potential and to foster critical thinking. A good learning environment is one where both the student and the teacher can learn and be surprised. This requires a shift in the teacher’s role from an authority figure to a facilitator who encourages students to think beyond them. The lessons learned from literature, particularly from Austen, can be applied directly to life, helping individuals to develop character, understand relationships, and engage with the world in a more meaningful way.
A Jane Austen Education: Growing Up
Growing up, or maturation, is a central theme explored in the provided excerpts from “A Jane Austen Education”. The author reflects on his own journey of growth through reading Austen’s novels, highlighting that it is a remarkable process that goes beyond physical development. It involves becoming “fit for human company, let alone capable of love”.
Austen’s perspective, as interpreted by the author, is that growing up has “nothing to do with knowledge or skills,” but rather “everything to do with character and conduct”. It is not about external achievements like “passing tests, gaining admissions, accumulating credentials”, or even developing self-confidence and self-esteem, which Austen views as potential obstacles. Instead, “growing up means making mistakes”. However, simply making mistakes is not enough; like Elizabeth Bennet, one might repeat the same errors. Even having mistakes pointed out is insufficient, as individuals often rationalize their actions.
True maturation, according to Austen, often comes through suffering, including loss, pain, and, above all, humiliation. It occurs when individuals do something “really awful” and are forced to recognize the gravity of their actions, often in front of someone whose opinion they value. Examples from Austen’s novels, such as Emma insulting Miss Bates and Elizabeth making false accusations, illustrate these painful but transformative moments. The author connects this to his own experiences of feeling shame and recognizing his own shortcomings. He learns that it is not enough to know you have done wrong; you must also feel it. Furthermore, maturation involves refusing to forget past mistakes, using the memory of them as a continuous lesson.
A key aspect of growing up is learning to see oneself “from the outside, as one very limited person,” realizing that one is not the center of the universe. This involves a shift from relying solely on feelings to also engaging reason and logic to evaluate one’s impulses. Austen’s Sense and Sensibility illustrates this contrast between feeling and reason. The heroines of Austen’s novels often initially trust their feelings too much and need to learn to doubt themselves. Elizabeth Bennet’s journey in Pride and Prejudice exemplifies this process of learning to put thinking above feeling.
The author also emphasizes that growing up is an ongoing process that “never stops”. There is a danger in becoming complacent and self-satisfied, as seen in the character of Elizabeth’s father. To continue growing, one needs to “stay on [their] toes”.
Relationships play a significant role in maturation. True friendship, in Austen’s view, involves putting a friend’s welfare first, even if it means pointing out their mistakes. Similarly, love, for Austen, is an agent of socialization, where partners challenge each other to become better people. Choosing a life partner is a crucial aspect of personal growth, and it is suggested that compatibility can develop through shared values and familiarity, a gradual “growing in love” rather than a sudden infatuation. The choice of a partner can significantly impact one’s character and soul.
Despite the seriousness of maturation, Austen also values youth as a time of openness to new experiences. Her novels, while depicting characters growing up, often focus on young people and their concerns. There is a suggestion that one can “get older…but still remain young” by staying open to learning and change. This involves learning to appreciate the beauty of the world and maintaining a capacity for love.
Mentors, like the author’s professor and characters like Henry Tilney, play a vital role in guiding the process of growing up by challenging assumptions and encouraging critical thinking. They teach by example and by prompting individuals to see beyond their current understanding.
Ultimately, the author’s journey through Austen’s novels reveals that growing up is a complex process involving self-awareness, learning from mistakes, balancing emotions with reason, cultivating meaningful relationships, and maintaining a lifelong commitment to personal development. It is about taking responsibility for one’s “little world” and oneself.
Austen’s Insights on Love, Friendship, and Growth
Our sources offer a rich exploration of relationships and love, contrasting the author’s initial immature understandings with the more profound insights he gains from reading Jane Austen. The discussion touches upon both romantic love and friendship, highlighting how Austen views these connections as crucial for personal growth and happiness.
Initially, the author’s approach to relationships was flawed and self-centered. He admits to having a romantic life that was “never been particularly happy”. His relationships were marked by “fights, sulks, head games, tears”. He reveals a period where he pursued a “steady supply of sex, with no strings attached,” driven by a “teenage boy’s idea of paradise”. However, he eventually recognized the emptiness of this approach. His interactions with women were often characterized by a lack of respect and a need to “hold forth as usual,” driven by his sense of intellectual superiority as a graduate student. He lacked insight into himself and others, and even when confronted with a friend’s concerns about intimacy, he was bewildered, demonstrating a profound lack of understanding about meaningful connection.
Through his engagement with Austen’s novels, the author begins to develop a more nuanced understanding of relationships and love. A central theme is the idea that love often begins in friendship. Austen portrays relationships built on mutual respect, esteem, gratitude, and genuine interest in the other person’s welfare. The author initially struggles with this concept, having different notions of what constitutes a romantic relationship.
Austen challenges the purely romantic and passionate ideal of love, often exemplified by the relationship between Marianne and Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility. While such passionate connections are often celebrated, Austen suggests that more enduring love is rooted in qualities like good character, worth, heart, and understanding, akin to the relationship between Elinor and Edward. The author comes to see that Elinor and Edward’s “tepid relationship” is presented as the novel’s idea of true love, validating Elinor’s sensible approach over Marianne’s impulsiveness.
True love, according to Austen, is not simply a feeling but something you have to prepare yourself for. It is not a magical force that transforms you, but rather something that works with who you already are. The author realizes that before one can truly love another, they must come to know themselves and grow up. The development of love is often gradual, a “growing on so gradually” that one hardly knows when it began.
Furthermore, Austen suggests that a healthy relationship involves a degree of challenge and disagreement, contributing to personal growth. A “friction-free relationship” is likened to a desert, implying that conflict, when handled constructively, can lead to deeper understanding and development. This contrasts with the author’s earlier experiences of “fights” that were destructive rather than growth-oriented.
The source also emphasizes the importance of “minute particulars” and listening to each other’s stories in building intimacy and connection. This act of paying attention to the details of someone’s life and valuing their experiences is presented as a high form of caring. The author’s own budding relationship later in the narrative reflects this, with hours spent on the phone “learning about each other, and respecting each other, by listening to each other’s stories”. This “conversation of souls” highlights a deeper level of connection beyond mere physical attraction.
Austen also explores the possibility of genuine friendship between men and women, challenging the prevailing notion that sex will always “get in the way”. The relationships between Anne Elliot and Captain Benwick, and Anne and Captain Harville in Persuasion, demonstrate intellectual and emotional connection without sexual interest.
The role of true friends is presented as crucial for navigating relationships and personal growth. Austen’s idea of true friendship involves putting a friend’s welfare before your own, which includes being willing to point out their mistakes, even at the risk of conflict. The author reflects on how a friend who was “on his case for all those years” was ultimately trying to help him become a better person. This aligns with the idea that growing up often requires having one’s errors acknowledged.
In conclusion, the author’s journey through Austen’s works reveals a shift from a superficial and self-serving view of relationships to an appreciation for connections built on friendship, mutual respect, shared values, and a commitment to personal growth. Austen’s novels highlight that true and lasting love is not a sudden, passionate event but a gradual development rooted in character and a willingness to understand and support one another, even through disagreements and challenges.
Jane Austen’s Social Commentary
The excerpts from “A Jane Austen Education” offer significant insights into Jane Austen’s social commentary, as perceived by the author. His journey of understanding Austen’s work involves recognizing that what initially seemed like trivial stories of everyday life were, in fact, subtle yet powerful critiques of the social norms and values of her time.
Initially, the author dismissed Austen’s novels as “silly romantic fairy tales” focused on “who was sick, who had had a card party the night before”. He saw the lives depicted as “trivial” compared to the grand themes of modernism. However, he eventually realized that Austen was writing about these everyday things precisely to show how important they really are. The “trivia” wasn’t just marking time; it was the point, revealing the fabric of their lives and, by extension, the values of their society.
One key aspect of Austen’s social commentary is her portrayal of the marriage market. The novel Sense and Sensibility illustrates how marriage was often viewed as a matter of financial prudence and social standing rather than love. Characters like John Dashwood exemplify this mercenary approach, calculating the financial worth of potential spouses. Austen highlights how deeply ingrained these values were, with young people often acting as if their parents still arranged marriages, despite having a choice. This commentary on societal pressures around marriage connects to our previous discussion on relationships, showing how societal norms could overshadow genuine affection.
Austen also offers a critique of social hierarchies and class consciousness. The author notes his own past adherence to the “oldest myth” that upper-class people are inherently urbane and cultured. However, through Austen’s portrayal of characters like the Bertrams and the Crawfords in Mansfield Park, he recognizes that elegant manners and active minds are distinct, and wealth does not necessarily equate to intellect or virtue. Mary Crawford’s inability to understand priorities outside of London demonstrates a “special kind of provincialism” common among those who consider themselves cosmopolitan. This social commentary relates to the theme of growing up, as the author sheds his own naive assumptions about social status.
Furthermore, Austen critiques the superficiality and moral failings within the upper classes. The discontinuation of daily prayers at the Rushworth estate and Mary Crawford’s flippant attitude towards religion and morality (“How could anyone take words like ‘duty’ and ‘conduct’ and ‘principle’ seriously?”) serve as examples of this critique. This connects to the discussion on maturation, as Austen values “duty” and “usefulness” as important aspects of a well-developed character, contrasting with the self-indulgence of some of her upper-class figures.
Austen’s commentary extends to gender roles and expectations. Mr. Knightley’s remark in Emma that women’s language deals with “minute particulars” while men deal “only in the great” initially seems to reflect a societal view. However, the author realizes that Austen uses this to highlight her own artistic triumph in making these “minute particulars” the very substance of her novels, focusing on “woman’s friendship and woman’s feelings”. Moreover, in Persuasion, Anne Elliot’s powerful assertion that “Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything” is seen as Austen’s “crowning declaration as a writer, the feminist flag she planted on the ground of English fiction”. This challenges the societal imbalance in narrative power and connects to the theme of relationships by showing Austen’s advocacy for equality and mutual respect between men and women.
The author also notes Austen’s satire of didacticism and pedantry, as seen in the characters of Mary Bennet and Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice. Austen’s own writing avoids explicit lecturing, allowing her social commentary to emerge through character and plot rather than direct authorial intrusion.
In essence, the author’s evolving understanding reveals that Jane Austen was a keen observer of her society, using her novels to subtly critique its values, particularly concerning marriage, social class, morality, and gender roles. Her focus on the everyday lives of her characters became a powerful tool for social commentary, prompting readers to consider the deeper implications of seemingly ordinary interactions and societal norms. This aligns with the broader theme of the book, where engagement with Austen’s novels leads to personal growth and a more insightful understanding of the world.
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This transcript features a press conference given by a former U.S. president, focusing on his plans for the upcoming term. Key topics include significant foreign policy issues such as the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and strained relationships with Canada and the Panama Canal. Domestically, the discussion centers on economic revitalization through tax cuts and deregulation, along with strong criticisms of his predecessor’s policies and actions. The president also addresses several legal challenges he is facing and his plans for pardons. Finally, he highlights projected economic growth and a return to American strength on the global stage.
A Vision for America’s Future
A Study Guide
Short Answer Quiz
What specific financial commitment did Damac Properties make to the United States, and what sectors will this investment primarily support?
According to the speaker, what actions will be taken to expedite the environmental review process for major investments in the U.S., and what is the reasoning behind this?
What are some of the criticisms that the speaker makes about the outgoing administration’s handling of energy policy, specifically mentioning offshore drilling?
What is the speaker’s position regarding the current election system, and what is proposed to fix it?
Describe the speaker’s view on the legal actions taken against them.
What specific criticisms does the speaker level against President Biden’s energy policy regarding gas heaters and water usage?
What economic figures does the speaker use to suggest the economy is already improving, citing both individual companies and broad market indicators?
According to the speaker, what is the key issue with the Panama Canal, and what actions are proposed to address the situation?
According to the speaker, what is the problem with the way the US handles its trade relations with Canada and what are some of the proposed solutions?
What is the speaker’s position on windmills and what environmental issues are associated with them?
Quiz Answer Key
Damac Properties committed to investing at least $20 billion, possibly more, into the United States, primarily supporting massive new data centers across the Midwest and Sun Belt areas, focusing on technology and artificial intelligence.
The speaker states that investments over a billion dollars will receive expedited environmental reviews to avoid the “quagmire” of regulations, which the speaker views as slowing down progress and delaying vital projects.
The speaker criticizes the outgoing administration for banning offshore drilling, stating this action will cause energy costs to rise. The speaker also blames the administration’s “green new scam” for wasteful spending.
The speaker believes the current election system is flawed and the counts are inaccurate. The speaker suggests that election counts need to be honest and completed by 10:00 PM on election night.
The speaker claims that they have been targeted by a “weaponization of justice” and lawfare, and have done nothing wrong. They highlight the number of cases won against the Justice Department.
The speaker claims that Biden wants all gas heaters replaced with electric ones, despite the greater expense of electric heat and the fact that 60% of homes have gas heaters. The speaker also states Biden is forcing Americans to conserve water, even in areas where it’s plentiful, resulting in inefficient water usage.
The speaker cites a SoftBank $200 billion investment and Damac Properties $20 billion investment as well as the S&P 500 breaking 6,000 points and small business optimism soaring by 41 points to show the economy is improving.
The speaker alleges that the Panama Canal is being operated unfairly by Panama, while China is essentially running it, charging more for American ships and not being in good repair while seeking US funding. The speaker wants the situation addressed.
The speaker criticizes the US for subsidizing Canada’s economy, especially in terms of military protection, trade deficits, and imported goods. The speaker suggests implementing tariffs and considering Canada as a 51st state to change these conditions.
The speaker opposes the building of windmills, calling them “garbage” and “disasters” while arguing that they are expensive, ineffective without subsidies, and dangerous to marine life, specifically referencing the whale deaths in Massachusetts.
Essay Questions
Analyze the speaker’s rhetoric and use of language throughout the address, identifying key themes and recurring motifs. How do these elements work to persuade the audience and reinforce the speaker’s message?
Critically evaluate the speaker’s claims about the U.S. economy, specifically in terms of job creation, market performance, and trade relations. In what ways are the speaker’s claims supported by evidence or unsubstantiated?
Discuss the speaker’s characterization of political opponents and the nature of their criticisms. In what ways does the speaker use terms like “weaponization of justice,” “lawfare,” or “green new scam” to delegitimize their opponents or their policies?
Assess the feasibility and implications of the speaker’s proposed actions regarding U.S. foreign policy, particularly concerning the Panama Canal, Greenland, and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Explore the speaker’s vision for America’s future, focusing on the concept of a “Golden Age.” What policies and actions does the speaker suggest to achieve this and what evidence supports these claims?
Glossary of Key Terms
Data Centers: Facilities housing computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems, crucial for managing large volumes of digital data.
AI (Artificial Intelligence): The simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems, involving learning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
Hyperscalers: Companies that provide large-scale computing resources, like cloud services, requiring significant data infrastructure.
Environmental Review: A process to assess the environmental consequences of a project or policy and determine compliance with regulations.
Offshore Drilling: The extraction of oil and natural gas from underwater reserves located beneath the seabed.
Green New Scam: A pejorative phrase used by the speaker to describe environmental policy initiatives of their political opponents.
Landslide Election: An election in which one candidate wins by a large margin.
Lawfare: The use of the legal system to achieve political or military goals.
Weaponization of Justice: The use of the justice system for political purposes, often to target opponents.
Gag Order: A legal order that prohibits an individual from discussing specific information or aspects of a case.
Reconciliation: A parliamentary procedure used in the United States Congress to expedite certain budget-related legislation.
Tariffs: Taxes imposed on imported goods, designed to protect domestic industries or generate revenue.
Subsidy: Financial aid or support granted by a government or organization, often to assist an industry or business.
Anwar (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge): A large area of protected land in Alaska with large potential oil reserves, which the speaker is in favor of developing.
National Security: The protection of a nation’s borders, resources, and citizens from threats.
Debt Ceiling: The legal limit on the amount of national debt that the U.S. Treasury can incur, controlled by Congress.
Insurrection: A violent uprising against a government or authority.
Heg: The International Criminal Court in The Hague.
President-Elect’s Policy Proposals and Political Grievances
Okay, here is a detailed briefing document summarizing the key themes, ideas, and facts from the provided text.
Briefing Document: Analysis of “Pasted Text”
Date: October 26, 2024 Subject: Analysis of Excerpted Speech Text
Executive Summary:
This document provides a detailed analysis of a speech excerpt, primarily focusing on themes related to economic development, foreign policy, domestic policy, and political grievances. The speech is delivered by an individual who refers to himself as the “President-elect,” who has had a recent electoral victory. The speaker promotes investment in the US and criticizes the current administration’s policies. He presents a vision for a revitalized America through energy independence, infrastructure development, and stricter trade practices, while also highlighting what he sees as the failings and incompetence of the current administration.
Key Themes and Ideas:
Economic Revival through Investment:
Damac Investment: A major focus is placed on securing a $20 billion (potentially more) investment from Damac Properties in the US for data centers, which the speaker attributes directly to the inspiration of his election.
Quote: “…damac will be investing at least $20 billion over a very short period of time into the United States and they may go double or even somewhat more than double that amount of money is a great thing and I believe he will say that he’s doing it because of the fact that he was very inspired by the election…”
Data Centers and AI: This investment is tied to supporting cutting-edge technology, particularly data centers for AI and cloud business.
Quote: “The investment will support massive new data centers across the Midwest the Sun Belt area and also to keep America on The Cutting Edge of technology and artificial intelligence…”
Expedited Environmental Reviews: The speaker promises to fast-track environmental reviews for large investments, cutting through “the Quagmire” of regulations.
Critique of the Current Administration (Biden):
Inherited Problems: The speaker claims to be inheriting a “difficult situation” from the outgoing administration, citing high inflation, interest rates, and policies that he describes as harmful.
Quote: “We are inheriting a difficult situation from the outgoing Administration and they’re trying everything they can to make it more difficult…”
Policy Reversals: The speaker pledges to reverse the current administration’s policies, particularly regarding offshore drilling, which is seen as detrimental to the economy and energy independence.
Quote: “President Biden’s actions yesterday on offshore drilling Banning offshore drilling uh will not stand I will reverse it immediately it’ll be done immediately and we will drill baby drill…”
Green New Scam: The speaker is highly critical of “the green new scam” and excessive spending on projects related to it.
Quote: “all this money trillions of dollars it’s like throwing it right out the window what they’re doing and they’re trying to spend so much now they’re just taking money and giving it to anybody that wants it for any project at all if it’s if it’s certified under the green news scam and they don’t work and it’s too expensive”
Offshore drilling: The administration’s removal of 625 million acres of offshore drilling is presented as a disastrous decision costing the country up to $50 trillion.
Gas Heaters: The speaker criticizes the administration’s plan to ban gas heaters, pushing instead for electric heaters, which are argued to be less efficient and costly. He also claims that restrictions on water usage in homes (faucets, showers, dishwashers, washing machines) are unreasonable.
Election Integrity and Political Grievances:
Disputed Election: The speaker continues to assert that he won a “landslide” election, claims that he won “every swing state” and “the popular vote by millions and millions of people”
“Lawfare” and Weaponization of Justice: The speaker accuses the current administration of using “lawfare” and weaponizing justice against political opponents.
Quote: “…they’re even to this day they’re playing with the courts have their friendly judges that like to try and make everybody happy on the Democrat side it’s called lawfare it’s called weaponization of justice…”
Jack Smith and Legal Battles: The speaker frames his legal battles as politically motivated attacks, emphasizing his victories in court.
Foreign Policy and Global Relations:
Panama Canal: The speaker criticizes the US’s previous decision to give the Panama Canal to Panama (though not China, as he states later). He claims Panama is charging US ships and Navy more and that it is now effectively controlled by China, and is “a disgrace.”
Quote: “The Panama Canal is a disgrace what took place at the Panama Canal Jimmy Carter gave it to them for $1 and they were supposed to treat us well I thought it was a terrible thing to do…”
Greenland: He also states a need for Greenland for “national security purposes” saying, “We need Greenland for national security purposes…”, while also noting that Denmark’s ownership is questionable, suggesting potential action in acquiring it.
He does not rule out the use of “military or economic coercion.”
Ukraine War: The speaker blames the current administration for the war in Ukraine, claiming that the war would never have started if he were President. He says that a deal should have been made by an “average dealmaker.”
NATO: He claims to have saved NATO and states that European countries should contribute more to their defense.
Quote: “I said they’re taking advantage I’m the one that got and the Secretary General was here as you know two weeks ago saying that if it weren’t for me Neto wouldn’t even exist right now because I I raised from countries that weren’t paying their bills at that time 28 countries uh 20 of them were not paying their bills 21 to be exact…”
Mexico and Canada: The speaker proposes implementing tariffs against Mexico and Canada for what he sees as unfair trade practices and issues like drug trafficking and immigration. He suggests that Canada should become a state of the United States.
Gulf of America: There is also a proposal to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
Energy Independence and Resource Strength:
Natural Resources: The speaker emphasizes the US’s abundance of natural resources, particularly oil and gas.
Quote: “…we have oil and gas more than than anybody in the world we’re going to have more of it too…”
Windmills: He criticizes windmills and calls them “garbage” and claims they are only successful due to subsidies.
Quote: “they litter our country they’re littered all over our country like like dropping paper like dropping garbage in a field and that’s what happens to them because in a period of time they turn to garbage…”
Hostage Situation:
Middle East Hostages: A portion of the speech is dedicated to efforts to release hostages held in the Middle East, with the promise that “all hell will break out” if they are not released before the speaker takes office.
Important Facts & Figures:
$20 Billion+ Investment: Damac Properties plans to invest at least $20 billion in US data centers, possibly more.
625 Million Acres: The current administration has removed 625 million acres of offshore drilling land.
$50 Trillion: The speaker estimates the removal of the 625 million acres of offshore drilling land has cost the US $50 trillion dollars.
571 Miles: The speaker claims to have built 571 miles of border wall during his previous administration.
200 Billion Dollars The speaker states the US loses 200 billion dollars in trade with Canada, plus additional amounts in military spending.
$350 Billion: The speaker states the US has a $350 billion trade deficit with the European Union.
100,000+ Jobs Softbank announced investment in the US creating 100,000+ jobs.
200,000,000 The speaker claims Canada is subsidized 200 billion dollars per year.
Potential Discussion Points:
The validity of the speaker’s claims regarding the election outcome.
The feasibility and implications of the proposed policy reversals, particularly regarding energy.
The potential impact of strained relations with key US allies and trade partners.
The legal and ethical considerations of the proposed “lawfare” and court-related claims.
The role of outside private capital in shaping the US economic landscape.
Conclusion:
The speech excerpt presents a narrative of a President-elect eager to implement sweeping policy changes and address what he perceives as the inadequacies of the outgoing administration. It highlights a strong focus on economic growth driven by private sector investments, coupled with a nationalistic approach to international relations. The text is riddled with controversial claims and attacks on political opponents, as well as an assertion that the US has suffered at the hands of other nations and the current administration’s policies.
American Policy Proposals and Criticisms
FAQ: Key Themes and Ideas
Here’s an 8-question FAQ based on the provided source text, formatted using markdown:
1. What is the significance of the $20 billion investment from Damac Properties, and why is it happening now?
The $20 billion investment by Damac Properties is significant as it represents a major commitment to the United States, focused primarily on building massive new data centers across the Midwest and Sun Belt to support advancements in AI and cloud technology. According to the speaker, this investment is directly inspired by a recent election, implying that the company had been waiting for a change in leadership before committing such large sums. This suggests that the new political climate is perceived as being more business-friendly and conducive to investment. The investment is poised to keep the US on “The Cutting Edge of technology and artificial intelligence.”
2. What are the key changes to environmental and regulatory policies that are being promised to encourage investment?
The source outlines plans to expedite environmental reviews for projects that invest over a billion dollars in the U.S. It mentions that these reviews are often held up for many years (sometimes 12-15), essentially “stopping progress”. To counter this, a fast-track process will be implemented so investors are not “tied up for the rest of your life.” This expedited review process is presented as a key incentive to attract large-scale investment, with the speaker citing an example of approving a plant in Louisiana in “literally a week” after it had been stuck in the process for 14 years.
3. What specific changes to energy policy are being proposed, and what is the justification for these changes?
The source vehemently criticizes the existing administration’s energy policies, citing the ban on offshore drilling and the push for renewable energy (specifically “the green new scam”) as detrimental. The stated goal is to “drill baby drill” and reverse the current administration’s restrictions on offshore drilling. These moves are justified as a way to lower energy costs, which are seen as the root cause of inflation. The text asserts that the current green policies are wasteful, expensive, and ineffective, citing trillions of dollars being “thrown out the window.” The proposal is to favor fossil fuels, especially clean natural gas, over what the speaker considers “litter” like windmills. There is also a concern with the cost and practicality of transitioning to electric heaters and cars.
4. What are some of the criticisms and claims about the previous administration and its practices?
The previous administration is heavily criticized for various actions, including attempting to block reforms, “playing with the courts” (described as “lawfare” and “weaponization of justice”), “injustice” department, and allowing inflation and high interest rates. Claims of election fraud, including still “counting votes,” are presented as evidence of a broken system. There is also a criticism of the prior administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and a ban on offshore drilling. The source indicates the prior administration is trying to make the transition as difficult as possible.
5. What are the proposed changes in international relations and trade?
The source describes a shift in approach to international relations and trade. The speaker suggests that the Panama Canal is not being used fairly and that the agreement with Panama is being violated, and it’s implied that “something” might need to be done. There’s a stated desire to renegotiate agreements and impose tariffs on countries such as Canada and Mexico for alleged trade imbalances, unfair practices and reliance on the US military and other subsidies. The text asserts that countries like Canada and Mexico are taking advantage of the US, with Canada using US support without a similar level of military spending. It’s asserted that the Panama Canal is being run by China and is therefore not treating the US fairly, even to the point that it is charging US ships more to use the canal.
6. What is the proposed approach to NATO and how has it supposedly been strengthened in the past?
The text outlines a history of the relationship with NATO, and claims that a prior administration has strengthened NATO by “getting them to pay their bills.” The speaker describes a situation in which they convinced NATO members, who were “not paying their bills,” to contribute their agreed-upon shares. It is also stated that Europe is not putting in a similar amount of money into Ukraine despite being “more affected than the United States.” The idea that the US has to provide a large proportion of resources is criticised, while simultaneously demanding that they do contribute more.
7. What are the key points about the January 6th event and the proposed actions regarding the accused?
The speaker has indicated that they will look at making “major pardons” for those involved in the events of January 6th. The speaker claims some individuals who did some “bad things” were not prosecuted, while some who didn’t even enter the building are in jail. It also includes the assertion that the FBI and DOJ’s actions were part of a political attack against the speaker, and suggests that the cases against those accused were not just. They also note, “there was never charges of insurrection or anything like that” and that those involved were not armed. There’s a focus on the death of Ashley Babbit, who they claim was “shot for no reason.” It also indicates the FBI “knows who the pipe bomber is”.
8. What is the approach to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East?
The text expresses a desire to quickly address the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and states that the war would not have happened if they were in office. It outlines a belief that there were major errors in how the current administration dealt with Russia and Ukraine prior to the start of the war, and that negotiations failed. It also states that Europe is not contributing a reasonable share of money towards the effort in Ukraine. The text also says that all hell will break out in the Middle East if hostages from the October 7th attack are not released by the time the speaker takes office and asserts that the speaker’s reputation is driving the negotiations. There is a strong sense of urgency expressed when talking about the conflict, and a determination to take action.
Trump’s Post-Election Vision: A Plan for America
Okay, here’s the timeline and cast of characters based on the provided text:
Timeline of Main Events:
Prior to November Election: The speaker (implied to be Donald Trump) asserts that his administration had the “greatest economy in the history of our country” with “sealed and beautiful” borders, defeated ISIS and no wars. He also claims to have “cut the most regulations in the history of our country.” He claims there was a plan to leave Afghanistan with dignity.
November Election: The speaker claims he had a “landslide election,” winning every swing state and the popular vote by millions.
Post-Election:The speaker states that “great things are happening” economically since the election. He mentions new investments being made due to his victory.
Damac Properties Announcement: Hussein Sani of Damac Properties announces a planned $20 billion (potentially more) investment in US data centers. He attributes this decision to being inspired by the election.
The speaker discusses expedited environmental reviews for large investors. He claims to have personally expedited approval for plants in Louisiana in a week after 14.5 years of delays.
The speaker claims that the outgoing Biden administration is trying to make things difficult, citing inflation, high interest rates and attempts to block the reforms the American people voted for.
The speaker states President Biden’s actions on offshore drilling “will not stand.”
The speaker asserts the need to “fix the election” to ensure honest counts are done promptly.
The speaker claims the Biden administration is spending “trillions of dollars” on the “green new scam”.
The speaker claims that they “won all of those” Jack Smith related cases in court.
The speaker makes numerous accusations of election and judicial lawfare being used against him, while also praising Judge Cannon.
The speaker discusses the withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it “outrageous” and a “fiasco.”
The speaker states that the 625 million acres of offshore drilling are worth $40-50 trillion, and asserts that revoking this will be one of the first things he does on day 1.
The speaker mentions a SoftBank announcement of $100-$200 billion investment in the US and creating over 100,000 jobs.
The speaker mentions that since the election the stock market and S&P 500 have hit record highs and that business confidence is at the highest level in history.
The speaker mentions the Panama Canal, claiming it was given away for $1 and is being run by China, resulting in higher charges for US ships. He claims that he is in discussion about these issues.
The speaker claims that Canada is subsidized to the tune of about $200 Billion per year.
The speaker mentions potential tariffs on Mexico and Canada for trade deficits, drug issues, and immigration. He further suggests renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
The speaker criticizes the Biden administrations policies on windmills and renewable energy, calling them expensive and ineffective.
The speaker states that the US needs more electricity with the advent of AI.
The speaker states that he may utilize the concept of building a power plant for new manufacturing plants.
The speaker states the whole perception of the world is different since his election, mentioning countries thanking him.
The speaker states that he needs to “settle up” with Russia and Ukraine, claiming a “deal could have been made” by an “average dealmaker.”
Greenland and Panama Canal: The speaker states he needs Greenland and the Panama Canal for “national security purposes.” He does not rule out using military or economic coercion to secure them. He claims there is uncertainty about the legality of Denmark’s control over Greenland.
Ukraine Negotiations: The speaker states that the Russia/Ukraine situation is now “much more complicated” than it was before the war. He reiterates his stance that Ukraine should not have joined NATO, blaming the current conflict on Biden’s negotiations.
The speaker describes his past success in getting NATO members to pay their fair share. He further suggests NATO should increase their required contributions to 5%.
January 6th Pardons: The speaker confirms plans to pardon January 6th defendants, including those who were charged with violent offenses, and mentions potential FBI involvement. He claims that the “only one killed” was Ashley Babbitt, and that there were no weapons found in the January 6th riot.
Syria and Gaza: The speaker discusses the troop presence in Syria, and his relationship with President Erdogan of Turkey. The speaker also thanks Steve Witkoff for negotiating the release of hostages in Gaza, stating he wants them all released by the time he is inaugurated, or “all hell will break out.” He states the October 7th attack “should never have happened.”
The speaker calls the DOJ and the FBI “the department of injustice,” and claims the FBI raided his house “for other things” that the courts have ruled in his favor on. He further criticizes “very dishonest judges in New York”.
The speaker states he may apply tariffs to Denmark “at a very high level” if it does not give up Greenland.
The speaker states that he has spoken to Putin and that Putin wants to meet, however he doesn’t think its appropriate to meet until after the 20th. He hopes to address the situation in 3-6 months.
The speaker claims that the US “basically protects Canada.” He further states that Canada would not be able to function without the US, and that they should be a state.
The speaker criticizes the US trade deficit with Canada and the European Union.
The speaker claims that Judge Cannon “blocked the DOJ from releasing the Smith report”, and that the case against him was “fake”.
The speaker states that the US pays “billions of dollars” to the Taliban.
The speaker states “energy” will reduce inflation and that price reductions will occur on goods such as bacon, ham and apples.
The speaker states one of the biggest reasons he won the election was due to the number of prisoners being released into the country.
The speaker states that he believes Jimmy Carter giving away the Panama Canal “cost him the election.”
The speaker mentions that he built his wall using funds taken from the military, after being sued by the Democrats in Congress 9 times. He claims the wall was built with top of the line materials and that the Democrats in congress attempted to sell it back to the US for 200 cents on the dollar.
The speaker claims that Meta/Facebook are “coming a long way” and that their recent news conference was very good.
The speaker states that a military strike on Iran is a military strategy and that he doesn’t discuss it.
The speaker states that he may use the two bill approach to pass legislation, and states he supports big spending cuts.
The speaker claims that he had the safest border in history, and that the current situation is “10 times worse.”
The speaker states he is receiving great respect from other leaders, citing the Italian Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of France, and that the US is going to have a “Golden Age.” He reiterates the deal for the release of hostages must be done before his inauguration.
Conclusion: The speaker concludes by mentioning that the deal to free hostages must be complete prior to his inauguration.
Cast of Characters:
Speaker (Implied to be Donald Trump): A former and presumed incoming President of the United States. He is the central figure, driving all the action and making the claims. He is focused on his election victory, economic gains, and reversing the policies of the Biden administration.
Hussein Sani: Founder and chairman of Damac Properties. He is described as a “respected businessman” investing a large sum into US data centers due to his inspiration from the election.
President Biden: The current President of the United States. He is the target of criticism throughout, blamed for the economy, policies on energy, NATO relations, Afghanistan withdrawal, and more.
Jack Smith: A prosecutor the speaker claims to have defeated in court.
Judge Cannon: Described as a “brilliant” and “courageous” judge in Florida who ruled favorably in a case involving the speaker.
Jimmy Carter: Former President of the United States. He is criticized for giving away the Panama Canal to Panama. The speaker also states, “he was a good man”.
President Putin: President of Russia. The speaker claims Putin is interested in meeting. He also believes Russia would never have attacked Ukraine had he been president.
President Erdogan: President of Turkey, described as “a friend” and someone the speaker respects.
Steve Witkoff: Described as a “great dealmaker” working to secure the release of hostages in the Middle East.
Ashley Babbitt: A woman killed during the January 6th Capitol riot. The speaker claims she was killed “for no reason.”
Pam Bondi: Noted as a staff member.
Kash Patel: Noted as a staff member.
Elon Musk: Mentioned as “very smart” and doing a good job.
John Thun: A Republican senator the speaker states has been doing a “fantastic job.”
Wayne Gretzky: A “great” friend of the speaker.
Governor Trudeau: The Prime Minister of Canada.
Mark Zuckerberg Mentioned as giving a very good news conference in regards to Meta/Facebook’s changes.
Secretary General (of NATO): The speaker claims that due to him, NATO “wouldn’t even exist right now.”
Brian: A reporter who asks many questions.
K: A reporter who asks a question.
Eric: The speaker’s son.
Let me know if you have any other questions or requests!
US Investment Surge Post-Election
Multiple sources discuss US investments, including those by foreign entities and the US government.
Damac Properties is planning to invest at least $20 billion in the United States, with the possibility of increasing that investment to double or more, due to inspiration from the election [1]. This investment will support new data centers in the Midwest and Sun Belt regions, focusing on technology and artificial intelligence [1]. The first phase of this project is planned for Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana [1]. Damac has delivered over 45,000 luxury units and has 45,000 more in the pipeline. They also operate data centers in 10 countries in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East [2].
The investment from Damac is intended for data centers catering to AI and cloud businesses for hyperscalers [2]. The company has been waiting for the election to increase its investments in the US [2].
The US government is offering expedited reviews for environmental processes for investments of $1 billion or more, which is meant to help investors avoid delays [2]. This offer is available for smaller investments as well [2].
SoftBank announced a $200 billion investment in the United States, which is projected to create over 100,000 jobs [3].
The sources also refer to the US government spending, including trillions of dollars on the “green new scam,” and money being given to anyone for any project certified under the “green new scam” [4].
The sources mention the US government purchasing ice breakers, and that Canada wants to join in this purchase. The US leader says he is not interested in having a partner, and the US has a right not to help Canada with financial difficulties [5].
There is also discussion of potential tariffs on Mexico and Canada [6]. Additionally, the US has a trade deficit with the European Union of $350 billion [7].
The sources note that several business leaders are investing in the US because they see a bright economic future [2]. The sources also suggest that the stock market has set records, and small business optimism has increased since the election [3, 8].
American Economic Boom
The sources suggest a bright economic future for the United States, driven by a combination of factors, including significant investments and policy changes [1].
Key points regarding the economic future include:
Large-Scale Investments: There are substantial investments being made in the US, indicating a positive outlook [1].
Damac Properties plans to invest at least $20 billion, possibly more, in data centers across the Midwest and Sun Belt, specifically for AI and cloud computing [2]. This investment is said to be a direct result of the election, with the company having waited four years to make this move [1, 2].
SoftBank has announced a $200 billion investment in the US, expected to generate over 100,000 jobs [1, 3].
Government Support: The US government is actively encouraging investments by streamlining environmental review processes [1].
Expedited reviews are offered for projects investing over $1 billion, to avoid regulatory delays [1].
Market Optimism:
The stock market has reached record highs [3]. The S&P 500 Index has broken above 6,000 points for the first time [3].
Small business optimism has increased by 41 points, the largest increase in the history of the group that tracks it [3, 4].
American people’s confidence in the economy is at the highest level in history [4].
Policy Changes: The sources describe policy changes aimed at boosting the economy [1].
There are plans to reverse bans on offshore drilling and promote domestic energy production [5, 6].
The sources mention plans to cut taxes and regulations [7].
There is a focus on bringing manufacturing back to the US [7].
Energy Sector: The sources portray the energy sector as a key driver of economic growth [6, 8].
There is a push to increase domestic oil and gas production [6].
The sources suggest that affordable energy will bring down prices across the board [5, 8].
Trade and Tariffs: The sources discuss the use of tariffs and trade policies to benefit the US economy [7].
New tariffs are planned to encourage products to be “made in the USA” [7].
There is discussion of trade deficits with Canada and the European Union [7, 9].
Focus on Common Sense: The sources portray the economic plan as one based on common sense, contrasting it with current policies [3, 10].
Challenges: The sources also highlight some challenges that the US economy is currently facing [3, 5].
The sources claim the current administration is making it difficult for the new administration to take over by implementing policies that are not beneficial [1].
Inflation and interest rates are described as being too high [5].
In summary, the sources portray a positive outlook for the US economy, emphasizing the importance of large-scale investments, supportive government policies, and a focus on domestic energy and manufacturing. The sources suggest that these factors will lead to economic growth, job creation, and increased prosperity [1, 3, 7].
American Political Landscape and Proposed Policy Changes
The sources discuss several political issues, including election integrity, legal challenges, foreign relations, and domestic policy.
Elections and Voting
The sources state that the election was a landslide victory, with the popular vote won by millions and all swing states won [1]. However, there are claims that votes were still being counted in some areas [1].
There is a concern that elections need to be fixed so that honest counts are done quickly, by 10:00 in the evening [1].
The sources mention that there was a fight against a political opponent by the justice system to influence the election [2].
There is a claim that the current administration is playing with the courts and using “lawfare” and the “weaponization of justice” against political opponents [1, 3].
The sources suggest that there are “friendly judges” who try to please the Democrat side [3].
There is also a claim that people who did bad things were not prosecuted, while people who didn’t even enter the Capitol building are in jail [4].
Legal and Justice System
The sources describe a series of legal challenges and cases that have been won against the Justice Department [2, 3].
There are claims of a “crooked judge” in New York and a “vile” judge [3, 5].
A judge in Florida is described as “brilliant” and having “great courage” for seeing through a case [2].
The sources mention a gag order that prevents discussion of vital aspects of a case [3].
There are plans to pardon January 6th defendants, including those charged with violent offenses, and an investigation into the involvement of the FBI and other groups [4, 6].
Foreign Relations
The sources discuss a number of foreign policy issues, including the Panama Canal, Greenland, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, and Canada.
The Panama Canal is a point of contention, with claims that it is being operated by China, and that the US is being overcharged and not treated fairly [7, 8]. There are questions about whether to use military or economic coercion, but no guarantees are given [5, 8].
Greenland is also mentioned as being needed for national security purposes, and there are questions about Denmark’s legal right to it [5]. The US might impose tariffs on Denmark if they don’t cooperate [5].
The sources claim the Russia-Ukraine war should have never happened and that the current administration is responsible for the war [9, 10]. There is a belief that a deal could have been made and that the war could escalate [10].
There is a plan to meet with Putin after the 20th to discuss the war [11].
NATO is discussed with claims of saving NATO by getting countries to pay their bills [10, 12]. There are concerns that Europe is not paying its fair share and that the US is paying a disproportionate amount [12].
There are plans to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada due to trade deficits and issues with immigration and drugs [13].
The sources state that the Gulf of Mexico will be renamed to the Gulf of America [13].
Syria is discussed, mentioning US troops and Turkey’s interests [4]. There is an envoy working on getting hostages back from the Middle East [14].
There is a discussion of a potential preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, although no comment is made [15].
Domestic Policy
The sources discuss domestic policy issues such as energy, regulations, and the economy [1, 13].
There are plans to reverse the ban on offshore drilling and promote domestic energy production [1, 16, 17].
The current administration’s policies on energy and offshore drilling are described as “ridiculous,” “a scam” and “crazy” [1, 17].
There is a plan to end the electric car mandate and to address the issue of gas heaters being removed from homes [17].
There is a concern that current policies are impacting the amount of water coming out of faucets, showers, dishwashers, and washing machines [17, 18].
The current administration’s spending is described as out of control, with money being given to anyone for any project under the “green new scam” [1].
There are plans to cut taxes and regulations and to bring manufacturing back to the US [19, 20].
The sources mention the need to fix the border [1].
The leader plans to address the crisis at the border with executive action [21].
There are plans for reconciliation, with some Republicans wanting big spending cuts [22].
The leader claims that he is okay with spending cuts and he does not want to see a default on the debt [22].
These political issues reflect a variety of domestic and foreign challenges with proposed policy changes. The sources express strong opinions and use strong language to describe these issues and the current political climate.
Border Security Crisis: Policy and Politics
The sources discuss border security as a significant political and economic issue, with multiple proposed policy changes.
Key points regarding border security include:
Current Situation: The sources portray the current border situation as a “mess,” claiming it is “10 times worse” than it was previously [1, 2]. The sources also claim the country is currently “under siege” and “invaded” [2].
Immigration Concerns: There is concern over the number of people entering the country, with the sources claiming that “millions of people” are pouring in [3]. The sources also claim that prisoners, including murderers, and people from mental institutions are being released into the country [2, 4]. It is claimed that 32% of these released prisoners have killed more than one person [4].
Border Wall: The sources reference a border wall that had been previously constructed.
Over 500 miles of wall were built, with plans to add another 200 miles. The wall was designed by the border patrol with steel, concrete, and rebar. The wall was built using money from the military because the government wouldn’t provide funds for it [2].
After an election, the wall was going to be sold for “five cents on the dollar” to people who were planning to resell it for “200 cents on the dollar” [5].
Past Successes: The sources claim that there was a safe border previously, and that the previous administration had “the safest border in the history of our country” [6, 7]. It is stated that the border was secure before the current administration took over [6].
Executive Action: The sources indicate that the border crisis will be addressed with executive action [2]. The sources also note that, in the past, executive action was used to take money from the military to build the wall [2].
Legal Challenges: The previous administration was sued nine times by Democrats in Congress for building the wall, and won all the suits [2].
Tariffs: Tariffs on Mexico and Canada are mentioned as a way to address immigration and drug issues, as well as to make up for trade deficits [3].
Political Motivation: It is claimed that the border issue was a key factor in previous election wins [2].
Impact on the Country: There is concern about the impact of the border crisis on the country, with claims that the country is “Under Siege” and that the current administration is releasing prisoners into the US [2].
In summary, the sources portray border security as a major problem, attributing it to the current administration. The sources propose a range of solutions, including executive action, building more wall, and using tariffs to put pressure on Mexico and Canada. The sources claim that a secure border is essential for national safety and economic prosperity.
American Energy Independence Policy
The sources outline a distinct energy policy, with a focus on domestic production, deregulation, and a rejection of green initiatives [1, 2].
Key aspects of the proposed energy policy include:
Increased Domestic Production:
The sources emphasize drilling for oil and gas [1]. The slogan “drill baby drill” is used to emphasize this policy [1].
There are plans to reverse the ban on offshore drilling and open up areas for drilling that were previously restricted [1, 3]. It is claimed that 625 million acres of offshore drilling were taken away, which is said to be worth $40 to $50 trillion [3, 4].
The sources state that the US has more oil and gas than any other country in the world [3].
Rejection of Green Initiatives:
The sources express strong disapproval of the “green new scam,” describing it as a waste of money [1].
Windmills are criticized as being expensive, unreliable, and harmful to the environment, stating they “litter our country” and “turn to garbage” [2]. It’s claimed that windmills only work with government subsidies and that they are more expensive than clean natural gas [2, 5].
There are concerns that windmills are driving whales crazy, citing increased whale deaths near windmill locations [5].
There are plans to end the electric car mandate [4].
Focus on Traditional Energy:
The sources advocate for the use of gas heaters over electric heaters, stating that gas heaters are less expensive, provide better heat, and are more reliable [4]. It is claimed that the current administration wants to remove all gas heaters and replace them with electric heaters, which is described as “crazy” [4].
Deregulation:
The sources suggest that the current administration is implementing ridiculous regulations [1].
There are plans to cut regulations and streamline the environmental review process for large investments [6].
Energy Independence:
The sources state that the US has enough energy to be independent, and that the country is currently “throwing away” its most valuable asset with the current energy policies [3, 4].
It is said that these policies will bring down energy costs and reduce inflation [1].
Relationship with AI:
The sources mention that AI will need double the electricity that is currently being produced [7].
There is a suggestion to build electric facilities alongside plants, to be used for the plant and to sell the extra output to the public [7].
In summary, the sources advocate for a policy that prioritizes traditional energy sources like oil and gas, rejects green initiatives, and promotes deregulation to achieve energy independence and economic growth. The sources indicate that this will lower energy costs and reduce inflation [1].
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These articles from Al Riyadh newspaper cover a range of topics including Saudi Arabia’s domestic and international affairs, focusing on economic development, social initiatives, and foreign policy efforts such as mediating international disputes and supporting stability in Syria. They also highlight regional economic matters, particularly OPEC+ discussions on oil production and global oil market trends, alongside various community and cultural events within the Kingdom, like Ramadan initiatives, development projects in holy sites, and cultural competitions. Furthermore, the publication addresses sports news and brief international updates, offering a snapshot of current events.
Source Material Study Guide
I. Quiz
Instructions: Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each, based on the provided source material.
According to the source, what are some of the goals and activities of the Saudi Council of Ministers?
What information did the Saudi Ministry of Interior reportedly provide to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, and what was the context?
What is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s stance on the Israeli actions in Gaza and Syria, as expressed in the provided text?
What are the plans of the OPEC+ alliance regarding oil production, and what are the potential consequences?
What was the outcome of the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza mentioned in the article, and what was the reaction to these events?
According to the article, what is the strategic importance of stability in Syria for Gulf countries?
What is the “Munafis” award, and what are its objectives, as described in the text?
What efforts are being made in Mecca to serve pilgrims during Ramadan, according to the “Ta’dheem Al Balad Al Haram” project?
What are the goals of the “Basta Khair Al Saudia” initiative launched by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing in the Al-Qassim region?
What are some of the objectives of the Prince Muhammad bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques?
II. Quiz Answer Key
The Saudi Council of Ministers supports developmental and service projects, enhances the social care and protection system, and invests capabilities and energies to advance national progress and meet the aspirations of the nation. It also reviews the performance of the Council’s institutions and discusses the Kingdom’s improved credit rating while continuing structural and non-oil economic diversification in line with Vision 2030.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior provided information to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior that led to the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle seven million tablets of amphetamine. This cooperation between the two countries’ interior ministries highlights their collaborative efforts in combating drug trafficking.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the resumption of the Israeli occupation’s aggression on the Gaza Strip, including the direct bombing of populated civilian areas, and the shelling of Syrian territories. The Foreign Ministry expressed its denunciation and disapproval of these actions.
The OPEC+ alliance, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, plans to gradually cancel voluntary production cuts starting from April 2025. This move aims to increase supply but may also lead to increased pressure on oil prices, especially if global demand does not grow sufficiently.
The Israeli airstrikes in Gaza resulted in hundreds of martyrs and injuries, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Paramedics, rescue teams, and citizens were reported to be struggling to provide first aid to the injured amidst ongoing airstrikes.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states believe that the stability and security of Syria are a necessity not only for Syria itself but also for the Gulf, Arab, and international regions. They emphasize that a strong, secure, and stable Syria serves the interests of all these parties.
The “Munafis” award, presented in Taif, recognizes outstanding students and aims to encourage a generation capable of facing the challenges of Vision 2030. It supports their academic journey and is considered a prominent program that contributes to developing the capabilities of the nation’s youth.
The “Ta’dheem Al Balad Al Haram” project in Mecca has volunteers providing services to pilgrims during Ramadan, including guidance, organizing movements, assisting the elderly, and directing lost individuals. In nearly 300 volunteer hours, they assisted over 2,900 beneficiaries in the Holy Mosque and its courtyards.
The “Basta Khair Al Saudia” initiative in the Al-Qassim region aims to support and empower street vendors by providing organized and vibrant environments for them to display their products and services. It seeks to enhance the region’s heritage identity and create a unique Ramadan atmosphere.
The Prince Muhammad bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques aims to rehabilitate historical mosques for worship and prayer, restore the architectural authenticity of these mosques, highlight the historical and cultural dimension of Saudi Arabia, and preserve authentic urban features in line with Vision 2030.
III. Essay Format Questions
Analyze the interconnectedness of regional stability, counter-terrorism efforts, and economic development as highlighted in the provided excerpts concerning Saudi Arabia’s foreign and domestic policies.
Discuss the potential implications of OPEC+’s decision to gradually increase oil production in 2025, considering factors such as global demand, market stability, and the broader economic landscape.
Evaluate the significance of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of Israeli actions and its support for a peaceful resolution in the Palestinian territories and Syria, within the context of its regional diplomatic role.
Examine the various initiatives and projects discussed in the sources (e.g., “Munafis” award, “Ta’dheem Al Balad Al Haram,” historical mosque development, “Basta Khair Al Saudia”) as reflections of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals and priorities.
Critically assess the challenges and opportunities facing the Chinese economy as outlined in the “China and 5% Growth Challenges” article, and consider how global trade dynamics and domestic policies intersect with these issues.
IV. Glossary of Key Terms
مجلس الوزراء (Majlis al-Wuzara’): The Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia, the main executive body of the government.
رؤية المملكة 2030 (Ru’yah al-Mamlakah 2030): The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a strategic framework to reduce the kingdom’s reliance on hydrocarbons, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism.
تهريب المخدرات (Tahrib al-Mukhaddarat): Drug smuggling or trafficking, the illegal movement of controlled substances.
التعنت الإسرائيلي (At-Ta’annut al-Isra’ili): Israeli intransigence or obstinacy, referring to a perceived unwillingness to compromise or negotiate.
قطاع غزة (Qita’ Ghazzah): The Gaza Strip, a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
أوبك + (OPEC+): A broader group of oil-producing countries formed in 2016, which includes the 13 member countries of OPEC and 10 other non-OPEC oil-exporting countries, most notably Russia.
تخفيضات الإنتاج الطوعية (Takhfidat al-Intaj at-Taw’iyah): Voluntary production cuts, referring to decisions by oil-producing nations to reduce the amount of oil they extract from the ground.
التقييم الائتماني (At-Taqyim al-I’timani): Credit rating, an assessment of the creditworthiness of a borrower in general terms or with respect to a particular debt or financial obligation.
بسطة خير السعودية (Basta Khair As-Saudia): “Saudi Arabia’s Good Stall” initiative, aimed at supporting and empowering street vendors.
تعظيم البلد الحرام (Ta’dheem Al Balad Al Haram): Glorifying the Holy Land, a project in Mecca focused on serving pilgrims and visitors.
صندوق النفقة ( صندوق النفقة ): نفقة Fund (Nafaqa Fund), likely a fund related to alimony or family support payments within the Ministry of Justice.
جودة الحياة (Jawdat Al-Hayah): Quality of Life, a program under Vision 2030 focused on improving the lifestyle of citizens and residents.
Briefing Document: Analysis of News Articles from “20718.pdf”
Date: October 26, 2023 (Based on Issue Number and Mentioned Dates) Source: Excerpts from “20718.pdf” (presumably Al-Riyadh Newspaper, Issue 20718, dated Wednesday, 19-3-2025, 62nd Year)
Overview:
This briefing document summarizes the main themes and important information presented in the provided excerpts from the Arabic newspaper “20718.pdf”. The articles cover a diverse range of topics, reflecting current affairs and local initiatives within Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Key themes include economic developments, regional political issues (Syria, Gaza), local development projects, social initiatives (supporting orphans, promoting volunteerism), cultural heritage preservation, and international relations (OPEC+, US-China).
Main Themes and Important Ideas/Facts:
1. Economic Developments & Vision 2030:
Council of Ministers Review: The Council of Ministers reviewed progress on developmental and service projects, emphasizing the strengthening of social care and protection systems, and the utilization of national capacities to advance achievements. This aligns with the goals of Vision 2030.
Quote:
National Economy and Credit Rating: The Council addressed the performance of the national economy and the Kingdom’s improved credit ratings from international agencies, alongside the ongoing implementation of structural reforms and unprecedented economic diversification in line with Vision 2030 objectives.
Quote:
OPEC+ Production Cuts: The article discusses the anticipation of increased oil supplies from OPEC+ countries and Russia, including Saudi Arabia, as members plan to gradually cancel voluntary production cuts starting from April 2025. This increase, amounting to 138,000 barrels per day initially, aims to balance supply but could also pressure prices if global demand doesn’t grow sufficiently.
Quote:
Gold Price Surge: The price of gold reached its highest level on record, surpassing $3,000 per ounce due to increased global uncertainties, trade tensions, and geopolitical instability, attracting investor interest.
Quote:
China’s Economic Challenges: An opinion piece discusses China’s economic slowdown, facing challenges like trade tensions with the US and Europe, a real estate crisis, and slowing domestic consumption, despite being the world’s second-largest economy.
2. Regional Political Issues:
Syria’s Situation: The Council of Ministers emphasized the rapid developments in Syria, requiring a unified stance to ensure its territorial integrity and sovereignty. The GCC stands with the Syrian people, believing a strong and stable Syria is in the interest of the Gulf, Arab, and international communities. The GCC Ministerial Council held an extraordinary session in Kuwait in December 2024 to support efforts towards a political settlement.
Quote:
Renewed Israeli Aggression in Gaza: Following a claimed rejection by Hamas of proposed deals for the release of prisoners, Israel resumed its offensive on the Gaza Strip with intensive airstrikes, resulting in numerous martyrs and injuries. Humanitarian conditions are dire, with hospitals facing shortages.
Quote: “
Saudi Arabia’s Role in International Mediation: Saudi Arabia hosted talks between Russia and the United States in Riyadh in February 2025 and between the US and Ukraine in Jeddah in March 2025, reflecting its commitment to fostering security and peace and its belief in dialogue as the sole solution to international crises.
Quote:”
Lebanon-Syria Border Tensions: Tensions rose on the Lebanon-Syria border, resulting in casualties. An agreement for a ceasefire was reportedly reached between the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers.
3. Local Development Projects and Initiatives:
Support for Developmental Projects: The Council reiterated its support for developmental and service projects across the Kingdom.
Taif Education Award “Munafis”: Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud, the Governor of Taif, honored the winners of the “Munafis” award, recognizing outstanding students. The award aims to encourage a capable generation to meet the challenges of Vision 2030 and focuses on developing students’ capabilities through five tracks.
Support for Orphans: Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Eastern Province, received a group of orphans in conjunction with Arab Orphan Day, emphasizing the government’s special care for orphans and its commitment to providing them with a dignified and stable life.
Al-Ahsa Charity Association Achievements: The Al-Ahsa Charity Association reviewed its 2024 achievements, including significant volunteer hours and beneficiaries served. The Governor of Al-Ahsa honored winners of Quran and Sunnah competitions and recognized supporters and volunteers.
Geospatial Data for Ministry of Interior: The Ministry of Interior is developing a comprehensive geospatial system for its assets, aiming to enhance planning, decision-making, spending efficiency, and integration between projects and entities, supporting the digital transformation and smart government concept.
Historical Mosques Development Project: The second phase of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques includes the Al-Abbas Mosque in Jazan, one of the oldest in the region. The project focuses on renovating mosques according to their original architectural style using natural building materials while preserving their historical features. The project aims to rehabilitate mosques for worship, restore their architectural authenticity, and highlight their religious and cultural significance, aligning with Vision 2030.
Quote:
Infrastructure Development in Makkah: Makkah has a well-developed infrastructure, including numerous tunnels and bridges that help manage traffic flow for pilgrims and residents.
“Magnifying the Sacred Land” Project: Volunteers with this project in Makkah provided significant services to pilgrims during Ramadan, including guidance and assisting the elderly, contributing to the goal of reaching one million volunteers as part of Vision 2030.
Ramadan Iftar Meals at the Grand Mosque: Over 10 million iftar meals were provided at the Grand Mosque in Makkah during the first eighteen days of Ramadan.
Hail Municipality Initiatives: The Hail Municipality inspected the Barzan Souq and launched the “Wasat Al-Balad” event to attract visitors and revive the heritage identity of the region during Ramadan.
“Basta Khair Al-Saudiya” Initiative: The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, in partnership with municipalities, launched this initiative to support and empower itinerant vendors across the Kingdom during Ramadan, providing designated and licensed spaces for their activities. The Qassim Municipality also launched this initiative in Buraidah, offering a platform for vendors to showcase their products in a vibrant environment.
Qassim Health Cluster’s “Sum Biseha” Campaign: This campaign aims to raise health awareness and encourage healthy lifestyles during Ramadan, including initiatives promoting walking, sufficient sleep, and regular check-ups.
Improvements in Online Charitable Donations: The process of donating through the “Jood Eskan” platform has become easier and more streamlined with the launch of a dedicated mobile application.
4. Social and Cultural Initiatives:
Volunteer Work: The importance of volunteer work is highlighted through the “Magnifying the Sacred Land” project and the Al-Ahsa Charity Association’s achievements, aligning with Vision 2030’s goals for increasing volunteerism.
Preservation of Islamic Heritage: The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques underscores the Kingdom’s commitment to preserving its religious and cultural heritage.
Saudi Traditions and Values: An article emphasizes the noble values, principles, and constructive directions of Saudi Arabia’s policies, highlighting its role in confronting extremism and promoting development and stability regionally and internationally.
Increased Saudization in Hospitality: The rate of Saudization in the hospitality and hotel sector in Makkah has increased significantly, reaching over 40% in 2023 compared to 2022.
Popular Saudi Cuisine: There is a growing demand from Umrah performers for popular Saudi dishes.
Scout Girls Serving Pilgrims: Female scouts are providing valuable services to patients in the Holy Mosques’ centers, embodying the spirit of compassion and humanitarianism.
Reduction in Traffic Fines: The General Traffic Department called on citizens and residents to take advantage of the extension for the reduction of accumulated traffic fines, offering a 50% exemption until 18/4/2025.
Saudi Student Wins Award in “Environment Architect”: A female master’s student from King Abdulaziz University won second place in a competition organized by the International Union of Environment Architects in Mexico.
Al-Nafaqah Fund’s Role in Family Stability: The Al-Nafaqah ( النفقة – Alimony) Fund has contributed to the financial stability of many families by disbursing monthly alimony payments without delay, benefiting over 23,000 beneficiaries in 2024.
5. Sports:
Saudi National Football Team Preparations: The Saudi national football team is preparing for its upcoming Asian Qualifiers matches against China and Japan for the 2026 World Cup. Coach Hervé Renard held a press conference to discuss the matches.
AFC U-23 Championship: The article provides details about the AFC U-23 Championship, highlighting previous editions and Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the fifth edition in Al-Ahsa.
Quotes Highlighting Key Themes:
(Vision 2030 & Economic Reform): (Only a strong and secure Syria is not just in Syria’s interest, but in the interest of the Gulf, Arab, and international communities.)
(Historical Preservation):” (The Al-Abbas Mosque project, whose construction dates back to the year 1262 AH, will develop the building using the same original natural materials and will preserve the mosque’s form, which is distinguished by its three domes that characterize its architecture, …)
(Volunteerism & Vision 2030):” (The talks come within the framework of the Kingdom’s efforts to enhance security and peace in the world, and its belief that dialogue is the only way to resolve all international crises and bring the views of the two sides closer, to reach fruitful results that reflect on the effort to achieve international security and peace.)
Conclusion:
The excerpts from “20718.pdf” paint a picture of a dynamic Saudi Arabia actively engaged in pursuing its Vision 2030 goals through economic diversification, infrastructure development, and social initiatives. The Kingdom is also playing a significant role in regional and international politics, seeking to mediate conflicts and promote stability. The local news highlights a focus on education, community support, and the preservation of national heritage, reflecting a multi-faceted approach to progress and development. The economic news indicates both opportunities and challenges in the global landscape, with Saudi Arabia adapting to evolving oil markets and benefiting from the surge in gold prices. The ongoing conflicts in the region, particularly in Gaza, remain a significant concern.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What were the main economic and developmental points discussed in the Saudi Council meeting?
The Saudi Council reviewed the progress of developmental and service projects, emphasizing the importance of enhancing social welfare and protection systems, and investing in national capabilities to meet the aspirations of the nation. The Council also addressed the performance of national economic institutions and highlighted the Kingdom’s improved credit ratings from global agencies, alongside the ongoing implementation of structural reforms aimed at non-oil economic diversification in line with the goals of Vision 2030.
2. What security concerns and initiatives were highlighted during the Saudi Council meeting?
The meeting underscored the proactive security measures taken against drug smuggling networks, particularly the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle seven million amphetamine pills based on intelligence provided by the Saudi Ministry of Interior. The Council praised the cooperation with friendly and brotherly nations, especially the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, in these efforts.
3. What is the anticipated impact of OPEC+ plans to gradually cancel voluntary oil production cuts?
OPEC+ plans to incrementally lift voluntary production cuts starting in April 2025, potentially adding 138,000 barrels per day to the market initially. While this could help balance supply levels, it might also increase pressure on oil prices, especially if global demand does not grow sufficiently. Concerns are rising about a potential oversupply even as global economic slowdown could reduce demand. OPEC+ maintained its demand growth forecast for 2025 at 1.45 million barrels per day, unchanged from the previous month.
4. What stance did Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations take regarding the situation in Syria?
GCC nations emphasized that the stability and territorial integrity of Syria are a security necessity for the region. They expressed firm conviction that a strong, secure, and stable Syria is not only in Syria’s interest but also in the interest of the Gulf, Arab world, and the international community. The GCC Ministerial Council convened an extraordinary meeting in Kuwait to support all efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive political settlement in Syria, ensuring the safety of civilians and preserving the institutions and capabilities of the Syrian state.
5. What initiatives are being undertaken in Saudi Arabia to support students and foster talent in line with Vision 2030?
The Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud Al Saud honored 43 outstanding students with the “Munaafis” award in Taif, recognizing their achievements in national tracks. This award is part of programs encouraging a capable generation to meet the ten challenges of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The “Munaafis” prize supports five tracks aimed at developing human capabilities: academic achievement, international tests, volunteer work, scientific innovation and talent, and future skills and entrepreneurship.
6. How is Saudi Arabia supporting orphans and promoting social welfare?
Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Eastern Province, received a group of orphans in conjunction with Arab Orphan Day. He affirmed the special care given to orphans by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, highlighting the provision of dignified and stable lives, fulfillment of their needs, and empowerment for self-reliance. Similarly, the Al-Ahsa Charity Association, with the support of the Governor, achieved over 10 million riyals in volunteer returns in 2024, benefiting over 80,000 individuals through its programs.
7. What efforts are being made in Saudi Arabia to preserve historical mosques and enhance their role?
The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques is in its second phase, which includes the restoration of the Al-Abbas Mosque in the Jazan region, one of the oldest and most prominent heritage buildings in the area. The project aims to renovate mosques according to their unique architectural style using original natural building materials, while also expanding their capacity and ensuring their preservation over time. This initiative aligns with Vision 2030’s focus on preserving authentic urban characteristics and highlighting the historical and cultural significance of these mosques across the Kingdom. The second phase covers 30 mosques in 13 regions, following the first phase which rehabilitated 30 historical mosques in 10 regions.
8. What are some of the initiatives in Mecca aimed at serving pilgrims and visitors during Ramadan?
The “Ta’dheem Al-Balad Al-Haram” project saw volunteers contribute approximately 300 volunteer hours during Ramadan to serve pilgrims in Mecca. They provided guidance, assisted the elderly, managed wheelchairs, and supported lost individuals in the Haram Mosque and its courtyards, benefiting around 2900 people. Additionally, over 10 million iftar meals were provided in the Haram Mosque during the first eighteen days of Ramadan. These efforts aim to enhance the experience of pilgrims and contribute to the goal of reaching one million volunteers, a key objective of Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia Council of Ministers Decisions and Statements
The Council of Ministers, chaired by the Crown Prince, has made several decisions and expressed support for various initiatives, as detailed in the sources.
In the initial part of a session, the Crown Prince briefed the Council on the content of phone calls with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, Giorgia Meloni. Following this, the Council reviewed the latest developments in the Arab, regional, and international arenas, reiterating the Kingdom’s firm positions on these matters and emphasizing its keenness and support for efforts aimed at achieving security and stability in the region and worldwide.
The Council also strongly condemned the resumption of aggression by the Israeli occupation forces against the Gaza Strip, stressing the importance of the international community assuming its responsibilities to put an immediate end to these crimes and the resulting humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people.
Furthermore, the Council expressed its welcome for the completion of negotiations and the reaching of a peace agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, and its commendation for the border demarcation agreement between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, wishing these countries and their people continued progress and prosperity.
In local affairs, the Council noted the launch of the Saudi Architecture Map, which includes nineteen architectural styles that embody the Kingdom’s geographical, natural, and cultural characteristics, within the framework of celebrating the urban heritage of the Kingdom and enhancing the quality of life and developing the urban landscape.
The Council reviewed various topics on its agenda, including those studied by the Shura Council, and concluded with the following decisions:
Authorizing the Minister of Interior (or his representative) to discuss with the Egyptian side a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of scientific, training, and research activities between the Saudi and Egyptian Ministries of Interior, and to sign it.
Approving a memorandum of cooperation in the cultural field between the Saudi Ministry of Culture, Education and Sports, and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Approving a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning and the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Investment of the Union of Comoros for cooperation in the economic field.
Authorizing the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (or his representative) to discuss with the Qatari side a draft memorandum of understanding between the General Real Estate Authority in Saudi Arabia and the Real Estate Regulatory Authority in Qatar for cooperation in the real estate sector, and to sign it.
Approving an agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Iceland regarding the avoidance of double taxation and tax evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital, and the accompanying protocol.
Approving an agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan regarding cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters.
Approving two agreements between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the governments of the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Suriname.
The Council also approved the final accounts of the National Committee for Tobacco Control, the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, the National Competitiveness Center, and the National Center for Water Efficiency and Rationalization for two previous fiscal years.
The Council approved the promotion of Mohammed bin Omar bin Mohammed Al-Wuhaibi to the position of (Business Consultant) at the (Fourteenth) rank in the Ministry of Interior, and Mahmoud bin Fahd bin Munahi Al-Suqair to the position of (Director General) at the (Fourteenth) rank in the Ministry of Health.
Furthermore, the Council supported the UN’s transitional mission in Syria, emphasizing the importance of the international community being a partner in rebuilding Syria, not just an observer.
The Council of Ministers is also recognized for its significant efforts in promoting international peace, security, stability, and global prosperity, establishing the Kingdom as a global symbol in this regard.
Kingdom’s Efforts Against Drug Smuggling
The Council of Ministers has acknowledged and appreciated the preemptive efforts to counter the activities of drug smuggling networks. This indicates that the Kingdom is actively working to combat drug trafficking.
Additionally, the General Authority of Zakat and Tax and Customs is mentioned as being part of the National Committee for Tobacco Control. While the focus is on tobacco, customs authorities generally play a role in preventing the smuggling of various illicit goods, including drugs.
The issue of drugs is also mentioned in the context of societal problems alongside corruption, suggesting an awareness of the negative impacts of drug trafficking. Furthermore, broader efforts to combat negative behaviors like harassment and corruption demonstrate a general approach towards tackling illicit activities, which could encompass drug trafficking.
Syria: Regional Condemnation, Reconstruction, and Border Issues
The sources contain several pieces of information regarding the Syrian Arab Republic.
Firstly, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the actions of the Israeli occupation forces against Syria. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom’s denunciation and condemnation of the bombing of Syrian territories by Israeli occupation forces, considering it a flagrant violation of international law and an attempt to destabilize the security and stability of the brotherly Syrian Arab Republic and the region. The Kingdom has urged the international community to promptly address these attacks and violations. It specifically stressed the importance of the Security Council member states taking serious and firm action against these continuous Israeli aggressions in Syria, preventing their expansion, and activating international accountability mechanisms. The Kingdom also reiterated its solidarity with Syria, both its government and its people.
Secondly, the reconstruction of Syria and the achievement of its stability are highlighted as a significant concern. The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Muhammad Al-Budaiwi, emphasized that this is a humanitarian and security necessity for the entire region. He affirmed that the GCC will continue to support all initiatives aimed at Syria’s recovery along a path away from conflicts, built upon the foundations of justice, development, and stability. This statement was made during the ninth Brussels conference on Syria. The GCC urges all relevant partners, countries, and organizations to provide all means of support to the brotherly Syrian people.
Furthermore, the GCC has acknowledged the positive steps taken by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union in easing some sanctions imposed on Syria. The GCC ministerial council also held a joint meeting with the foreign minister of the Syrian Arab Republic to discuss ways to support the Syrian people and provide all assistance during this crucial stage. The GCC states have been actively involved in providing humanitarian and relief support to Syria, sending hundreds of tons of medical and food aid through air and land bridges. They have also implemented dozens of volunteer programs in the health sector, benefiting tens of thousands of people, and launched training programs for specialists in various medical fields.
Thirdly, the issue of violence on the Lebanese-Syrian border is reported. Clashes led to the killing of three Syrian military personnel. The Syrian Ministry of Defense accused Hezbollah of kidnapping and killing these soldiers, an accusation that Hezbollah vehemently denied. Renewed clashes were also reported in the Al-Sayed Housh area. The Lebanese army stated it responded after Syrian fire targeted its area. Subsequently, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced it had begun a “sweeping” operation in Syrian territories bordering western Lebanon, near Al-Qusayr, with the stated goal of “expelling” groups like Hezbollah that allegedly use these areas for drug smuggling. The Lebanese government has directed ministers to coordinate with Syrian authorities regarding border issues and formed a ministerial committee to control the borders and combat smuggling.
Finally, the Syrian Foreign Minister asserted that Syria will not reconcile with any attempts to infringe upon its sovereignty, blaming “outlaw groups,” including some militias on the border with neighboring countries, for posing a threat.
Al-Riyadh Daily: March 19, 2025 – Issue 20718
Here is a summary of each page of the provided document “20718.pdf”:
Page 1: This page contains the newspaper’s masthead information, including its name (جريدة الرياض – Al-Riyadh Daily), date (Wednesday, March 19, 2025), issue number (20718), and website. It also mentions “poetic images”, a “Mushaynis activity”, “popular dishes”, and “field progress for the Sudanese army in central Khartoum”. Keywords include “word”, “Council of Ministers”, and “reviewing paths of support for development and service projects”.
Page 2: Reports on the Crown Prince’s phone calls with the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of Italy, discussing regional and international developments and the Kingdom’s firm positions. It also strongly condemns the resumption of aggression by the Israeli occupation forces against the Gaza Strip, stressing the importance of international intervention.
Page 3: Announces the Council of Ministers’ welcome for the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the border demarcation agreement between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It also highlights the launch of the Saudi Architecture Map, showcasing nineteen architectural styles reflecting the Kingdom’s heritage.
Page 4: Mentions the Council’s approval to reconstitute the “Bankruptcy Committee” and add several entities to the National Committee for Tobacco Control. It also discusses the Kingdom’s efforts to promote global peace, including the Ukrainian crisis, and criticizes Israeli intransigence regarding international resolutions, settlements, Gaza, and peace negotiations.
Page 5: Continues the discussion on Israeli intransigence and its ongoing aggression in Gaza, disregarding international law. It emphasizes the Kingdom’s continuous efforts to alleviate Palestinian suffering and the Council’s call for immediate international intervention.
Page 6: Concludes the commentary on Israeli intransigence, warning that peace opportunities may diminish. It also features the headline “The Kingdom condemns the resumption of the occupation’s aggression on Gaza and the bombing of Syrian territories”.
Page 7: Details the Kingdom’s condemnation of the renewed Israeli aggression on Gaza and the bombing of populated areas, emphasizing the violation of international humanitarian law. It stresses the need for an immediate halt to violence and protection of Palestinian civilians, urging international action. The Kingdom also denounces the Israeli bombing of Syrian territories as a breach of international law and a destabilizing act.
Page 8: Further elaborates on the Kingdom’s condemnation of Israeli violations in Syria, urging the international community and the Security Council to take decisive action and ensure accountability. It reiterates solidarity with Syria. It also includes the headline “Reconstitution of the Bankruptcy Committee and inclusion of four entities in ‘Tobacco Control’”.
Page 9: Reports on the Israeli Prime Minister’s office announcing the resumption of attacks on Gaza, targeting alleged Hamas sites, with Israeli security forces confirming intensified operations. Palestinian sources reported bombing of refugee camps, schools, and mosques, resulting in casualties.
Page 10: Quotes Hamas accusing Netanyahu of reneging on a ceasefire and blaming the “mediators”. Headlines include “Council of Ministers appreciates the preemptive countering of drug smuggling network activities” and “Launch of the Saudi Architecture Map in celebration of the Kingdom’s urban heritage”.
Page 11: Recaps the Crown Prince’s phone calls and the Council’s review of international developments, reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to security and stability. It again condemns the renewed Israeli aggression on Gaza and stresses the need for international intervention to end Palestinian suffering.
Page 12: Continues the report on the Council meeting, with the Minister of Media welcoming the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the border demarcation agreement between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It also reiterates the noting of the Saudi Architecture Map launch.
Page 13: Reports on the Council’s review of various agenda items, including those studied by the Shura Council, covering political, security, economic, and developmental affairs. It lists the first decision: authorizing the Minister of Interior to discuss and sign a memorandum of understanding with Egypt.
Page 14: Continues listing Council decisions: approving cultural cooperation with Japan, economic cooperation with the Union of Comoros, and authorizing the Minister of Municipalities and Housing to discuss real estate cooperation with Qatar.
Page 15: Continues listing Council decisions: approving a double taxation agreement with Iceland and agreements on customs cooperation with Pakistan and air transport services with Lithuania and Suriname.
Page 16: Continues listing Council decisions: approving a memorandum with UNICEF on a survey, a memorandum with Mauritania on education evaluation, and a memorandum with Pakistan on technical and vocational training.
Page 17: Continues listing Council decisions: approving the Saudi Association for Internal Auditors to discuss a memorandum with the Malaysian Institute of Internal Auditors on internal auditing and related fields.
Page 18: Continues listing Council decisions: reconstituting the “Bankruptcy Committee” with new members and adding several entities to the National Committee for Tobacco Control, including the General Authority of Zakat and Tax and Customs.
Page 19: Continues listing Council decisions: approving the final accounts of several national organizations and approving promotions in the Ministries of Interior and Health. It also mentions the Council reviewing other annual reports.
Page 20: Reports on the Deputy Governor of the Eastern Province’s visit to an event for orphans, emphasizing the Kingdom’s care for them and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development’s role in providing support.
Page 21: Continues the report on the Deputy Governor’s visit to the orphan event in Al-Ahsa, highlighting the provision of a breakfast meal and the leadership’s attention to orphans, with expressions of gratitude from the children.
Page 22: Reports on a meeting reviewing topics related to enhancing security, achieving development, and serving the nation, including strengthening emirates’ capabilities and promoting the non-profit sector. It also includes appreciation for the leadership’s services during Ramadan.
Page 23: Reports on the “Aja Technical Conference” being presented to the Deputy Governor of Hail, noting wide expert participation and discussions.
Page 24: Features photographs from various local events and includes the headline “Crown Prince’s project renews Al-Abbas Mosque in Jazan”.
Page 25: Discusses the Hail municipality’s efforts to improve services for visitors and support small and medium enterprises, focusing on health and commercial standards.
Page 26: Reports on the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing’s initiative to support street vendors during Ramadan across the Kingdom.
Page 27: Continues the report on the street vendor support initiative, detailing its goals and mentioning a prize to enhance the region’s heritage identity in Qassim. It also notes “Training courses”.
Page 28: Reports on field awareness campaigns by health teams promoting preventive care. It notes wide public engagement and includes sections “Pages from the History of Mecca” and “Children Reflect”.
Page 29: Discusses the importance of names in Islamic culture, their reflection of identity and history, and the Prophet’s (PBUH) guidance on choosing good names. It mentions the influence of the Quran and Sunnah and variations in naming practices across Islamic countries.
Page 30: Continues the discussion on Islamic naming traditions, highlighting regional preferences for historical or compound religious names, particularly in certain countries like India and Pakistan. It then discusses naming traditions in Turkey with deep religious and historical connections.
Page 31: Concludes the section on Islamic naming traditions, emphasizing the positive religious and moral connotations of these names and the diversity of Islamic names in Africa influenced by local languages and cultures.
Page 32: Begins an article on “The Historical Geography of Old Medina”, discussing the Prophet’s (PBUH) migration and the city’s geographical characteristics as the base of Islam, including its topography, division into upper and lower parts, and volcanic formations.
Page 33: Continues the article on Medina’s geography, noting its proneness to drought despite not having specific rainy seasons. It mentions the Prophet’s (PBUH) practices during rain and cold and a Hadith about enduring Medina’s climate. It also notes occasional floods. It includes “Ramadan Days”.
Page 34: Begins an article “Pure Milk From Between Dung and Blood”, quoting the Quran about milk and its nutritional value, detailing its composition and origin from livestock like cows.
Page 35: Continues the article on milk production, explaining the complex digestive process in cows that transforms simple food into milk in their four-compartment stomachs.
Page 36: Concludes the article on milk production and includes the titles “Islamic Naming Traditions in Different Parts of the World” and author information. It then starts an article on “Mecca in the Era of Ibrahim… Between Administrative Stability and Political Turmoil”, discussing the Umayyad state’s decline and Mecca’s situation within it.
Page 37: Continues the article on Mecca during Ibrahim’s rule, noting his short and unstable reign amidst the weakening Umayyad authority, particularly with the rise of Marwan bin Muhammad.
Page 38: Continues the article, stating that Mecca remained relatively stable despite the Umayyad state’s chaos, though influenced by central authority changes and local tribal powers. It then discusses Ibrahim’s abdication under pressure, leading to the end of his rule and Marwan becoming the last Umayyad Caliph.
Page 39: Concludes the article on Mecca between the Umayyads’ fall and the Abbasids’ rise, considering Ibrahim’s era a sign of weakening central authority, paving the way for Abbasid rule and integrating Mecca into a new political landscape.
Page 40: Begins an article “Small Companies… and Digital Solutions”, discussing challenges for small businesses in adopting digital technologies like fear of change and overconfidence in old methods.
Page 41: Continues the article on digital solutions for small businesses, noting the success of those who adapted and emphasizing the need for accelerated digital transformation. It also starts an article on Saudi women finding job opportunities in Mecca hotels.
Page 42: Continues the article on job opportunities for Saudi women in Mecca hotels. It then discusses global economic impacts of trade disputes on oil demand and prices, mentioning the US Federal Reserve’s role and the dollar’s influence.
Page 43: Continues the discussion on oil markets, reporting on the US dollar’s slight increase and US airstrikes against Houthis affecting Red Sea shipping and global oil markets. It also notes China’s plan to boost domestic consumption and strong economic data.
Page 44: Continues the section on the global economy, mentioning Guyana. It then presents an opinion piece on China’s economic slowdown and various challenges it faces, including trade tensions and domestic issues.
Page 45: Continues the opinion piece on China’s economy. It then features analysis on declining oil prices due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the US-China trade war.
Page 46: Continues the oil market analysis, noting the escalation in geopolitical tensions with the Gaza ceasefire collapse and Houthi attacks, raising concerns of conflict with Iran impacting oil supplies.
Page 47: Continues the oil market analysis, discussing potential Iranian retaliation and the impact of US trade wars on oil prices, along with possible increased supply from OPEC+ and the US.
Page 48: Continues the oil market analysis, noting mixed signals about China’s economic resilience amidst trade wars, with industrial growth but persistent unemployment affecting domestic demand.
Page 49: Concludes the oil market analysis, stating that despite Chinese stimulus, the market remains subject to global supply and demand and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Page 50: Reports on casualties in Gaza due to ongoing Israeli raids and reiterates the announcement of resumed Israeli attacks.
Page 51: Includes a UN warning about the risk of ethnic cleansing in the occupied Palestinian territories due to Israeli actions and the worst attacks in the West Bank since the Second Intifada.
Page 52: Reports on the GCC’s emphasis on the need for Syria’s reconstruction and stability as a regional humanitarian and security necessity, made at the Brussels conference. It also notes the Sudanese army regaining control of a headquarters.
Page 53: Continues the report on the GCC’s stance on Syria, mentioning calls for support, the easing of some sanctions, a joint meeting with the Syrian foreign minister, and the GCC’s humanitarian aid efforts.
Page 54: Reports on violence on the Lebanese-Syrian border, including clashes, accusations between Syria and Hezbollah, a Syrian military operation, and Lebanese efforts to control the border. Syria asserts its sovereignty.
Page 55: Introduces the Ramadan drama series “Yawmiyat Rajul Anis” and another drama “I’dh Rabana”.
Page 56: Continues describing Ramadan dramas, including “Bait Khamsh Al-Humoula”.
Page 57: Describes more Ramadan dramas, including “Jacks from Science 2” and “Abou Shamil and Umm Shamil”, and mentions “Layali Al-Dhamisi”.
Page 59: Introduces more Ramadan dramas, including the historical “Muawiya” and the comedy “Ashghal Shaqqa Jiddan”.
Page 60: Reports on a discussion about “Critical Thinking: A Systematic Analysis, Not Rejection”.
Page 61: Continues the report on critical thinking, discussing its relation to creativity and the importance of dialogue.
Page 62: Concludes the report on critical thinking and begins a story “When Despair Becomes a Gateway to Crime!”.
Page 63: Continues the story about a desperate fund manager considering crime.
Page 64: Concludes the story excerpt and includes a Ramadan television star expectation question and answer, starting an article on “When We Hastily Take Names and Connect Their Meaning to Our Reality…”.
Page 65: Continues the article on the connection between names and reality, using Ramadan as an example and discussing pre-Islamic month names.
Page 66: Continues discussing pre-Islamic month names, giving Sabaean and Himyarite names and pre-Islamic Arabic names for Ramadan, mentioning the Prophet’s (PBUH) clarification of the calendar.
Page 67: Quotes poetry about the virtues of Ramadan.
Page 68: Quotes more poetry welcoming Ramadan and lists pre-Islamic month names.
Page 69: Concludes the article on Ramadan’s significance and shares feelings about its arrival.
Page 70: Quotes more poetry welcoming Ramadan.
Page 71: Continues the poetry praising Ramadan.
Page 72: Concludes the poetry section about Ramadan’s joy and spiritual upliftment.
Page 73: Features a colloquial poem and a short saying about knowledge.
Page 74: Continues the colloquial poem.
Page 75: Concludes the colloquial poem.
Page 76: Features the riddle of the week.
Page 77: Continues the riddle of the week.
Page 78: Provides solutions to the previous riddle and congratulatory messages.
Page 79: Includes more solutions to the previous riddle and responses in verse.
Page 80: Begins a new riddle of the week and includes a previous riddle’s solution.
Page 81: Continues the new riddle and starts an article “A Recently Blessed Deterrent” on measures against harassment.
Page 82: Continues the article on deterrents against harassment, giving examples and emphasizing legal protections.
Page 83: Concludes the article on deterrents and highlights the Kingdom’s role in promoting international peace. It also includes the headline about GCC’s view on Syria’s reconstruction.
Page 84: Begins an article on “The Crown Prince’s Project Renews Al-Abbas Mosque in Jazan”, discussing its cultural and historical significance.
Page 85: Continues the article on the mosque renovation, discussing economic and environmental aspects.
Page 86: Concludes the article on the mosque renovation, emphasizing its long-term benefits. It also starts an article “O Smart One… Don’t Help Me” about AI.
Page 87: Continues the article on AI’s impact, raising concerns about over-reliance and job displacement.
Page 88: Concludes the article on AI, emphasizing the need for human connection and innovation. It includes newspaper contact information.
Page 89: Displays newspaper contact and subscription information.
Page 90: Reports on Al-Akhdar (national team) preparations, mentioning player training and injuries.
Page 91: Continues the report on Al-Akhdar and discusses the “U-23 national team” facing Oman, listing past tournament rankings.
Page 92: Includes headlines about the “U-23 national team” and the “** النفقة صندوق**” disbursing funds. It also contains newspaper publication information.
Page 93: Features “Quality Services” and reports on transportation services in the Grand Mosque during Ramadan.
Page 94: Reports on crowding in Mecca and Medina health centers and the volunteer efforts of the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association.
Page 95: Continues the report on health services and Scouts, and discusses improvements in the “** النفقة صندوق**” procedures for disbursing funds.
Page 96: Contains the name “M. Haifa Al Malla” and a closing bracket, otherwise blank.
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This text provides a comprehensive guide to various features and tools within Blender, a 3D creation software. It covers topics including candy creation using geometry nodes, creating a cotton candy tornado, understanding and using the merge by distance node to create snow particles, and manipulating textures with the separate XYZ node. The text teaches how to model a mushroom and distribute it across a plane, create animated dragons with custom wings and textures, and design a Sci-Fi portal scene using new geometry nodes. Furthermore, the resources offer a breakdown of creating lighting effects with gradient textures and RGB curves, generating clouds, and employing simulation nodes for animations. Finally, the materials explain setting up particle systems with interactions and collision physics, creating a character from modeling to clothing, and utilizing helpful Blender add-ons like BlenderKit and Cell Fracture.
Geometry Nodes and River Scene Creation: A Study Guide
Quiz
What is the purpose of the “Set Position” node in Geometry Nodes, and how is it used in the context of creating mountain-like structures? The “Set Position” node modifies the position of geometry points. In mountain creation, it uses noise texture to offset vertices, creating a displacement effect resembling terrain.
Explain the function of the “Combine XYZ” node when creating mountains. Why is it necessary? The “Combine XYZ” node restricts the noise texture’s effect to only the Z-axis. This is necessary to create height variations (mountains) without distorting the plane horizontally.
How does the “Edge Vertices” node contribute to creating a river that follows the base of the landscape rather than flowing over mountains? It calculates the position of vertices forming an edge, allowing for the measurement of edge lengths. By finding the shortest edges, the river path can be constrained to the base of the landscape.
Explain the purpose of the “Vector Math” node with the “Distance” operation in relation to the “Edge Vertices” node. How is its output used? It measures the distance between two vertices of each edge. The output is connected to the “Shortest Edge Paths” node, prioritizing paths with minimum distances (base of the landscape).
What problem does the “Resample Curve” node solve when creating the river path, and how does it address it? The “Resample Curve” node reduces excessive turns in the river path. It does this by controlling the number of points on the curve, smoothing the river’s flow.
How is a carving or space created for the river using the “Geometry Proximity” node? The “Geometry Proximity” node displaces vertices based on the river path’s geometry. The distance socket is connected to the offset in the second set position node, creating a carving effect.
Explain the “Ping Pong” operation within a Math node in the lollipop creation process. It creates a texture where the value changes from 0 to a specified scale value and then back to 0, allowing for repeating gradients.
Describe the purpose of the “Object Info” node, specifically the “Random” socket, when creating multiple lollipops with different colors. The “Random” socket generates a random value for each object instance. This value is used as a factor in the Mix Color node, assigning different colors to each lollipop duplicate.
Explain how the “Merge By Distance” node can be used to create snow particles. It merges points within a specified distance, reducing their number. Using “Distribute Points in Volume” to create points within a cube and then applying “Merge By Distance” to the result.
How does the “Separate XYZ” node function in both the Shader Editor and Geometry Nodes contexts? It takes a vector input and separates it into its X, Y, and Z components. It’s the opposite of the Combine XYZ node.
Essay Questions
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using Geometry Nodes for landscape generation compared to traditional methods like sculpting or heightmaps. Consider factors such as flexibility, control, performance, and ease of iteration.
Explain the role of proceduralism in the creation of the river scene. How does the use of nodes and mathematical functions contribute to a more flexible and adaptable workflow?
Discuss the importance of understanding the underlying mathematical principles behind nodes like “Vector Math,” “Map Range,” and “Ping Pong” for effective use in Geometry Nodes. Provide examples of how this knowledge can lead to more creative and efficient solutions.
Analyze the design choices made in the creation of the lollipop and gumdrop candy scene. How do the various nodes and techniques employed contribute to the overall aesthetic and realism of the final result?
Compare and contrast the “Face Neighbors” and “Vertex Neighbors” nodes, explaining their functions and providing examples of how they can be used in different scenarios to achieve specific geometric effects.
Glossary of Key Terms
Geometry Nodes: A node-based system in Blender for procedural geometry creation and manipulation.
Node: A processing unit in a visual programming environment that performs a specific function.
Procedural: Generating content through algorithms rather than manual creation.
Vertex: A point in 3D space that defines the corner of a polygon or mesh.
Edge: A line segment connecting two vertices.
Face: A flat surface bounded by edges.
Mesh: A collection of vertices, edges, and faces that define a 3D object.
Texture: An image or function used to add detail and color to a surface.
Shader: A program that calculates the color of a pixel on a surface, taking into account lighting, textures, and other properties.
Vector: A quantity having both magnitude and direction, often represented as a set of components (e.g., X, Y, Z).
Offset: To move or displace something from its original position.
Instance: A copy of an object that shares the same mesh data as the original.
Normal: A vector perpendicular to a surface at a given point, indicating its direction.
Modifier: A non-destructive operation that alters the geometry of an object.
UV Mapping: The process of projecting a 2D texture onto a 3D surface.
PBR (Physically Based Rendering): A rendering technique that simulates the interaction of light with materials in a physically accurate way.
Topology: The arrangement of vertices, edges, and faces in a 3D model.
Rigging: The process of creating a skeletal structure and controls for a 3D model to allow for animation.
Shape Key: A method for storing different geometric variations of an object, allowing for smooth transitions between them.
Driver: A system that allows a property of one object to be controlled by another.
Blender 3D Modeling, Animation, and Rigging Tutorial
This document is a briefing based on excerpts describing a tutorial on 3D modeling and animation using Blender, specifically focusing on geometry nodes and rigging. The tutorial covers a wide range of topics, from creating landscapes and rivers using geometry nodes to rigging a character’s face with shape keys and bones. Here’s a breakdown of the main themes and ideas:
I. Geometry Nodes and Landscape Generation
Creating Mountains with Noise Texture: The tutorial begins with creating mountain-like structures using geometry nodes.
It uses the “Set Position” node and “Noise Texture” to displace vertices of a grid.
“I’ll first add the set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in right select the set position node… now for the noise texture press shift plus a go to texture and here we have the noise texture.”
The scale of the noise texture is reduced and then magnified using a “Math” node with the “Multiply” operation, affecting only the Z-axis using the “Combine XYZ” node.
“I’ll first reduce the scale value of the noise texture to a much lower number like 0.1 or 0.2 and to magnify this effect of the noise texture we’ll be using the math node with the multiply operation.”
“RGB Curves” are used to define the shape of the mountains, and the overall effect is inverted by using a negative value in the “Multiply” node.
“to define the shape of the mountains we’ll be using the RGB curves node…to make them look like mountains we basically have to invert this effect of the texture and for this I’ll go to the multiply node here and take this value to a negative number.”
Creating Rivers: A path is created to represent a river flowing through the landscape.
“Edge Paths to Curve” node is used to create a path based on the grid, ensuring it considers the mountain geometry.
“to make sure that the path also considers the mountain s we created we’ll be connecting the geometry socket of the position node which is carrying all the information about the texture to the mesh socket in the edge parts to curve node.”
The path is constrained to the base of the landscape using the “Edge Vertices” node and “Vector Math” node with the “Distance” operation, connected to the “Shortest Edge Paths” node. This ensures the river avoids the mountains.
“with the edge vertices node we’ll be measuring the distance between the position one and the position two that is the the position between each of the two vertices forming an edge and we’ll be connecting it to the shortest Edge path node so that the path is placed only on the base of the landscape and not on the mountains”
The “Resample Curve” node is used to reduce the number of turns in the river path.
“since we’ll be using it to create a river so obviously we won’t need so many turns in the river so to fix this problem we have to use the resample curve node”
Creating River Carving: A carving or space is created for the river to flow.
A duplicate “Set Position” node is used to displace vertices based on the river path.
“to create the carving we’ll basically displace the vertices according to this path and for this we’ll be using another set position node”
The “Geometry Proximity” node displaces vertices based on the river path’s geometry.
“this node is basically used to displace the position of vertices of any particular object based on some other geometry which we add as the input in the geometry socket”
A “Vector Math” node and “Map Range” node are used to control the displacement effect in the Z-axis.
Adding Water: A plane is added to represent the water in the river.
A “Grid” primitive is added and scaled to fit the river carving.
The “Transform Geometry” node is used to position the water plane.
Edge Neighbors Node: Explanation of how the Edge Neighbors node works
“it will count the faces that are adjacent to an hedge”
“so we can use the edge neighbors node in order to tell the set position node that we want the changes to be applied only on some particular edges having a specific number of face count”
II. Creating Candies and Scene Composition
Lollipop Creation: A step-by-step process is described for creating a 3D lollipop model.
It uses the “Gradient Texture” with “Ping Pong” and “Multiply” math nodes to create patterns.
“to change this ending value like maybe you want to create a texture where the value changes from 0 to 0.5 and to achieve this result we’ll be using a math node with a special operation known as ping pong operation”
“Color Ramp” nodes are used for coloring and changing the thickness of the lollipop’s pattern.
The “Object Info” node with its “Random” socket assigns different colors to each lollipop duplicate.
“to assign different colors to each of the duplicates we’ll be using the object info node…if I connected to the factor then this will give a random color to the pattern each and every time we create a duplicate”
A “Bump” node with “Noise Texture” adds a 3D bump effect.
Gumdrop Candy Creation Gumdrop is created and given sugar crystals
Creating Candies Scene: Candies are instanced on a plane to create a candy land scene.
“Instance on Points” node places candies on vertices of a plane.
“to place these candies as the instances on different points of the plane we’ll first add the instance to points node”
The “Warner Texture” is used to displace the vertices of the plane, creating a random pattern.
The “Random Value” node controls the density of candies on the plane.
III. Advanced Geometry Nodes and Particle Systems
Merge by Distance Node: Explained to merge nearby vertices, edges, or points. It also used to create snow particles.
“when I reduce the distance we’ll have all the vertices and when I increase it the vertices will begin to merge with each other according to the distance value”
The “Mesh to Volume” and “Distribute Points in Volume” nodes are used to create points within a cube volume.
“to add the snow in this volume of the cube we’ll first convert it from mesh to volume then we’ll be Distributing the points in the volume by using the distribute points in volume node”
“Ico Sphere” are used as instances using the Instance on Points Node
Separate XYZ Node: This node separates the vector into X, Y, and Z axis
Value Node: A simple node to assign a single value to multiple nodes or sockets.
Adding Mushrooms: A UV sphere is modeled into a mushroom shape. Material and textures are applied to create the desired look.
“to model the mushroom we’ll be deleting the bottom half of the vertices”
Spotlight texture is used to create light spots on the mushrooms
IV. Character Modeling
Creating a 3D Character Head: The tutorial details creating a 3D character’s head from scratch.
It starts with a basic head shape and focuses on modeling key features like the mouth, nose, eyes, and eyebrows.
“in this chapter I’ll be using a cube and we’ll apply subdivision surface modifier to it”
Loop Cuts
Creating Hair: The tutorial explains how to use the particle system to create hair for the character.
A Vertex Group is assigned to tell the hair where to generate
“to get the hair particles only on the vertex group that we selected go to the vertex group settings and in the density select the hair vertex group”
The strand steps setting is used to generate hair particles on the vertex group that is selected.
V. Character Body Modeling and Rigging Preparations
Creating a Character Torso: The process involves creating a torso, arms, legs, and hands for the 3D character.
Merging Wrists with Hands Hands are merged with wrists and Loop Cuts are added
Transferring Weights: Character needs to follow the armature
“go to the weights menu and select transfer weights”
VI. Character Clothing Modeling
Modeling Clothing: Creation of a t-shirt, pants and shoes to give the character clothing
“we’ll be moving the vertices along the normals”
VII. Cloth Simulation
Cloth Physics: The tutorial delves into cloth simulation in Blender.
It explains how to pin vertices to control cloth behavior.
“you can delete the baking and remove this vertex group if you don’t want these vertices to be pinned”
It provides a table of parameter values for different cloth fabrics (cotton, leather, silk, etc.)
Creating Different Cloth Fabrics: Create and assign different materials to cloth
“just by modifying the properties”
“choosing the yellow color similarly let’s select the leather fabric and create a new material”
VIII. Final Character Rigging
Final Character Adjustments: The tutorial explains how to make any final adjustments needed to prep the character’s body.
Face Rigging Introduction A shape key is added so facial rigging is completed for face motion and rotation.
“To create such facial rigs or the controls we’ll be using the shape Keys feature available in blender”
Creating Face Shape Keys: Neutral face and shape keys are created
Creating Face Bones: Bones need to be created for motion
“we need to parent all these bones to that bone which is present inside the character’s head”
Press shift + a
Each bone must be named, left eye and right eye should both be named accordingly
IX. Face Rigging (Custom Shapes and Constraints)
Custom Shapes: Bones are converted to custom shapes
“we’ll switch from these small lines to some custom shapes which we created”
Bone Constraints: Bone constraints are being used
“to restrict them that is we want that this particular bone is restricted only to move on the x axis”
X. Drivers
Drivers are implemented for motion of the different shapes, expressions and bones.
“In order to connect this particular shape key with that control”
In summary, this document provides a comprehensive overview of a Blender tutorial covering a wide range of topics in 3D modeling and animation, including landscape generation, character modeling, cloth simulation, and character rigging with a particular focus on face rigging using shape keys and bone constraints. The tutorial’s step-by-step approach and the inclusion of specific node setups and parameter values make it a valuable resource for Blender users of all levels.
Blender Geometry Nodes, Modeling, and Material Techniques
Geometry Nodes & Procedural Generation
What is the purpose of the “Set Position” node in Geometry Nodes?
The “Set Position” node is used to modify the position of points or vertices within a geometry. It allows you to offset these positions based on various inputs, such as noise textures or proximity to other geometry, thereby deforming the original shape and creating intricate details.
How can a Noise Texture be used to create mountains or hills in Geometry Nodes?
A Noise Texture generates random values, which can be connected to the “Offset” input of a “Set Position” node. By increasing the number of vertices in a grid, the noise texture displaces these vertices along their normals to create a mountainous or hilly terrain. The scale and strength of the effect can be further controlled using Math nodes and RGB Curves.
What is the function of the “Edge Vertices” node, and how is it used to control the path of a river?
The “Edge Vertices” node provides information about the vertices forming an edge, including their indices and positions. This information is used to calculate the distance between vertices. By connecting this distance to the “Edge Cost” socket in the “Shortest Edge Paths” node, the path is constrained to edges with shorter lengths, effectively guiding the river to flow along the base of the landscape instead of over the mountains.
How does the “Geometry Proximity” node work, and what is it used for in the context of creating a river carving?
The “Geometry Proximity” node calculates the distance between the vertices of a target geometry and another input geometry. In the context of river carving, it displaces the vertices of the landscape based on their proximity to the river path. This creates a carving effect, making it appear as though the river has eroded the terrain.
How can the “Ping Pong” operation in a Math node be used to create repeating textures?
The “Ping Pong” operation in a Math node allows a value to oscillate between 0 and a specified scale value. When used with a Gradient Texture, it creates a repeating pattern as the texture goes from 0 to 1 and then back to 0. A Multiply node can then be used to control how many times this pattern repeats.
Modeling & Materials
What is the “Edge Neighbors” node, and how can it be used to selectively apply effects to a mesh?
The “Edge Neighbors” node counts the number of faces adjacent to an edge. By using a “Compare” node to check if the face count matches a specific value, you can selectively apply effects, such as offsetting the position of only those edges with a certain number of neighboring faces.
How does the “Merge by Distance” node work, and what are its applications?
The “Merge by Distance” node merges vertices that are within a specified distance of each other. This can be used to simplify geometry, create a “melted” effect, or generate interesting particle distributions. The “Mode” setting determines whether to merge all vertices within the distance or only those connected by edges.
How can different cloth fabrics be simulated using the cloth physics in Blender?
Different cloth fabrics can be simulated by modifying the material properties in the cloth physics settings, such as the vertex mass, tension, shear, and bending stiffness. Each of these values changes how the cloth reacts to environmental stimuli.
Candy Placement Solutions in Blender Geometry Nodes
The sources describe a problem with candy placement and offer solutions within the context of creating a candy world scene in Blender using geometry nodes.
Here’s a breakdown of the issue and resolutions:
Problem: Candies are not placed properly; they are passing through the plane.
Solutions:
Move the original candies upwards. This involves selecting the Gumdrop and Lollipop candies, entering edit mode, selecting all elements, and moving them upwards along the Z-axis. This adjustment in edit mode affects all instances, raising them above the plane.
Adjust the probability from the random value node. Reducing the probability ensures a more scattered distribution of candies, preventing them from clustering and intersecting with the plane.
Use the as instance option. The source explains that if changes are made to the main object, turning on the ‘as instance’ option applies those changes to the instances as well.
Transform Geometry Node in Blender: Uses and Applications
The sources discuss the Transform Geometry node and its use in the context of creating and manipulating objects within Blender’s geometry nodes.
Here’s a breakdown of the Transform Geometry node, as described in the sources:
Functionality: The Transform Geometry node is used to move, rotate, and scale geometry. It allows for adjustments to the position, orientation, and size of objects.
Usage Examples:
Moving a Tornado: The Transform Geometry node is used to move a cotton candy tornado upwards by adjusting the translation in the Z-axis.
Scaling a Tornado: The Transform Geometry node is used to change the scaling of a tornado using the scale values.
Rotating an object: The Transform Geometry node is used to rotate a lollipop. To ensure the texture of the lollipop isn’t altered during rotation, the “as instance” option in the Object Info node must be enabled.
Duplicating a Portal: The Transform Geometry node can control a duplicate of a joint geometry node. By adjusting the scaling value (e.g., setting the X-axis scaling to -1), the duplicated part can create a symmetrical structure, like a portal.
Animation: The transform geometry node can be added in between simulation input and simulation output nodes to create an animation .
Creating a Cotton Candy Tornado in Blender
The sources describe the creation of a cotton candy tornado using geometry nodes in Blender. Here’s a breakdown:
Basic Structure: A curve spiral node is used to create the initial spiral shape of the tornado.
Thickness: The curve is given thickness using the curve to mesh node, with a curve circle node defining the profile.
Transformations: The transform geometry node is used to adjust the position and scale of the tornado. Specifically, it moves the tornado upwards using the translation in the Z-axis and makes it bigger with the help of the scale values.
Appearance: The start and end radius, as well as the height parameter of the curve spiral, are adjusted to shape the tornado. The number of rotations can also be increased.
Volume: The mesh is converted into a volume using the mesh to volume node. Density is increased to make it properly visible.
Material: A principal volume shader is used to give the tornado a cotton candy material, with a pink color and slight emission effect. Emission strength is set to a low value, around 0.005.
Candies: Candies are distributed on the surface of the tornado using the distribute points on faces node. The instance on points node places the candies. A random value node, with a Boolean data type, is connected to the selection socket in the instance on points node to control the probability of candies appearing.
Randomness: A random value node is used to give the candies some random rotation.
Lighting: The lighting can be improved by creating a duplicate of a light and moving it in the X Direction.
Blender’s Merge by Distance Node: Simplifying Geometry
The sources discuss the Merge by Distance node and its functionality within Blender, especially in the Geometry Nodes editor. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Function: The Merge by Distance node merges vertices that are within a specified distance of each other. It simplifies geometry by removing closely spaced vertices.
Distance Value: The distance value determines the threshold for merging. A higher distance value results in more vertices being merged. As the distance increases, vertices begin to merge with each other based on the set value. Reducing the distance will preserve all vertices.
Mode:
All: Vertices of different objects are merged together.
Connected: The vertices of each object are merged individually.
Practical Applications:
Simplifying Geometry: The Merge by Distance node helps in reducing the complexity of a mesh by merging vertices.
Creating Snow Particles: The Merge by Distance node is used to merge points together, and the points are then replaced with snowballs using the instance on points node. By controlling the distance, the number of points, and thus snowballs, is reduced because points within the specified distance are merged.
Controlling Detail: The Merge by Distance node can selectively remove detail based on the value in the x-axis. The value will be minus one in the beginning, zero in the middle, and positive 1 in the end. As a result, the merge by distance node will only get applied on that part where the value is greater than zero.
Blender’s Separate XYZ Node: Shader and Geometry Nodes Guide
The sources explain the Separate XYZ node and how it functions in both the Shader editor and Geometry Nodes editor within Blender.
Here’s a breakdown of the Separate XYZ node’s functionality and usage:
Function: The Separate XYZ node separates a vector into its individual X, Y, and Z components. It takes a vector as input and outputs the X, Y, and Z axes as separate values. This is the opposite of the Combine XYZ node, which takes X, Y, and Z inputs and combines them into a single vector.
Usage in Shader Editor:
When a vector from a Mapping node is connected to the Separate XYZ node, it separates the vector into its X, Y, and Z axes.
Connecting one of these axes (X, Y, or Z) to the output will show a black and white gradient on the object, representing the change in value along that axis.
In Blender, black represents a value of 0 or less, while white represents a value of 1. Thus, the gradient shows the value changing from -1 to +1 along the selected axis.
Usage in Geometry Nodes:
The Position node provides a vector that can be separated by the Separate XYZ node.
The separated X, Y, or Z values can be used to control other nodes. For example, connecting the X-axis output to the selection input of a Merge by Distance node will cause the Merge by Distance node to only be applied where the X value is greater than zero.
Example:
If a cube is used in the Shader editor, the Separate XYZ node can separate the vector into the X, Y, and Z axes.
Using the X-axis socket results in a change in color on the cube, which changes in the X-axis from -1 to +1. The value is -1 in the beginning, zero in the middle, and ends with a value of 1.
you’re watching the part two of the blender Master course which is a continuation of the part one whose link is available in the description of this video and in this part we’ll continue with some more chapters on Geometry nodes compositing shape Keys particle systems physics and simulation and then we’ll even prepare the 3D model of a character then we’ll understand about the character rigging and even create a character animation so there’s nothing to wait for and let’s continue our journey of the second part of lender Master [Music] course in this chapter we’ll be learning about all these topics in complete detail and we’ll be using them to create this simple scene with the landscape the flowing rivers and some boats so to begin with let’s open the geometry nodes workspace now go to the geometry nodes editor and click on the new button to get a plane instead of this Cube we’ll be using the grid node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the grid node let’s place it over here now to scale it up I’ll go to the size option in the x and y axis and let’s increase it to something like 50 let’s also increase the number of vertices in both X and Y AIS to something around 10 or 12 and now the first node that we going to understand today is The Edge paths to curve node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations here we have the edge parts to curve node so let’s select it and place it over here now what this node does is that it basically takes a mesh as an input and gives an output in the form of a curve and to be more specific it takes the edges of your mesh based on the start vertices and the next vertex index and then it converts the path of those edges into curves to understand it better I’ll take this node and drop it over here and we observe that everything disappears and that’s because we have not yet connected anything to the start vertices and the next vertex index in the start vertices socket we basically have to connect information about that particular index from where the path should start and suppose you want that the path should begin from the vertex having a particular index value so for this we have to use the index node and the compare node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the index node let’s place it over here and now to add the compare node press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it over here and now since we’ll be connecting the compare node to the index so I’ll change the input type from float to integer and the operation to equal now I’ll connect the index socket to the value a and the result socket to the start vertices now this compare node is basically acting as an input to tell the H parts to curve node that the starting vertex will be that particular vertex whose index value is equal to the value of B which is zero and now the next socket that you have here is the next vertex index and basically here we have to tell the socket that how should it connect the next vertex after the starting vertex and to use it we have to connect it to another node which is the shortest Edge path node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in read here you will find the shortest Edge paths node so let’s select it and place it over here now the shortest Edge paths node will basically create the shortest path between the starting vertex and the ending vertex that will connect to the end vertex socket so if I take the next vertex index and connect it over here and for the end vertex I’ll select the index and the compare node press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place them over here now I’ll connect the result socket to the end vertex and let’s change the value of B from here and you will notice that as the value of B changes this part in the 3D view putut is also changing so to revise everything we use the edge paths to curve node to create this path between any two vertices then we use the start vertices socket and connected it to the compare and the index node in order to select which particular vertex we want as the starting vertex then we use the short Edge paths node in order to create the shortest path in between the two vertices and for the ending vertex we again use the index node and the compare node and connected it to the end vertex and you can also change the length of the path or this curve by changing the ending vertex from here now to view the original plane along with this path we’ll be adding The Joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry let’s place it over here and connect the mesh socket of the grid to the Joint geometry node now to view the path or basically the curve we’ll be connecting it to the curve to mesh node so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the curve to mesh node and drop it after the edge parts to curve node to view it in the scene we have to connect something to the profile curve node and to extrude the path to look like a cylinder we need to connect the profile curve socket to the curve Circle node so press shift plus a go to curve and in Primitives select the curve Circle node place it over here and connect it to the profile curve let’s increase the radius from here and now you can see here that the path between the two vertices is now converted into a mesh due to the curve to mesh node and is looking cylindrical because of the curve Circle node now one thing to notice here is that this path or basically the cylinder is straight right now but if I turn on the wireframe from here then you can see that in this plane we have have many vertices so if I go to the end vertex and in the compare node if I increase the value of B then you will notice that in order to form a path between the two points or basically the two vertices it turns like this and is no more straight so basically it is forming the shortest path in between the vertex having the index value of zero and the end vertex having the index value of 36 now let’s also reduce the size of the cylender from here so we’ll be keeping it to something like 1.2 or 1.3 and now let’s also turn off the wireframe display from here and moving ahead let’s convert This Plane into Mount contains and for this we’ll be displacing the vertices in The Zed AIS with the help of noise texture so go to the geometry noes editor and first add the set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in right select the set position node since we’ll be working on the plane so we’ll drop it in between the grid node and the joint geometry node now for the noise texture press shift plus a go to texture and here we have the noise texture we’ll place it over here and connect the factor socket to the offset now the reason why we can’t see much effect here is that in the grid node the number of vertices is very low so I’ll select both of them and let’s increase it to something like 100 and now the noise texture is applied to make it look like Mountain I’ll first reduce the scale value of the noise texture to a much lower number like 0.1 or 0.2 and to magnify this effect of the noise texture we’ll be using the math node with the multiply operation so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the math node drop it over here and change the function to multiply and if I increase the value from here the effect of the noise structure will multiply in all the three axes but since we are making the mountains are basically the hills so we need this is to be applied only in The Zed axxis and so we’ll be using the combin XZ node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the combine x z node and drop it after the multiply node it looks like this because by default it is connected to the x-axis but if I break this node Connection by holding control right clicking and dragging like this and connected to the Z axis and now we have these Mountain like structures and now to define the shape of the mountains we’ll be using the RGB curves node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in color select the RGB curves we’ll drop it after the noise texture node and now it’s connected over here now we have not yet studied about the RGB curve in the geometry notes and we’ll be completely understanding it in one of the upcoming chapters of the course but for now we’ll be using it to define the shape of the mountains so in the RGB curves node if I left click on any part of the curve a new handle will get created here and from here we can change the type of this handle so if I select the second one which is the vector handle and try to change the position of this handle then you will notice that the way this texture was looking on the plane will also change similarly if I select this handle over here and bring it down like this then this is how the texture looks now similarly if I bring the second handle close to the third one then the effect of the texture will increase so you can try to change the position of these handles and get different results each and every time however to make them look like mountains we basically have to invert this effect of the texture and for this I’ll go to the multiply node here and take this value to a negative number so I’ll keep it to something like – 35 or -40 and this is how it looks now the plane has also moved down because we added a negative value here and to fix this we’ll use the vector math node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the vector math and place it before the offset socket and now to move it upwards and increase the vector value in the Z axis like this let’s keep it to something like 20 and now the plane has moved up in the Zed axis now one thing to notice in the geometry noes editor is that the edge parts to curve node that we added here is connected to this grid socket as a result it will only consider the original plane which was not having the mountains so to make sure that the path also considers the mountain s we created we’ll be connecting the geometry socket of the position node which is carrying all the information about the texture to the mesh socket in the edge parts to curve node so I’ll take this geometry socket and connect it to the mesh and now this path is also considering the mountains on the plane to increase the length of this path I’ll go to the end vertex and in the compare node connected to it I increase the value of B from here so let’s keep it to something like 4,000 or 6,000 and this is how it looks now we’ll be using this path in order to make the river flowing through the landscape and one more thing let’s also reduce the radius to something like 0.5 and now suppose we want that this path or basically the river doesn’t flow over the mountains but instead change its path on the landscape Whenever there is a mountain ahead and for this we’ll be using the edge vertices node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in read select the edge vertices node let’s place it over here and in this node we are having four sockets the first two are the vert.x index and the last two are the position sockets so it basically gives the information as output about the vertices that form an H so as we all know that an H is formed by two vertices connected to each other so from the vert index one socket it will basically give the output of the index of the first Vortex similarly the vertex index 2 will give the output of the index value of the second vertex forming the edge then you have the position sockets which will tell you about the position of the two vertices through the position one and the position two node respectively now let’s also understand how we are going to use the edge vertices node in order to place this path or the river only on the base of the landscape and not on the mountains so if I turn on the vi frame display from here and zoom in then you can clearly see that the edges at the base of the landscape are having a different length as compared to the edges of the mountains if I take the annotate tool from here and select the annotate line then here on the base of the landscape a single edge is around this much long and this length is constant throughout the base however the length of the edge in case of these mountains is much larger than compared to the base of the landscape moreover unlike the edges of the base these edges of the mountains are having different lengths some of them are smaller and the others are longer so with the edge vertices node we’ll be measuring the distance between the position one and the position two that is the the position between each of the two vertices forming an edge and we’ll be connecting it to the shortest Edge path node so that the path is placed only on the base of the landscape and not on the mountains but before that I’ll select the annotate eraser tool from here and let’s remove these annotations let’s also go to the select tool again and turn off the wireframe display from here now we need to measure the distance between the position of the first vertex and the second vertex and for this we’ll be using the vector math node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the vector math let’s place it over here and in the list of operations one of the operations that we have here is the distance operation so I’ll select it and if I connect the position one to the first Vector socket and this one to the second Vector socket then now this Vector math node with the distance operation will basically measure the distance between the position of the two vertices for each and every Edge and if we connect it to the Edge cost socket in the shortest Edge paths node then the Edge cost will only accept those vertices which have the minimum distance in between them so if I take the value socket and connect it to the Edge cost then in this case the path or basically the river is present only on the face of the landscape and not on the mountains now let’s revise this concept again we use the edge vertices node in order to calculate the position of the two vertices of each and every Edge then to calculate the difference between the two positions we used the vector match node with the distance operation and then we connected it to the hge C socket which only considers the minimum value as the input and since we already discussed that the length of the edges of the base of the landscape are smaller than those of the mountains as a result the shortest Edge paths node will try to find the shortest path between the two vertices that we selected using the comp and the index node and connected all of it to the edge paths to curve node in order to form this path and now moving ahead if I zoom in then you can see here that this path is having a lot of turns and since we’ll be using it to create a river so obviously we won’t need so many turns in the river so to fix this problem we have to use the resample curve node so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the resample curve and drop it in between the edge parts to curve node and the curve to mesh node now we can change the number of turns with the count value here so let’s keep it to something like 4 and this is how it looks now since we are making this path for the river so let’s also create a carving or basically some space for the river to flow so for this we’ll go to the set position node here which is carrying all the information about the base of the landscape such as the noise texture and the multiply effect applied to it and then to create the carving we’ll basically displace the vertices according to this path and for this we’ll be using another set position node so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it after the first set position node and now we want that the displacement should be according to this curve or the path where the Riverway flow and for this we’ll be using the geometry proximity node we learned about it in the chapter number 38 of the course where we created a meteor apocalypse scene and to add it over here press shift plus a go to geometry and in Sample select the geometry proximity node now this node is basically used to displace the position of vertices of any particular object based on some other geometry which we add as the input in the geometry socket so I’ll take the mesh socket of the curve to mesh which is carrying the information about this path and connected to the geometry socket here and to see the effect I’ll connect the distance socket to the offset in the set position node now it looks like this because the effect of displacement is being applied in all the three axes and to control this effect only in The Zed axis I’ll be adding a vector math node here so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the vector math and place it after the geometry proximity node to control the effect of the displacement I’ll change the operation from add to multiply and now I’ll increase this Vector value in the Z axis so if I increase it to something like positive 1 then here you can see that the effect of the displacement on this entire plane because of this path or the curve is too high and to control this we’ll use the map range node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the map range node we’ll drop it before the multiply node here and now we have the desired result if I zoom in you can see the carving for the river along this path and you can even control its size by the FR men parameter in the map range node so if I slightly increase it you will notice that the size and appearance of the carving around the path is also changing so I’ll keep it to a value of something like 0.4 and this is how it looks now for the water of the River we’ll basically be adding a plane in the geometry nodes editor and connect it to the Joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the grid let’s place it over here and we’ll connect it to the Joint geometry node now a small plane is added at the same position as that of the original plane and if I increase its size in the X and Y axis like this then at a particular value you will begin to notice that the plane is now visible on the carving that we created so we’ll scale it up to something like 50 and if you want to move this plane upwards or downwards then for this you can use the transform node to add it here press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the transform geometry node and drop it after the grid node now with the help of the translation in The Zed axis we can control the position of the plane or basically the water of the river as per the carving created due to the path and now moving ahead let’s give some life to our scene by adding some material to it so since we are making a scene of a mountain so we’ll be downloading some PBR textures for the cliffs or the mountains so for this purpose I have opened this website of poly heaven.com and I’ll go to the browse textures then in the search bar I’ll type cliff and here we’ll get all the cliff or the mountain textures and we can select any of these for the base of our landscape so I think that we should go for this one which is coost Sandrock 02 so I’ll select this and click on the download button here now the zip folder will get downloaded and do ensure to extract it in the file explorer before using it in blender now we back in the scene and to apply the downloaded material first we’ll change this window to the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor now here we have the default principle bstf applied and to add the downloaded PVR m material first we’ll select this principal bstf by left clicking on it and then press cr+ shift plus T and now this window will open from where you have to find that particular folder that we downloaded and extracted so I’ll open this folder then open the texture folder and here we have these four files I’ll select all of them and click on this principal texture setup now to apply this material to this base we’ll go to the geometry nodes editor from here and we’ll be adding the set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node and we’ll place it after this set position node which is having this information about the noise texture which we used to displace the vertices of this plane and you can see here that all these nodes starting from the noise texture to this multiply node are connected to the set position node here so I’ll go to the set material and from here we’ll select this material now to view the material let’s go to the render view from here now to get some lighting in the scene click here and we’ll turn off the scene world now the reason why you can’t see the texture properly is that if I go to the Shader editor from here then you can see in the texture coordinate that we have connected the UV socket to the to the vector and to get the material properly applied here I’ll take the generated socket and connect it to the vector and now we have this PBR material perfectly applied to the base now moving ahead let’s also create some material for the river that we created here so for this let’s again go to the geometry nodes editor from here and we’ll be creating a duplicate of the set material node and connect it to this curve to mesh node which we use for creating the path so I’ll select the set material node from here press shift plus d and I’ll drop it here let’s go to the material properties and to create a new material click on the plus button then click on the new button and to add this material in this set material node click here and select the material. 001 now let’s go to the shade Editor to modify this material now let’s zoom out and here we have the default material applied for the material. 001 and to make it look like water I’ll first change the base color from here so let’s keep it to dark blue color right now you can see that this blue material is only getting assigned to the Past set we created and not the entire River so to fix this problem I’ll go back to the geometry nodes editor and we’ll connecting the set material node to this GD and the transform geometry node which are carrying the information about the plane that we added below it in order to make the river so with the set material node selected press shift plus d and place it after the transform geometry node and now we have this blue material applied to the entire River to make it look like realistic water I’ll go back to the sharer editor again and now we’ll be using the noise texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it over here and we’ll be connecting it to the bump node in order to give the water a 3D look so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node let’s place it over here take this Factor socket and connect it to the height and take this normal socket and connect it to the normal in the principal bstf to see the difference here I will increase the scaling in the noise texture to something like 50 or even higher and now this is how the texture of the river is looking right now now finally we will be modeling some boats to place on this River so for this press shift plus a in the 3D view Port go to mesh and select the cube to focus only on the cube press the forward slash button now to change this into a boat tab into the edit mode I’ll first scale it up in the y- axis so press s and Y and scale it up like this let’s also scale it up slightly in the xaxis so press s and x and scale it up like this now press three for the face select mode and now we’ll be selecting this bottommost face and we’ll extrude it to make it look like a boat so press e to extrude it and let’s extrude it in the Zed axis like this press s to scale it down and this is how it looks now we’ll be keeping the model very simple and basic but let’s also create an inser on the top face and we’ll extrude it downwards also so with this face selected press I to apply the inser then left click to find finalize press e and extrude it downwards like this then left click to finalize and now this is how the structure of our boat is looking right now now if you want you can even extrude these smaller faces at the side and scale them down so to do this I’ll select this face press e to extrude it like this and let’s scale it down and left click to find Li I think that we have extruded it too much so press G and Y and let’s bring it back in the Y AIS similarly I will select this face press e to extrude it like this and S to scale it down and with this the basic structure of a boat is now ready if you want to make it look even more more complex then for this you can add a cylinder with a flag over it so for this I’ll press shift plus a again go to mesh and add the cylinder tab into the edit mode to reduce its thickness press s and shift plus Z and scale it down like this now to increase its height press s z and scale it up like this let’s also move it slightly upwards in The Zed axis so press G and Zed and move it over here now to add a simple flag at the top we’ll use the plain object so let’s come out of the edit mode press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane move it upwards in The Zed axis and place it over here let’s tab into the r mode and to rotate it properly press r y and type 90 to get a rotation like this let’s also scale it up in the Y AIS like this and now we have a simple boat ready for the scene so let’s come out of the edit mode to join all these separate parts together I’ll select all of them press crl plus J to join all these objects now to remove the focus from this boat and get back the entire scene we’ll press the forward slash button again and this is how this boat is placed in the scene to place it properly on the River Press 7 to go to the top view let zoom out press G and place it over here let’s tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and scale it down like this let’s also rotate it in the Zed axis so press r z and rotate it like this now let’s come out of the edit mode press zero on the numpad to go to the camera view let’s enable the lock camera to view from here and this is how this river scene with the boat is looking right now let’s do one more thing which is to move this boat slightly downwards in The Zed axis so we place it over here and left flick to finalize and now let’s give this boat some simple materials so for this let’s go to the material properties click on the new button let’s change the the base color to the brown color by reducing the brightness from here and you can see that this brown color is applied to the boat as well as the flag to assign some separate color on material to the flag simply go to the edit mode deselect everything and I’ll select this face go to the material properties click on the plus button create a new material and to assign this material click on the assign button let’s change the base color to red color and come out of the edit mode with this we have the boat ready in the scene with this simple River and these mountains created with the help of geometry nodes and with this our scene is now completely ready however before ending this chapter we’ll be understanding one more geometry note which is not related to this scene but it is still very important and it is The Edge neighbors node so to understand this node we’ll be adding a plane in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane press G and Y and place it over here now tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up like this and let’s move it over here now to increase the number of vertices right click and select subdivide and we’ll increase the number of cuts from here to something like three or four now what I’ll do is that I’ll turn on the X select mode by pressing two then I select some random edges from here create a duplicate of them by pressing shift plus d and move it in the y direction over here now let’s come out of the edit mode and here we have this plane with these duplicate edges placed over here now if we go to the geometry nodes editor from here and click on the new button then we have this default setup of the geometry nodes now to change the position of this plane I will add the set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in right select the set position node let’s place it over here and if I go to the offset value and try to change it in any of the three axes you will notice that the change in the position is being observed on both the plane as well as the edges now let’s also add the edge neighbors node and understand it so press shift plus a go to mesh and in read select the edge neighbors node let’s place it over here and you can see that in this node we have this face count socket so basically what it does is that it will count the faces that are adjacent to an hedge to understand this better I’ll go to the edit mode of this plane and you can see here that if I select this particular vertex then the number of faces adjacent to it is two the first one is this face and the second one is this face however if I select this Edge at the corner then this one is having only one adjacent or the neighboring face so the face count for this Edge will be one and the face count for this Edge will be two in the same way if I select any of these edges then you can clearly see that there is no face adjacent to these edges as a result their face count will be equal to zero so we can use the edge neighbors node in order to tell the set position node that we want the changes to be applied only on some particular edges having a specific number of face count so if I come out of the edit mode and in the geometry nodes editor if we add the compare node by pressing shift plus a going to to the utilities and in math select the compare node and if I drop it over here then now I can use it to create a connection between the HED neighbors node and the set position node so first of all since the number of faces is an integer so I’ll change the input type from float to integer then I’ll change the operation to equal and now I’ll connect the face count to the value a and connect the result to the selection socket in the set position node now what it will basically do is that it will check that which particular Edge has a face count equal to the value of B which is zero and then whatever changes I do in the set position node will be applied to only those set of of edges right now since the value of B is zero and as we already discussed that the duplicate edges that we created here are having a face count of zero so if I go to the offset and try to change it then you will notice that only the position of these edges is changing which are having a face count equal to zero similarly if I increase the value of B to one then in this case the offset is being applied to all those edges who are having a face count equal to one and since we already observed that all the corner edges were having only one adjacent face as a result they were having a face count equal to one now if we increase the value of B from 1 to two then in this case the edges except the one at the corner and the duplicates are now being affected due to the change in offset values and this is how the edge neighbors node work it will simply count the number of faces which are adjacent to any particular Edge and then will allow you to make the changes accordingly and now I’ll delete this by pressing X press zero on the numpad to go to the camera view and this brings us to the end of this chapter in this chapter we learned about a lot of different nodes and use them to create this hilly area along with this River then we even created this simple boat and place it [Music] here in this chapter and the upcoming chapter we’ll be learning about lots of new geometry nodes and we’ll use them to create this amazing scene of a candy world in blender and for this chapter we’ll be starting with the understanding of all of these geometry nodes so to begin with let’s first open the geometry nodes workspace from here and with this Cube selected go to the geometry nodes editor and click on the new button now the first node that we’ll be exploring today is the geometry to instances node so to add it press shift plus a go to geometry and select the geometry to instance node let’s place it over here and one thing to keep in mind is that this geometry to instances node is very similar to The Joint geometry node you can see that just like the joint geometry node this one is also having an oval-shaped socket as the input which means that you can connect multiple inputs to it to understand it practically I will add another mesh in the scene by using geometry nodes so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives you can randomly select any mesh primitive for now I’ll be choosing the cone and place it over here if I take this mesh socket and connect to the geometry then you will notice that we are now able to see both the original Cube whose information is stored in this group input node as well as the cone that we added in the geometry nodes editor but you might be thinking that the same function could be performed by joint geometry node as well because if I press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry from here and then if I break the node Connection in between these two nodes and the geometry to instance by holding control right clicking and dragging like this and instead if I connect both of them to the Joint geometry node and then connect it to the output then in this case also you are getting a similar result however there was one slight difference which you might have noticed here with the joint geometry note connected both of these geometries meaning the cube and The Cone are joined together into a single geometry however in case of the geometry to instance node both the geometries are not converted into a single geometry but instead they’re converted into different instances so if I press contrl plus Z to undo 6 to seven times then with this geometry to instance note connected to the geometries you can see here that this cone is a separate instance object and the cube is a separate instance object and this was not the case when we were using the joint geometry node for now I’ll delete this join geometry node from here and since we are using the geometry to instance node you can remember it in this way that it takes these geometries as the input and the output is in the form of instance now moving ahead I can use these instances to be placed at different points by using the instance on points node so let’s understand this also by pressing shift plus a in the instance select the instance on points and we’ll drop it after the geometry to instance node right now this instance socket is connected to the points but we’ll disconnect it from here and connect it to the instance now suppose you want that this instances should be placed on the points of a plane then for this we’ll be connecting the grid node to the point socket so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the grid node let’s drop it over here and we’ll connect it to the point socket now let’s scale up the Grid in the X and Y AIS from here so we’ll change it to something like seven or 8 and if I turn on the pick instance option here then now you will notice that the different geometries meaning the cube and The Cone are now being placed as separate instances on the points of the plane and I turned on the pick instance so that no two objects are placed over each other and see this is the advantage of adding the geometry to instance node if I would have used the joint geometry node then in that case it would have joined the two geometries into a single one and we would obtain the result where all the points are having the same instance which is the cube joint with the cone now moving ahead let’s create some candies for the candy world scene and for this press X to relate all of this and first we’ll be making a lollipop so let’s add a cylinder by pressing shift plus a then in the mesh select the cylinder from here tab into the edit mode press s and Zed and scale it down like this let’s come out of the edit mode and turn turn on the render view from here now to give it some material let’s go to the material properties and create a new material we’ll change its name to lollipop and press enter to confirm now let’s go to the Shader editor from here and we’ll be creating a material like this one for the lollipop and for this we’ll be using a completely new node which we have not yet used for creating any material in this course and it is the gradient texture node to understand it we’ll first add it in the Shader editor so press shift plus a go to texture and here we have the gradient texture so let’s select it and place it over here press crl + P to connect it to the texture coordinate and the mapping node to view the texture on the cylinder hold down control shift and left click on the gradient texture now just like always I’ll take the object socket and connect it to the vector and here you can see that it’s creating this gradient texture and it looks like this because we have selected the linear gradient type here if I change this gradient type to something else like diagonal or spherical then you will notice that the gradient is being applied according to that specific type you can understand it in this way that with the help of gradient texture it will basically show you the mixing of two colors and by by default the colors are black and white so in this case on the outer side of the face you are having this black color and as you approach the middle the color slowly turns into white similarly if I change it to radial then in this case it will take the Zed axis into consideration and the change in color will be from black to white in a circle like this now one more thing to notice here is that in one of the previous chapters I told you that in blender the black color is represented by zero and the white color is represented by a value of one so you can also say that here the value is equal to zero and as you complete the circle then in the end the value is equal to 1 but suppose you want to change this ending value like maybe you want to create a texture where the value changes from 0 to 0.5 and to achieve this result we’ll be using a math node with a special operation known as ping pong operation to add it here press shift plus a go to converter and select the math node drop it over here and change the operation from add to the ping pong here so I’ll select this and now with the scale value I can choose that particular value of the color at the ending position for example if I change the scale to one then it’s the same default result which shows the texture from a value of 0 to 1 and if I change the scale to zero then now everything will turn black because the gradient texture will Now operate from a value of zero which is the black color and will also end on zero which is again the black color so you can change the scale value to anything between 0 and 1 but for now I’ll change it back to the default one now to multiply this effect or basically get more of this texture here we’ll simply add another math node with the multiply operation so with this one selected I’ll press shift plus d and place it over here change the function to multiply and now I can increase the this value to multiply the effect so let’s keep it to a value of 10 and this is how it looks now the texture is basically going from 0 to 1 then because of the multiply node it again goes from 0 to 1 and similarly this happens three more times now moving ahead let’s also give some colors to this lollipop and we’ll be using the color ramp node for this so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here and change the interpolation type to constant now we’ll be using this color Ram to set three different colors for the pattern of the lollipops in such a way that whenever I create a duplicate of it we get a different color each time so for this I’ll first change this black color by increasing the brightness and let’s keep it to the blue color now let’s select the white pointer and change its color to the green color and to add one more color in this color ramp click on the plus icon and change the color to red color this time now let’s properly place them so that all the three colors are evenly distributed in the color ramp node and yes there’s also one shortcut by using which you can evenly distribute these pointers which is to click on this drop down and select distribute stops from left and now they will get distributed at equal positions from each other now I’ll be adding another color ramp which we will be using in order to change the thickness of this pattern so press shift plus a go to converter and add the color ramp let’s place it in between this ping-pong node and the material output and change the interpolation to constant now if I select the white pointer and move it like this then you will notice that I can easily change the pattern of the lollipop so we’ll be using the first color Ram to give some colors to it and the second color Ram to change the pattern of the lollipop now in order to mix both of them we’ll be using the mixed color node so press shift plus a go to color and select the mixed color node let’s drop it over here we’ll connect this color ramp with the different colors to the color B and now we have this red color applied to this lollypop however if I create a duplicate of this object by pressing shift plus d then you will notice that this one is also having the same color but to assign different colors to each of the duplicates we’ll be using the object info node so press shift plus a go to input and select the object info node from here and in this node you can see that we have a random socket so if I connected to the factor then this will give a random color to the pattern each and every time we create a duplicate so now if I press shift plus d to create a duplicate then this one is having a red color and similarly if I do it one more time then this one is having the green color so this was the use of the random socket in the object info node for now I’ll delete both of these duplicates by pressing X and let us select this one now to give it a 3D bump effect I’ll first connect the principal bstf here and to add the bump node press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node let’s place it over here and connect it to the normal in the principal bsdf for the input we’ll be using the noise texture node so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture from here and we’ll be connecting it to the height socket of the bump node now I’ll take the object socket in the texture coordinate node and connect it to the vector in the noise texture let’s also change the scaling and the strength of the bump effect so first of all I’ll increase the scaling to something like 14 15 let’s reduce the strength of the bump effect to a very low value like 0.1 or maybe 0.05 let’s go to the top view in order to see the material properly and to make it look shinier I’ll go to the roughness option in the principal bsdf and let’s reduce it to something like 0.1 and now it is having a very shiny surface is now for the Stick of the lollipop go to the edit mode press shift plus a and add a cylinder let’s scale it down in the X and Y AIS simultaneously so press s and shift plus Z and scale it down like this left click to finalize and to rotate it press r y and type 90 in order to rotate it by 90° in the Y AIS press G and x and move it over here then left click to finalize and to assign it a specific material go to the material properties click on the plus button and let’s create a new material so I’ll change the base color to something like Brown let’s reduce the brightness from here and and make the base color dark brown then click on the assign button and now let’s come out of the edit mode now if you want that the lollipop should be more curved or rounded then for this you can use the bevel modifier to apply it go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the bevel modifier now I can use the amount value here in order to change the amount of bevel so I’ll keep it to something like 0.05 and now this is how this lollipop is looking in the scene now moving ahead we’ll also be creating a gumdrop candy you must have seen it it has these small sugar crystals over it and to model it in Ender we’ll first add a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube press G and Y and move it over here and now we’ll be applying the subdivision surface modifier so go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in generate select the subdivision surface let’s increase the levels viewport to a value of two and this is how it looks now to make it look smooth simply right click and select shade smooth and to give it a shape like a gumdrop candy tab into the edit mode press control+ R to create a loop cut then left click and move it down like this and once you finalize the position left click to confirm and now let’s create the material for it so go to the Shader editor again click on the new button now to get random colors for each Gumdrop candy we’ll be using a color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here and change the interpolation type to constant now I’ll change the color of the black pointer by increasing the brightness from here and for the first one I’ll be selecting the pink color then I’ll select the second pointer and for this one we’ll be choosing the green color to add another color click on the plus button and change its color to the yellow color this time and yes one more thing you can select select any random colors here it’s not mandatory that you have to select only these particular colors for the Gumdrop now to distribute these pointers evenly I’ll click here and select distribute stops from left now I’ll take this color socket and connect it to the base color and to get a random color each time you create a duplicate let’s add the object info node so press shift plus a go to input and select the object info node let’s drop it over here and connect the random socket to the color Ram now if I create a duplicate of this then we’ll get different random colors for now I’ll delete the duplicate and select the original one again now to give it a 3D bump effect go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node let’s stop it over here and connect it to the normal in the principal bsdf for the input we’ll be using the noise texture node so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s drop it over here and connect the factor to the height socket now to make sure that the texture is properly applied I’ll select the noise texture press ctrl+ T in order to get the texture coordinate and the mapping node now just like always connect the object socket to the vector and this is how the bump effect looks now I will reduce the strength in the bump node to something like 0.1 or 0 08 let’s also change the scaling in the noise texture in order to give it a random look so we’ll keep the scaling to something like 11 12 and this is how it looks it now has this light bump effect applied to it and now to distribute some sugar crystals all over this object we’ll go to the geometry nodes editor from here and click on the new button now press shift plus a go to point and select distribute points on faces we’ll drop it over here now to place sugar crystals as the instances in place of these points we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it over here now everything will disappear because we have not connected anything to the instance so let’s make the sugar crystals to be used as the instance here so in the 3D view Port press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube press G and Y and move it over here and to make it look like sugar crystals we’ll go to the material properties from here click on the new material and we’ll be making it transparent so go to the transmission and increase the weight to a value of one now since we are in the EV render engine so we need to do some more changes in order to get the material properly so first of all turn on the screen space reflection from here and if I click on it then here I have the option of refraction so I’ll turn this on as well now go to the material properties scroll down and open the settings change the blend mode from opaque to Alpha blend and turn on the rate race refraction to view the sugar crystals on the candy I’ll select this Cube from here which is basically the Gumdrop candy that we created and to use the sugar crystal as the instance I’ll select this cube. 001 and drag it into the geometry nodes editor now take this geometry socket and connect it to the instance to view it properly let’s go to the solid mode and you can see that the size of the instances is too high so we’ll change the scaling from here so I’ll select all the three axis and reduce it to something like 0.02 and to view the candy along with the crystals we’ll be adding The Joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node let’s place it over here now take the geometry socket in the group input node which is carrying the information about the original candy and drop it into the geometry socket of the joint geometry node let’s go to the render view again and this is how this Gumdrop candy along with the sugar crystals is looking right now let’s also increase the number of these sugar crystals from from the density option here so let’s keep it to something like 40 or 50 and this is how it looks if you want to get a better view of the candy then go to the render properties and change the render engine to Cycles now one more thing that you can see here is that the shadows of these sugar crystals are visible on the candy and to solve this problem simply select this bigger sugar crystal that we created go to the object properties from here then in the visibility you have the ray visibility and here one of the options is Shadow so if I turn it off the shadows of sugar crystals will no more appear however to bring it into effect for these instances as well simply select the candy and in the object info node carrying the sugar crystals turn on the as instance option and now you can see that the Shadows of the sugar crystals are no more present on the candy so basically you can use the as instance option if you want that the change you did to the main object should also be applied to the instances and with this these two candies are now completely ready and we’ll be placing them on different points of a plane so for this I will first select this sugar crystal and hide it in the viewport as well as the rendered version then I’ll select both of these candies press G and Y and place them over here now pressure plus a go to mesh and select the plane go to the geometry nodes editor and click on the new button now tab into the edit mode right click and select subdivide and let’s also scale it up like this now come out of the edit mode to place these candies as the instances on different points of the plane we’ll first add the instance to points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it over here now we’ll bring the object info node for both the candies so I’ll first select this Cube which is the gum drop and drop it over here similarly I’ll go for the cylinder which is the lollipop left click and drag it over here now since we need to use both the objects as the instances so we’ll be using the geometry to instances node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the geometry to instance drop it over here connect this geometry socket to the geometry to instances similarly connect this one also and now take this instances socket and connect it to the instance here right now they are being placed over each other because we have turned on the pick instance option so I’ll turn it on and now we have the two candies placed as instances on different points of the plane let’s also reduce their size from the scale option slightly so let’s keep it to 0.9 and this is how it looks now now now moving ahead we’ll be creating the basee where we’ll place all these candies so for this let’s add a grid node here so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the grid node let’s place it over here and now we’ll connect it to the point socket in the instance on points node let’s also increase the size of the plane from here so we’ll keep it to something like six or seven now in order to view the plane along with these instances or basically the candies let’s add the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node place it over here and connect the mesh socket of the grid node to the Joint geometry now here we have this plane in the scene now if you remember when we were making mountains in some previous chapters in order to convert a plane into a mountain we were using the noise texture node in the geometry nodes editor we used it to displace the vertices in a particular direction and make hill-like structures so just like the noise texture we can also use some other textures like the Warner texture in order to create some random pattern on this plane so for this we first need to add the set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in right select the set position position node let’s place it over here and now also connect this geometry socket to the point socket in the instance on points now we’ll be using this offset socket and we connect it to the Warner texture in order to see its effect on this plane so press shift plus a go to texture and select the Warner texture let’s place it over here now I’ll take the distance socket and connect it to the offset and now if I change the angle then you can see that the vertices of this plane are now slightly displaced the reason why the effect of this Warner texture is very low is that the number of vertices in the grid is set to a very low number number so let’s increase it to a much higher value like 24 and because the number of vertices has increased as a result the number of these instances are basically these candies on different points of the plane has also increased to solve this problem we will use the random value node and connect it to the selection socket so press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value node let’s place it over here we’ll change the data type from float to Boolean and if I connect the value socket to the selection in the instance on points the number of these instances or the candies will reduce and that’s because the probability value in the random value node is set to 0.5 meaning that for each point the probability or the chances of having a candy placed at that vertex will be equal to 0.5 so to further reduce the number of these instances I’ll reduce the probability to a very low number like 0.05 and now we only have these few candies in the scene in order to view and understand the Warner texture properly on the plane I’ll reduce this probability value again and we’ll keep it to something like 0.01 for now now you can see here that the effect of this Warner texture is too high right now to reduce it simply go to the scale value and let’s bring it down to something like 0.5 and this is how it looks now right now the effect of the Warner texture node is being applied in all the three axis however to get this effect only in The Zed axis we have to use the combin XY Z node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the combined XY Z node let’s place it over here and to connect this socket to The Zed axis first I’ll break this node connection and then I’ll take the distance socket of the Warner texture and connect it to the Z axis so with this we have the effect of the Warner texture node applied to the of this plane in Only The Zed axis now if you want to increase the size of this plane first I’ll select these two candies let’s hide them by pressing H and if you want to hide them even from the render view then click on these camera buttons now to increase the size of this plane go to the grid node and let’s increase the size to something like 25 and let’s also increase the number of vertices here so I’ll select the vertices in the x and y axis and let’s increase it to a much higher number like 70 or 80 and this is how it looks the plane is having the Warner texture applied to it and the number of candies have increased because we have increased the number of vertices from here now to improve the lighting in the scene I’ll select this lamp and we’ll change its type from point to Sun let’s reduce the strength of this light from here so let’s keep it to a value of 10 or maybe let’s reduce it to five and then to adjust the rotation of this light press R and move your cursor like this then left click to finalize now one more problem that we have in the scene is that these candies are not placed properly like all of them are passing through the plane and to fix this problem we first need to get the original candies back in the scene so go to the scene collection let’s unhide them from here and I’ll be selecting both of them from the scene collection so I’ll select the cube which is the Gumdrop candy hold down the control button and select the cylinder which is the original lollipop now press G and Y and place it over here and now to move these instances upwards I’ll select the Gumdrop first tab into the edit mode press a to select all then move it upwards by pressing G and Zed and in this way when I move it in the edit mode all the instances will also begin to move in the Zed axis so let’s finalize this position by left clicking and then come out of the edit mode now I’ll select this lollipop tab into the edit mode press a to select all and we simply need to rotate it but if I press r y and rotate it like this then you can see that the texture that we applied on the lollipop is also getting changed so to solve this problem first I’ll undo the rotation come out of the edit mode select this plane and in the geometry nodes editor you can see that we have this object info node with the cylinder selected which is the lollipop so to rotate it we’ll be using the transform geometry node and connect it after the object info node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the transform geometry node let’s place it over here and now if I try to change the rotation like this you will notice that the texture is still getting changed so simply go to the object info node and turn on the as instance option and after this we’ll get back the original texture now in the rotation I’ll change the value in the Y AIS and round off it to – 90° and let’s also bring it upwards in The Zed axis so I’ll keep it to something like 2.5 and this is how it looks now I think that there are too many candies in the scene so I’ll change the probability from the random value note and we’ll reduce it to something like 0.5 and we now have lesser number of candies now moving ahead at the center of this plane we’ll be making a cotton candy tornado and to create the basic structure of the tornado we’ll be using a node which is the curv spiral node to add it over here press shift plus a go to curve and in Primitives select the curve spiral let’s place it over here to view the curve spiral in the scene hold on control shift and left click on the curve spiral node let’s also go to the solid mode for now and here we have the simple curve spiral added in the scene now the first option that you have in this curve spiral node is the resolution which is basically the number of points in the curv spiral node higher the resolution smoother will be the curve spiral and it will have a much better look then the next option that you have is the rotations and it simply means the number of rotations in a fixed length of the Spiral right now let’s increase it to something like five then here you have the start radius option which basically means the radius of the start of the curve or simply the bottom area then you have the end radius and it means the radius of the end of the curve spiral or simply the radius of the top area then the next parameter is the height and as the name suggests it controls the height of the curve spiral and now by default the rotation of the curve spiral is clocked Wise from the beginning however if I turn on this reverse option the direction of rotation will be reversed and now it will be anticlockwise from the beginning of the Spiral for now let’s turn off the reverse option and to convert it into a tornado we first need to give some thickness to it as a result we’ll be adding the curve to mesh node here so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the curve to mesh node let’s place it over here and for the profile curve we’ll be using the curve Circle node and connect it over here so press shift plus a again go to curve and in Primitives select the curve Circle node let’s place it over here and and connect it to the profile curve now to reduce the thickness go to the curve Circle node and reduce the value of radius from here so we’ll keep it to something like 0.4 and now let’s view it with the rest of our scene so for this we’ll be connecting this curve to mesh node to the Joint geometry and let’s also delete the viewer node from here and now here we have the curve spiral placed at the center now to move it up and change the scaling of this tornado we’ll be using the transform geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the transform geometry node connect it after the curve to M node and the US the translation in The Zed axis we will change its position so let’s increase it and move it upwards like this let’s also make it slightly bigger with the help of the scale values in the transform geometry node so let’s increase it to something like two or three now to make it look like a real tornado let’s first reduce the start radius from here so we’ll keep it to something like 0.2 or 0.3 let’s also reduce the end radius value from here and if you want to make it bigger in terms of height then you can also increase the height parameter from here and now we have the basic structure of the cotton candy tornado ready in the scene now let’s also go to the render View and right now only its shape is resembling the tornado to make it look like a real tornado we need to convert it from a mesh into volume so for this we’ll be using the mesh to volume node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh to volume node let’s place it over here after the transform geometry node now this tornado is slightly visible in the scene however we need to increase the density and the number of rotations in order to make it properly visible so first of all go to the rotations and increase it something like 10 so I’ll change it to value of 10 10 now let’s reduce the height to something like 2 m let’s also go to the scale parameter in the transform geometry node and slightly increase it to something close to a value of three then to increase the density of the volume you can go to the mesh to volume node here and increase the density to something like 2 or three and with this the tornado almost looks ready however it’s up
to you how you want to change these values you can keep the number of rotations to any value which you think will look the best similarly you can change the start radius value from here or maybe the end radius value like this you can even control the height of the Spiral from here then you have the scaling options here so you can adjust these values yourself now to make it look like a cotton candy tornado we’ll be giving it some material so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node let’s drop it after the mees to volume node then go to the material properties click on the new button and let’s change the name of this material to Cotton Candy go to the set material node and select the cotton candy material now in order to create the cotton candy material we have to change the window to the Shader editor and now we’ll be using the principal volume node so I’ll delete the principal bsdf press shift Plus a go to Shader and select the principal volume Shader let’s place it over here and now I’ll connect the volume socket to the volume in the material output let us change the color from here so let’s change it to pink color increase the brightness from here and adjust the color like this now go to the emission strength and we’ll be using this emission strength and the emission color in order to create a slight emission effect around the tornado so I’ll go to the emission strength and we have to give it a very small value like 0.01 and for the emission color we’ll set the same pink color that we assigned here so with my cursor over this pink color I’ll press crl + C and to paste this color in the emission color I’ll take my cursor over this white area and press crl + V I think that we should reduce the emission strength to a much lower number like 0.005 and with this we have a simple tornado with slight pink emission effect added around it now the next thing that we’ll do here is to distribute these candies on different points on the faces of tornado and to achieve this result we’ll open the geometry noes editor again and first we’ll be adding the distribute points on faces node so press shift plus a go to point and select the distribute points on face place it over here and since it takes only the mesh as an input as a result we can’t connect it using the volume node in the mesh to volume so I’ll take the geometry socket in the transform geometry node and connect it to the mesh now to view the points on the tornado take the point socket and connect it to the geometry in the joint geometry node now here we have these points distributed on the different faces of the tornado to reduce the number of these points you can reduce the value in the density parameter to something like 0.5 or 1 and now the number of these points has reduced now to replace these points with the IES we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it over here after the distribute points on faces now if you remember at the beginning of this chapter we learned about the geometry to instance node and we used it here in order to convert these candies into different instances then we used it on the instance on points node to place them at different points on the plane as instances and for the tornado also I’ll be using the instance socket in the geometry to instance node and will connect it to the instance socket in this instance to points node now first of all let’s go to the density value and reduce it to something like 0.01 now even though the density is reduced however you can clearly see that there are no candies placed around the tornado all of them are appearing on the top of the tornado and this is because we reduce the density in the distribute points on faces and it is not the best way if you ever want to reduce the number of instances being placed on the points of faces if you remember we used the random value node with the Boolean and connected it to the instance one points in order to fix the probability of these can candies appearing on the plane and similarly we’ll be using the same node in order to place these candies as the instances on different points of the tornado so let’s create its duplicate by pressing shift plus d and let’s place it over here we’ll connect it to the selection socket in the instance on points let’s also increase the density in the distribute points on faces node so we’ll increase it to a value of 10 and then to reduce the number of these instances I’ll go to the probability parameter in the random value node and let’s keep it to something like 0.002 and this is how it looks we now have these candies placed at different points on the faces of the tornado but now the number of these instances is too high so I’ll directly go to the value of density and reduce it to something like five and let’s also increase the probability to something like 0.003 or 0.4 and finally this is how the scene looks now we have this tornado with the candies around it and right now all of these candies are having the same rotation which is their original rotation and to give some random rotation to each one we’ll use the random value node so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here change the data type to to vector and connect the value socket to the rotation in the instance on points to increase the randomness select all the three maximum values and let’s increase it to something like 10 so you can try to change these values like the density the probability and the amount of Randomness in the rotation by using the maximum values the higher the number in the maximum more will be the randomness in the rotation of candies then to generate a different output with the same value of rotation you can go to the seed option and if I change it then it will generate a different result now let’s do one more thing which is to improve the lighting in the scene so I’ll select this light in the same collection press shift plus d to create a duplicate and move it in the X Direction like this let’s also move it in the Y AIS and place it over here now press R to rotate the light and left click to finalize let’s reduce the strength of this light to something like two or three and now this is how our candy world is looking right now now moving ahead the next topic of today’s chapter is understanding the separate components node so first let’s add it in the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations here we have the separate components node so I’ll select it and place it over here in this node you can see that it takes geometry as an input and provides output in the form of mesh curve Point Cloud volume and instances in simple words it helps to separate the different components of geometry so if I go to the Joint geometry node and place the separate components node after the joint geometry node then in this case it will only display that component which is connected to the output in this case the mesh is selected as a result it is showing only the mesh component of the object similarly if I connect the volume then in this case it will only show the volume component which is the tornado then if I connect the instance to the output then now here we have all the instances are basically these candies being displayed in the scene so you can use the separate components node if you ever want to separate the different components of an object into mesh instances volume Etc and then you can work on that specific component easily however for now we’ll remove the separate components node by pressing X and let’s connect the joint geometry to the group output again and now it’s the time to understand the last concept of today’s chapter which is the sample index node to understand it we’ll be adding a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube press G and x and move it over here let’s also turn on the solid mode from here and now with this Cube selected go to the geometry nodes editor and click on the new button now to add the sample index node press shift plus a go to geometry and in Sample select the sample index node let’s place it over here now the sample index node has the geometry socket as the input a value socket and the index parameter so it basically takes a geometry as an input and then it will retrieve a particular value based on the index number to understand it practically let’s connect it here now to view the Cube I’ll take the geometry socket in the group input and connect it to the group output and suppose you want to place a particular object on one of the vertex of this Cube like if I go to the geometry noes editor press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select a UV sphere let’s place it over here and now suppose I want this UV sphere to be placed at that position where a particular vertex of this cube is present but for that I need the exact position of that particular vertex and this is where the sample index note can help us since by default the point is selected as the domain therefore we can use use this node to retrieve some information or some value about that point which has an index equal to zero and since we need to calculate the position so we also need to change the data type from float to Vector now to tell this node that we want to retrieve the position we’ll be using the position node and connect it to the value socket so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the read category select the position node let’s place it over here and connect it to the value socket so now this sample index node will retrieve the position of that point of the cube whose index value is equal to zero and to use this value in order to place the UV sphere at that specific point of vertex we have to use the set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in right select the set position node let’s place it over here connect the mes socket to the geometry and for the output we’ll be using the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node let’s place it over here and to view the UV sphere I’ll take the geometry socket of the set position node and connect it here let’s switch to the wireframe mode in order to see both the cube and the UV sphere right now the offset values are set to 0 m as a result the UV is placed at the center of the cube however if I take the value socket of the sample index node which has the information about the position of that vertex of the cube which has an index equal to zero and connected to the offset then now you can see that the position of the UV sphere will change to that specific location where the vertex of the cube has an index value equal to zero similarly if I change the index value to one then the position of the UV sphere will change accordingly so this is the use of the sample index node however we won’t be practically using it in this chapter so for now I’ll delete this by pressing X and let’s go back to the the scene let’s also turn on the render View and this is how the final scene looks now today we understood lots of new Concepts in Geometry notes and even started with the creation of this candy world and yes with this we come to the end of this [Music] chapter in the previous chapter we begin with the creation of this candy world in blender with the help of geometry notes and in this chapter we’ll be understanding all these geometry notes in complete detail and we’ll also use them to finalize our scene so we are back in the scene that we created in the last chapter and in this one we’ll first start with understanding how the curves work in blender and that too by using geometry nodes so first of all I’ll switch to the solid mode and now you can add any object in the scene because we’ll then convert it into a curve by using geometry nodes so I will press shift plus a go to mesh and we’ll add a plane press G and x and move it over here to view it properly let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and now here we have the plane to understand the concept of Curves in blender let’s also add a curve object directly in the 3D viewp so press shift plus a go to curve and select the bzier curve press G and x and move it over here and now we have this bzier curve and this plane which will convert into a curve with the help of geometry nodes so go to the geometry nodes editor and click on the new button now to get a curve instead of the plane press shift plus a go to curve and in Primitives select the basier segment let’s place it over here and with this we have this default basier curve created with the help of geometry nodes now in this node we have many options which help us to control the curve for example the first one is the resolution which determines the number of points in the curve if I reduce it to a very low value then the number of points will reduce and as a result the curve looks straight however to make it look like a real Curve will increase the resolution now the next thing that you have here is the start and using this you can control the position of the starting control point of the curve to understand it in a better way I’ll select this basier curve tab into the edit mode and now here you can see that these are the two control points of the curve and whenever I select any particular control Point these two handles will also appear using which you can change the rotation of your curve similarly if I select this curve which we created with this Bia segment node and try to change the start values then you will notice that the position of the first control point will change similarly you have this end parameter which determines the position of the end control point of the curve so if I change it you will notice that the position of the end control point is changing to understand it in a better way I’ll select this curve tab into the edit mode and this is the control point that we were talking about so if I press G and x and move it like this you will get similar results which you got by using the end parameter in the basier segment node now in this node we have two more options the start handle and the end handle and these will help to define the shape of the curve by changing the position of the handles of the curve so if I go for the first one which is the start handle and try to change its position then you will notice that the shape of the Curve will change similarly if I select this curve tab into the edit mode then with this control Point selected if I try to move this handle in the x-axis then in this case you will get similar results then the next parameter that you have here is the end handle and this one allows you to control the position of the end handle handle of the curve so if I try to change the position like this in the y- AIS then the position of the end handle will change similarly if I select this one tab into the edit mode select this end control point then select this handle and move it upwards in the y- axis then in this case also you will get a similar result so in simple words you have two options to control the position of the control points which is the start and the end and then you have two more options to control the position of the handles which is the start handle and the end handle now one thing that you might notice here is that in the edit mode for any control point we have two handles one is on the left and the other one is on the right and to control these handles individually we have another node which is the set handle position node to add it in the geometry noes editor press shift plus a go to curve and in the right category select the set handle positions we’ll place it after the Bia segment node and now with this node I can control the left and the right handles of the control points of the curve separately so from this option you can control that the changes should be applied to which particular handle the left handle or the right handle then to make the changes you can go to the offset socket and try to change the value right now by default the left handle is selected so whatever changes I make in the offset will be applied to the left handles so suppose I change the second value which is the Y AIS to something like three and then to achieve the same result manually with this curve I’ll select it tab into the edit mode then first I’ll select this control point and this handle is the left handle of the control point so to achieve the same result as this one I’ll move it upwards in the Y AIS by 3 m then I’ll select this control Point select the left handle and we’ll move this one also by 3 m in the V axis so press g y and 3 and then enter to confirm now we have moved both the left Handles in the Y AIS by 3 m and you can see that we got the same result which we created with the help of this geometry node so by using the set handle positions node you can simply control the structure of the curve by changing the offset of the left and right handles and now let’s come back to the scene so I’ll delete these two curves from here and now we’ll begin with the creation of a cupcake for our scene so let’s first add a cylinder and then we’ll modify into a cupcake so press shift plus a go to mesh and add the cylinder press GX and place it over here now let’s tab into the edit mode then to scale it up in the X and Y axis press s and shift plus Z and scale it up like this then left click to finalize now to make it look better I’ll select the top Edge Loop by holding alt and left clicking here and we’ll apply the bevel effect by pressing control+ B and moving my cursor away like this now press three for the face select mode select the top face press G and Zed and move it down like this now for the top part press I to insert the face e to extrude it in the Zed AIS like this press I to insert again and let’s move the this face slightly upwards in The Zed axis so we’ll keep it to something like this now let’s apply the subdivision surface modifier to it so let’s come out of the edit mode go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in generate select the subdivision surface let’s increase the level view port to something like two and to make it look realistic again T into the edit mode press crl plus r to add a loop cut here then left click and we’ll place it downwards here let’s add one more Loop cut by pressing crl plus r then left click and place it over here now let’s also scale up this part at the top so for this press three for the face select then I’ll select this top face and to increase the selection press control and the numpad plus button like this then press s and scale it up like this let’s also move it slightly downwards so press g z and move it down like this now let’s also add some whipped cream at the top and for this we’ll be using the spiral node in the geometry nodes editor so click on the new button so press shift plus a go to curve and in Primitives select the curve spiral node let’s place it over here and to view the spiral in the scene hold on control shift and left click on this node now to convert it into a mesh We’ll add the curve to mesh node so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the curve to MH node let’s place it over here and for the profile curve we’ll be using the curve Circle node so press shift plus a again go to curve and in Primitives select the curve Circle node place it over here and connect the curve socket to the profile curve now let’s reduce the radius from here so we’ll keep it to something like 0.3 or 0.4 then because we making the whipped cream so we need it to be inverted and for this I’ll change the height from postive 2 m to something like minus1 and now we have inverted the height then to make it look like whipped cream I’ll go to the start radius value and try to change it similarly we’ll also change the end radius like this so you can try to change these values like the height the start and the end radius in the curve spiral node and then the radius parameter in the curve Circle node also to fill this empty space at the starting and the end you can turn on the fill caps from here now to place it on the top of the cupcake we can use the distribute points on faces node however since we understood about the sample index node in the previous chapter so we’ll be using that node to place it on the top of the cupcake and yes it will be like a a homework for you to tell in the comments how you would have used the distribute points on faces node to place this on the top of the cupcake but for now let’s add the sample index node here so press shift plus a go to geometry and in Sample select the sample index node let’s place it over here now to view both the cupcake and this whipped cream in the scene we’ll be adding The Joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node place it over here connect the geometry socket to the Joint geometry then take the mesh socket of the curve to mesh node and connect it to the Joint geometry to view the output I I take the geometry socket here and connect it to the group output then I’ll delete the viewer note from here and now here we have the cupcake and the whipped cream placed below it and in order to place it on this top face we’ll be using the sample index node now we want to get the position of the top face so first of all I’ll change the data type to Vector then in the domain I’ll select the face and to retrieve the information about the position of the face I’ll be connecting the value socket to the position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the position node place it over here and connect it to the value socket then to place the whipped cream at that particular location which it will give as the output we’ll first add the set position node after this so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the right category select the set position node let’s place it over here and connect the value socket of the sample index node to the offset in the set position and now the whipped cream will get placed at the position of the face having the index value equal to zero now one way to know the index value of the top face is to keep on changing the index value from here and wait till you reach the top but a better way is to go to the edit option here then go to the preferences then in interface turn on the developer extras option now I close this window now tab into the edit mode and here on the top you will find this icon which is the mesh edit mode so if I select it then here in the developer category I have this option of turning on the indexes and this will display the index number of any selected vertex Edge or face so I’ll turn it on and now here you can see that since I have selected this top face so it is also displaying the index number of the selected pH so I’ll use this index number in the index parameter here and it looks like this because the subdivision surface modifier is place above the geometry nodes modifier to fix this click here then drag it and place it below the geometry nodes modifier and now the whipped cream is placed on the position of this top face to get back the node system select the geometry nodes modifier from here and now to move it upwards we’ll be using the transform geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the transform geometry node place it after the set position node and now if I go to the translation in the Z axis and try to increase it you will notice that the position of the whipped cream is also changing now to place it perfectly we’ll do some some changes in the parameters of the Spiral node and also the transform geometry so first of all we’ll move it slightly downwards in The Zed axis so that this ending part of the whipped cream is not visible so go to the translation in The Zed axis and reduce it slightly to something like 0.6 M then to increase the number of rotations I’ll go to the rotation value here and let’s increase it to something like four and now because this part of the whipped cream is intersecting with the cupcake so I’ll go to the end radius and slightly reduce it to something like 1.05 or 1.06 and this is how it looks now let’s all also make it colorful by adding some material to it so turn on the render view then in the geometry nodes editor we’ll add the set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node we’ll place it after the transform geometry node and we’ll use it to assign the material to the whipped cream so go to the material properties click on the new button and since we have selected the original cupcake therefore this default material will get applied to the lower part of the cupcake so if I go to the base color and try to change the color from here then that specific color will get applied to this part of the cupcake however for the cre part we need to create a new material again and assign this material. 004 with the help of the set material node so I’ll click here and select the material. 004 let us change the color of this material to something like pink and for the lower part of the cupcake I will change this window to the Shader editor From Here and Now for giving it some texture we’ll be using the magic texture node so press shift plus a go to texture and select the magic texture let’s place it over here and connect the color socket to the base color now you can change the texture with the help of the depth parameter from here and if you want to reduce the color or add only some specific color to the texture then for this you can add the color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp place it over here and now with the help of these pointers we can adjust the color of the texture so first of all change the interpolation mode to constant then I’ll change the color of the first pointer by increasing the brightness and I’ll change it to light blue color then for the second color select this pointer let’s move it over here and I’ll change its color to the yellow color and if you want to change the scaling of the texture then select the magic texture press crl plus T to add the texture coordinate and the mapping node then take the object socket and connect it to the vector and now if I reduce the scale to something like one then now the texture looks like this so you can try to change the scale or the position of these pointers or their colors from here and in this way you can make your texture look better right now it looks perfect so we’ll finalize this however one more thing to notice here is that the texture that we created for the outside part of the cupcake is also applied to this part below the whipped cream and to fix this tab into the edit mode and with the stop face selected press control and numpad plus to increase the selection then I’ll go go to the material properties select this pink material and click on the sign button and now you can see that we have all the materials perfectly applied to the cupcake now let us also finalize our scene so go to the solid mode press 7 to go to the top view and we’ll be placing this cupcake on different places of this candy world so press G and move it over here press shift plus d to create a duplicate and let’s place this one over here similarly let’s create one more duplicate place it here and one last duplicate at this point now we have placed these four cupcakes in our candy world and let’s also move them slightly upward so press gz and move it up like this let’s do the same with this one so press gz and move it over here then I’ll select this one press gz and place it upwards and in the end I’ll select this cupcake press G and Zed and move it over here and with this our scene is now completely ready so let’s go to the render View and let us do one more thing which is to give some simple material to the base so I’ll select it go to the geometry nodes editor from here and if you remember we use this grid node connected to the set position to create this base and to assign the material I’ll take the set material node over here press shift plus d to create a duplicate and connect it after the set position node then go to the modify properties and create a new material let’s assign this material. 005 to the base of the candy world so click here and select the material. 005 now to modify the material we’ll go to the Shader editor from here and now to give it some random texture We’ll add the noise texture here so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture from here now press contrl + T to connect it to the texture coordinate and the mapping node and now I’ll take this Factor socket and connect it to the base color also take the object socket and connect it to the vector and now to give some color to the texture We’ll add the color Ram so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram place it after the noise texture change the interpolation to constant and now by using these pointers we can change the color of this texture so for the first color we’ll change it to the white color by increasing the brightness then for the second color we’ll change it to something like brown color so let’s take this over here then reduce the brightness in order to make it look like chocolate brown Now by changing the position of these pointers we can adjust the look of the texture also you can use the scale parameter in the noise texture in order to change the scaling of the texture so if I reduce it to something like one then this is how the texture looks let’s also bring the second pointer slightly here and now the texture looks perfect now to render the final image we’ll first place our camera at this position so for this press control alt and zero on the numpad then turn on the lock camera to view let’s adjust the camera properly and now this is how our final scene looks to render the image click on the render button and select the render image now this is the final rendered version if you want you can do more changes in the scene like try to increase the density of these candies try to change the texture on the base and in this way you can make your scene look better and with this we come to the end of this chapter today we learned about some new geometry nodes and we even finalized the [Music] scene in this chapter and the upcoming chapter we’ll be completing this scene and for today’s chapter we’ll be learning all these Topics in complete detail so the first topic for today’s chapter is understanding the scene time node so for this let’s first go to the geometry nodes workspace and in the geometry nodes editor click on the new button now we’ll be understanding the scene time node with the help of a UV sphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the UV sphere let’s place it over here now suppose we want to create an animation where this UV sphere scales up in the Zed axis so first of all I’ll be adding a transform geometry node by pressing shift plus a then in Geometry go to operations and select the transform geometry node let’s place it over here and now with the help of the scale values in this node I can control the scaling of the UV sphere now even though I can insert a key frame at the scale value in The Zed axis and create the entire animation manually by using the timeline editor but an easier way to do it is to use the scene time node so first of all let’s add it here so press shift plus a go to input and in scene select the scene time node let’s place it over here now I can use this scene time node in order to create the animation of the UV sphere scaling down in the Zed axis but before that let’s also add the combine XYZ node to control the scaling only in The Zed axis so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the combine XYZ node let’s place it over here and now I’ll take take the second socket of the seene time and connect it to the Zed axis then I’ll take the vector socket and connect it to the scale now what the seene time note does is that it simply creates an animation where the scaling in The Zed axis will increase from a value of zero to Infinity however to view the uis sphere in the scene I also need to change the values in the X and Y axis to one and now if I play the animation by pressing the space bar then you can clearly see that the scaling of the UV sphere is increasing from a value of zero in The Zed axis and this is because of the scene time node and because I connected the second socket in this node the animation will be created as per the seconds however if I take the pointer to the frame number one and now if I take the frame socket and connect it over here and play the animation again then you can clearly see that this time the animation is very fast and that’s because we have used the frame socket here so in most of the cases we’ll be using the second socket in order to get a realistic animation now the next node to understand is the quadrilateral node to add it over here first I’ll delete all these nodes by pressing X then press shift plus a go to curve and in Primitives select the quadrilateral node let’s place it over here and connect it to the group output now let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and so the quadrilateral is simply any closed shape which has four sides in fact you can change the type of quadrilateral from the mode option here so by default the first one which is the rectangle is selected and here you have the options like width and the height and using these values I can easily control the width and the height of the rectangle then the next available mode is the parallelogram and again I have the width and the height option and we have an additional option which is the offset parameter so by using the width I can control the width of the parallelogram then by using the height we’ll control the height of the parallelogram then from the offset value we can control the offset or basically the tilting of the parallelogram to the left or the right now the third mode available is the trapezoid and for those of you who don’t know what a trapezoid or a trapezium is it is basically a quadrilateral which has at least one pair of opposite sides parallel to each other now by using the height value we can control the height of the trapezoid in the Y AIS then we have the bottom width and if I change it then basically the width of the bottom side will change like this then the next option is the top width and by using it we can control the width of the top side of the trapezoid then we have the offset by which we can control the tilting of the trapezoid to the left or the right then we have the kite mode where I can change the width like this the bottom height and similarly the top height of this quadrilateral then we have the last option which is the points mode and you can use it to create any type of parallelogram simply by changing the position of the points for example in the point one if I try to change the position in the x-axis then you can see that the position of the first point will begin to change like this then you can do the same with the Y AIS or the Zed axis and yes you also have the option to change the position of all the four points of the Quad lateral now we’ll be creating this shield with the help of the quadrilateral node so first of all I’ll change the mode of the quadrilateral to kite and then to fill it we’ll be adding The Fill curves node so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the FI curve node let’s place it over here and I’ll change it to ends now in order to give some thickness to it we’ll be using the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the extrude mesh node let’s place it over here now we’ll reduce the offset scaling to something like 0.2 or 0.3 and this is how it looks now we have applied the Extrusion effect to the quadrilateral and now suppose you want to scale down this top face and for this we’ll be using the scale elements node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations here we have the scale elements node let’s place it after the extrude mesh node and now if I try to change the scale value then the entire mesh object will begin to scale up and down however to apply the scaling only to the top face I’ll take the top socket and connect it to the selection in the scale elements node and now if I try to reduce the scaling then in this case only the top face is getting scaled down now to give some interesting pattern to our Shield we’ll be using the Dual mesh node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the Dual mesh node let’s place it over here and as discussed in one of the previous chapters the Dual mesh node will convert the vertices into faces and the faces into vertices however to give it an interesting look I’ll split these edges and then scale down the faces so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the split edges node place it over here and to scale down the faces I take the scale elements node from here press shift plus b to create a duplicate and place it after the split edges node now let’s also increase the scaling to something like 0.9 or 0.92 and now it looks like this if you want to increase the number of vertices in the mesh and give it an even more realistic look then for this we can use the subdivide mesh node before the Dual mesh so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the subdivide mesh let’s place it over here and with this the number of vertices and the faces in the mesh has increased now to extrude these faces I’ll be adding the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the extrude mesh node let’s place it over here let’s reduce offset scaling to something like 0.1 or 0.2 and this is how the basic structure of The Shield is looking right now now to add the original quadrilateral below the shield with the subdivision applied we’ll be using the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node let’s place it over here and now I’ll connect the subdivide mesh node to the Joint geometry and now you can see here that we have the subdivided quadrilateral mesh placed below the shield now to ensure that the edges appear properly on the boundaries turn on the key boundaries in the Dual mesh node now one more thing you can see here that the bottom is not covered and to fix this problem we’ll simply connect the original quadrilateral with the fill effect because of the fill curve node to the Joint geometry now to give the shield some basic material we’ll be adding the set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node we’ll place it after the extrude mesh node and to create the material go to the material properties and we have this default material added here so let’s select it from the list in the set material node now let’s also do one more thing which is to rotate the shield and move it upwards in The Zed axis so press RX and type 90 let’s also move it upwards like this now to create the shield material I’ll first turn on the render view from here now for a better lighting I’ll select the light go to the object data properties and change the type of light from point to Sun let’s also reduce the strength to something like four or five then to move the Light press g y and place it over here let’s also move it in the x-axis and now to rotate the Light press R then X and rotate it like this and with this we have a proper Lighting in the scene let’s select the shield again and for the meting material I will change this window to the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor now if I zoom out then here we have the default material applied to the shield but to make it look like a realistic Shield I’ll change the base color to gray by reducing the brightness from here let’s also increase the metallic strength to a very high value like 0.9 or 1 now to give the texture a 3D look we’ll be using the bump node so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump let’s place it over here and connect it to the normal of the principal bstf then for the texture we’ll be using the noise texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture now we’ll connect the factor socket to the height then to connect the noise texture to the texture coordinate and the mapping node I’ll select the noise texture and then press cr+ T now just like always I’ll take the object socket and connect it to the vector let’s also reduce the scaling in the noise texture to something like 0.5 or 0.7 let’s also reduce the bump effect to something like .1 or2 let’s also increase the detailing to its maximum value of 15 and now this is how our Shield looks right now however you can notice some minor issues at the side of the shield and to fix them we’ll go back to the geometry nodes editor from here and I’ll change the Extrusion value in this node to something like 0.13 or 0.14 and now the shield looks perfect now moving ahead we’ll also be adding some glow at the back of the shield by creating another material and assigning that material to the back face so first of all I’ll go to the material properties and create a new material let’s also create a duplicate of the set material node by pressing shift plus 3 and drop it in between the subdivide mesh node and the joint geometry let’s also change the material to material. 001 and to get a glowing effect effect I’ll go to the emission let’s increase the emission strength to something like 10 let’s also change the color and I will be assigning the green color and now we have the glow effect applied to the back pH in order to view the glow properly I’ll go to the render properties and change the render engine to cycles and this is how our Shield is looking right now you can see that it has the metal at the front and from the back the green light is emerging for now I’ll change the render engine back to Eevee now moving ahead let’s also add a plain below it which will be the base of the landscape so press shift a go to mesh and select the plane and to control the scaling and then number of vertices of the plane from the geometry nodes editor simply add the grid node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the grid node let’s place it over here now let’s increase the size to something like 30 m let’s also increase the number of vertices in the X and Y axis to a much higher number like 100 and now we’ll be creating a path on the plane and we’ll be adding some fls on that path of the plane and for this we’ll be using the Hedge path to selection node if you remember in this chapter we learned about the edge parts to curve node and the node that we going to explore today is also very similar to the edge parts to curve node so to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the edge parts to selection node let’s place it over here so by using the start vertices socket we’ll tell this node about that particular vertex from where the path should begin so let’s add a compare and the index node for this so I’ll press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it over here then to add the index node press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the index node let’s place it over here now I’ll change the input type to integer and the operation to equal now now if I take the index socket and connect it to the value a and take the result socket and connect it to start vertices then in this case we are simply telling this H pass to selection node that the path should begin with the vertex having the index value equal to zero Now to create a shortest path between any two vertices we’ll be using the shortest Edge paths node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in read select the shortest Edge paths let’s place it over here now I’ll connect it to the next vertex index here and for the end vertex we’ll be creating a duplicate of these two nodes by pressing shift plus d and placing them over here we’ll be using them to define the index value of the end vertex so I’ll take the result socket and connect it over here now to view the path we’ll be distributing some points on that path so press shift plus a go to point and select the distribute points on faces let’s place it over here and now if I take the selection socket of the HED pass to selection node and connect it to the selection in the distribute points on faces then it will distribute the points only on the shortest path between the vertices having the index value as per these nodes right now the value of B in both the compare nodes is equal to zero and that’s why we can’t see any points here and now if I try to change the index on the end vertex then you will begin to notice hardly any points in the scene and this is because we need to connect something to the Edge cost in order to define the path and we’ll be connecting it to the random value node so press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value let’s place it over here and connect it to the Hedge cost now this random value node connected to the Hedge cost will give some random value between 0 and 1 and the Hedge cost will only consider the value which is lower and then it will make the path accordingly now to increase the number of points first I’ll go to the density and let’s increase it to something like 100 let’s also change the index value of the end vertex to something like 5,000 or 6,000 let’s also use the joint geometry node in order to view the plane along with the points so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node place it over here and connect the grid node to the Joint geometry now these points are distributed on this path and to modify it let’s again try to change the index value of the end vertex and I’ll keep it to something like 8,000 or 9,000 and this is how it looks now now let’s also create the fls to place at these points so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane press GX and place it over here now first of all we’ll be using the geometry nodes to convert This Plane into a star so click on the new button then press shift plus a go to curve and in primitive select the star node let’s place it over here and now you can see that the plane is converted into a star you can control the number of points from here then you can even control the inner radius or the outer radius and you have the twist parameter to create this amazing twist effect on the star now the reason for adding the star node is that we’ll be using it to make the Flow by adding the petals at the different points of the flour so for this let’s first make the flow petals so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane press GX and move it over here then go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad now to convert it into a petal tab into the edit mode press gy and let’s place it upwards now press two for the face select mode I’ll select the top face and to make the petal longer press gy and bring it up like this let’s also add some Loop Cuts so press crl plus r then left click and right click to finalize press one for the vertex select I’ll select this vertex press g y and move it up like this let’s also add two more Loop cuts on the sides so press crl plus r make a loop cut over over here then again press crl plus r and we’ll have another loop cut over here now I’ll select these two vertices press g y and move them slightly upwards in order to give the tip of the petal a slightly curved or rounded look now you can see that the petal is completely flat and to make it look curved let’s add some Loop Cuts so press crl plus r use the scroll wheel to increase the number of loop Cuts then left click and right click to finalize now to give it a rounded look turn on proportional editing by pressing O then press G and z and move it down like this let’s also increase the size of the proportional editing tool by using the scroll wheel and then left click to finalize now let’s come out of the edit mode now to make the petal look thicker tab into the edit mode press a to select everything or to turn off the proportional editing and press e to extrude it like this now let’s come out of the edit mode right click and select shade Smooth by Angle now to place these petals as instances on different points of the star I’ll select it go to the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it over here now I’ll take the plane. 002 which is the FL petal and drop it here then we’ll connect the geometry socket to the instance now we need to fix the rotation properly and for this we’ll be using the Align UL to Vector node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in rotation select the Align UL to Vector let’s place it over here and connect it to the rotation in the instance on points then press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the normal and we’ll connect it to the vector socket in the Align UL to Vector node now I’ll select the FL petal tab into the edit mode press a to select everything then we’ll rotate it in the xaxis by 90° so press RX and type 90 I think that we should also reduce its thickness so press s y and reduce the thickness like this now let’s also rotate it in the Zed axis by – 90° then go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and see we basically need to place this FL petal at its origin point which is the yellow Point here so press g y and let’s place it over here and now this is how the basic structure of the flower looks let’s also do one more thing which is to go to the x-ray mode by pressing all plus Z then select these vertices press o to turn on the proportional editing press GX and make them look curved like this let’s come out of the edit mode and now this is how the FL petals are looking right now let’s also control the radius of the FL P so come back to the object mode select this FL and now with the help of the inner radius and the outer radius value in the star node I can control the radius of the FL pels so we’ll increase the inner radius first and keep it to something like 2 m then for the outer radius we’ll be keeping it to a value of somewhere near 2.5 M and so this is how the flare looks now I’ll do one more thing which is to select the FL petal again tab into the edit mode press a to select everything turn off the proportional editing and let’s scale it down in the Y AIS this will reduce their area like this and now the flow petals look perfect now if you want your flow petal to be like opened then for this in the edit mode press r y and rotate the flow petal like this so this is how you can modify the look of your flow like changing the rotation or the radius values now for the remaining part of the flow we’ll be adding a UV sphere at the bottom and for the stem we’ll be using the cylinder mesh so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the UV sphere let’s place it over here then to add the joint geometry node press shift plus a in Geometry select the joint geometry node now we’ll connect the UV sphere to the Joint geometry and to move it downwards we’ll be using the transform geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the transform geometry let’s place it over here and we’ll move it down in the Zed axis like this now for the stem part press shift plus a again go to mesh and in Primitives select the cylinder let’s place it over here and connect it to the Joint geometry now we have the cylinder placed over here and to control its position and the thickness I’ll take the transform geometry node press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here first of all I’ll reduce the scaling in the X and Y axis let’s also make it longer by increasing the scale in the Z axis then move it down like this and now this is how the FL looks now let give some materials to the petals so I’ll go to the render view again then I’ll select the flower petal and change the window to the Shader editor click on the new button and now here we have the default material applied so for the material of the flower petal we’ll be using the emission and we’ll assign different colors to the different flow petals so first of all let’s increase the emission strength to something like 10 and to assign different colors let’s add the color Ram so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram now I’ll take the color socket and connect it over here now to give a random color to each of the petals we’ll be using the object info node so press shift plus a go to input and and select the object info place it over here and connect the random to the factor socket now for the colors first of all I’ll change the interpolation to constant let us change the first color by increasing the brightness and I’ll keeping the red color now for the second pointer let’s change the color to the pink color then for the third one I’ll click on the plus icon here and change the color to yellow color now to place these pointers at equal positions from each other click here and select distribute stops from left now let’s also make the material for the rest of the flow like the UV sphere and the cylinder so for this let’s go to the geometry noes editor select the flow and before assigning the material let’s do one more thing which is to slightly scale up the UV sphere so we’ll increase the scaling to something like 1.2 and now it looks perfect now for the material press shift plus a go to material and select the set material place it over here now you go to the material properties and click on new material now you click here and select the material. 003 let’s also change the base color to the yellow and increase the brightness from here similarly for the stem we have the cylinder connected to the transform geometry node so let’s create a duplicate of the set material node and place it over here let’s create a new material and I’ll change the base color to green color let’s assign the material. 004 and now this is how the FL looks now now to place the FL at different points on the plane I’ll select the plane press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points we’ll drop it after the distribute points on faces then I’ll select the plane. 001 which is the FL and bring it in the geometry nodes editor now to use it as the instance I’ll take the geometry socket and connect it over here let’s reduce their size to something like 0.2 or maybe 0.1 and now this is how our scene is looking right now let’s also place the fls properly so press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations the transform geometry let’s place it over here let’s bring it slightly upwards in the Z axis like this let’s also reduce the density to something like 25 and change the seed value to get a different result now I think that we should do one more thing which is to change the color of these petals right now the emission effect is not visible properly so to solve this problem I’ll select The Petal again change the window to the Shader editor and instead of connecting the color ramp to the emission we’ll connect it to the base color let’s also reduce the emission strength to zero and finally this is how our scene is looking right now we have these flowers placed on the path which you can easily modify by going to the geometry nodes editor selecting the plane then in the end vertex you can change the value in the compare node then you can increase or reduce its density from here and with this we arrived to the end of this chapter today we learned about lots of geometry nodes created this simple FL placed it on the path we even created this Shield by using geometry notes and also added the glow effect to the back pH in the next chapter we’ll be learning about some more geometry nodes and we’ll also be finishing our scene [Music] completely in the previous chapter we begin with the creation of this scene where we created this shield with the help of geometry notes and even added some simple flowers around it and in this chapter we’ll be understanding about all these topics in complete detail and we’ll use them to finish our scene now we are back in our scene and the first topic for today’s chapter is understanding the merge by distance node so for this let’s first go to the solid mode and now I’ll be adding a UV sphere in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere press G and z and move it upwards go to the geometry nodes editor and click on the new button now let’s add the M by distance node and understand how it works so press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the merge by distance node let’s place it over here now this node will basically merge the vertices of your geometry according to the distance value here if the distance between any two vertices is less than or equal to the distance value which we add here it will simply merge those vertices together and the structure of the geometry will change accordingly for example if I change the distance to a value of 0.5 M then it simply merged all the vertices who are having a distance of less than or equal to 0.5 m in between them so when I reduce the distance we’ll have all the vertices and when I increase it the vertices will begin to merge with each other according to the distance value and this is the use of the merge by distance node now if I tab into the edit mode press a to select everything then press shift plus d to create a duplicate move it in the x-axis like this then you can notice that as I increase the value of distance the vertices of both the UV spheres are merging with each other however if you want that the vertices of each UV sphere should be merged individually then for this you can change the mode from all to connected and now if I try to change the distance then the vertices of the U spere will now be merging individually now this note can also be used to merge different points together and to understand it practically we’ll be creating some slow particles in the scene so first of all I’ll delete this then press shift plus a go to mesh select the cube now we’ll be scaling it up according to that area where we want the snow to be added in the scene so tap into the edit mode press s to scale it up like this let’s also scale it down in the Zed axis move it upwards in The Zed axis and place it over here now let’s come out of the edit mode now in order to add the snow in this volume of the cube we’ll first convert it from mesh to volume then we’ll be Distributing the points in the volume by using the distribute points in volume node and in the end we’ll replace the points with the Snowballs so let’s go to the geometry nodes editor click on the new button to convert it into volume we’ll use the mesh to volume node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh to volume node let’s place it over here and now to distribute the points in the volume we’ll use the distribute points in volume node so press shift plus a go to point and select the distribute points in volume we’ll place it over here and now we have these points here and suppose you want to merge them then for this you can use the merge by distance node to add it over here press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the merge by distance node let’s place it over here and now I can merge these points together by controlling the distance from here so we’ll keep it to something like 1.4 or 1.5 M and in this way the number of the points have reduced because all the points that were having a distance of 1.5 M or less were merged together now to replace the points with the snowball we’ll be adding the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it over here then for the Snowballs we’ll be using the icosphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the icosphere let’s place it over here and connect it to the instance let’s reduce their scale to something like 0.2 or maybe 0.3 let’s also increase the distance to something like 2 m and now this is how these snowballs are looking in the scene now let’s also create some material so go to the render view let’s also slightly reduce the scaling of the Snowballs so we’ll keep it to something like 0.25 and the distance to something like 2.2 M and now it looks perfect so for the material I’ll go to the material properties click on the new button then let’s go to the emission and increase the emission strength to a value of something like five and to apply this material. 005 to the snow particles go to the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node let’s place it over here and select the material which is the material. 005 now if you want you can even change the color of this icosphere to something like yellow or maybe red if you don’t want them to look like real snowballs so you can try to change the colors right now I’ll be assigning the red color now moving ahead let’s understand the next topic of this chapter which is the separate XZ node so for this first of all let’s add some random object in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and let’s add a cube press GX and place it over here let’s also change the render engine from Cycles to Eevee and now we’ll be understanding the separate XR node first in the Shader editor and then in the geometry nodes editor so click here and select Shader editor click on new material now to add the separate X node press shift plus a go to converter and select separate xit let’s place it over here now the separate xit node is exactly opposite to the combined xed node that we understood earlier so if I add it by pressing shift plus a going to converter and selecting the combine xet then you can see that this combined XZ node takes the input in the form of XY and Zed axis and combines it into a single Vector on the other hand the separate XYZ node takes the input in the form of a vector and separates it into X Y and Z AIS let’s also understand it practically so with this note selected if I press control plus T then now I’ll have the texture coordinate and the mapping node added in the Shad editor let’s delete the image texture from here and connect the vector of the mapping node to the separate exisit node let’s also take the object socket and connect it to the vector and now to view the result hold on control shift and left click on the separate XYZ node now the separate XYZ node is taking the vector and separating it in the XY and Zed axis right now we are using the x-axis socket and as a result you can see this black and white color on the cube which is changing in the x-axis so basically in the X x axis the vector is changing from minus1 to postive 1 in the beginning the value is minus1 and as I told you in one of the previous chapters whenever the value is anything less than or equal to zero in that case the color will always be black then the value increases to zero in the middle and then as it reaches the end the value will be equal to 1 now in a similar way if I take the y- axis and connect it to the output then in this case the change in color is being observed on the y- AIS like initially the value is minus1 then in the middle it’s zero and in the end the value is equal to 1 similarly if I take the Z axis and connect it over here then the
same thing happens in the Z axis also at the bottommost point the value is equal to minus1 then it increases to zero in the middle and at the top the value is equal to 1 so in simple words we can say that the separate XY Z node simply separates the vector into the XY and Z axis now let’s try the same with the geometry nodes also so I’ll select the plane go to the geometry nodes editor from here and now to add the separate xite node press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the separate X node let’s place it over here now I’ll be adding the position I node to be used as a vector to be separated so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the position node let’s place it over here and connect it to the vector and now if I take the x-axis socket and connect it to the selection in the merge by distance stored then in this case the vector will get separated in the x-axis and we’ll be getting a result where in the beginning the value will be minus one then in the middle the value will be zero and in the end the value will increase to positive 1 as a result the merge by distance node will only get applied on that part where the value is greater than zero this concept is exactly similar to that in the Shader editor which we understood with the help of this Cube for example if I take the xaxis and connected to the output then initially the value was minus1 then it became zero and then it increased to positive 1 similarly in the geometry nodes also here the value is minus one here it is 0o and in the end the value is equal to one now let’s go to the geometry nodes editor again and so this was the concept of the separate XY Z node for now I’ll delete it from here let’s also delete this position node now let’s move to the next topic of this chapter which is the value node and to understand it let’s first select the plane then in the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to input and in constant select the value node let’s place it over here now the value node is the simplest node which helps to give an input of a value and the benefit of using the value node is that you can connect the same value to the multiple sockets for example you can see here that in the grid node the size in the X and Y AIS is equal to 30 m so if I take the value socket and connect it to the size in the X and Y AIS like this and increase the value to 30 and press enter Then in this case this value of 30 is being assigned to the size sockets here so this node is simply used to assign a single value to multiple nodes or sockets in fact in the density option here you can see that the density is equal to 38.6 so if I take the value socket which is carrying the value equal to 30 and connected to the density then in this case the density is reduced to a value of 30 now moving ahead we’ll be adding some mushrooms in the scene and for this let’s first add a UV sphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere press GX and place it over here go to the front view by pressing one of on the numpad and now here we have this UV sphere added in the scene tab into the edit mode and to model the mushroom we’ll be deleting the bottom half of the vertices so first let’s turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z then select these vertices press X and select delete vertices now press a to select everything and let’s scale them down in the Zed axis like this now I’ll select this Edge loop at the bottom by holding alt and left clicking here then let’s zoom out and change the view let’s also turn off the x-ray mode and now to make the bottom part of the mushroom press e to extrude right click to cancel the movement s to scale it down like this also press crl + r to add some Edge Loops over here use the scroll wheel to increase the number of loop cuts and then left click and right click to cancel the movement now let’s move them slightly upwards by pressing gz and place them over here now for the bottom part I’ll select this inner Edge Loop by holding alt and left clicking here now let’s extrude it by pressing e and Zed and extrude it like this let’s also scale it up at the bottom by pressing s and now it looks perfect we have the simple mushroom ready in the scene now for the material on the top of the mushroom go to the material properties create a new material and to assign this material to the top we’ll select this vortex in the middle this one and to increase the selection hold on control and numpad plus and let’s do it a few more times till the entire area on the top is covered and yes one more thing this material. 007 is the first material and so it’s the default material that automatically gets applied to the entire object however to create a material that will only get applied to the top I’ll create a new material from here and click on the assign button now let’s come out of the edit mode Let’s also change this window to the Shader editor now for the spotlight texture we’ll be using the warno texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select warno let’s place it over here press cr+ P to connect it to the texture coordinate and the mapping node and to view the output hold on control shift and left click on the wner texture now here we have these spots on the top and to control their appearance let’s add a color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp place it over here let’s change the interpolation to constant and now if I take the second pointer and move it like this you can clearly see that now I can easily control the looks of the spots from here also let’s reduce the scale value to something like 2.5 or maybe 2.4 and this is how the texture is looking now now to give some color to the mushroom let’s first select the principal bstf node and place it over here and now I’ll be adding another color ramp node which we’ll be using to give some colors to the mushroom so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp place it over here let’s select the white pointer and we’ll change the color to something like red let’s also change the black color by increasing the brightness and now we have this white color on the spot let’s also apply shade Smooth by right clicking and selecting shade smooth and with this the top of our mushroom is now completely ready for the bottom part I’ll select this material. 007 and we won’t be doing much changes here we’ll only apply a simple noise texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select noise texture place it over here connect the color socket to the base color let’s also increase the scale value to something like 20 or 15 and now we have this simple material for the base with this the mushroom looks perfect to be added in the scene so to distribute it on the plane let’s select the plane switch to the the geometry notes editor from here and just like we place the flowers let’s also place the mushrooms on the plane but yes we added these flowers only on this part that we created using the edge pass to selection node which we won’t be doing in case of the mushrooms so first of all I’ll select both of these nodes which is the distribute points on faces and the instance on points press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here now let’s reduce the density to something like five take the mesh socket of the grid node and connect it over here and for the instance let’s add the mushroom that we created so I’ll select this spere left click and drag it into the geometry nodes editor take the geometry socket and connect it to the instant socket now I’ll connect it to the Joint geometry node and now you can see here that we have so many tiny mushrooms distributed in the plane so first of all I’ll reduce the density to something like 0.5 let’s also increase their scaling to something like 0.3 or 0.4 and to move them upwards we’ll be using the transform geometry node so for this press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the transform gometry node let’s place it over here now with the translation value in the Z axis we’ll move the mushrooms up also I think that we should reduce the density further to a value of 0.25 and now to give some random rotation to each of the mushrooms we’ll be connecting the random value node to the rotation socket so press shift plus a go to utilities and select random value let’s place it over here change the data type to Vector connect the value socket to the rotation now to ensure that the randomness of the rotation is only applied in The Zed axis I’ll change the maximum values in the X and Y AIS to zero and now we have the randomness in the rotation only in The Zed AIS now the scene looks perfect so let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad to adjust the camera click on this lock icon which is the lock camera to view and now let’s adjust the view like this let’s also zoom out also I think that we should reduce the size of these snowballs so I’ll select them and in the geometry nodes editor let’s reduce the scale value to something like 0.15 to place the camera properly you can do one more thing which is to select the camera from the scene collection press end then by using these values of the location and the rotation you can adjust the camera view perfectly so first of all I’ll change the rotation in the Y and Z axis to exact zero or maybe let’s slightly change the rotation in the Z axis let’s also move it in the xaxis like this then to move it upwards increase the location in the Z axis like this and so by simply adjusting these values you can easily control the camera view for now I think that this position looks perfect so let’s finalize it also I’ll change the render engine back to cycles and this is how our scene looks now if you want you can even download some texture for the base from websites like poly haven.com and apply them on this plane but for now I will only be adding a simple green color to the base so let’s select the base go to the material prop properties and create a new material let’s change the base color to green and to apply this material to this space we’ll be adding a set material node in between this grid node and the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node let’s place it over here and then select this material. 009 from the list and now we have the simple green material applied to the base also with this we arrive to the end of the chapter number 45 in today’s chapter we learned about some new geometry nodes some new blender Concepts and we even finalized this magical Shield scene [Music] in this chapter and the upcoming chapter we’ll be learning about lots of new geometry notes and by using them we’ll be creating a beautiful scene with some dragons and in today’s chapter we’ll be understanding all these topics in complete detail so to begin with let’s first go to the geometry nodes workspace and now we’ll be making some flying dragons like this one using geometry nodes now for making the dragons I’ll delete this Cube by pressing X now let’s add a curve in the scene so press shift plus a go to curve and select the basier curve let’s go to the top view I press seven on the numpad and to give it some thickness go to the geometry nodes editor click on the new button and now we’ll be adding the curve to mesh node so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the curve to mesh node we’ll place it over here and for the profile curve we’ll be using the curve Circle node so I will press shift plus a go to curve then in Primitives select the curve Circle node now we’ll connect it to the profile curve now to fix the radius of the curve we’ll be using the set curve radius node so press shift plus a go to curve and in the right category select the set curve radius let’s place it over here and by using the radius value we can control the radius of the curve now to make the radius look like it’s smaller at one end and bigger at the other end we’ll be using the spline parameter node so press shift plus a go to curve and in the read category select the spline parameter node we’ll place it over here and connect the factor socket to the radius now if I tab into the edit mode press a to select everything then press X to delete and select delete segments and then if we try to draw a curve by selecting the draw tool from here and now if I try to draw a curve like this then you can see here that the same thing is being applied to this curve also now this curve is created which will be used as the body of the dragon and to fill this face of the curve simply turn on the fill caps option here now we’ll be placing the dragon’s head on this face of the mesh but first of all we’ll convert this mesh into points and for this we’ll be using the mesh to points node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh to points node let’s place it over here now this mesh to points node converted the vertices of the mesh into points however if I change the mode to faces then in this case each face of the mesh will be converted into a point point now to get the point only on that face where we wanted to add the dragon’s head we’ll be using another node which is the face area node so to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in the read category select the face area let’s place it over here now this face area node is simply used to compare the area of different faces however to use it practically we also need to add the compare node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node we’ll place it over here now I’ll connect the area socket to the value a let’s also come out of the edit mode and now you can see here that with the mesh to points node and the faces selected here we are having these points in place of the different faces of the mesh and by using the face area node we’ll be comparing the area of each of the faces in order to get only that point where we want to place the head of the Dragon so if I take the result socket and connect it to the selection then in this case this compare node with the greater than operation selected will only give the result of those faces who are having a face area greater than the value of B which is zero and if I begin to slightly increase this value then you will notice that the number of these points are reducing and that’s because those particular faces where these points were placed were not having a face area greater than this value of B so if I further increase it to something like 0.05 or 0.06 then you will now notice that we have only one point left in the scene and this is exactly that point where we need to place the head of the Dragon now to view the rest of the body along with this point we’ll be using the join geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node let’s place it over here and connect the mesh socket of the curve to mesh node to the Joint geometry now we have this body of the Dragon along with this point on that face we will be placing the dragon’s head now to make the head of the Dragon let’s add a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube press GX and move it over here now to apply the subdivision to it go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate category select the subdivision surface modifier let’s increase the levels you port to a value of two let’s also apply this modifier from here and now to convert it into a dragon head we’ll be doing the changes in the edit mode first of all on the top right side you can see this butterfly icon which is the mesh symmetry option and suppose I click on the Y AIS now whatever changes I’ll do on any one side of the mesh it will also get reflected on the other side in the Y AIS so it’s basically used to create symmetry in the mesh while editing now let’s undo it and we’ll be keeping this Y axis turned on now let’s make a simple dragon head so I’ll select a Vertex at the top right side then press o to turn on the proportional editing then press G to move it like this let’s also reduce the size of the proportional editing tool by using the scroll wheel let’s move this point over here slightly upwards and then left click to finalize also I select this point press g z and move it slightly down like this and yes we’ll be making only a basic structure of the dragon’s head we won’t be going into too much detail and now for the front part I’ll select this Vortex press GX and move it forward like this let’s also go to the back of the head select any vertex press GX and let’s make it flat like this let’s also increase the proportional size and then left click to finalize now let’s make the eyes of the Dragon so first of all turn off the mesh symmetry in the Y AIS also turn off the proportion editing press three for the face select mode now for the eyes I’ll be selecting these two faces by holding the shift button let’s extrude them inwards by pressing e and then move your cursor like this and left click to finalize now the basic structure of the head is almost ready so let’s come out of the edit mode select the body and to place the head as an instance on this point we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points place it after the mesh two points node and for the instance object we’ll be using this head that we created here so go to the scene collection we have this Cube here which is the head of the Dragon we’ll drag it into the geometry nodes editor then I’ll take the geometry socket and connect it to the instance now first of all let’s adjust the position properly so I select the head tab into the edit mode press a to select everything let’s move it in the x-axis like this and then leftt click to finalize now let’s also reduce the radius of this body or basically its size so I’ll go to the curve Circle node let’s reduce the radius from here and we’ll be keeping it to something like 0.5 and this is how it looks now now moving ahead we’ll be adding some spikes on the head of the Dragon so for this I’ll select the original dragon head then if I press shift plus a then go to curve then here we can see that we have a curve object which is named as empty here so I’ll select it and now in the geometry nodes editor you can see here that we are having a completely new node which is the dform curves on Surface node now if I go to the scam collection then you can see here that in front of the cube object we are having this empty hair icon and if I expand it then here we are having the curves object which is simply the empty hair that we added now the deform curves on Surface node simply allows you to deform the hair curves which are added on the surface of an object in this case this head of the Dragon will be the surface and we’ll be using the hair Curves in order to make the spikes on the head of dragon now with the curves object selected if I try to change the mode from here then we have three options available the object mode edit mode and the sculpt mode you can even press control+ Tab and select any of these three modes and yes in order to modify the hair we need to open the sculpt mode now in the sculpt mode we are having a completely different layout on the top we have the option to control the radius or the strength of the brush then here on the left hand side we have lots of different tools and to view them properly we’ll close this spreadsheet window so I’ll take my cursor over here right click and select join areas let’s close this window and now to expand this menu I left click and drag like this and in this way we can clearly see all the tools along with the names now to add the hair particles we’ll go to the brush settings or this toolbar and select this add tool and now if I left click and drag my cursor like this then these hair particles will get added on the surface of the mesh so you can use use the hair note system when you’re making a 3D character and want to give some hair to it in fact you have many other options too like if I select the comb and then left click and drag like this then you can see here that it kind of combs the hair similarly if I select the snake hook and then left click and drag like this then this is how it will modify the hair but suppose you want to remove this hair then select the delete and left click and drag like this now we’ll be using this hair in order to create the spikes on the head of the Dragon so first of all let’s select the ad then for the Symmetry I’ll turn on the mesh symmetry in the y AIS and now let’s draw some hair on the surface so I left click over here let’s add some more hair and guess one more thing if I simply left click one time then only one hair particle will get added however if I left click and drag like this then multiple hair particles will get added on the surface so in this case we won’t be creating too many hair particles like we’ll only require about 10 or 15 hair particles on both the sides something like this now after drawing the hair particles let’s go back to the object mode and now to give them some thickness or basically to convert them into a mesh we’ll be using the Curve to mesh node so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the curve to mesh node let’s place it over here and now for the profile curve we’ll be using the curve Circle node so press shift plus a go to curve and in Primitives select the curve Circle node let’s connect it to the profile curve like this let’s reduce the radius to something like 0.1 or 0.2 let’s also add the set curve radius node so press shift plus a go to curve then in the right category select the set curve radius node let’s place it over here and then for the radius we’ll again be using the spline parameter node so so press shift plus a go to curve and in the read category select the spine parameter node let’s place it over here and connect the factor socket to the radius now since we are making the spikes as a result we need to invert the radius and for this we’ll be using the map range node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in MTH select the map range node we’ll place it after the spline parameter node and now to invert the effect simply change the two Min value to one and the two max value to zero and with this we have these simple spikes ready on the dragon’s head to give them some more detail we’ll go to the sculp mode again so press control+ tab select the sculpt mode now with the add option selected if I left click anywhere on the surface then these spikes will get added there and for the detailing we’ll be using the snake hook tool so let’s select it also let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad or maybe CR + 1 to view the opposite side now if I left click and drag my cursor like this then you can see here that it’s creating this amazing effect on the hair particles let’s do the same with the remaining ones also and in this way we’ll be making the spikes for the head of the Dragon so we’ll complete it like this and yes do ensure that the mesh symmetry in the Y AIS is turned on so that whatever changes you do on one of the sides also gets applied to the other side I think that we should also delete some of the hair particles so I’ll select the delete tool let’s remove some of them by left clicking and this is how it looks now we have this simple looking dragon head where we added some hair particles and then also converted them into these spikes now let’s also go back to the object mode again and one thing that you might have noticed here is that these hair particles that we created are not visible on the head of this Dragon so to to solve this problem I’ll select it and here we have added the instance on points node and we connected it to this object info node which is having this Cube object or basically the original dragon head now to have the hair curves also we’ll be using the geometry to instance node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the geometry to instance we’ll place it over here let’s also bring in the hair particles or this curves object by dragging it like this we’ll connect it to the geometry to instance Lo and with this we have these hair particles or these spikes added on the dragon’s head now moving ahead if I select the Dragon go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad turn on the edit mode and with the draw tool turned on if I try to draw a curve like this then you can see here that I can easily draw as many dragons as I want however we have another issue here which is that the rotation of the head is not properly aligned and to solve this we’ll be using the Align Oiler to Vector node and we’ll also be capturing the attribute of the face normals so let’s do it practically first of all let’s add the Align Oiler to Vector node by pressing shift plus a there in the utilities select this one and select the Align Oiler to Vector node let’s place it over here connected to the rotation and now for the proper alignment we need to capture the attribute of each of the face normals and for this we’ll be using the capture attribute node if you remember in one of the previous chapters we discussed about the capture attribute node in complete detail however in the latest blender version it’s slightly updated so let’s add it and understand how it works now so press shift plus a go to attribute and select the capture attribute node we’ll place it after the curve to mesh node where it is connecting with the mesh to points node previously this capture attribute node used to have a value socket for the input and an attribute socket for the output but now in the updated version it allows you to do the same thing but on your own so first of all I’ll change the domain to the face and to calculate the face normal we need the input in the capture attribute node to be the normal so press shift plus a then in geometry and in the read category select the normal node we’ll place it over here and connect the normal socket to this input socket in the capture attribute node and by doing this it is now capturing the attribute of the face normal and for the output we have this socket over here so let’s take the socket and connect it to the Vector in the Align Oiler to Vector node and now you can see here that the rotation is now properly fixed and all the dragon heads are properly aligned and yes one more thing even after doing all these steps if the rotation is still not properly aligned then you can try to change the axis in the Align Oiler to Vector node but in my case the x-axis is working with the pivot set to Auto so you can try to change the Axis or the pivot until you obtain the perfect alignment now moving ahead let’s also give some wings to the dragon so come out of the edit mode press 7even to go to the top view and to make the wings let’s add a plane so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane press GX and move it over here let’s tab into the edit mode press two for Ed select mode select this Edge Let’s scale it down in the Y AIS so press s y and scale it down like this now let’s add some Loop Cuts so press contrl plus r left click and move it over here let’s add another one by pressing cr+ R then left click and move it over here let’s add two more Loop cuts for the center so press crl + r left click and move it slightly upwards let’s add one last Loop cut by pressing c cr+ r left click and move it over here or maybe I think that we should add two more Loop Cuts one of them on the top side here and the other one at the bottom so press crl plus r add a loop cut over here then press crl plus r again and add another loop cut over here now press one for the vertex select mode I’ll select this vertex press GX and move it like this let’s do the same with this one also move it in the x- axis like this and now if I change the angle then you can see that the wing is completely flat right now to give it a 3D look press three for the face select mode I’ll select this face then with the shift key holded select the middle phas and this one also let’s extrude them in the Zed axis by pressing e and extrude it like this now let’s come out of the edit mode and to give it a better final look we’ll be using the subdivision surface modifier so go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate category select the subdivision surface let’s increase the level viewport to a value of two and with this we have the simple Wing ready for the dragon let’s also apply the shade smooth and it now looks perfect so we created this Wing just by using a plane scaling down one of its Edge then we added some Loop and extruded up some of the faces in the Zed axis then we applied the subdivision surface modifier and this is the final result now to complete the pair of wings tab into the edit mode press a to select everything move it in the x-axis like this and do ensure that this origin point is visible here and it will be at the center of both the wings so let’s create a duplicate of this Wing by pressing shift plus d move it in the x-axis like this and to rotate it press r z and type 180 and enter to confirm and now we have both the wings ready now let’s place these Wings on the dragons so I’ll select the dragon and now we’ll be adding an instance on points node for this I’ll select this one which we use for the dragon and the dragon hit press shift plus d to create a duplicate let’s place it over here then for the points we’ll take the geometry socket in the group input node and connect it to the points let’s connect the output to the Joint geometry node and for the instance we’ll be using the wings so in the seam collection These Wings Are saved as plain so let’s select the dragon then in the seam collection left click and drag the plane into the geometry nodes editor now I’ll connect the geometry socket to the instance and with this we have the These Wings added as the instance on different points of the curve or the dragon now first of all let’s fix the scaling of These Wings in the beginning near the head of the Dragon the size of the wing should be bigger and then it should reduce as it approaches the end so to achieve this result we’ll be using this fly parameter node so I’ll take the factor socket and connect it to the scale and this is how it looks now and moving ahead let’s also fix the rotation of the Wings and for this purpose we’ll again be using the Align Oiler to Vector node along with the capture attribute node so first of all I’ll select the Align Oiler to Vector node press shift need to create a duplicate let’s place it over here I’ll connect it to the rotation in the instance on points then for the attribute let’s select the capture attribute node press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it in between the group input node and the instance on points now if you remember while fixing the rotation of the dragon’s head we used the capture attribute node and connected it to the normal in order to calculate the face normal however in this case we have added these Wings on the points of the curve and as a result for the capture attribute node the input that we going to use will be the curve tangent node node to add it here press shift plus a go to curve and in the read category select the curve tangent node let’s place it over here and connect it to the empty socket in the capture attribute node now let’s also change the domain to point and then I’ll connect the output to the Align Oiler to Vector node now to get the proper alignment we need to change the axis to align the vector and this pivot axis however right now with the Y AIS selected here and the pivot set to Auto I’m getting the perfect alignment however it might be possible in your case that you want to change the Axis or maybe the Pivot Point into something else depending upon how your scene is set up but for now I’ll change the PIV back to Auto and this is how it looks now one more thing to notice here is that the first Wing is placed at the beginning of the curve where we have the head of the dragon and to solve this problem we’ll be using the trim curve node so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the train curve node place it after the capture attribute node and before the instance on points and by using this node we can basically cut or trim the curve depending upon the starting and the ending value for example if I try to INE in the starting value then you will notice that the wings on this side of the Curve will begin to disappear because we have tramed the curve however if I change the start value back to zero and try to reduce the end value then in this case the same effect is seen from this side of the curve so for now I’ll keep the end value to something like 0.96 or 0.97 and this is how it looks now now let’s also give some material to the dragon and for this let’s go to the material properties and create a new material let’s change its name to dragon and enter to confirm now let’s also add the set m material node in the geometry nodes editor so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node we’ll place it after this curve to mesh node which is connecting to the Joint geometry node let’s select the dragon material and now to modify the material let’s go to the Shader editor from here and also turn on the render view now to improve the lighting in the scene I’ll select this light in the scene collection in the object data properties change the type of light to Sun reduce the brightness to something like four or five now let’s select the dragons again and in the Shader editor let’s add the Warner texture so press shift Plus a go to texture and select the wner texture place it over here press ctrl+ T to connect it to the texture coordinate and the mapping node now just like always I’ll take the object socket and connect it to the vector then for the output I’ll connect the distance socket to the base color and now we have this texture with the spots on the dragon now to get the scale texture that we do see on the bodies of snakes and dragons simply go to the Warner texture then in the second option which is the feature output select the distance to Edge and now you can see that we are having the scaled pattern applied on the dragon’s body now to give some color to the texture let’s add a color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here let’s change the first color and we’ll be keeping the dark green color similarly for the second color let’s change it to the light green color and now this is how the texture looks let’s also increase the roughness to a value of one and to give it a 3D look we’ll be using the bump node so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node place it over here connect the normal to the normal in the principal bstf and for the input take the distance socket of the wner texture and connected to the height in the bump node let’s reduce the strength to something like 0.3 or 0.4 and now the texture looks like this now let’s also give the material to the wings so let’s select the original wings now go to the Shader editor and click on the new button let’s also change the name of this material to Wings and now let’s add the Warner texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the Warner texture let’s place it over here press crl plus T to connect the texture coordinate and the mapping node now take the object socket and connect it to the vector let’s also connect the distance socket of the wner texture to the base color now just like the texture on the dragon’s body I’ll change the feature output from F1 to distance to Edge and now to give it some colors we’ll be adding the color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp place it over here now I’ll select the second pointer let’s change the color to something like red and this is how the wings look if you want you can set any other color that you like maybe green color maybe yellow or blue color but for now I’ll be assigning the red color let’s also increase the roughness to a value of one now let’s also give some material to the dragon’s head so for this I’ll select the original dragon head which is this cube in the scene collection and we’ll give it the same material that we have assigned to the body of the Dragon so in the Shader editor click here and select the dragon material and now this is how the dragon head looks now and yes if you want to do some changes in this material which is specifically applied to the dragon’s head then you can click on this icon which will create a duplicate of this material and now if I do any changes in the material then it will only get applied to the dragon’s head however I think that the original material looks perfect so I won’t do any changes but for the eyes we’ll be creating a new material and will increase the emission strength in it so with the original head of the Dragon selected tab into the edit mode now select those two faces which we extruded in for the eyes so I select this pH and with the shift key hold it select this face go to the material properties and let’s create a new material and click on the assign button let’s go to the emission and increase the emission strength to something like 10 and I’ll change the emission color to Yellow now let’s come out of the edit mode and this is how the dragon is looking right now we created this simple texture for the dragon’s body and the head then we created this red texture for the wings and for the ice we have used this material with the yellow emission if you want you can even change the color of this emission to something else like red or blue and to see the emission effect properly I’ll change the render engine from EV to cycles and this is how our scene looks finally let’s also give some material to these hair particles or the spikes that we created so I’ll select them go to the shareer editor and create a new material also to assign this material to these particles go to the geometry nodes editor from here let’s add a set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node place it after the curve to mesh and from here I’ll select the material. 001 now let’s go back to the sharer editor again and for the texture we’ll be using the noise texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture place it over here press C crl + P for the texture coordinate and the mapping node connect the object to the vector and for the output I’ll connect the factor socket to the base color now to give some colors to it we’ll use the color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram let’s place it over here now I’ll take this black pointer of the color ramp and move it like this in this way we’ll add some more black color to these horns or the spikes I’ll also change the render engine back to Eevee for now and right now I think that the texture looks fine so I’ll be finalizing this one however if you want you can change the color of this texture to something else like red green or blue or anything else which you think would look the best for your scene but for now I’ll change it back to the black color and with this we come to the end of this chapter in today’s chapter we learned about some new geometry nodes created some amazing dragons then we even understood about the hair nodes which we use for creating the these spikes we even created These Wings and also created these amazing textures and the best part about using geometry nodes is that if I select these dragons and tab into the edit mode then with the draw tool enabled if I draw a curve like this then I can easily make a dragon out of it so try to play around with these things try to give some more details to the geometry of the wings or the head of the dragon or maybe you can try to give some different colors to the dragon and in this way you’ll be able to create a scene of your own and yes in the next chapter we’ll be learning about some more geometry nodes and we’ll also use them in in order to finalize our [Music] scene in the previous chapter we started with the creation of this scene where we Ed the geometry notes to create these dragons and in today’s chapter we’ll be learning about all these topics in complete detail and we’ll also be finishing this scene now we are back in the scene and the first thing that we’re going to do today is to create a sun for the background along with the Sun Ray and for this we’ll be using the quadratic Bia node so first of all in the 3D view Port let’s add some object so press shift plus a go to mesh and let’s add a cube let’s move move it in the Y AIS like this now let’s open the geometry nodes editor from here and click on the new button to add the quadratic Basia node press shift plus a go to curve and in the primitiv select the quadratic baser node let’s place it over here and connect the curve socket to the group output now this will create a quadratic Basia curve in the scene let’s go to the top view to see it properly now here we have this quadratic Basia curve added because of this node and the first option that we have here is the resolution which basically controls the number of points or the number of edges of the curve then we have have three more options using which we can control the appearance of the curve the first option is the start and this one will control the position of the first control point that is present over here so if I try to change the position like this then the changes will be seen on the first control point in a similar way here we have the middle option which will be controlling the position of the control Point present at the middle of the curve so if I try to change the position like this then that particular point is getting displaced then finally we have this end option using which we can control the position of the last control point which is present over here so by using the quadratic Basia node you can easily modify your curve by changing the positions of the start middle and the end control point now the next topic of this chapter is understanding the curve to points node to add it over here press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the curve to points node let’s place it over here and as the name suggests the curve two points node simply converts the curve into points then from the count option here you can control the number of these points by changing the value like this so it’s a very simple node which you can use to convert your curve into point point and it has three modes the evaluated mode the count mode and the length mode we just discovered the count where we can easily change the number of these points but let’s also discover the other two so I’ll first select the evaluated mode and in this option the number of points will basically depend on the resolution of the curve so if I increase the resolution from here the number of these points will increase and if I reduce it the number of points will also reduce then the third option that we have is the length and in this method the number of points is controlled by the length value so if I increase it the number of the points will reduce and that is because the length value added here is the minimum distance between any two points so as the distance or the length will increase the number of points will reduce for now I’ll change it back to the count mode now suppose you want to convert these points into vertices then for this we have the points to vertices node to add it here press shift plus a go to point and select the points to vertices node let’s place it over here and this node will simply convert the points that we received as the input into vertices and yes because now we have converted the points into vertices as a result the output that we getting here is also in the form of a mesh previously while using the quadratic Basia node the output was in the form of a curve then by using the curve two points node the output was in the form of points and then by using the points to vertices node the points got converted into vertices and we are now getting the output in the form of a mesh now to extrude these vertices let’s use the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select the extrude mesh node let’s place it over here change the mode from faces to vertices and now all of the vertices have now been extruded into edges in in fact because of using the extrude mesh node the number of vertices will also have been doubled because previously we were having the vertices only on the inner side but now after extruding the vertices into these edges we are now also having the vertices on this outer side to check this let’s add the mesh to points node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select the mesh to points node let’s place it over here and now you can check that previously we were having only these points but after using the extrude mesh node we are now having these extruded points now suppose you want more points to be add add it in the area between each of these two points then for this you can use the subdivide mesh node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select the subdivide mesh node place it after the extrude mesh node and now as they increase the level from here the number of subdivisions will increase and due to this the number of points will also increase now to add some other object like a UV sphere or an icosphere as instances on these points we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points place it over here now for the instance object I’ll be using an icosphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select the icosphere node place it over here and connect it to the instant socket let’s also reduce the radius of the icosphere to something like 0.1 now these will be used as the sun rays and for the main Sun object let’s add a UV sphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select the UV sphere let’s place it over here let’s also add the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node now I’ll connect the mesh socket to the Joint geometry node let’s also reduce the radius to something like 0.6 or 0.7 and now it looks perfect now to give it some material let’s go to the material properties click on the new button then in the emission I’ll change the color to yellow or orange and the emission strength to something like 10 or 11 and now to use this material in the geometry nodes editor let’s add the set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node place it over here and the name of this material is material. 002 so let’s select this material from this list and we now have this emission material applied to the Sun however to view the emission effect properly we need to change the render settings in the previous versions of blender with the EV render engine we used to have a bloom settings here using which you could have made the emission look better however in the latest version which is blender 4.2 the bloom settings have been removed from here and to get the same results we now have to use the composting and blender but in reality it’s a completely different topic which we’ll be covering later on in this course but for now we’ll be using the composting in order to fix the emission material so to open the composting workspace click on this composting workspace option and this window will appear where we can do all the works related to composting so for those of you who don’t know composting is basically used to change the way your final renders look it’s more like an image editing tool and to understand it practically first of all turn on the use nodes option from here and since we need to view the changes in the 3D viewport so for this I’ll change this dope sheet editor into the 3D viewport so click on this icon and select the 3D viewp let’s also expand this window like this turn on the render view now here we have the Sun that we created and and to view the changes that we make in the compositor click on this icon and change the option of the compositor from disabled to always now to get the bloom effect go to the compositor press shift plus a then in the filter select the glare node place it in between the render layers and the composite and from here change the glare type to bloom now from here change the quality to high and let’s reduce the size to something like six also slightly increase the threshold and we’ll be keeping it to a value of something close to 10 and with this the emission on the material is now looking perfect and yes one more thing it might be possible that you were not able to understand even a single thing that we did in the compositor so you don’t need to worry about that because we’ll be learning the compositors in full detail in the upcoming chapters but for now simply use this glare node change the glare type to bloom reduce the size increase the threshold and set the quality to high and now let’s go back to the geometry nodes Editor to view the same results over here click on this icon and change the selection from disabled in the compositor to always now let’s also fix the rotation and the position of this sun and for this we’ll be using the transform geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the operations select the transform geometry node place it after the set material node now first of all I’ll change the rotation in the x-axis to 90 let’s move it slightly upwards in the Z axis also and place it over here one more thing to notice in the scene is that the bloom effect is applied not only to the Sun but also to the eyes of the dragon and the reason for this is that whatever changes you make in the composting always get applied to the entire scene and not just a single object now let’s also scale it up so go to the transform geometry node let’s increase the scaling in all the three ax to something like two and now it looks like this we have these dragons and the simple Sun at the back and with this we are now ready to finalize our scene so let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad turn on the lock camera to view from here I’ll change the view like this let’s also zoom out so that we can have both the dragons as well as the sun in the scene if you want you can even add some more Dragons by selecting them tabbing into the edit mode Let’s also go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and you can easily draw your dragons like this let’s do one more thing we’ll be creating a dragon in front of the Sun Also so let’s draw the curve and you might also get some errors like this but simply press contrl plus Z to undo and draw the curve again let’s create one more dragon and now it looks perfect let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and this is how our scene is looking now we have so many dragons in the scene along with the glowing Sun at the back if you want you can even change the color of the emission by going to the material properties and you can change the color from yellow to something like orange or red then you can also go to the composting and change the bloom effect from the different settings here like the threshold value or the size and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 47 today we understood about some new geometry notes and use them to finalize this [Music] scene in this chapter and the upcoming chapter we’ll be understanding lots of new geometry notes and we’ll also be creating this amazing portal scene in blender so in today’s chapter let’s understand all these Topics in complete detail now first of all let’s go to the geometry nodes workspace click on the new button here and the first thing that I’m going to do is to change this Cube into a UV sphere so go to the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select the UV sphere place it over here and connect the mesh socket to the group output now we’ll be using this UV sphere to create a scene with some lighting emerging out of it and for this we’ll be using some curves placed as instances on the points of the UV sphere so let’s understand it practically so first of all let’s add the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points place it over here then for the instance object we’ll be using the curve line node so press shift plus a go to curve and in The Primitives select the curve line place it over here and connect it to the instant socket now these are the curve lines that are placed as instances on the different points of the UV sphere and we’ll be using them to create some lighting emerging out of the portal or the UV sphere and it will be connecting to the area outside the portal so for this let’s first add a set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the right category select the set position node place it over here now we want that only the end points of this curve line to be connected to the world outside this portal and for this we’ll be connecting this selection socket to a new node which is called the endpoint selection node to add it over here press shift plus a go to curve then in the read category select the endpoint selection place it over here and connect it to the selection socket in the set position node now here we have two options the start size and the end size and since we want to affect only the end point of the curve line we’ll keep the end size to one but we’ll change the start size to zero now we’ll go to the 3D viewport and let’s add some random objects around the Sci-Fi portal so press shift plus a go to mesh and as select a UV sphere move it in the Y AIS like this press shift plus d to create a duplicate place it over here let’s create two more copies and place them around the portal now moving ahead the next node that we’re going to discover is the sample nearest node to add it here press shift plus a go to geometry and in the sample select the sample nearest node let’s place it over here now this node is very similar to the geometry proximity node it takes a geometry as an input and in the output it gives the nearest indices to the geometry now suppose you want to use these UV spheres added in the scene as the geometry input in the sample nearest node so for this I’ll select all these four UV spheres and we’ll join them together by pressing cr+ J now they’re converted into a single object with the name Sphere in the scene collection so I’ll select the portal again let’s track the sphere into the geometry noes editor connect the geometry socket to the geometry in the sample nearest node and now the sample nearest node will take these UV spheres as the input or basically as the sample and in the index output socket it will give the nearest indexes now to use this index socket somewhere we’ll be using the sample index node so press shift plus a go to Geometry then in the sample select the sample index node place it over here then I’ll take the geometry socket and connect it to the geometry in the sample index node now we’ll be using the sample index node to calculate the position at that particular index so first of all change the data type to Vector then for the value socket we’ll be using the position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the read category select the position node let’s place it over here and connect it to the value socket then I’ll connect the index socket of the sample nearest to the index socket in the sample index node now I’ll connect the output to the position socket in the set position node now let’s also understand what all we did here again first of all we use this object info node which is carrying the information about these UV spheres then we connected it to the sample nearest node and the sample index node this sample nearest node was calculating the index value of the points nearest to the geometry of the UV spheres and we use this index value as the input in the sample index node in order to calculate the position of those indexes then we connected it to the set position node in order to see the changes however to actually see the changes in the scene we have to use the realiz instances node to add it here PR shift plus a go to instances and select the realiz instances node place it in between the instance on points and the set position node and now we notice some changes here if I go to the object info node and turn on the relative from here then this is how the end points of the curve line get connected to the Spheres also if I try to move the UV spheres then you can see here that these curved lines were also changing and now moving ahead you can see that these curved lines are very straight and to give them some Randomness we’ll be using some texture so first of all I’ll create a duplicate of this head position node by pressing shift plus b let’s place it over here then I’ll add the noise texture node so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texure place it over here now I’ll take the factor socket and connect it to the offset in the set position node also turn off the normalize and now the curve lines are having this random pattern now to increase the randomness even more we need to increase the number of control points of the curve right now since the curve line is completely straight As a result there are only two control points one at the beginning and another at the end and to increase the number of of control points we’ll be using the resample curve node to add it here press shift plus a go to curve and in the operations select the resample curve node place it in between the two set position nodes and now with the help of the count value you can control the number of these control points so we’ll keep it to something like 8 or 10 let’s also reduce the scaling so we’ll keep the scaling to something like 1 or 1.5 and then to reduce that number I’ll go to the uere node change the number of segments to something like six let’s also change the number of rings to something like five or six or maybe I’ll keep both of the values to eight and this is how it looks now and yes if I select these curved lines press G to move it that it creates a very interesting Thunder lighting type of pattern which we needed for the Sci-Fi portal but to give it some thickness we’ll be using the curve to mesh node so press shift plus a go to curve and in the operations select the curve to mesh node place it over here then as usual we’ll connect the profile curve to the curve Circle node so press shift plus a go to curve and in the primitiv select the curve Circle node we’ll connect it to the profile curve socket let’s reduce the radius to something like 0.1 then suppose we want that the radius should be bigger at one end and smaller at the other end then for this we have the spline parameter node to use it we first need to add the set curve radius node so press shift plus a go to curve and in the right category select the set curve radius place it over here and to add the spine parameter press shift plus a go to curve and in the read category select the spline parameter node place it over here connect the factor socket to the radius and to control the effect let’s add the map range node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in the math select the map range node place it over here now to have the bigger radius on this end and the smaller radius at the opposite end simply go to the map range node change the two Min to a value of one and the two Max to a value of zero now let’s also reduce the number of these curve lines again so go to the UV sphere node let’s change the number of segments and the Rings to something like five then to view the UV sphere along with these curved lines at the center let’s add a joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node place it over here and to add the UV sphere if I try to connect the original UV sphere to the Joint geometry node then the reason it looks like this is that we have reduced the number of segments and the Rings here so for now I’ll first undo and add a new UV sphere node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select the UV sphere let’s place it over here and connect the mesh socket to the Joint geometry node also you can see here that some of these curves are emerging out of this UV spere so to fix this select the original UV spere node reduce the radius to something like 0.5 or 0.4 and this is how it looks now if I press G to move it then you can see that it’s creating this interesting pattern let’s also do one more thing I’ll select these UV spheres tab into the edit mode and we’ll be placing them properly because right now they are not properly placed in the XY and Zed AIS so first of all I’ll go to the top view by pressing zero on the numpad then to select a particular UV sphere first I’ll deselect all of them then with my mouse over one of the UV spheres if I press L then that particular UV sphere will get connected press G to move it and place it over here similarly I’ll deselect everything again by left clicking anywhere else in the 3D viewport take the mouse cursor to another UV spere press L to select it press G g x and move it over here let’s also move it in the y- axis like this let’s do the same with the third one press G and move it over here now I’ll select the fourth one by first deselecting then press L and move it slightly close to this UV sphere now this is how our scene is looking let’s select this one also press g y and let’s move it over here and now the scene looks perfect now let’s come out of the edit mode and if you want you can even create an animation of it where the central UV sphere will be rotating like this so to create this animation press n to open the toolbar and in the item category right now the rotation in all the three axises set to zero so let’s insert a key frame for these rotation values at the frame number one then I’ll take this pointer to the frame number 120 change the rotation in all the three axis to something like 1800° press I to insert a key frame and now if I take the pointer to the frame number one and play the animation then this is how the animation looks with the rotating UV sphere now the next topic for today’s chapter is understanding the edge angle node so for this first I’ll add a plane in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane press G X and move it over here tab into the edit mode Press Two for the Ed select mode select this Edge now let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the Lum pad now with that Ed selected press e to extrude it like this and now we have a plane in the scene with one of the edges extruded like this now I’ll go to the geometry nodes editor click on the new button and to add the edge angle node press shift plus a go to mesh and in the read category select the edge angle node let’s place it over here now this edge angle node will simply calculate the angle in between any two faces separated by an edge now since it will give the output in the form of angle so we’ll also need some input sockets to accept these values so let’s add the extrude mesh node by pressing shift plus a then in the mesh go to operations and select the extrude mesh node let’s place it over here and now both the faces of the plane are
extruded now let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad or maybe control+ one and now if I take the unsigned angle socket and connect it to the offset scaling in the extrude mesh node then now the offset scaling will be controlled on the basis of the angle that we are receiving from this node so if I tap into the edit mode and with this Ed selected over over here if I try to change the angle by pressing G then you will notice that the amount of offset scaling or basically the Extrusion is also changing if I bring both the planes in the same line then the offset scaling will reduce to zero however if I change the angle like this then this unsigned angle socket will consider the shortest angle in between both the faces and in this way we’ll control the offset scale value also but if I take the signed angle socket and connect it to the offset scale then this one also will calculate the angle in between both the faces and if that angle is less than 180° then the value will be negative and as a result the Extrusion gets applied to the opposite side and if I press G to move the edge and place it over here then you can see that this angle over here is less than 180° and as a result the Extrusion is being applied to the opposite side however if I take the unsigned angle socket and connect it again to the offset scale then in this case the Extrusion will get applied on this side only so with the unsigned angle it will simply take the shortest angle between the two faces and will apply the Extrusion accordingly however if I take the signed angle socket then in this case it it will check whether the angle is less than or equal to 180° and if the condition is true then the Extrusion will get applied to the opposite side and this is how the edge angle node works now we’ll be using this plane in order to make a portal around these UV spheres and for this I’ll go back to the front view by pressing CR + one on the numpad then take the unsigned angle in the edge angle node and connect it to the offset scale after that press G to move the edge and place it over here now press a to select everything then press GX and move it over here in such a way that this yellow origin point just touch is this Edge over here then to create the portal select this Edge then go back to the front view again now press G to move it like this and to make the first half of the portal we’ll be extruding this Edge so hold on control and if I right click anywhere then the edge will get extruded like this let’s do it one more time hold on control and right click over here now this is how the first half of the portal is looking right now let’s also come out of the edit mode and to add the faces on this inner side of the portal also we’ll be using the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node place it over here and connect the group input to the Joint geometry now we also need to extrude this back part of the portal and for this we’ll be adding an extrude mesh node at the end so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it after the joint geometry node now because of applying the Extrusion the inside faces here have again disappeared and to fix this we’ll again be adding a joint geometry node over here so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here take this geometry socket and connect it to the Joint geometry node now one part of the portal is completely ready and to make the other part I’ll be adding another joint geometry node so I’ll select this one create a duplicate place it over here then for the duplicate part we’ll be adding a transform geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the operation select the transform geometry node place it over here now we’ll connect the geometry socket in the joint geometry node to this geometry socket in the transform geometry then for the output I’ll connect this socket to this joint geometry node and now let’s understand what exactly we did here see the original joint geometry node was carrying the information about this part of the fence however if you notice here closely we have connected it to this join geometry node two times first we connected it directly and second time we connected it using the transform geometry node and this transform geometry node will basically be controlling the duplicate that we created so if I go to the scaling value in the x-axis and try to change it then you will notice that at a value of minus one the portal looks completely perfect Also let’s move it in the x-axis like this let’s keep it to something like 1 M or 1.5 M now we’ll be placing this portal in place of these UV spheres surrounding the main UV sphere so I’ll select this press X to delete and to place this portal press 7 to go to the top view let’s move it in the x-axis and place it over here let’s go to the front view also and move it upwards in The Zed axis now to get the effect of these curve lines according to this portal I’ll select the UV sphere then in the object info node that we added here I’ll change the object from squere to plane now to ensure that this effect is visible all over the portal I’ll select it and move it down like this and then left click to finalize now let’s also give some material to the objects in the scene so I’ll go to the render view then to improve the lighting I’ll select the lamp go to the object data properties change the type of light to Sun reduce the strength to something like five or four let’s move it in the y- axis like this now rotate the light by pressing R and rotate it like this let’s create a duplicate of this light so press shift plus d move it in the y- axis and place it over here then press R to rotate it and keep the rotation like this so first I’ll select the center object then go to the material properties now this default material is added here so let’s add a set material node in the geometry nodes editor with this default material so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node place it over here and in the list of materials we’ll be selecting this material now let’s go to the Shader editor from here and here we have the default principle bstf applied now to give it some texture we’ll be using the musk grave texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture place it over here and as I already told you in the previous chapters blender has merged the musra texture with this noise texture and to get the same effect as the mus grave texture here we simply need to turn off the normalize option here now press ctrl+ T to get the texture coord and the mapping node take the object socket and connect it to the vector and to view the output I’ll take the factor socket and connect it to the base color now in the noise texture first of all I’ll reduce the scaling to something like one or two then I’ll increase the detailing to a value of 15 let’s also increase the roughness and I’ll keep it to something like 0.7 or 0.8 let’s also increase the Distortion to a value of something like 0.8 or maybe 1 now for the colors let’s add a color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp place it over here now I’ll select the second pointer and change the color from white to Red then I’ll take the factor socket and connect it to the alpha in the principal bsdf the reason for doing this is that I wanted to make the black part slightly transparent Also let’s go to the render properties and I’ll change the render engine to Cycles then open the material properties again scroll down and in the viewport display settings do ensure that the blend mode is selected to Alpha hash or Alpha blend for now I’ll be selecting the alpha blend now let’s also work on the emission so for the emission color we’ll be keeping the same color that we get from the color Ram so I’ll take this color socket and connected to the emission color then I’ll increase the strength to something like 10 and to see the effect properly we also need to turn on the bloom settings so for this go to the composting workspace click on the Ed nodes and to add the bloom effect press shift plus a go to filter and select the glare node place it over here change the glare type to bloom and set the quality to high then I’ll keep the size to something like six and now I’ll go to the geometry nodes editor again and to view the effects here click on this icon and set the compositor to always and now the bloom effect is properly applied the reason why this portal is also glowing is that that the strength of the light in the scene is very high so I’ll go to the object data properties and reduce the strength to something like one let’s do the same with the other light also I’ll reduce the strength to a value of one and now this is how this material is looking right now if you want you can reduce the emission strength to something like five or six but I think that right now 10 looks perfect so I’ll finalize it and if you want you can even go to the render properties and change the render engine back to eveve and now this is how the scene looks you can also try to change the scale value here to something else or maybe the roughness and you can create a different type of material for this object at the center Also let’s add a plane below this so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and scale it up 20 times let’s come out of the edit mode press g z and move it down like this now one thing that you can notice here after adding the plane is that in the material that we created here we are having some transparent Parts in the middle and that is because we connected the factor socket to the alpha if I remove it from here then previously it was completely black colored however by connecting the factor socket to the alpha this black color changed to transparent and as a result you can easily see through it now moving ahead let’s also modify this plane so I’ll go to the solid mode then click here and open the geometry nodes editor click on the new button and to control the size and the number of vertices of the plane let’s add a grid node in the geometry nodes editor so press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select the grid place it over here and connect it to the group output let’s increase the size to something like 20 or maybe let’s keep it to 50 and the number of vertices to something like 100 and now let’s add the split edges node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select the split edges node place it over here and to view its effect let’s also add the scale elements node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select the scale elements node place it after the split edges node and reduce the scale to something like 0.9 and now you can see here that because of the split edges node we are now having the separate faces scaled down due to the scale elements node now moving ahead the next topic for today’s chapter is understanding the face group boundaries node to add it here press shift plus a go to m and in the read category select the face group boundaries node let’s place it over here now this node simply finds the edges or the boundaries lying in a specific region to understand it in a better way I’ll take this boundary edges socket and connect it to the selection in the split edges node and now it will split the edges according to the face group ID that we input here now suppose you want some random edges so for the face group ID socket let’s use a noise texture node along with the compare node so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture place it over here turn off the normalize then to add the compare node press shift plus a go to utilities and in the math category select the compare node let’s place it over here connect the factor socket to the value a and the result to the face group ID now let’s reduce the scale value to something like 0.1 and now let’s understand what all we did here hold down control shift and left click on the noise texture similarly with the control and shift key holded left click on the grid node also and in this way we are able to see this plane that we added along with the noise texture you can see that because of adding this texture we are having this black and white area and at the region where this black and white part mixes together or basically where we have this gray area this is the boundary which we used in the face group boundaries node if I delete the viewer note from here then you can see that now only those edges have disappeared which were present at the boundary in the noise texture to understand this concept in a better way let’s remove the split edges and the scale elements node then press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations let’s add the extrude mesh node place it over here connect the mesh socket of the grid node to the extrude mesh and then connect the extrude mesh node to the group output now I’ll connect the face group on boundaries node to the selection let’s also increase the scaling of the texture to something like 0.5 then go to the extrude mesh and increase the offset scaling then only these edges are getting extruded that were present at the boundary in the noise texture and so this is the use of the face group boundaries node also to view the effect in a much better way I’ll change the mode to edges and reduce the offset scaling like this and now it’s very clearly visible that the Extrusion is being applied to only those edges where we are having this boundary in the noise texture so for now I’ll delete this viewer node let’s increase the offset scale scaling to something like 2 or maybe 1.8 let’s also reduce the scaling in the noise texture to something like 0.06 and this is how our scene looks now now moving ahead let’s also give some material to this plane so go to the material properties click on the new button and to set this material go to the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node place it over here now I’ll select the material. 001 let’s go to the render View and to modify the material let’s go to the Shader editor from here now in the Shader editor press shift plus a go to texture and add the noise texture let’s place it over here press cr+ T to connect it to the texture coordinate and the mapping node now just like always take the object socket and connected to the vector and to view the results take the factor socket of the noise texture and connect it to the base color also turn off the normalize from here and we’ll be keeping the texture to exactly the same scaling as we did in the geometry nodes so let’s open the geometry noes editor from here and in the noise texture that we added here we set the scale to a value of 0.06 so in the Shader editor also I’ll change the scaling to a value of 0.06 and this is how it looks now also if you want you can set the detailing to something like 15 let’s also change the roughness and we’ll keep it to something like 0.6 or 0.7 and now it looks perfect to give some color to it let’s add a color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp place it over here now we select this white pointer and we’ll give it to something like green color and if you want you can even assign this color to the emission color here so I’ll take the socket and connect it to the color in the emission section let’s also increase the emission strength to something like five or 10 then to make this black area slightly transparent I’ll take this Factor socket in the noise texture and connect it to the alpha in the principal bsdf now do ensure that all the parameters that you have set here in the noise texture are exactly same as the noise texture in the geometry nodes editor in this one we have set the detailing to 15 and the roughness to 0.642 so let’s go to the geometry noes editor again and in the noise texture I’ll change the detailing to 15 and roughness to a value of 0.642 now moving ahead let’s also give some material to the edges that we extruded here so for this let’s create a duplicate of the set material node so press shift plus d and place it over here then I’ll take the side socket of the extrude mesh node and connected to the selection the side socket is carrying the information about the extruded edges on the plane now let’s create a new material by clicking on the plus icon and then clicking on the new material button and to assign this material to the extruded edges click here and select the material. 002 now to modify this material go to the Shader editor from here let’s delete both of these nodes by pressing X and for the texture I will bring in the the same nodes that we used in this material. 001 so press a to select everything cr+ C to copy all the nodes then I’ll go to the material. 002 and press cr+ V to paste them now in the color amp I’ll select the second pointer and change the color to something like blue and this is how it looks now also let’s increase the scaling in the noise texture something like 0.15 let’s do the same with the material. 001 also go to the noise texture change the scaling to 0.15 Let’s also do the same in the geometry nodes editor so I’ll go to the scaling in the noise texture again and increase it to 0.15 and with this the material for the base or basically the plane is now completely ready and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 48 in today’s chapter we learned about the understanding of lots of new geometry nodes and we use them to create this portal scene with this object and the portal then we even created a base where we used the face group boundaries node in order to extrude only the edges at the boundaries then we applied this beautiful looking material to it and in the next chapter we’ll be learning about some new geometry notes and we’ll also be continuing with the Sci-Fi portal [Music] scene in the previous chapter we begin with the creation of the Sci-Fi portal scene and in this chapter we’ll be learning about all these topics in complete detail and we’ll also continue with the scene and the first thing that we are going to do today is to give some basic material to this portal so to create the material go to the material properties and click on the new button also switch to the Shader editor from here and to view only the portal in the 3D viewport press the forward slash button let’s also add a light in the scene so press shift plus a go to light and select the sunlight let’s move it in the Zed axis like this press R to rotate the light and rotate it like this also let’s increase the strength of light to something like three or four and now let’s create the material so I’ll select the portal then in the Shader editor let’s add the noise texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture place it over here press crl + T to connect it to the texture coordinate and the mapping node now just like always take the object socket and connect it to the vector now I’ll connect the factor socket of the noise texture to the the base color in the principal bstf and for the colors let’s add the color Ram so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram place it over here now I’ll select this white pointer and change the color to the purple color let’s also reduce the brightness and this is how it looks now let’s also do some changes in the noise texture so let’s increase the detailing to 15 let’s also increase the scale value to something like 12 or 15 then in the principal bstf let’s reduce the roughness to something like 0.1 in order to add some reflection to it now to view the rest of the objects press the forward slash button again and this is how our scene looks now let’s go to the solid mode now moving ahead the first topic for today’s chapter is understanding the face neighbors node so for this let’s add a plane in the scene by pressing shift plus a then in the mesh select the plane let’s move it in the x-axis over here now tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and to subdivide right click and select the subdivide option let’s increase the number of cuts to a value of three let’s also scale it up and with this we have a subdivided plane in the scene now let’s come out of the edit mode now let’s open the geometry nodes editor from here and click on the new button to understand the face neighbors node I’ll first add the extrude mesh node here so press shift plus a go to mesh then in the operations select the extrude mesh node let’s place it over here now to add the face neighbor node press shift plus a then go to mesh add in the read category select the face neighbors node we’ll place it over here now we can connect this face neighbors node to the extrude mesh in order to extrude only some particular faces like we have two sockets the vertex count and the face count and so if I need that only those particular faces should get extruded who are having a particular number of vertices or faces neighboring that face then for this we can use this node to connect it to the extrude mesh node let’s also add the compare node in between so press shift plus a again go to utilities and in the math category select the compare node place it over here since the vertex and the phase count is an integer value so I’ll change the input type to integer then to set a value equal to the vertex count of the phase count I’ll change the operation from greater than to equal and now if I connect the vertex count to the value a and the result socket to the selection in the extrude mesh node then now you can see here that no Extrusion is being applied to any of the faces and that’s because due to the face neighbors node the Extrusion will get applied only to that particular face which is having the number of vertices around it equal to the value of B which is zero so if I tab into the edit mode press one for the vertex select then now you can see that each of these faces is having four vertices surrounding it so in order to extrude these faces I need to change the value of B to four and with this all of the faces are now getting extruded let’s understand it with the help of one more example so I I’ll change the value of B back to zero then I’ll select these two vertices over here and if I right click and select subdivide and now we have this one extra vertex added in between these two vertices also this particular face is now having five vertices surrounding it while the rest of them are still having four adjacent vertices so now if I go to the compare node and increase the value of B to four then you can see that all of these faces except this one will get extruded and if I change the value of B to 5 then in this case only this particular face will get extruded now the next socket that you have here is the face count and if I connect the socket to the value a and change the value of B to 1 then now nothing will get extruded and that’s because by using the face count node the comparison is made on the basis of the number of faces surrounding a particular face for example this selected face has exactly two faces adjacent to it one is this face and the second one is this face similarly this thing is true for all of these Corner faces because each one of them has exactly two faces neighboring it as a result if I go to the compare node and increase the value of B from 1 to two then now the Extrusion will get applied to only these Corner faces then if I select this face then this one has three faces surrounding it the first face is over here the second pH is this one and the third phas is this face so in simple words you simply need to check the number of faces that are adjusted to a particular face with the help of the edge and just like this face all of these faces that are present on the sides but are not the corner faces are having a face count equal to three so if I change the value of B in the compare node to three then in this case all of these faces will get extruded and so this is the use of the face neighbors node now just like the face neighbors node we also have a Vertex neighbors node to add it over here first I’ll delete this node by pressing X then to add the vertex neighbors node press shift plus a go to mesh and in the read category here we have the vertex neighbors node let’s place it over here and just like the face neighbors node this one also has the vertex count and the face count and as the name suggest this node will work on the vertices so if I tab into the edit mode press one for the vertex select then you can see that each of these vertices is being surrounded by a particular number of vertices and faces for example this vertex that is selected over here is surrounded by two vertices the first is this one and the second is this vertex so in this case the vertex count for this one will be equal to a value of two so if I go to the vertex count and connect it to the value a also I’ll change the value of B from 3 to 2 and now to extrude these vertices having the vertex count equal to a value of two go to the extrude mesh node and change the mode from faces to vertices now if I come out of the edit mode then you will notice that all these vertices having a Vertex count equal to value of two are getting extruded like this then you also have the face count socket which is used for comparing the number of faces surrounding a particular vertex for example if I select this vertex then it is being shared with two faces the first is this one and the second is this face similarly if I select this vertex then this is being surrounded by these four faces so for this vertex the face count will be equal to a value of four therefore if I take the face count socket and connect it to the value a then if I change the value of B to four and go to the object mode again then in this case all these vertices are getting extruded which are having the face count equal to the value of B which is four now moving ahead let’s understand the next topic of this chapter which is the face is planer node so for this let’s first remove these two nodes from here let’s also remove the extrude mesh node and connect the group input to the group output to add the face is planer node press shift plus a go to mesh and in the read category select the is face planer node let’s place it over here now the is face planer node or the face is planer node is simply used to check whether the triangles of the Quad or the Enon are planer or not see quad means any figure that has four sides and Enon means any figure having n number of sides now to understand this node in detail I’ll go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad I’ll also turn on the annotate tool from here and select the annotate line and yes one more thing whatever changes I’m doing in the scene right now are only for making you understand the usage of this node so you don’t need to repeat these steps in your blender file now if I draw a line like this then now you can see that this quad is broken into two triangles this one and this triangle now in the geometry nodes editor if I press shift plus a then go to material and add the set material node place it over here then to create the material I’ll go to the material properties and create a new material Also let’s open the material preview mode and now if I try to change the base color from here and then if I remove the set material note from here by holding the alt button and dragging it like this then you can see that even though we are not using the set material node but still we are having the material. 004 applied and this is because it is the first default material that we created in the material properties for this plane object however if I create another new material and change the base color to the blue color this time then now to assign this particular material we need to use the set material node so I’ll place it over here select the material. 005 and now the material will get applied now if I connect the planer socket to the selection in the set material node then now this material. 005 will only get applied to those faces which are planer or in simple words the is face planer node will check if the triangle of the Quad or the Enon is in the same plane as others or not now if I tab into the edit mode and select this half of the plane by selecting all these vertices like this let’s select these also and now if I move them down by pressing gz and place it over here then now you will notice that some of these faces are not having this material. 005 but instead the default original material which was this original material is applied to these faces and this is because of the is planer node by connecting it to the selection socket we now got this material. 0 0 5 or the blue material applied to only those faces which were lying in a plane or simply those faces which were having the same normal in this case all of these blue faces are having their normal in the positive Z AIS for the top faces also which are blue colored however for these orange faces the normal or the perpendicular will be something like this which is not in the same axis as compared to the other faces now this is face planer node also has this threshold value which controls the threshold after which the face will no longer be considered to be planer to understand it in a better way if I slightly increase the threshold then at a particular value you will notice that this node is now considering these faces also to be planer and therefore applying the material. 005 to them so you can simply control the threshold to control the distance after which the face will not be considered as planer for now I’ll remove these annotations from here now let’s come out of the edit mode and delete this plane now moving ahead we’ll be creating a kind of path or a bridge that will take us to the portal for this let’s add a plane in the scene Also let’s switch to the mode so press shift plus a go to mesh and add the plane move it in the y axis and place it over here also let’s move it slightly upwards in the Z axis and then to change its scaling using the geometry nodes click on the new button let’s add the grid node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select the grid node place it over here connect the mesh socket to the group output and let’s increase the size in the Y AIS to something like 20 M let’s also increase the size in the x-axis so something like 2 m now to extrude the plane let’s add the extrude mesh node so press shift Plus a go to mesh then in the operations select the extrude mesh node place it over here after the grid node and now suppose you want to scale down the top face then for this we’ll be using the scale elements node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select the scale elements node we’ll place it over here to scale down only the top face I’ll connect the top socket to the selection let’s reduce the scale and also in the extrude mesh node turn off the individual now suppose you want to apply some Distortion to the sides then for this we’ll add the set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the right category select the set position node place it over here then to create the Distortion we’ll connect the offset to the noise texture so let’s add it by pressing shift plus a then in the texture select the noise texture place it over here connect the factor socket to the offset to view the Distortion effect properly we also need to subdivide the mesh so let’s add the subdivide mesh node so I’ll press shift plus a then in the mesh go to operations and select the subdivide mesh node we’ll place it over here let’s also increase the levels now the Distortion is being applied to all of the faces however we needed the Distortion effect on all the faces except the top for this we’ll be connecting the compare node to the selection socket in set position node and we’ll be using it to control the faces where the noise texture is applied so press shift plus a go to utilities then in the math category select the compare node we’ll place it over here change the input type to Vector connect the result socket to the selection and now to select all the faces except this top face I’ll change the operation to not equal then as we know that the normal of this top face is in the positive Z axis so I’ll go to the value of x B and change the Z axis to one then for the vector a we’ll be using the normal node so let’s add it over here go to the geometry and in the read category select the normal node we’ll place it over here connect it to the vector a and now the Distortion is being applied to all of the faces whose normal is not in the positive Z axis also right now the noise texture is being applied in all the three axis meaning the X Y and Zed axis and in order to apply the noise texture only in the X and Y AIS we’ll be using the combined X node so press shift plus a go to utilities then in the vector select the combine XYZ node we’ll place it over here let’s also connect the factor socket to the Y AIS now let’s reduce the scaling in the noise texture so we’ll reduce it to something like 1 or 1.5 now moving ahead suppose you want that this path or the bridge should have two materials for the top the material should be same as that of this portal and the bottom it should have the material that we added to the floor then for this we’ll be using the set material node along with the a face planer node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material place it over here first of all let’s apply this material. 003 which is the same material that we applied to this portal then for the distorted part we’ll create a duplicate of this node place it over here and change the material to the material. 001 which we use for the floor now in order to get this material. 003 which is the purple colored material only on the top face we’ll be using the is face planer node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the read category select the is face planer node place it over here connect the planer socket to the selection and now if I hide this floor by pressing H then you can see that this green material which we applied to the floor is now applied to the sides of the portal now even though this green material is applied to the sides and the bottom however we still have some of the faces with this purple material of the portal so to increase or decrease it you can try to change the value of threshold so if I increase it the portal material will increase and if I reduce it the portal material will begin to disappear also you can increase the levels in the subdivide mesh to five in order to get a much better look on the bridge now let’s let’s go to the solid mode again let’s unhide the floor and to place it properly in the scene let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad Press G to move it and place it over here let’s go to the side view now move it in the Y AIS like this and now this is how our scene is looking right now now it’s time to finalize the scene so first of all let’s add the camera view at this position so press control alt Zer on the numpad and we now have the camera over here then turn on the lock camera to view and let’s change the position like this let’s also zoom in now we’ll be doing some changes in the scene to make it ready for rendering so first of all go to the render View and now we’ll be creating a sky texture for the background so for this go to the Shader editor from here and with any of the object selected simply click here and change the Shader type to world now we have this node system over here using which we can control the materials applied to the world to get the sky as the background let’s add the sky texture over here so press shift plus a go to texture and select the sky texture place it over here connect the color socket to the color in the background now to make it look like realistic Sky first I’ll increase the ozone value to 10 then we need to change the sun elevation to either a value close to 0° or 180° right now I think that the sun elevation of something like 180 or 181 looks perfect it’s giving this look of a sunset at the background then coming back to the scene now we’ll be creating some fire drops and for this let’s add a UV sphere in the scene so press shift plus a go to mes select the UV sphere let’s move it in the Zed axis and place it over here to focus only on the UV sphere press the forward slash button now tab into the edit mode to make it look like a droplet first I’ll select the stop vertex then press o to turn on the proportional editing and if I press G to move it in the Zed axis and move it like this then now we have a shape which kind of looks like a droplet to make it look even better I’ll turn off the proportional editing and with only the top Vortex selected I’ll move it in the Z axis like this and now it looks perfect so we’ll come out of the edit mode also to give it some material I’ll change the Shader type to object and we’ll be assigning this material. 001 which we assigned to the floor however in this case we need to make it look like fire drops so we need to do some changes in the material also so we’ll create a duplicate of this material by clicking on this icon so first of all I’ll increase the scaling in the noise texture to something like 6 or 7 let’s also change the color so I’ll select the second pointer which is green color right now and change the color to something like orange and now this is how the fire drop looks now also I think that we should reduce the scaling in the noise texture to something like 7 or maybe 7.5 and now it looks perfect now to use it as the rain drops throughout the scene I’ll first go to the solid mode then press the forward slash button to remove the focus from the Raindrop and now we’ll be adding a cube in the scene then we’ll convert it into volume and distribute these raindrops inside that volume so press shift plus a go to mesh and add the cube tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up 20 times now come out of the edit mode and let’s go to the geometry noes editor from here click on the new button and to convert it into volume let’s add the mesh to volume node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select the mesh to volume node we’ll place it over here now to distribute some points in the volume let’s add the distribute points in volume node so press shift plus a go to point and select the distribute points in volume place it over here let’s reduce the density to something like 0.1 then to add the rain drop as an instance on these points we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points we’ll place it over here and for the instance object we’ll be using this raindrop which is saved with the name Sphere in the scene collection so let’s select the cube again and drag the sphere into the geometry nodes editor now I’ll take the geometry socket and connect it to the instance let’s reduce the scaling to something like 0.2 Also let’s reduce the density even further so we’ll keep it to something like 0.03 and now I think that it looks perfect so let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s also turn on the render View and now this is how our scene is looking however as you can clearly see the number of these raindrops is still very high so for this I’ll try to reduce this density in the mesh to volume node so let’s keep it to something like 0.1 or maybe let’s slightly increase it to 0.3 let’s also increase the scaling in all the three axes to a value of something like 0.3 D5 let’s also change the rotation in the y- AIS in order to give the raindrops a slightly tilted look now let’s also do some changes in the material by going to the Shader editor let’s select the original raindrop from the scene collection and in the Shader editor first of all I’ll break this note Connection in between the factor socket and the alpha in the principal bstf so hold on the control button right click and drag like this let’s also increase the scaling in the noise texture to something like 14 or 15 then to give it a glowing effect we’ll increase the roughness to a value of something close to 0 0.8 or 0.9 now our scene almost looks ready however we also need to fix the rotation of this path or the bridge that we created so go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad let’s move it in the y axis like this then go to the side view and we need to bring it down as well so press gz and move it down like this let’s go to the camera view again let’s select the portal along with this Fireball that we created and let’s move them in the Z axis upwards like this and then left click to finalize let’s go to the render view again and now this is how the final scene is looking if you want you can do some changes in the material of the central Fireball that we created for example I think that we should remove the connection between the factor socket and the alpha so let’s remove it previously we connected both of them together in order to replace the black color in the texture with a transparent look but right now this material is giving a much better look then if you want you can also try to change the material of the floor for example in this green material we can change the color to something else like the red color or any other color of your choice so try to do these changes in the materials also try to change CH the parameters in the geometry nodes editor like the Extrusion the noise texture also if you remember in the previous chapter we animated this Fireball from the frame number one to the frame number 120 so you can try to create an animation with this and this brings us to the end of chapter number 49 of the blenda master [Music] course in this chapter and the upcoming chapter we’ll be learning about lots of new geometry notes and we’ll be using them in order to create this lighting scene for today’s chapter our Target will be to understand all these topics ICS in complete detail and begin with the creation of this lighting scene now first of all let’s go to the geometry nodes worksspace and the first topic for today’s chapter is understanding the gradient texture node so for this first I’ll delete this Cube by pressing X then press shift plus a go to mesh and let’s add a plain object in the scene now to understand about the gradient texture node in the geometry nodes we first need to understand about the same gradient texture node in the Shader editor so for this click here and select the Shader editor from this list click on the new button and to add the gradient texture simply press shift plus a then go to texture and from here select the gradient texture we’ll place it over here then press crl plus T to add the texture coordinate and the mapping node then as usual take the object socket and connect it to the vector and to view the output first of all let’s go to the render View and to apply the gradient texture hold on control shift and left click on the gradient texture node let’s also go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and just like the name suggest the gradient texture node simply gives a gradient as the material now instead of understanding it in terms of the Colors Let’s also try to understand in terms of mathematical value so with this gradient texture applied the value will change from minus1 to 1 in the same direction where the color changes initially at this position the value is minus one and I have explained it to you A lot of times that whenever the value is less than or equal to zero then the color which is assigned is always the black color as a result at this position we see that the color is black then the value increases from minus1 to 0 so even at the value of 0 which is at the center the color is black and then the value begins to increase from 0 to 1 and since the value is getting increased from zero as a result we see a shift in the color from complete Black to the white color now let’s also understand the gradient texture node in the geometry nodes editor so for this click on this icon again and select the geometry nodes editor click on the new button to control the size or the number of vertices of this plane press shift plus a go to mesh then in The Primitives select the grid node place it over here connect the mesh socket to the group output and you can also see that by adding the grid node the material that we applied which is the gradient texture has also disappeared and that’s because whenever we add any object using the geometry nodes then in that case we need to use the set material node in order to assign the same material but for now we won’t be assigning any material to this plane let’s also go to the solid mode and now before adding the gradient texture node in the geometry nodes editor let’s also add an extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh then in the operations select the extrude mesh node place it over here it looks like a cube because it has extruded the face depending upon this offset scaling value but suppose you want that instead of adding any particular number here the offset scaling should instead depend upon the gradient texture so let’s start TR to do it so press shift plus a then go to texture and select the gradient texture place it over here connect the color socket to the offset scaling and you can see that we got some unexpected result Also let’s do one more thing which is to increase the number of vertices of this grid to something like 50 I’ll also increase the size in order to view it properly so I’ll change it to a value of 5 m and now this is how our plane is looking after connecting the gradient texture to the extrude mesh node now to understand what exactly is happening here hold on control shift and left click on the gradient texture and then similarly left click on the grid node now you can see here that the viewer node is only connected to the grid node and the gradient texture and as a result you get the same result that we saw while understanding the gradient texture in the Shader editor now just like before the value at this part is equal to minus one then in the middle it is zero and in the end the value is equal to 1 also if I again hold the control and the shift button and left click on the extrude mesh node then now this viewer node is connected to the extrude mesh and the gradient texture node and you can see here that the color is changing from complete Black to the white color as a result in in this case also the value on this part which is touching the bottom is equal to minus1 then as it approaches the middle the value increases to zero but since the value is still less than or equal to zero as a result it is still black colored and as soon as the value becomes positive the color again changes to White similarly this gradient texture connected to the offset scale initially gives a value of minus1 to this part as a result the Extrusion gets applied in the opposite direction then as it approaches the middle the gradient texture sends the value of zero to the offset scale and therefore this middle part is not extruded and then again again as it approaches the end the value increases to positive 1 and therefore the offset scale will be positive and therefore the Extrusion is seen in this upward Direction so in simple words the gradient texture changes the value of the offset scale from minus1 to a value of positive 1 now you can also see that this gradient texture node has some gradient types for example the linear quadratic easing and with each one we get a different type of result for example if I select the radial then now you can see that the value changes from this point in the radial Direction in simple words if I go to the top You by pressing seven on the numpad then over here the value is equal to zero then it increases like this and in the end the value is again equal to positive 1 also if you look closely then the Extrusion is also getting applied in a similar way on this part over here there is no Extrusion and so it is completely flat then as we approach this end we notice some slight Extrusion similarly on this part there is some more Extrusion and as it approaches the end the Extrusion effect even increases more so in this case with the radial gradient type selected the value changes from this point in a radial Direction and in a similar away the offset scaling in the extrude mesh node is also changing now if I go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and suppose you want that instead of the gradient texture being applied only once it should be repeating itself then for this we need to use the math node with some specific operations so press shift plus a go to utilities and in the math category select the math node place it over here let’s also connect it to the offset scale and now if I click on the operations list then over here we have this ping pong operation so I’ll select it and by using this operation I can control the value at which the gradient ends so initially the value will still be equal to zero however whatever value I insert in the scale here will get applied as the ending value for example if I change the scale to one then in this case the value is changing from 0 to positive 1 that is from the black color to complete white color however if I reduce the scale to something like 0.5 then in this case the value will change from 0 which is black to a value of 0.5 which is a mix of black and white or simply the gray color so for now I’ll change the scale back to one then create a duplicate of this node and place it over here and we we’ll be using this node in order to multiply this effect so from the function I’ll select the multiply and then if I try to increase the value from here then you can see that the effect of gradient texture is getting multiplied so if I keep it to a value of 10 then in this case the effect of gradient texture is applied 10 times for example here the value will be equal to zero then somewhere over here the color is completely white and as a result the value will be equal to 1 then again the value decreases to zero and the color changes to White and it continues in a similar way also if I try to change the view like this then you can see that because of multiplying the radiant texture effect the Extrusion is also getting affected so for now I’ll delete the viewer node from here and now this is how our plane looks right now now moving ahead the next topic for today’s chapter is understanding the RGB curves node so for this I light a plane in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane let’s move it in the x-axis over here and just like the gradient texture node we’ll be understanding the RGB curves node first in the Shader editor and then in the geometry noes editor so click here and select the Shader editor let’s also go to the render View and now for understanding the RGB curve node I’ll also need the gradient texture node so let’s do one thing I’ll apply the same material that we previously used to understand the gradient texture node so click here and select this material. 001 in your blender file it might be possible that this material gets saved simply with the name material instead of material. 001 now just like we did in the geometry nodes editor we’ll be adding the math node with the multiply and the ping pong function so press shift plus a go to converter and select the math node place it over here change the operation to ping pong change the scale value to positive 1 then for the multiply I I’ll create a duplicate of this math node and place it over here let’s also change the function to multiply and change the value to 10 let’s also change the gradient type from the linear to the radial and now it looks like this let’s also go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and now finally we can add the RGB curves node so press shift plus a go to color and select the RGB curves node we’ll place it over here now this RGB curves node is used to control the way the RGB channels look for those of you who don’t know what RGB is it basically means red green and blue color and these three colors are the prim colors of light by using different values in the RGB channels you can create any type of colors to understand it in a better way let’s add a color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp place it over here and you can see that over here the color mode is selected as RGB also if I click over here and change it to RGB then it allows you to input any value in the red green and the blue channels and depending upon these values you’ll be getting a unique color each and every time so for example if I take this color to the red color then you can see that the other two values have changed to zero and the value in the red channel is equal to 0.81 if I increase it to a value of one then in this case the brightness will increase similarly if I select the second pointer and change the color to the blue color then now you can see that the other two values which is of the red and the green channels is zero or approximately equal to zero you can try to change the position of this pointer in order to change the value to exact zero and in the blue channel the value is equal to positive one now if I take the RGB curves node and drop it after the color ramp then in this case I can use this node to to control the RGB channels over here you can see that we have four options C RGB C stands for the combined channels meaning that if this one is selected then we’ll be controlling all the three channels collectively then the next one is the r and this one will control the red Channel similarly G controls the green Channel and B controls the Blue Channel now if I click anywhere on the curve a point or basically a handle will get created and if I left click and drag like this then the position of the handle will change and we’ll notice some differences in the color by moving this handle in the upwards Direction like this the brightness has increased similarly if I take this handle and bring it down then in this case the brightness will reduce and this is how the colors are looking right now so by changing the way this curve looks you can control the way how the colors look on your object also if I click anywhere else on the curve then another point or another handle will get created and I can use both the handles in order to modify the way the colors look in the material if you want to reset all the things that you did here simply click on this icon and select reset curve so basically this is how the RGB curves node works in the Shader editor for now I’ll delete this plane from here by pressing X let’s select This Plane again and now let’s understand the RGB Curves in the geometry nodes so click here and select the geometry nodes Editor to add the RGB curves node press shift plus a go to utilities then in the color select the RGB curves node now we’ll drop it after the math node with the ping pong operation just like before if I click anywhere on the curve a handle will get created and if I try to move the handle then you will notice that it manipulates the way the gradient texture was looking so it completely depends upon you about how you want the texture to look on on the object also you can select the end handles over here by left clicking and if I drag it like this then the position of this handle will also change so try to adjust the different Handles in order to change the way the gradient texture or basically the Extrusion value looks because of connecting the offset scale to the gradient texture so for now we’ll be keeping it very simple I’ll bring down this end point over here and by doing this you can see that the height is also reduced so there is no right or wrong curve which needs to be there in the RGB curves node it completely depends upon you about how you want your scene to look like so try to play with the different handles of the curve also you can try to change the values in the math node and get different types of results you can also do the same with this math node with the multiply operation and we’ll be getting some different results but for now I think that it looks perfect so I’ll finalize this now moving ahead we’ll now be creating some lighting in our scene so for this let’s first go to the solid mode and to create the lighting let’s add some random object in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and I’ll select the plane let’s move it in the Z axis over here then go to the geometry nodes editor and click on the new button now to to control the scaling of the plane from the geometry nodes let’s add a grid node over here so press shift plus a go to mes then in The Primitives select the grid node PR it over here connect the mesh socket to the group output let’s increase the size to something like 2 m or maybe 2.5 M now to make the lighting we’ll be using some curve lines as the instances so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points place it over here and for the instance object let’s add a curve line node so press shift plus a go to curve then in The Primitives select the curve line node place it over here connect the curve so to the instance now we have these curve lines placed as the instances on different points of the grid and suppose you want that the end points of the curve line should be touching the nearest surface of this plane then for this we have the sample nearest surface node but to use it we also need to add the set position node so press shift plus a go to Geometry then in the right category select the set position node we’ll place it over here then press shift plus a again go to mesh and in the sample select the sample nearest surface node we’ll place it over here now the sample nearest surface node will sample any value of the surface which is nearest to the points of the curve line also in the data type you have many options like the float integer vector and whatever you will select here that particular data type will be sampled by the sample nearest surface node now we also have the mesh socket in this node where we need to connect the target mesh object or in this case this plane that we have added here so go to the scene collection left click and drag the plane into the geometry nodes editor take the geometry socket and connect it to the mesh socket in the sample nearest surface node also in the object info node select the relative option and now suppose you want that this value socket in the output should sample or basically generate the position of the nearest surface then for this first of all change the data type to vector and then we’ll connect the value socket to the position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the read category select the position node place it over here connect it to the value now for the output I’ll connect this value socket to the position in the set position node now you can see here that the position of these curved lines placed as the instances has changed however it is still not perfect if I select these curve lines and press G to move it you will notice that we can’t move them upwards to fix this problem we need to use the realized instances node so press shift plus a go to instances and from here select the realiz instances node place it in between the instance on points and the set position node and also if you remember I told you that we needed only the end points of the curve lines to touch the surface of the plane to achieve this result we need to connect the selection socket in the set position node to the end point selection node so press shift plus a go to curve and in the read category select the endpoint selection node place it over here take the selection socket and connect it to the selection in the set position node since we need only the end point to be selected so change the start size to zero and now you can see that we have these curve lines added over here with the end points snapped to the nearest surface of this plane also if I press G to move them then they’re also changing in The Zed axis this time and this is because of the realiz instances node that we added after the instance on points node now since we’ll be using these curved lines to make some Thunder Lighting in the scene so we also need to add some Distortion to it right now they’re completely straight and to add some Distortion we need to add another set position node so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here now for the Distortion we’ll be using the noise texture added to the position node so for this press shift plus a go to utilities and in the vector select the vector math node place it over here now we need to connect this node to the position socket in the set position node so we’ll connect it like this then for the two Vector values we’ll be using a position node and the noise texture node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the read category select the position node place it over here connect it to any of the two vectors then for the other one let’s add the noise noise texture node so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture place it over here connect the factor socket to the vector now to apply the Distortion effect properly we also need to increase the number of control points in the curve Lines by default they have only two control points one at the beginning another at the end so to add more control points we’ll be using the resample curve node so press shift plus a go to curve then in the operations select the resample curve node place it over here now we finally have something which looks like the Thunder lighting however if I try to move it down by pressing G then you can notice that it’s still not perfect so to solve this problem you simply need to change the value in the offset so let’s reduce it to something like – 0.8 or maybe – 0.5 and now if I try to move it by pressing G then in this case the lighting looks much better than before now to make it look real we also need to convert it into a mesh so let’s add a curve to mesh node so press shift plus a go to curve then in the operations select the curve to mesh node place it over here for the profile curve we’ll be using the curve Circle node so press shift plus a go to curve then in The Primitives select the curve Circle node place it over here connect the curve socket to the profile curve Also let’s change the radius to something like 0.1 and now to make it look like it has bigger radius over one end and smaller at the other we’ll be using the set curve radius node so press shift plus a go to curve then in the right category select the set curve radius node place it over here for the radius we’ll be using the spine parameter node so press shift plus a go to curve then in the read category select the spline parameter node let’s place it over here take the factor socket and connect it to the radius in the set curve radius node now since we need the bigger radius on the top and the smaller radius at the bottom we need to invert the the radius and for this we’ll be using a map range node so press shift plus a go to utilities then in the math select the map range node we’ll place it after the spline parameter node and to invert the radius simply change the two Min value to one and the two max value to zero now to fill these top faces go to the curve to mesh node and turn on the fill gaps Also let’s further reduce the radius in the curve Circle node so we’ll keep it to something like 0.05 and now this is how the lighting scene is looking right now also if you want to increase their number
then simply go to the grid node that we added initi and by increasing the number of vertices here we can increase the number of curved lines that we used as the instance here so let’s go to the vertices option in the X and Y AIS and increase it to something like five to place them apart we can increase the size from here so let’s keep it to something like 3.2 or 3.3 M let’s also keep the number of vertices to four instead of five and this is how it looks now and also if you want the lighting to look a bit different then you can try to change the scale value in the noise texture that we added over here so if I reduce it to something like 2.5 or maybe two then it looks like this all so to increase the number of points you can go to the resample curve node and increase the count value from here also to make the turns more sharp you can go to the roughness value in the noise texture and try to increase it like this and finally I think that the Thunder Lighting in the scene looks perfect we also arrive to the end of the chapter number 50 today we learned about some new geometry nodes and use them to create the simple scene in the next chapter we’ll be using some more new geometry nodes to create some clouds in the scene and to finalize our lighting [Music] scene in the previous chapter we begin with the creation of this lighting scene and in today’s chapter we’ll be understanding all these Concepts in complete detail and we’ll be using them to finalize our scene so we are back in the scene where we created this plane with the help of gradient texture and the RGB curves node then we created this thunder lighting with the help of all these geety nodes and now the first topic for today’s chapter is understanding the instance to points node now the instance to points node is different from this instance on points node that we have used a lot in this course we use this instance on points node in order to place a particular object as the instance on different points of another object and in the output we used to get these instances but let’s also understand the instance two points node by adding it in the geometry nodes editor so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instances to points node let’s place it over here and now this node basically takes the instances as the input and converts them into points so here if I take the instances socket in the instance on points node and connect it to the instances in the instance two points node and then to see the result if I hold on control shift and left click on the instances to points node then you you can see here that at the position of the instances we now have these points added now suppose you want to place a particular object as the instance on these points then for this we can add an instance one points node after the instance two points node so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here then for the instance I’ll be adding a simple Cube so press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select the cube object we’ll place it over here connect the mesh socket to the instance now before moving ahead let’s also place all these nodes properly in the scene so that there’s no confusion so I’ll move these nodes that were connected to the set position node over here similarly let’s select these nodes and move them up like this now suppose you want to change the position of these cubes that we added here then you can do it directly from the position socket in the instance to points node so to give them a random position let’s first add a vector match node so press shift plus a go to utilities then in the vector select the vector match node let’s place it over here connect the vector socket to the position then for the first Vector socket let’s add a position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the read select the position node place it over here connect it to the the first Vector then to add some Randomness to the position we’ll be connecting the random value node in the second Vector so press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value node we’ll place it over here change the data type from float to vector and connect the value socket to the vector socket and now because of the vector math node with the add operation connected to the position and the random value some random value between 0 and 1 is being added to the position of all of these cubes placed as the instances also you can control the amount of Randomness from the minimum and the maximum values here so if I go for the minimum values select all the three that is the X Y and Z axis and try to change them like this then the amount of Randomness will also change basically higher the difference between the minimum and the maximum values more will be the amount of Randomness let’s also go to the max values and change it to something like 0.4 or maybe 0.5 and now for each of these cubes a random value between – 0.3 and postive 0.4 will get added to their position now we’ll be using these cubes that we added here in order to make some clouds in the scene so for this we also need to add some Distortion to the cubes that we have placed as instances over here so for this we’ll first add a set position node after the cube node so press shift plus a go to Geometry then in the right category select the set position node place it over here and if you remember we did the same process in the Thunder lighting that we created in the last chapter we use the set position node over here connected it to the vector match node with the add operation and connected the two Vector sockets to the position and the noise texture so for this one also we’ll be connecting the vector match node to the position socket and this Vector match node with the add operation will be connected to the position socket and the noise texture so I’ll select all the three nodes let’s create a duplicate of them and place them over here now I’ll take the vector socket and connect it to the position to increase the Distortion let’s first go to the noise texture and increase the scaling to something like five let’s also increase the number of vertices so go to the cube node select the number of vertices in all the three axis and increase it to something like four or five now to make these cubes look like clouds we need to convert the mesh into volume so for this we’ll be adding the mesh to volume node after the instance on points so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operation select the mesh to volume node we’ll place it over here and now you can see that the mesh is converted into volume let’s also increase the density from here in order to see it properly now even though the cubes are converted from mesh to volume but to make them look like real clouds we need the volume to be distributed all over this area without any empty spaces in between and for this we need to distribute some points in the volume so for this we’ll be using the distribute points in volume node so press shift plus a go to point and select the distribute points in volume node place it over here we have all these points distributed throughout the volume volume and to again convert it into volume or make it look like Cloud we need to convert these points into volume so let’s add the points to volume node so press shift plus a go to point and select the points to volume node we’ll place it over here and now if I change the view again you will notice that we still have these empty spaces but to fill them up with the clouds simply go to the distribute points in volume node and increase the density from here this will increase the number of points and as a result the volume will also begin to increase let’s also increase the density in the mesh to volume node like this and now this is how the clouds are looking in the scene to view the Thunder lighting along with these clouds we’ll be using a joint geometry node so press shift plus e go to geometry and select the joint geometry node we’ll place it before the group output now I’ll take the volume socket and connect it to the geometry in the joint geometry node to view the result here first I need to remove the viewer node from here so I’ll select it and press X and now you can see that we are having the clouds along with the Thunder lighting however we also need to change the position of the clouds in order to place them properly in the scene so for this I’ll go to the set position node that we added over here and try to change the offset in the xaxis like this so we’ll keep it to something like minus one and to be more accurate let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and we can now see everything properly so we’ll move it in the x axis like this let’s also move it in the y axis like this also if you want to increase the size of the clouds you can go to the size option in the cube and try to increase it like this however for now I think that the scene looks perfect so we’ll finalize this and yes if I select the clouds and try to move them by pressing G then you can see that it’s creating this amazing effect along with the Thunder lighting and with with this our scene is now ready to finalize so first of all let’s go to the render view to improve the lighting in the scene I’ll select this lamp go to the object data properties and change the type of light to Sun let’s also reduce the strength to something like four or five let’s also create a duplicate of this light so press shift plus d move it in the xaxis over here press R to rotate the light let’s also rotate it in the x-axis like this and now it looks perfect so first of all we’ll be creating a material for this plane and if you remember we made a material using the RGB curves node and the gradient texture in the Shader editor you can even check it from the material properties we have this material. 001 that we created in the last chapter so to add this material over here press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node we’ll place it over here and from the list of the materials I’ll select the material. 001 and you can see that we have this gradient texture with the red and the blue color that we created in the Shader editor so if you want you can try to change the things like the handles in the RGB curves to give it a different look like this or maybe the colors in the color ramp like you can set any other color maybe yellow or the green color but for for now I’ll go with the blue color only but we reduce the brightness to change it to the dark blue color now the plane looks perfect and now we can create the material for the clouds and the Thunder lighting so first of all let’s go to the geometry noes editor again select the cloud and now we have to create two separate materials one for the cloud and the other for the Thunder lighting so go to the material properties click on new material we’ll change the name of this material to cloud and let’s create one more material click on the new button and change its name to lighting to apply these materials I’ll go to the geometry nodes editor and we have two nodes connecting to the Joint node one of them is the curve to mesh node which is carrying the information about these Thunder lightings and the other one is the points to volume node which is carrying the information about these clouds so let’s add two set materials node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node place it over here let’s create a duplicate and place it after the curve to mesh node now for the first one I’ll select the cloud material and for the second one I’ll be selecting the lighting material to modify the material let’s go to the Shader editor from here also since we’ll be making the material for the clouds let’s also change the render from EV to Cycles now do ensure that in the material properties this Cloud material is selected now since the cloud is not a mesh but a volume so instead of the principal bstf node we’ll be using the principal volume node so I’ll select this press X to delete then to add the principal volume node press shift plus a go to Shader and select the principal volume node place it over here connect the volume socket to the volume in the material output now we have the clouds in the scene to change their color go to the color option and to make them darker I’ll reduce the brightness from here then you have the option to control the density so if I increase it the density of the volume will increase then you have the option to control the emission strength and the emission color but we won’t require these things right now however however if I try to increase the black body intensity to something like 0.1 or maybe 0.2 then you will notice a slight glow of red color around the clouds in the scene but I think that we should reduce it to a value of approximately 0.15 and now it looks perfect moving ahead let’s also create the material for the lighting so I’ll select it from the material properties and for this one we’ll be using the noise texture so pressure shift plus a go to texture and from here I’ll select the noise texture then to add the vector mapping and the texture coordinate node press crl + T then just like always take the object socket and connect it to the vector now to view the output here I’ll take the factor socket and connect it to the base color if you want you can increase the scaling from the scale parameter over here but for now we’ll be focusing on giving some color to the lighting so for this we’ll be using the color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram let’s place it over here now we’ll be changing the first color which is black to white color by inreasing the brightness from here then I’ll select the second pointer and for this one we’ll be choosing the light blue color so I’ll take my pointer over here then to increase the amount of blue color I’ll move this pointer in this direction also we’ll go to the emission let’s increase the emission strength to something like two and for the color we’ll be using the same color that we get from the color Ram so I’ll take the socket and connect it to the emission color to view the emission effect properly we need to do some changes in the composting so I’ll open the composting workspace from here then click on the use nodes to see the changes that we do in the 3D view Port also so I’ll change this window which is the dop sheet Editor to the 3D view Port so click on this icon and select the 3D view Port also I’ll enable the render view by clicking over here and now to improve the effect of a mission we’ll be using the glare node in the compositor so press shift plus a go to filter and select the glare node we’ll place it over here to ensure that you see the changes in the 3D view Port also click on this icon and change the option in compositor from disabled to always then to get the bloom effect which is required for the emission I’ll change the glare type from streaks to bloom also change the quality from medium to high and now with the help of these parameters I can easily control the bloom settings in the scene so first of all I’ll reduce the size to something like 7 then if you want you can even try to change the threshold value but for now I think that the scene looks perfect we have this amazing Bloom effect applied in the 3D viewport which is giving a realistic look to the emission material that we added to the lighting in the scene let’s go to the geometry nodes workspace again and to view the same changes over here also click on this icon again and in the compositor select the always option and now I think that the scene is completely ready and it’s totally up to you if you want to change the color of your clouds or maybe the color of lighting to something else like the dark blue color or maybe the red color so you can do the changes accordingly but for now let’s also go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s enable the lock camera to view from here I’ll zoom out if you want you can also change the color of the background to a specific color and to do this go to the World Properties by clicking on this globe icon then in the color if I set any particular color then that color will be applied as the background in the 3D view port and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 51 in this chapter we used a lot of geometry notes in order to finalize this amazing lighting [Music] scene in today’s chapter we’ll be understanding about the simulation nodes or the simulation Zone also we’ll be creating an amazing animation with the help of these geometry nodes so first of all let’s go to the geometry nodes workspace by clicking here then to add the geometry no system click on the new button in the geometry noes editor now if I press shift plus a then here we have a category which is known as simulation and in this we have the simulation zone so let’s add it over here and now you can see that we have a system of two nodes and each of them is having the name simulation so in simple words we have one simulation input node and one simulation output node by using these two nodes we can create some simulations or some animations in the scene and that to by using the geometry nodes only now the way the simulation Zone works is that it takes an input then performs some operation in the middle which depends upon the nodes that we use and then it gives the result from the simulation output node and the simulation or the animation that it creat Crees changes from one frame to the next frame so let’s understand this practically first of all I’ll take the geometry socket of the group input node and connect it to the geometry socket in this simulation input node then for the output I’ll connect this socket in the simulation output to the geometry socket in the group output node so now that all of the nodes are connected with each other you might be expecting that it would have created an animation but if I press the space bar to play the animation then you will notice that no animation is created till now let’s take the pointer in the timeline editor back to the frame number one so to create the anim we need to add some nodes in between the simulation input and the simulation output node so suppose you want to create an animation where the position of this Cube changes by a particular distance in a particular axis so for this let’s first add the transform geometry node using which we’ll control the position of the cube so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the operations select the transform geometry node we’ll place it over here and now if I go to the translation in the y- AIS and change it to a value of 0.1 M then now what will happen is that the simulation nodes will create an animation where the position ition of this Cube will change by 0.1 m in the Y AIS and this will happen each and every time the frame changes so if I press the space bar to play the animation this time then now you notice that we have this animation where the position of the cube is changing in the Y AIS by 0.1 M frame by frame also you can try the same thing with the other parameters in the transform geometry node for example if I take the pointer to the frame number one again and suppose I change the rotation in the Y AIS to 5° and if I again play the space bar then this time we have an animation created where the position as well as the rotation of the cube is changing with each and every frame now suppose you want to create an animation where we can see each of these cubes frame by frame and it should be like the scaling will also reduce as the number of Cubes will increase so let’s try to create it practically first of all I’ll change the rotation value back to zero then to view the cube each and every time the frame changes let’s add the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node we’ll place it after the simulation input node and connect the group input to the geometry socket in the joint geometry node let’s also increase the translation to 1 M and now if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation again then you can see here that it creates an animation where we can see each and every Cube separately in the 3D viewport whose position is being changed by a value of 1 M and this is because we added the joint geometry node and connected it to the original Cube also if you want to create the animation where with each passing frame the scale value also reduces then for this you can either go to the scale parameter in the transform geometry node or you can add the scale elements node but for now I’ll be using only these values to create the animation where these cubes will scale down so if I change the value in all the three axes to 0.95 then in this case the scaling of each of these cubes will reduce to 0.95 times the cube on the previous frame so if I take the pointer to the frame number one press the space bar to play the animation then you will notice that the position as well as the scaling of the cubes is changing with each and every frame so this is how the simulation Zone works in the geometry nodes editor it creates the animation depending upon the nodes that you add in between the simulation Zone and the change with each frame will depend upon the values that we add in the different parameters of these nodes now moving ahead we’ll be creating an animation where we’ll be controlling the position of the cube or any object by using another object like an empty object in the scene so for this first of all I’ll remove the transform geometry node from here by pressing X let’s connect the geometry socket in the joint geometry node to this geometry socket in the simulation output node let’s also take the pointer back to the frame number one now since we want to create the animation where the position of this Cube will depend upon some other object like the empty object or something else so in the view Port press shift plus a then go to empty and select the plane axis let’s scale It Up by pressing s and now you can see that an empty object is created which does not have any mesh or volume it is simply existing in the scene so I’ll select the cube again to control the position with respect to the empty axis that we added we need to add the transform geometry node after the group input so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the operations select the transform geometry node we’ll place it over here and one thing to notice here is that we have not added this transform geometry node in the simulation Zone whichever nodes we add in between between the simulation input and the simulation output will only be considered the part of the simulation zone now I’ll go to the scene collection let’s track the empty object into the geometry noes editor and to use the empty axis to control the position of the cube first I’ll change this to relatives and control the location socket to the translation in the transform geometry node now before playing the animation if I go to the 3D view port and select the empty axis and try to move it then you will notice that a copy of the cube is also moving along with it so for now I’ll right click now with this empty axis selected if I press the space bar to play the animation and try to move the empty axis like this then you will notice that we have these multiple cubes being added in the scene depending upon the position of the empty axis to make it look better let’s select the cube again go to the frame number one let’s also bring the empty axis back to the original position so I’ll select it press alt plus G to clear the location of the empty axis now with the cube selected I’ll go to the geometry nodes editor let’s scale down the cube to something like 0.7 and suppose we want that in the animation the scaling of the cubes should also change then for this let’s add the scale elements node in the simul ation zone so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select the scale elements node let’s place it over here now if I change the scale value to a value of 0.9 or maybe 0.91 then this time with each of the passing frame the scaling of the cube will also reduce to 0.91 each time so to play the animation I’ll select the empty axis again press the space bar and if I press G to move it like this then you will notice that it’s creating this amazing animation where the scaling of the cubes is also reducing now I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one let’s also clear the location of the empty axis by pressing alt plus G select the cube again and in the geometry notes editor we’ll do some changes in the scaling in order to make the animation look much better so first of all I increase the scaling in the scale elements to something like 0.96 let’s also change the scale in the transform geometry node from 0.7 to a value of 0.8 now let’s select the empty axis again press the space bar to play the animation and move it like this and with this we have a beautiful animation created where we have so many different cubes and their size is also changing and we are able to control all of this just by moving the empty axis now I’ll go to the frame number one again let’s also clear the location of the empty axis One More Time by pressing alt plus G select the cube and now suppose you want to save this animation in the timeline editor and for this we need to insert different key frames at the different frames of the different positions of the empty axis in the timeline editor so first of all I’ll go to the side view by pressing one on the numpad select this empty axis and with this empty axis placed on the 3D cursor I’ll press I to insert the key frame now we have a key frame inserted at the frame number one let’s take the pointer to the frame number 40 let’s also change the position of this empty axis by pressing G and I’ll place it over here let’s insert a key frame at this position also so press I and we have another key frame inserted over here now if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation then you will notice that we have an animation like this being created in the 3D view port to make it look better I’ll select the cube again and we should change the scaling in order to give it a much better look so I’ll go to the transform geometry node and in the scale value I’ll enter the value equal to 1 this will scale up the cubes and for the animation I’ll change change the value of scale in the scale elements node to something like 0.92 also if you want we can create this animation with some other object like maybe a UV sphere and to do this instead of the group input node we’ll be using the UV sphere node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select the UV sphere node we’ll place it over here connect the mesh socket to the geometry in the simulation input let’s also connect the mesh socket to the geometry in the transform geometry node let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation again now we have this UV sphere being animated and just like this you can replace the UV sphere with any object that you like for today’s chapter we’ll be creating a simple star in the scene and replacing the UV sphere with that star so to model the star let’s first add a plane in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and add the plane tab into the edit mode to focus only on the plane press the forward slash button let’s also go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and we’ll need some more vertices so right click and select subdivide now to model the star I’ll select this vertex let’s move it up in the Y AIS like this and place it over here then I’ll select this vertex let’s move it in the xaxis like this then select this vertex move it up in the Y AIS and place it over here let’s do the same with this one also we’ll move it in the x-axis like this and now we need to change some position of the vertices in order to finalize the star so first of all I’ll select these top three vertices and we’ll move them down in the Y AIS like this also we need some more points in between these two edges I’ll right click and select subdivide again then I’ll select these two vertices move them down in the Y AIS and place them over here let’s also scale them down in the x-axis so so press s then X and scale it down like this to make it look symmetrical I’ll select this vertex and move it down slightly in the Y AIS let’s also select these two vertices at the bottom and scale them down in the xaxis like this now our sty looks completely ready to give it some thickness press a to select everything and extrude it in the Zed axis now let’s come out of the edit mode and this is how the star is looking in the scene now to give it a realistic look let’s apply the bevel modifier to it so go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the bevel modifier let’s increase the number of of segments to a value of three and now it looks perfect to give it a smooth look I’ll right click and select shade smooth Now to create the animation by using this star instead of the UV sphere I’ll first press the forward slash button to view the rest of the objects then I’ll select this UV sphere and we’ll copy all these geometry nodes from here and paste them in the geometry notes of the star that we created so press a to select everything crl plus C to copy now let’s also delete this from the scene so press X to delete select the star go to the geometry noes editor and click on the new button now I’ll select these two noes press X to delete and to paste the notes that we copied simply press control+ V the reason why we see a UV sphere is that in the geometry notes editor we added this UV sphere to be used as the input so I’ll delete it from here then I’ll take the group input and connect it to the simulation input and also to the transform geometry node Now to create the animation again I’ll go to the top view This Time by pressing seven on the numpad let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one select the empty AIS let’s also delete all the key frames that we previously inserted over here so in the timeline editor press a to select everything X and click on delete key frames now at the frame number one the position will be at the 3D cursor so press I to insert the key frame let’s take the pointer to somewhere near frame number 20 let’s give it a random position so press G to move it and place it at any random position let’s insert a key frame by pressing I and we’ll do the same thing a few more times in order to create the complete animation so let’s take the pointer to the frame number 40 and this time I’ll change the position of this empty axis to over here press I to insert the key frame take the pointer to the frame number 60 let’s move it down like like this press I to insert the key frame again then I’ll go to the frame number 80 and this time I’ll move it over here let’s insert a key frame again and let’s do the same thing one more time at the frame number 100 let’s place the empty access over here press I to insert the key frame and now the animation is ready to be seen so I’ll go to the frame number one press the space bar to play the animation and now we have this animation created with these stars that are moving and scaling down now let’s also give it some glowing material so for this let’s first go to the render view then I’ll select the stars and change the window to the Shader editor click on the new button and since we need to make the glowing material so in the principal bsdf I’ll go to the emission let’s change the color from here and let’s keep it to something like pink color and yes it completely depends on you that which specific color you need as the emission color for these Stars let’s also increase the strength to something like two or maybe three and to apply this material let’s go to the geometry nodes editor again then press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node we’ll place it over here and from the list of the materials I’ll choose this material. 001 to view the emission effect properly go to the compos in turn on the use nodes then press shift plus a go to filter and select the clear node place it over here change the clear type from streaks to bloom change the quality to high let’s reduce the size to something like six and to view the result let’s go to the geometry noes workspace and from here change the compositor settings from disabled to always with this we now have these glowing stars in the scene and if you want you can even control the amount of this glow from the composting workspace like you can try changing the bloom size and in this way you will be able to modify the scene so try to play around with these set settings try to change the color of the stars or the emission strength or maybe the position of the mty axis in order to create a different type of animation and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the simulation Zone and even created a simple animation using [Music] it for those of you who do not know anything about compositing it is basically a tool in which you simply use the note system in blender in order to enhance an image or a sequence of images it also includes the things like changing some specific colors in the image the glowing effect in the image and many more interesting things which can easily be done simply by adding a node in the editor and all this will give you renders a completely different and a unique look so in this chapter we’ll be understanding about how this compositing works in blender and we’ll also be learning about some compositing nodes so we have opened a new blender file and to begin with working with the compositing we first need to open the compositing workspace so on the top you have this workspace named as compositing so I’ll select this and in this workspace here we have the compos depositor editor then below this we have the dop sheet editor and in the end we also have a timeline editor now the dop sheet editor and the timeline editor will be used only if we are working on a sequence of images or in simple words an animation but if we are working on still images then we won’t require the dop sheet editor and the timeline editor now to work on the compositing we first need to bring in some nodes so for this first click on the use nodes option and this will enable the compositing nodes in the workspace now we have these two nodes one is the render layers which is the input and and then we have the composite node which is the output so the render layers node will give the input of the image on which the compositing is to be done and it will give the most recent rendered image of that particular file as the input then that image will be used as an input by the composite node or any other node which is connected in between the render layers and the composite node so suppose I go to the layout workspace again and we have this default cube in the scene now if I want the rendered image of this simple default cube in the compositing workspace then for this simply click on render and from here select the render image now we have this rendered image let’s close it for now let’s go to the compositing workspace again and right now this render layers is not having the image that we rendered and that’s because we added this node before rendering our image so to fix this problem click on this cross icon then click here and select the scene now you will notice that on the top of this render layers node we are now having the image that we rendered also whatever changes we’ll do in the compositing will get applied to this render image now in order to view the changes that we do here directly in the compositing workspace we have to use choose a node which is called the viewer node to add it over here press shift plus a go to output and here we have the viewer node so let’s select it and place it over here now if I take the image socket in the render layers and connected to the image socket in the viewer node then now we have this rendered image of the default Cube added at the back of the editor also do ensure that this backdrop option is turned on in order to view the image in the compositing editor now suppose you want to change the size of the image at the back then for this we can use the scale node so press shift plus a go to transform and here we have the options like the rotate scale and transform and we can use any of these in order to change the rotation scale or the transformation of the image at the back so if I select the scale and drop it in between the render layers and the viewer node then with the help of the X and Y values I can control the scaling of this image so let’s skip it to something like 0.6 or 0.4 then suppose you want the image to be rotated then for this we have the rotate node to add it over here press shift plus a go to transform and select the rotate let’s place it over here and yes you can also place it after the scale note as it won’t make any such difference now if I go to the degree and try to increase it then you will notice that the image at the back is getting rotated so with the help of the rotate node you can easily control the rotation of this image now moving ahead suppose you want to control the position of this image then for this we have the translate node to add it over here press shift plus a go to transform and select the translate node we’ll place it over here and by changing the values in the X and Y AIS we can easily control the position of this image now moving ahead we also have a node which serves the purpose of these three nodes the translate rotate and the scale node and this is the transform node so first of all let’s delete the three nodes by pressing X let’s also connect the image socket in the render layers back to the image socket in the viewer node now to add the transform node press shift plus a go to the transform category and here you will find the transform node so I’ll select this and place it over here and now you’ll notice that we have four parameters the first two are the X and Y values which simply controls the position of the image then we have the angle which will be controlling the rotation of the image then in the end we have the scale value which as the name suggests will be controlling the scaling of the image now let’s try to do some very simple things with this image at the back and by doing this we’ll also be understanding about a very simple compositing node which is the brightness contrast node to add it over here PR shift plus a go to color and in the adjust here we are having the brightness contrast node so I’ll select this and place it over here now this brightness contrast node is connected in between the render layers and the composite node however to see the changes at the back we also need to connect it to the viewer node so if I take the image socket and connect it over here then you will notice that the transform geometry node will get disconnected and that’s because the viewer node can only take one input at a time so let’s undo this and now instead of connecting the transform geometry node directly to the input we’ll be connecting it to the brightness contrast node so I’ll take the image socket in the brightness contrast node and connect it to the image socket in the transform node and now you can see then the image will be received from the renderers by the brightness contrast node and the result will be transferred to the composite node as well as the view viewer node now in the brightness contrast node we are having two options the first one is the brightness and the second one is the contrast and just like the name suggest the brightness parameter will control the brightness or basically the amount of white color in the scene so if I increase this value you will notice that the scene is now looking very bright also if I take the brightness value to a negative number then you will notice that the amount of black color will increase so the brightness value can be used in both the ways if you take it to a positive value the brightness will begin to increase and if you take it to a negative value the brightness will reduce and the amount of Darkness or the black color will increase now the second option that you have is the contrast and contrast basically means making the brighter pixels even more brighter and the darker pixels even more darker so if I increase the contrast from here you will notice that we are now having two contrast colors in the image one of them is complete white color and the other one is complete black color and now suppose you want that this image at the back should get rendered so for this simply click on render and select render image and here you will notice that the image that is finally rendered will also have the compositing effects applied to it if you want to save the final image then simply click on the image option and from here you can save the image at your desired location now let’s close this window now with this we have learned about the basics of compositing in blender and now suppose you want to use the same compositing nodes for some external image and not for the one that you render in the blender file and to do this go to the compositing workspace again and now we need to open the image editor in the workspace so for this I’ll be converting this dope sheet into the image editor so for this simply click here and from the list of the editors select the image editor now for this chapter I’ll be adding that image which I rendered in the chapter number 51 of this course where we created this lighting scene by using geometry notes and yes if you have not yet completed that chapter then you can get the same rendered image in the description below now I hope that you have downloaded that image now to open that image click on the open Button then open that particular folder where you have saved that particular file then select it and click on open image now we have this image added in the image editor let’s zoom out and to use this image in the compositor editor we need to use the image node so to add it PR shift plus a go to input and here we have the image node so I’ll select it and place it over here we’ll be using this image node which will act as an input for the rest of the nodes we can also delete the render layers noes from here so I’ll select it and press X to delete now let’s take the image socket and connect it to the image in the brightness contrast node and to add this image in the image node click on this icon and from this list select that particular image now we have the image added at the back and if you you notice closely the contrast effect that we applied with the help of this brightness contrast node can also be seen on the image at the back so whatever changes I do in the compositor nodes now will simply get applied to the image that we are receiving as the input now moving ahead we’ll be using the RGB curves node to add it over here press shift plus a then go to color and in the adjust select the RGB curves node let’s place it over here now if you remember we understood about the RGB curves node in one of the previous chapters also while understanding the geometry nodes we explored that this C stands for the combined channels R stands for the red Channel then G stands for the green Channel and b stands for the blue channel so for those of you who don’t know RGB means red green and blue channels and these are the three primary colors which can be used in order to create any particular color then in the middle of the RGB curves node we have this graph using which we’ll be controlling the red Channel or the green Channel or the blue Channel or all three of them by selecting the combined Channel now to modify this curve simply left click on any point on the curve and this point will get created and then if I left click and drag it like this the position of this point will change in the curve and you will also notice some differences in the image in simple words if I try to move the pointer in the upwards Direction then in this case the brightness of the image as a whole will increase and on the other hand if I take this pointer downwards then in this case the brightness of the image will reduce if you want to reset the curve back to the original then simply click here and from this dropdown menu select the reset curve now if you notice closely we have two more pointers in the RGB curve which are present by default one of them is this pointer on the top and the other one is this pointer at the bottom now both of them have some specific function now with this bottom pointer selected if I try to move up then in this case the brightness of all the black pixels will increase and that is because this particular pointer controls the black or basically the dark pixels and this one at the top controls the white pixels so by moving this pointer upwards the brightness of the black pixels will increase and if I try to move it down then in this case the brightness of the black or the dark pixels will reduce so similarly if I select this pointer at the top which is controlling the white pixels and bring it down like this then in this case the brightness level of the white pixels will begin to reduce and if I move it upwards then the brightness of the white pixels will be increased so you can use the RGB curves node in order to control the brightness of the image whether you want to increase it or if you want to reduce it so you can use the RGB curves node for this also there’s one more use of the RGB curves node which is to control the contrasting in the image if you remember we understood about the contrast option in the bright contrast node and you can achieve the same result by using the RGB curves node also so for this you simply need to create a point over here and move it up then create another point over here and we’ll move it down so we need to make a curve which has an s- like shape and by using the position of these pointers you can control the amount of contrasting and the way your image looks so to add the contrast effect in the image you simply have to create a curve like this one and then you won’t even need the brightness contrast node also if I change the value in the contrast back to zero then you can see the effect in a much better way that if I try to move these pointers then the contrast of the image colors changes like this also if you want to see the final image in this image editor then simply click here and select the viewer node now this is the image that is generated after compositing is applied and if you want to save this image then go to the image option and you can save the image from here now one more thing if you want to close this side tool bar then simply press the N key and now you have more space to work in the compositor now we just discovered the combined channels in the RGB cves node but as I already told you we have three more options the red channels the green Channel and the blue channel so let’s just cover each one and we’ll first start with the red channel so I select it and now I can use this curve to basically increase or reduce the amount of red color in the image so if I select a point in the middle and move it up like this then in this case the amount of red color in the image will increase to see the result properly let’s increase the size of this image editor and now we can see the result properly so by moving this pointer in the upwards Direction you will increase the amount of red color and when moving this pointer down the amount of red color will reduce and now the image looks like this so when the pointer is in the middle there will be a balance in the red color by moving it up the amount of red color will increase and yes it will also depend on which particular position you are placing your pointer for example if I move it in the right also then in this case the image will look slightly different from the previous result but again in simple words the amount of color will depend on the position of this pointer now moving ahead let’s also discover the green Channel and in this one also if I left click in the middle then a pointer will get added and if I move it upwards then in this case the amount of green color will increase and if I move it down then we’ll hard ly see any green color in the image similarly if I select the blue Channel then create a point in the middle and move it up then in this case the amount of blue color will increase and if I move it down then we’ll hardly see any blue color in the image now moving ahead let’s also discover the color balance node so first of all I’ll remove the brightness contrast node so hold on the ALT key left click and drag it like this press X to delete it then if you want you can also remove the RGB curves node from here so hold down the ALT key again left click and drag it away and press X to delete it then to add the color balance node press shift plus a then go to color and in the adjust select the color balance node let’s place it over here and also connect it to the transform node that is connected to the viewer node now in the color balance node we have three different options first one is the lift second is the gamma and the third is the gain and for each of these three options we have this color wheel and a brightness controller so this node is used to balance the colors in the image according to these three options so the first one which is the lift controls the dark areas or the shadows in the image then the second one which is the gamma controls the midtone area and the last one which is the gain controls the brighter areas are basically the highlights in the image so in the Thunder lighting image that we have here the lift will control this darker area which is the background and the clouds the gain will control this thunder lighting and the gamma will control the midtone areas where we are having a balance of the highlights and the Shadows now if I go to the first option which is the lift and try to change the color in this color wheel to something like the green color then you will notice that the maximum effect of this color correction will be seen on this background and the clouds and that’s because they were more like the shadow regions or the darker regions in the image you wouldn’t be able to see much difference in the lighting of the image you can try the same with other colors also like the blue color or maybe the red color the change in the color will be observed much more on the darker areas like the background and the clouds if you want to reset the color back to the white color then simply place your cursor on this color wheel and press the backspace button in a similar way if I go to the brightness bar and try to reduce the brightness then you will notice that the effect of the reduction in brightness is mostly visible on the background and the clouds but not on the lighting and the Shadows or the reflections created by it now moving ahead let’s also discover the gain option which controls the lighting in the scene let’s also press crl plus Z to undo and press the backspace to reset the color now we have the original image and in the gain option if I increase the brightness from this brightness slider then you will notice that the brightness of this thunder lighting region has increased much more in comparison to the rest of the image similarly if I go to the color wheel and try to change it to the red color let’s also reduce the brightness and now you can notice that the color of ther lighting is now changing according to the color wheel you will also notice that the color of the clouds is also changing and see that’s because the majority of light in the scene is coming from this thunder lighting which is being controlled by the gain parameter here let’s also change it back to the default color and now let’s move to the gamma so this one will control the color balance in the midtone regions of the image and if I try to change the color then you will notice that the color change is visible on almost all the regions of the image be it the clouds or the Thunder lighting or even the plane so by using this option you can try to do the color correction of the mid tones or in most of the cases the entire image for now let’s reset the color to the default value let’s also reduce the brightness and yes in most of the cases you’ll be using the lift or the gain because these two will help you to control the colors in the darkest and the brightest regions respectively now moving ahead we’ll be exploring the Hue saturation value node so first of all let’s remove the color balance node from here so hold down the alt button then left click and drag this away press X to delete and now to add the Hue saturation value node press shift plus a go to to color and in adjust here we have the Hue saturation value let’s place it over here and connect the image socket to the transform node now this node is based on a color model which is HSV which obviously stands for Hue saturation and value by using these three parameters we can create any type of color and to understand it in a better way you can look at this image and understand how each of these three parameters control the different things in colors now let’s also understand this concept in a practical way in the compositing editor so first we’ll go to the value parameter and if I reduce it you will notice that the image will become darker and if I increase it the brightness of the image will increase so the value parameter controls the amount of brightness in the image because if I reduce this value to zero then we’ll have no brightness and if I increase it to its maximum value of two then in this case we’ll be having the maximum brightness however if you want to increase the brightness even further then you can click on this value and suppose I enter five then in this case it will now be controlling the value from 0 to 5 previously if I press control+ Z the value was between 0 and but after I type any particular number here for example if I type seven then in this case the amount by which you can control the value or basically the brightness will increase like this so now it is giving us the option to control the value from zero to a value of 10 but for now I’ll reduce this value to something like 2 or 1.5 now the next parameter that we have is the saturation and this one will control how colorful our image looks so if I reduce the saturation to zero then in this case there will be no colors in the image and it looks like a black and white image however if I begin to increase this value you’ll start to notice some colors in the image and if I take it to the maximum value of two then in this case the image becomes very much colorful by default at a saturation value of one the image looks like this with a higher brightness however if I increase the saturation value to its maximum then now the image looks much more colorful than before and now the last one that we have is the Hue parameter and in this image you can see that the Hue basically controls the colors that you’ll see in the image so if I try to change this value then you will notice that the colors in the image will be begin to change so with each different value in the Hue parameter we’ll be having some different colors at the default value equal to 0.5 we’ll be having the original image however if I try to increase or reduce the value then in this case we’ll be having some different colors depending upon the value in the Hue parameter now moving ahead the next node that we going to discover will be the blur node to add it over here press shift plus a go to filter then in the blur category select the blur node we’ll place it over here and now this is a very simple node which can be used to create the blur effect in the image and to do this you simply have to change the values in the X and Y parameters over here so if I try to increase the value in the X to something like 40 or 50 then you will notice that the image is getting blurred in the x-axis or basically the horizontal Direction similarly if I take this value back to zero and change the value in the y axis to something like 60 then in this case the blur effect is being applied in the y- AIS or the vertical Direction however in most of the cases you will need a blur effect which is uniform throughout and to achieve such a result you need to ensure that the values in the X and the Y Y axis are equal so if I enter 60 in both the X and Y parameters then you will notice that we are now having an equal blur effect applied in both the directions and now moving ahead we’ll be discovering the glare node so for this let’s first go back to the layout workspace and now to understand the glare node we first need to make something in the scene which has some emission material applied to it so to understand it in a better way I’ll first delete the cube from here by pressing X then press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey object let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s rotate the Mony object in the Zed axis by pressing R and Zed and rotate it like this let’s also change the camera’s position by clicking on this log button and let’s keep the camera view to something like this now moving ahead we need to create some material for the monkey object so first of all let’s go to the render view now to create the material I’ll change this window of the timeline editor into the Shader editor so for this click on this icon and select the Shader Editor to create a new material click on the new button and now we’ll be creating a material with some noise texture and the emission applied to it so for this press shift plus a then go to texture and select the noise texture we’ll place it over here and to connect it to the texture coordinate and the mapping node press crl + T and just like always I’ll take the object socket and connect it to the vector I’ll take the factor socket and connect it to the base color and to add some colors let’s add the color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp we’ll place it over here with the first pointer selected I’ll change the color by increasing the brightness and I’ll be keeping the red color then for the second pointer I’ll select it and change the color to something like yellow I’ll select the first pointer again and change the color to Blue instead of red also I’ll change the interpolation type from linear to constant let’s select the yellow pointer and change the position like this now to control the scaling go to the noise texture and we’ll increase the scaling like this let’s also increase the detailing and the roughness also to something like 0.8 and now to use the same material for the emission also I’ll go to the principal bstf then in the emission I’ll first increase the emission strength to something like four or five and for the color I’ll take this color socket in the color amp node and connected to the emission color now you can see here that we are not able to see the effect of emission properly on this material and to solve this problem we have to use the glare node in the compositing editor so first of all go to the compositing workspace and right now we are having this image that we added however to get the image that we’ll render in the 3D viewport we first need to remove this image node so I’ll select it and press X to delete then press shift plus a go to input and from the scene select the render layers let’s place it over here connect the image socket to the image in the blood node now let’s go to the layout workspace again then go to render and select render image this image is now rendered but it looks like this because all the changes that we did in the compositor are now being applied to this rendered image so I’ll close this window then go to the compositing workspace now first of all I’ll remove this blur node so I’ll select it and delete it by pressing X let’s also remove this Hue saturation value node so I’ll select this and press X to delete now I’ll take the image socket and connect it to the image in the transform node then I’ll take the image socket and connect it to this composite node now finally we can add the clear node and see how it works so press shift plus a go to filter and select the clear node let’s place it over here to view the result over here take the image socket and connect it to the transform node and now you will notice some changes in the rendered image now in the glare node by default the glare type is selected as streaks and as a result in the rendered image you can see these streaks added at each and every place where we are having the emission material then from here you can control the quality of the glare in most of the cases the best option is to select the high quality then and the iteration means the number of times to run a particular filter through the algorithm the higher the value of iterations the better will be the result but it will take some more render time so mostly you’ll be keeping the iteration value to something like three or four then if you want to control the number of these streaks then you can use the streaks parameter from here so if I reduce it the number of streaks will reduce in the streaks effect and if I increase this value then the number of streaks in the effect will increase then the next thing that you have is the angle offset and by using this parameter you can control the angle of these streaks for example if I keep this value to zero then the angle offset is equal to 0° and the streaks look like this however if I change the angle offset to 45° then in this case the angle of the streaks will change like this then the next thing that you have is the mixed parameter and the mixed parameter takes the value from minus1 to positive 1 if I take the value of mix to its minimum value of minus1 then in this case the effect won’t be applied at all and you will be seeing the original image then if I increase this value and take it to a value of zero then in this case we get the streaks effect applied and then if I increase the value of mix to its maximum value of one then in this case we’ll be seeing only the streaks effect and not the rest of the surroundings so to get a realistic result we’ll be keeping the mix value to zero and now it looks perfect also if I go to the glare type option then you have four more glare types and the first one is the most important which is the bloom so I’ll select this and with the bloom you can basically control the glow of the emission first of all let’s reduce the size from here and we’ll be keeping it to something like four or five and right now the glow effect is being applied to all the parts that had the emission material but to give it a realistic look we need the glow effect to be applied only to certain regions and not to all the regions and for this we have to use the threshold value so if I begin to increase it you will notice that the glow effect has reduced or in simple words it’s only being applied to some specific regions as per the threshold value so if I increase it it will only apply the glar effect to the pixels that have a value
greater than the threshold value and if I reduce it then the glare filter will get applied to many more pixels for now I’ll keep the threshold to something like 3.5 or 4 now to understand the remaining layer types I’ll be creating a duplicate of this node so press shiftless D and move it over here then I’ll take the image socket and connect it to the image in the transform node and now we are having two clear nodes with the bloom type selected and as a result the amount of glow in the rendered result has also increased but if I change the clear type to the ghosts then this specific type will create a haze over the image and create this special dispersion effect just like the other types you can control the iteration value from here or the mix value and similarly the threshold value moving ahead the next type that you have is the fog glow and this one will basically stimulate some glow around the bright objects in the image it’s very similar to the bloom effect that we added over here to see the effect in a better way simply increase the size from here and you will notice that the glow effect has now increased now the next one that you have is the simple star now the simple star is very similar to the streaks type that we saw initially the only difference between the two is that the simple star will create the streaks which look like a simple star so you can try to change the different glare types and these parameters and in this way you can give your emission material a unique look however in most of the cases we only use the bloom effect along with the streaks clear type and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 53 today we learned about how the compositor Works in blender and also about a wide range of important compositor [Music] notes in the previous chapter we begin with the introduction of the compositor and used it to create some changes in the rendered images and in today’s chapter we’ll be moving one step ahead in the blend compositor and we’ll be understanding about the concept of layers masks so to begin with I’ve opened this file that we created in the last chapter where we made the simple material for this monkey object and worked on the compositing now since we need to work on the compositing in this chapter also so first of all we need to render this image of the monkey model so click on render and select render image now this image is rendered with the compositing effects applied now let’s close this window and open the compositing workspace from here now the concept of layers and masks are basically used used to define a region where the effect of the compositing is to be applied layer basically means a separate image or a separate video which is to be used as the source then we have the mask which is used to create a specific region in the image where you want the effect to be seen now first of all I’ll remove this clear node with the Ghost type so hold down the alt button left click and drag it away press X to delete and with this we are having only the rendered image with the bloom effect applied to it now in the compositor you can see that we have the render layers node and that’s because it is acting as a source of the rendered image also if I press shift plus a then go to input and select the image node and drop it over here then this node will also act as a layer because it will also be a source of an image in the compositor so this one will be one of the layers and this image node will be the other layer now to open an image click on this open Button then open any image that you wish to add in the compositor so for now I’ll be selecting this image which we created in one of the previous chapters of the course you can find the link of this image from the description of this video now click on the open image now suppose you want to combine this rendered image as well as the image that we added so to view both of them together we need to add the mixed node so press shift plus a go to color and in the mix select the mix color node we’ll place it over here let’s also connect it to the transform node using the image socket and now the reason why you see a white image is that in the mixed node we are having three parameters the first one is the factor and the other two are the images in the first image we use this rendered image of the monkey object but since we have not connected anything to the second image it gives us the option to select any particular color then by using the factor value we can control the mixing of the two images if I change the factor value to zero then you will be seeing only the original image or in other words only the first image will be visible if I begin to increase this Factor value and take it to a value of 0.5 then in this case there will be an equal mixing of both the images with each other also you can try to change the color from here to maybe blue or green and you will notice the same change in color in the final image also however if I increase the factor value further to something like one then in this case only the second image will be visible which in this case is the orange color now to use this image that we added over here as the second image I’ll take the image socket and connect it over here with the factor value of one it is showing us only the second image and not the first one however if I reduce the factor value to something like 0.5 then in this case we are able to see both the images mixed with each other in this case also if I reduce the factor value to zero then we’ll be seeing only the first image then if I begin to increase this value we’ll begin to see a mix of both the images and if I further increase the value of factor to something like one then only the second image will be visible so for now let’s reduce this value of factor to something like 0.8 or 0.9 and this is how it looks now also if I click over here then you have several blending modes and with each one you’ll be getting a different type of result for example if I select the dark in blending mode then in this case for each of the color components it will take the smallest of the two values being Blended and as a result the result will look like this similarly if I select the multiply then it will will look like this and now moving ahead we’ll be understanding about the concept of masks in compositing so to add a mask over here press shift plus a here we have a category known as the mask and in this category we have two options the Box mask and the ellipse mask so if I select the Box mask and place it over here and to view the result I’ll connect the mask socket to the viewer node and with this we have the simple box added over here similarly if I press shift plus a again then in The Mask if I select the ellipse mask place it over here connect it to the viewer node then now we are having the shape of an ellipse added over here now suppose I have to use this ellipse mask to control the region where this multiply effect will be applied so first of all I’ll break the node Connection in between the glare node and the multiply node so hold down the control button right click and drag your cursor like this let’s also connect the image socket in the transform node back to the viewer node now I have removed the image of this monkey from the multiply node as a result we now have the option to control the color in place of the first image for now I’ll be keeping the gray color and to use this ellipse mask node in the multiply node simply take the mask socket and connect it to the factor now this node will control that particular area where the effect of the multiply node will be applied so to change this area we need to change the settings in the ellipse mask node such as the width or the height so first of all I increase the width like this let’s also increase the height also we can create a vget effect in this image to achieve this result first I need to break the note Connection in between this image node and the multiply node so hold down the control button right click and drag your cursor like this then I’ll take the image socket and connected to the image one then for the second color I’ll change this to the gray color let’s also bring down the brightness from here and we want this gray color to be applied not in this region inside but instead on the outside region for this we have to use the invert color node to add it over here press shift plus a then go to color and from here select the invert color node we’ll place it after the ellipse mask node let’s also reduce the factor value to something like 0.6 or maybe 0.7 and now you will notice that we are having a kind of vget effect applied to this image I’ll also delete the Box mask node from here so I’ll select this and press X to delete now first of all I have this ellipse mask node which we used to create this mask in the form of an ellipse then we use the multiply node in order to create a multiply effect on this original image then in the option of adding the second image we use the gray color for creating the simple vgate effect around the image however when we directly connected the ellipse mask to the factor in the multiply node this multiply effect was being applied to the inner region and to invert this effect on the outer region we have to use the invert color node so we connected it to the factor socket in the multiply node and with this we have the simple wiet effect also you can make this effect softer by using the blur node so for this go to the compositor press shift plus a then in the filter go to blur and select the blur node place it after the invert color and now if I select the X and Y AIS and increase the value to something like 100 then here you will notice that the vigant effect is looking much better than before if I remove it from here then previously the effect look like this however after using the blur node this this is how the final result looks also if you want you can try to change the factor value in the invert color node to change the multiply effect but for now we’ll be keeping it to the value of somewhere near 0.75 or 0.8 similarly you can also try to change the values of the width or the height in the ellipse mask node and in this way you’ll be able to change the region where the effect is being applied and with this we have now understood about the concept of the layers and the masks in the compositor and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter [Music] in the previous two chapters we begin with the introduction of compositors in blender then we studied about the concept of layers and masks in blender and in today’s chapter we’ll be understanding about the Crypt mat now we have the default blender seene and to begin with the understanding of the crypt mat we first need to create three suzan models in the scene so first of all I will delete this Cube by pressing X then press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey model let’s also go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s rotate it in the Zed AIS like this let’s turn on the lock camera to view from here and change the view like this let’s also create a duplicate of the suzan model by pressing shift plus d let’s place it over here let’s also rotate it in the Zed axis like this let’s create another duplicate so press shift plus d again and place it over here let’s rotate this one also in the Zed AIS like this and now the scene looks perfect for the background we’ll be adding a plane in the scene so let’s turn off the lock camera to view now press shiftless a go to mesh and select the plane let’s move it downwards in The Zed AIS and place it over here now tabing to theed edit mode Let’s scale it up to maybe 20 or 30 times let’s go to the camera view again now for the back side first I’ll enable The Edge select mode by pressing two then I’ll select these two edges let’s extrude them in the Z axis like this then left click to finalize let’s go to the camera view again now to give the corners a smooth look I’ll select these three edges let’s apply the bevel to it so press crl + B increase the number of segments with the help of your scroll wheel then left click to finalize now let’s come out of the edit mode right click and select shade Auto smooth now if you remember in the previous chapter we understood about the concept of masks where we discussed that the masks in the compositor are used to define a particular region where the effect of the compositor will be seen and today’s topic which is the Crypt mat is an amazing feature that will automatically generate the mask for each of the objects or any materials in the scene now to practically understand about the cryptomator the interview let’s also improve the lighting in the scene so press seven on the numpad to go to the top view select This Light press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here let’s create one more duplicate by pressing shift plus b and we’ll place it at the back of the three monkey models let’s place it over here then I’ll select this light let’s move it over here so that it is slightly away from the objects in the scene similarly this one also let’s move it over here now let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and this is how the scene looks then if you want to give some material to the light then go to the object data properties with the light selected and change the color from here for now I’ll change the color of the selected light to something like pink or maybe blue let’s select the other light from the seene collection let’s change the color of this light also so let’s keep the color to light blue color now I’ll select the plane go to the material properties and to create a new material click on the new button now go to the base color and let’s change the color to something like red then I’ll select the monkey object go to the material properties click on the new button and for this one I’ll be assigning the green color let’s apply the same material to the other monkey objects also so I’ll select this one go to the material properties click on this icon and select the material. 002 let’s do the same with this one also I’ll select it go to the material properties click here select the material. 002 also if you want to give them a slightly smoother look then you can right click and select shade Auto smooth let’s do the same with the other two also by right clicking and selecting the shade Auto smooth now in order to use the Crypt mat feature in the compositor we first need to enable the Crypt mat in the properties editor so for this go to the view layer properties from here then scroll down and here you will have a category known as the Crypt matat from here enable the Crypt mat in object material and the asset now before moving to the compositor first need to render this image so click on render and select the render image now here we have the rendered image so let’s close this window and now we are ready to go to the compositing workspace so click here and to add the nodes enable the use nodes option now you can see here that in the render layers node we are having many more outputs related to the Crypt mat I’ll change the dop sheet editor into the image editor in order to see the output so click here and select the image editor let’s also add the viewer node over here so hold down the control and shift button and left click on the render layers node now the viewer node is added over here let’s also close this side toolbar by pressing the N key now in the previous versions of blender these sockets in the render layers node related to the Crypt mat were very useful but in the recent versions of blender we can understand about the Crypt mat without even using these sockets also in the image editor click here and select the viewer node now we are having the final image both in the compositor as well as the image editor coming back to the concept of Crypt mat we need to add the Crypt mat node so press shift plus a go to mask and here you have two op s the Crypt mat and the Crypt mat Legacy node the Crypt mat Legacy node is that node that was previously used in the older versions of blender however in the recent versions blender added this normal Crypt mat node which we need to use right now so I’ll select it and place it over here now in this the scene is selected where we have these monkeys and if I click over here then it gives you the option to select the crypto mat layer so we have three options the crypto object the crypto asset and the crypto materials so with the crypto object selected it will enable us to create a separate mask for any of the objects and whatever changes we do in the compositor will only get applied to that specific object so to assign a particular object we need to click this plus icon and now we need to select that particular object from the image at the back where we want to create the mask so for now I’ll be selecting this first monkey object which has the name suzan 002 so I left click and here you can see that the suzan 002 is added as the matte object Also let’s add the scale node in order to scale down the image at the back so that it’s properly visible so press shift plus a go to transform and select the scale image we’ll place it over here let’s reduce the scaling in the X and Y AIS to something like 0.5 or 0.6 and now it looks perfect moving ahead if you want to view the mask that the Crypt mat node created then simply take the image socket in the Crypt mat node and connect it to the viewer node now you can see this image at the back or this image in the image editor that a mask has been created in that area where we had the suzan do2 object similarly if I take the mat socket and connect it to the viewer node then you will notice that only the area of this monkey object object which is the suzan .002 is colored as white because of the crypt mat and the entire region around it is colored as black now this also means that I can do any changes in the compositor and apply it only to this specific mask region so for this I’ll again connect the scale node to the viewer node and just for understanding this concept I’ll be adding the Hue saturation value node so press shift plus a go to color and in the adjust select the Hue saturation value node we’ll place it over here let’s also connect the Hue saturation value node to the scale node and now suppose I do any changes in any of the parameters of this node like the Hue value or the saturation value then the change will be visible on the entire image however by using the Crypt mat node we can apply this effect only on a particular object so for this I’ll take the matte socket and connect it to the factor in the Hue saturation value node and now you can see in this image that the compositing effect because of the Hue saturation value node is now being applied only to this monkey object which is the suzan 002 similarly if you want to select any other object also then click on this plus icon again and now you can select that particular object by simply left clicking on it it’s also displaying the name of the objects where the cursor is placed so if I select this monkey object also then the same changes will get applied to the suzan .001 so this is the use of the cryptomator which allows you to create a mask for a specific object or a material or an esset and by using it you can apply the compositing effect to only some selected objects in the scene also suppose I need to remove a specific object from the Crypt mat node then for this click on this minus icon and select that object that you want to remove so if I select this suzan 002 then in this case the Crypt mat node will no longer work on this object and you can also see this over here in the mat objects where it shows the name of only the suzan .001 which is this monkey object now moving ahead the next option that we have is the crypto asset so I’ll select it let’s also remove the suzan .001 by clicking on this minus icon select the suzan model and now the crypto asset allows you to apply the compositing effects to some selected objects which have a specific relation in between them to understand it in a better way let’s go to the layout workspace and suppose I select this monkey object and with the shift key hold it if I select the plane at the bottom then both of them are selected and we’ll be making this plane the parent of the suzan model so let’s understand it by doing it practically first of all press contrl plus p and the parent menu will appear now select the object and with this we have assigned the plane to be the parent of the suzan model which means that if I select the plane at the back and try to move it then in this case even if we have not selected the suzan model it will still move with the plane now before going to the compositing workspace we first need to to render this image again so click on render and select the render image now the image is rendered so let’s close this window and open the compositing workspace again now in the Crypt mat node if I click this plus button and take this pointer to the plane then as expected it shows the name plane however if I take the pointer over this monkey object then in this case instead of showing the suzan do2 name it is still showing plane and that is because we made this plane the parent object of the suzan model this means that if I left click either on the plane or on this suzan model then in this case the compositing effect will be applied to both the parent and the child object which in this case is the plane and the suzan 002 and this is how the crypto asset works in the Crypt mat node moving ahead let’s also understand the crypto material but before that let’s also remove this plain object from here so click on this minus icon and select the plane now click here and select the crypto material Now by using the crypto material I can select a particular material in the scene and add it over here and then all the objects having that particular material will get the compositing effect app to them so if I click on this plus button and take this pointer over any of the suzan model and left click then in this case all the objects having the same material as this suzan model will be having the compositing effects applied to them so in simple words you are having three options in the Crypt mat layer the first one is the crypto object which will apply the effect according to a specific object that we select then by using the crypto asset it will consider the parent and the child object as one and as a result if I select any one of the two then the compositing effects will be seen on both the objects and then the last one that we have have is the crypto material and with this the compositing effect will be applied to all the objects in the scene having a specific material now moving ahead in this chapter we’ll also be understanding about the posturi node so first of all I’ll remove this U saturation value node by holding the alt button left clicking on the U saturation value node and drag it away like this press X to delete it and to add the posturi node press shift plus a go to filter and select the posturi we’ll place it over here let also connected to the image socket of the scale node now this posturi node reduces the number of colors in the image and also converts the smoother gradients into sharp transitions in this node you have the steps parameter and by using this you can control the intensity of this effect now suppose I want to use the Crypt mat along with this node however unlike the Hue saturation value node this one is not having any Factor socket in it so in such cases where a specific node does not have any Factor socket to connect the Crypt mat node we have to use the mix node along with it so press shift plus a go to color and in the mix select the mix color node place it over here now take the image socket in the render layers node and connect it to the first image then take the image socket in the posterz node and connect it to the second image and with the factor socket in the mix node we can create a connection with the Crypt matat node so first of all I’ll remove this mat ID by clicking on this minus icon and selecting the material on the suzan now I’ll change the layer in the Crypt mat layer option and select the crypto object let’s also connect the mat socket to the factor in the mix node now suppose I want that this posturi effect should be applied only to a specific object for example this suzan model so to achieve this result click click on the plus button and select the suzan 002 to view the result take the image socket and connect it to the scale socket also and now you can see that this posterize effect is being applied only to the suzan 002 object similarly if you want to select any particular object then click on the plus button again and select that particular object and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 55 today we understood the concept of Crypt mat like its usage in the compositor we also understood about the different Crypt mat layers and in the end we also explored the simple posturi node [Music] in this chapter we’ll be understanding about the concepts of constraints in blender now the first question which arises is that what exactly are the constraints so in blender constraint basically means to control the properties of an object for example the properties of this Cube like its location or the rotation or the scaling by targeting this object to a secondary object in the scene for example if I press shift plus a then go to mesh and select any other object for example a cylinder let’s also move it in the y-axis over here then now by using the constraints of blender I can control the properties of this Cube object by targeting this object to the secondary object which is the cylinder or in simple words you can also say that the constraints help you to define a relationship between different objects in the scene to access the constraints click on this icon which is the object constraint properties and if I click on ADD object constraint then here you will see a list of all the constraints available in blender now each one of these has a specific function which we’ll be learning in this chapter and the upcoming two chapters now in today’s chapter we’ll be covering all these transform constraints then in the next chapter we’ll be covering the tracking constraints and in the following chapter we’ll be discussing about the relationship constraints we won’t be discussing about the motion tracking constraints because they are not practically used much in blender so to begin with the first constraint that we’re going to explore today is the copy location constraint so with this Cube object selected I’ll go to the constraint properties click on ADD object constraint and in the transform select the copy location now as the name suggest this copy location constraint will force the object on which it is applied to take up the location of the target object so in the copy location constraint if I go to Target and click on this eye dropper and with this if I select the cylinder object then you will notice that the position of this Cube will change moreover if I try to move this Cube by pressing G then you will notice that we are not able to change the location of this Cube and this is because of the copy location constraint due to this constraint this Cube will now have the same position as that of the cylinder that we added so if I select the cylinder let’s also scale It Up by going to the edit mode so that we can see it properly in the scene now if I try to move this cylinder by pressing G then you will notice that the same change in location will also get applied to the cube object so this is the use of the copy location constraint and if I select the cube again then you will notice that we have two more options the axis and the invert so with the axis we can control that in which axis should the location be copied for example if I turn off the Y and the Z axis then in this case the copy location constraint will only work in the x-axis so if I select the cylinder and try to move it in the x-axis then you will notice that the same change in Position will also get applied to the cube however if I try to move it in the y- axis then the position of the cube is not changing similarly if I try to move it in the z-axis then in this case also only the position of the cylinder is changing and not that of cube so in this way you can control that particular axis whose location you want to be copied then you have the invert option and if I select the invert in the x-axis then in this case if I try to move the cylinder in the x-axis then you will notice that both of them are now moving in the opposite directions of the x-axis one of them is moving in the negative xaxis AIS and the other one is moving in the positive x-axis similarly if I turn on the Y AIS and also the invert in the y- axis then in this case if I try to move the cylinder in the Y AIS then now also their positions in the y axis are opposite to each other so this is the use of the axis and the invert in the copy location constraint now moving ahead just like the copy location constraint you also have another constraint which is known as the copy rotation so I’ll select this one let’s also remove the copy location constraint from here so click on this cross button and now just just like the previous one the copy rotation constraint will control the rotation of an object with respect to the other object so if I go to the Target and with this eye dropper I’ll select the cylinder now in the axis all the three that is the X Y and Z are turned on and so if I select the cylinder and try to rotate it in the x axis by pressing RX then you will notice that the same rotation is being applied to the cube as well similarly in the Y AIS also and the z- axis as well then if I select the cube again and turn on the invert in all the three axis and select the cylinder again with this if I try to rotate the cylinder in the x-axis then you will notice that even if they are both rotating in the x-axis but their directions are opposite similarly if I press Y for the rotation in the y- axis then in this case also the direction of rotation is inverted and in the z- axis also the rotation of both the objects is in the opposite direction now moving ahead the next constraint that we going to see is the copy scale constraint so first of all I’ll remove this constraint by clicking on this cross icon then go to add object constraint and in the transform select the copy scale now for the Target object I’ll click on the eye dropper and select the cylinder now just like the previous two constraints the copy scale constraint is used to control the scaling of one of the objects with respect to the other object so with all the three axes turned on if I select the cylinder and try to scale it in the x-axis then you will notice that the same scaling effect is being applied to the cube also similarly if I scale it in the y- axis then the cube will also scale in the y axis like this similarly in the z-axis also if I change the scale of the cylinder the scaling of the cube will also change now if I select the cube again then in the copy scale constraint we have one more option which is the power and with this we can control the intensity or basically the power with which the scale effect is to be applied for example if I increase the power to a value of two and select the cylinder again and try to scale it up in the z-axis then you will notice that in this case the factor by which the scaling changes in the cube is much greater than before so to summarize we studied about three constraints the copy location the copy rotation and the copy scale and now the fourth one that we have is is the copy transforms so I’ll select this let’s also remove the copy scale now the copy transforms constraint will control the entire transformation of the object meaning the location the rotation as well as the scaling with respect to some Target object so if I go to the Target option and select the eye dropper then I’ll select the cylinder now you will notice that the position of this cube is now changed to the position of the cylinder also if I select the cylinder and try to move it then the cube will also get the same location similarly if I try to rotate the cylinder then in this case also the same rotation will get applied to the cube as well and similarly if I try to change the scale of the cylinder then now also the same scaling effect will get applied to the cube in the scene we’ll be discussing about another constraint which is the limit distance constraint so first of all I’ll remove this copy transforms constraint by clicking on this cross button then go to add object constraint and from the transform select the limit distance constraint now this constraint controls the maximum distance between the object on which it is applied and the target object so let’s understand it practically first of all I’ll go to the Target object click on the eye dropper and select the cylinder now in the distance if I type 6 M then in this case the maximum distance between the cylinder and the cube object will always be 6 M so if I try to move the cylinder in the x-axis then you will notice that its location is getting restricted and this is because of the limit distance constraint similarly if I try to move it in the Y AIS then in this case also the change in the location is being restricted because of the distance value of 6 m in the limit distance constraint similarly if I try to move it in the Z axis then now also the limmit distance constraint will work and this is how the position of the cube is being controlled now moving ahead the next object constraint that we’ll explore is the limit location so I’ll select this let’s also remove the limit distance now this constraint will control the limit by which you can change the location of your object for example if I turn on the minimum X and keep the value to 0 m also I’ll go to the maximum let’s turn it on in the x-axis and change the value to something like 8 or 10 m now if I try to move the cube in the X x axis then you will notice that I won’t be able to move it in the negative xaxis however if I try to move it in the positive xaxis then in this case even if the cube will move but the location will get restricted to that particular value which we’ll input in the maximum parameter similarly if I input 5 m in the minimum and try to move the cube in the x-axis then in this case the change in location of the cube is only possible from a distance of 5 m to a maximum of 10 m in the x-axis just like this you can also try this with the y or the the z-axis so for example if I change the maximum in the Z axis to something like 15 M and try to move the cube in the z-axis then in this case the position of the cube will only go to a maximum of 15 m in the z- axis and not Beyond it so this is the use of the limit location constraint now moving ahead the next one that we’ll explore will be the limit rotation so I’ll select this let’s also remove the limit location also to move the queue back to the 3D cursor press alt plus G in order to clear the location now just like the limit location controlled the location of the cube in the different axis this particular constraint which is the limit rotation will control the rotation of the cube in the different axis for example if I turn on the y- axis and with the minimum value set to 0° I’ll change the maximum to something like 45 then in the 3D view Port if I try to rotate the cube in the Y AIS like this then you will notice that its rotation in the Y AIS is now locked from 0 to 45° similarly if I go to the x- axis and in the maximum if I type 90° and try to rotate the cube in the XA axis then you will notice that the rotation of the cube is now limited from only 0° to 90° in the xaxis similarly we have another object constraint which is the limit scale so first of all I’ll remove this limit rotation then go to add object constraint and in the transform category select the limit scale with this constraint we can control the minimum and the maximum values to change the scale of this Cube for example if I turn on the maximum in the x-axis and change the value to 1.5 then in this case if I try to scale up the cube in the x-axis then you will notice that the maximum value by which we can scale the cube is now restricted to 1.5 similarly you can try the same with the other axis also and with the minimum also like if I turn on the minimum X and change the value to 0.5 then in this case the scaling in the x-axis is now locked from a minimum value of 0.5 to the maximum value of 1.5 so if I try to scale it down in the x axis like this then it will only get Scaled down to 0.5 and if I try to scale it up then it will scale up by 1.5 now moving ahead the next object constraint that we’ll discover is the maintain volume constraint but before that I’ll first remove the limit scale from here and before adding this maintain volume constraint I need to explain one simple concept to you see by default each side of the cube meaning the length breadth and height is equal to 1 M and therefore the mathematical volume of this Cube will be equal to length multiplied by breadth multiplied by the height which equals to 1 M Cube or if I tell you in terms of unit then the volume will be equal to 1 cubic units now if I go to the add object constraint and select the maintain volume then this Con rint will allow you to change the volume of your object with this volume parameter and because the volume will change so the length of the site should also change which we can control with the free axis for example if I change the volume to something like three then now it will try to maintain the volume of three by changing the length of the sides according to the free axis similarly if I change it to the x-axis then in this case the length of the different sides will change like this and if I change the free access to the Z then in this case the length of the different sides changes like this in simple words whichever access is selected over here the length of the object will not change in that particular axis you can also confirm it by changing the volume from here even if I reduce it or increase it the length of the side in the z-axis is not changing at all and this is the use of the maintain volume constraint now let’s move to the last topic for today’s chapter which is the transformation constraint now you might think that we also have the transform cache in the transform category however this transform cache constraint is not commonly used in blender so for now I’ll be selecting the transformation constraint let’s also remove the the maintain volume constraint and now this transformation constraint allows you to control the location rotation and the scale of the object with respect to some other object which will act as the target so first of all I’ll go to the Target and with the ey dropper tool I’ll select the cylinder now I’ll open the map from and the map 2 and here you will notice that we are having so many options in both of them so let’s understand each thing one by one first of all you have the option to control the location or the rotation or the scale and by using any of these you can control that specific parameter of one of these two objects so if you have opened the map from then whatever changes you will do over here will be for the Target object which is the cylinder and whatever changes you will do in the map 2 these will get applied to the object on which the constraint is applied or in this case the cube object Now by using the transformation constraint if I go to the map from and in the location I’ll change the maximum value in the x-axis to 10 m and in the map 2 if I go to the rotation and change the value of Maximum in the x-axis to 90° then in this case when I’ll move the target object which is the cylinder in the x-axis from 0 to 10 m the rotation of the constrained object which is the cube will change in the x-axis from 0 to 90° so if I select the cylinder and try to move it in the x-axis like this then here you see that with the change in location of the cylinder the rotation of the cube is also getting changed from a value of 0° to 90° similarly if I select the cube again then you can do the same thing with the other parameters also like the scaling or the rotation then you can also change the parameter in the map 2 which is controlling the Cube like the location rotation and the scale parameter so basically with the transformation constraint you will use the map from to control the transformation of the target object and that change in transformation will be used to control any one of the three transformations of the constrained object which is the cube also one more thing to notice here is that if I select the location in the map from and the rotation in the map 2 and try to move the cylinder in the x-axis then you can clearly see that the change in the transformation is working only at a particular value of location which we have set in the transformation constraint which is 0 to 10 m in the x-axis however to make this process infinite you simply need to turn on the extra poate option over here so if I turn it on and try to move the cylinder in the x-axis then in this case the rotation of the cube will keep on changing every time the position of the cylinder changes in the x-axis so this is how the transformation constraint and the other constraints in the transform category work in blender and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 56 [Music] in the previous chapter we discussed about the basics of constraints and also covered all the transform constraints and in today’s chapter we’ll be understanding about the working of all the tracking constraints now we have opened this blender file and to access the tracking constraints go to the object constraint properties then click on ADD object constraint and for the objects in the scene we have these five kinds of tracking constraints so the first one that we have is the clam 2 constraint so let’s add this now this clam 2 constraint simply clams or locks the position of the object on which it is applied to another object which will be the target object for example if I go to the 3D viewport press shift plus a then go to curve and select the bzier curve let’s tab into the edit mode scale it up like this let’s also go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and to control the way this curve looks we need to add some more points so right click and select subdivide we’ll repeat this step two to three times so that we have a high number of points then to change the position of these points I’ll simply select them and press G to move their position I’ll place it over here let’s also select this one move it over here and if if you want to change the way how your curve looks then you can select any of these handles and press G to move them now the curve looks perfect so we’ll come out of the edit mode now if I select the cube again and in the object constraint I’ll go to the Target object and with this ey dropper tool I’ll select the Basia curve and now you will notice that if I try to move this Cube then we can’t move it freely because its position is now locked according to the Target object or the bzier curve and this is the use of the clam to constrain this object constraint will simply clamp the position of your object as per the target object selected over here which is the Bas see a curve in this case also in the clam to constraint you have an option which is the cyclic and if I turn it on and try to move the curve like this then you will notice that after it reaches the end it will again appear at the beginning of the curve so if you want you can try to create an animation with it where the position of a particular object will depend on a baser curve simply by using the clam 2 constraint now we’ll move to the next object constraint which is the track two constraint so first of all I’ll delete this Cube and also the curve that we added over here so press X to delete press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey object go to the object constraint properties and in the add object constraint select the track to constraint Now by using the track to constraint you can make the local axis of an object always Point towards another object which we as as the target to understand it in a better way we first need to understand what exactly are the local axis of an object so for this first go to the object data properties then in the viewport display turn on the show axis now you will notice that on the selected object we are having three axis the x axis the y axis and the z- axis however these three axis are different from the global axis present in the scene by default and this is because if I try to rotate this monkey in the z- axis like this then you will now notice that it is pointing the Y AIS in this direction however in the scene the global y AIS is represented by this green line similarly the local x-axis of this object is also in this direction which is different from the direction of this red line in the scene representing the global x-axis so each of the object has its own local axis the local x-axis the local y axis and the local z-axis now let’s go to the object constraint properties again and now for the Target object I’ll be selecting this slamp so click on this eye dropper and select the lamp and now by using the track axis you can Define that which particular local axis should be pointing towards the light or the lamp by default the minus z- axis is selected and as a result you can see here that the local minus Z axis is pointing towards the light similarly if I select the x-axis then in this case you can see here that this local x-axis is now pointing towards the light then then over here you also have an option which is known as the up and this one will control that which particular local axis should be in the upwards direction for example with the y- axis selected by default you can see here that the y- AIS is pointing towards up similarly if I select the z-axis then the z- axis is pointing towards up and now suppose you want that the face of the monkey object should always be pointing towards the light and for this you need to identify that on which particular local axis the face of the monkey lies and if I look closely then the local Y axis is present at the back of the head and as a result the front face of the monkey object must be present on the local minus y AIS so in the track axis if I select minus y then now you will notice that the face of the monkey is now pointing towards the light also if I try to move it in any direction then you can see here that the track to constraint is causing the minus y local axis of this particular monkey object to always Point towards the target object which is the light in this case now the track to constraint is very important because in most of the cases you’ll either be using the clamp two if you want to lock the position of your object object to a Target object or this track to constraint if you want the local axis of your object to point towards the target object also the other three constraints that are left which are the damp track the lock track and the stretch two are also very similar to the track two constraint and now we’ll be moving towards the next type of object constraint which is the lock track constraint so first of all I’ll remove the track to constraint from here by clicking on this cross icon then go to add object constraint and in the tracking category select the lock track now this one is also very similar to the track to constraint and the only difference difference is that it will make the object on which it is applied to point towards the target object only along a particular axis to understand it practically I’ll go to the Target object click on the eye dropper and select this light now in the track axis the Y is selected and as a result you can see here that the local axis which is pointing towards the light is always the y- AIS and similarly if you want the face of the monkey to point towards the light you can select the minus y AIS in the track access option however you can see here that whenever I try to move it it is not looking up and down and not even tilting its head and this is because of the locked axis over here by default the z-axis is selected and it basically means that the only axis in which the monkey will rotate will be the z-axis and so this is the use of the lock track constraint however as I already told you in most of the cases you won’t be using this but instead the track to constraint that we previously discussed now moving ahead we’ll be understanding about the next type of object constraint which is the stretch to constraint to add it over here first I’ll remove the lock Track by clicking on this cross button then click on ADD object con straint and in the tracking category select the stretch two constraint now the stretch two constraint also works in a very similar way to the track two constraint and the only difference between the two is that in case of the stretch two the object will begin to stretch or show some contraction depending upon the distance between the constrained object which is the monkey and the target object which will be this light so first of all I’ll go to the Target object click on this eye dropper and select the light object and now you can see here that if I try to increase the distance between the two objects then the monkey object will show the stretching and if iy try to bring them closer then in this case the monkey object will show the contraction like this and yes by default it takes the original distance between the two objects to determine the stretching effect however if you want to input any particular distance value then you can go to the original length and change the distance from here also if I click on this cross button then it will take that particular value as the distance which is originally present between the two objects now the next constraint that we’ll understand is the dam track constraint so to add it first we need to remove the stretch to constraint then go to add object constraint and in the tracking category select the damn track constraint now as I already told you now just like the other two this constraint is also very similar to the track two constraint that we previously studied the only different thing in this particular constraint is that it does not give you the option to control the up Axis over here because if I go to the add object constraint and select the track two then here you can see that we were having the option to control the up AIS and this particular option is not present in the dam track constraint for now I’ll remove the track to constraint and in this one I’ll click on the ey dropper for the Target object and with this I’ll be selecting the light in the scene now since the track axis is selected as y as a result the local Y axis of this monkey object is pointing towards the light if you want the face of the monkey object to point towards the light then simply select the minus y- axis over here and now if I try to move this monkey then you can see here that the dam track constraint will basically take the minimum amount of rotation which is required such that the local negative y AIS of your object will keep pointing towards the target object so this is the use of the dam track constraint but again I’ll be repeating this that in the entire list of the tracking constraint you should only focus on the clam two and the track two constraint because these are the ones which are practically used in blender and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 57 today we understood about all the five types of tracking constraints and in the next chapter we’ll be understanding about the relationship [Music] constraints in the previous two chapters we begin with the introduction of constraints then we covered all the transform constraints and also the tracking constraints and in this chapter we’ll be understanding about all of the relationship constraints present in blender so to begin with we first need to add a suzan or the monkey object in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey object let’s move it in the x-axis and place it over here now the first type of constraint that we’ll be understanding in this chapter is the action constraint so with this monkey object selected go to the object constraints properties click on ADD object constraint and in the relationship category select the action constraint now this action constraint allows you to control an action creat in the action editor and that to by using another object which will be the target object in the scene to understand it in a better way first we need to open the action editor so for this go to this timeline editor click here and in the animation category select the dope sheet editor then click over here and from the mode you have to select the action editor Now to create an action I’ll first select this monkey object and suppose you want to create an action of around 50 frames where this monkey will rotate in the x-axis so first of all we need to insert a key frame at the frame number one so press I and and a key frame is inserted over here then I’ll take the pointer to the frame number 50 now let’s rotate it in the x-axis like this and left click to finalize to insert a key frame at this rotation press I and now you can see that we have created this simple action in this action editor also you can see here that this action is saved with the name suzan action and now by using the action constraint we’ll be using this cube in order to control this action even when we have removed it from the action editor but before removing this action first we need to save it so for this click on this fake user button now I’ll click on this cross icon to remove this action and if I now try to move this pointer then you will see that the monkey object is no longer getting rotated now in the action constraint go to the action and from here select the suzan action since we need to control this action with the help of this Cube so we need to set it as the target object so go to Target click on this eye dropper and select the cube now suppose I want that whenever I move this cube in the Y AIS only then this monkey object will show the suzan action then for this go to the Target settings and in the channel select the V location now if I go to the max value and set it to something like 10 then what it basically means is that this particular action of the suzan or the monkey model will be controlled by the Target object which is the cube according to the location in the y- AIS and to see the action the location should be between 0 and 10 in the y- AIS also in the action settings we need to turn on the object action and we also need to set the frame settings in order to view the action so in the frame ending I’ll enter 50 and now if I select the cube and try to move it in the Y AIS then you can can see here that we able to see the action or the animation of the monkey object simply by moving the target object and this is the use of the action constraint it allows you to control the action of the constrained object simply by changing the location rotation or the scaling of the target object in any of the three axes now moving ahead the next constraint that we have over here is the Armature constraint however to understand this we’ll also need the knowledge of character modeling and character rigging which we’ll be covering later on in this course so we’ll not be discussing about this constraint right now and now the next one that we have here is the child of constraint so I’ll select this let’s also remove the action constraint now the child of constraint allows you to define a parent child relationship in between any two objects in the scene if you remember we studied about the concept of parenting an object in some of the previous chapters also but we’ll again revise it by using the child of constraint now because I’m using the child of constraint on this monkey object as a result it will make the monkey object the child of the object which we set as the target over here for example if I click on this eye dropper and select the cube object then now we can say that this cube is the parent object and this monkey or the suzan model is the child object now the concept of parent object basically means that whatever changes I’ll do in the location rotation and the scale of the parent object which is the cube will also get applied to the child object which is the monkey in this case so if I select the cube and try to move it then you will notice that the same change in the location is also being applied to the monkey object similarly if I try to rotate it then in this case also the same rotation effect is being applied to the monkey object similarly if I try to scale it up or scale it down then the same effect of scaling will be applied to both the parent object as well as the child object so basically this is how the concept of parenting Works in blender also if I select the monkey object again then in the child of constraint you have some more options to control the specific changes which should be applied to the child object for example in the location rotation and the scale parameters all the three axes are turned on by default which means that the changes in these three parameters in any of the three axes that will do to the parent object will also get applied to the child object but suppose you want that only the location in the X and the z-axis should be applied to the child object then for this go to the location and we’ll turn off the Y AIS now if I select the cube and try to move it in the x-axis then you can see here that the same change in location will get applied to the monkey object similarly if I try to move it in the z- axis then the same change in location is applied in this case also however if I try to move the cube in the Y AIS then now you will notice that the change in the location is no more affecting the monkey object and this is because we have turned off the y- axis in the location in the child of constraint and yes you can also try this with the rotation or the scale now let’s move to the next topic for today’s chapter which is the follow path constraint so for this first we need to remove the child of constraint so click on this cross icon then go to add object constraint and select the follow path constraint now this follow path constraint simply makes the object on which it is applied to follow the path of a curve in the scene for example if I press shift plus a then go to curve and select the Basia curve let’s tab into the edit mode press S2 scale L up now let’s come out of the edit mode Let’s also hide this Cube object so I’ll select it and press h to hide and now suppose I want that this monkey object should follow the path of this curve so to achieve this result go to the follow path constraint then enter Target click on this ey dropper tool and select the curve object also to place it properly on the curve we need to ensure that its location values in all the three axis should be 0 m and to do this simply press alt plus G in order to clear the location and now you can see here in the object data properties that the location in all the three axes for this monkey object is equal to 0 m and also because of this follow path constraint the monkey object is now placed at one of the ends of the curve and to make it follow the complete path first we need to fix the position over here so go to the follow path constraint and click on fix position then because we need the monkey object to follow the curve so enable the follow curve and by doing this the rotation of the monkey object is also fixed according to the curve now if I click on the animate path then an animation will get created where this monkey object will follow the path of this curve and to view the animation simply go to the offset factor and try to change the value like this so by using the follow path constraint you can make any object in the scene follow a specific curve object then over here you also have the options like the forward axis which basically defines which particular local axis of the object will point along the curve to view the local axis of this monkey object simply go to the object properties then in the viewport display turn on the show axis now you can see here that this y AIS of this monkey object is pointing along the curve and this is because the forward axis over here is set as the Y AIS similarly if I choose the x- axis over here then in this case x-axis is pointing forward along the curve similarly you also have the up Axis option which simply defines that particular axis which is pointing towards the upwards Direction so if I choose the y- AIS over here then now you can see that the local axis which is pointing towards the up is the Y AIS and so this is how the follow path constraint Works in blender and now moving ahead the next type of constraint that we’ll explore is the pivot constraint so first of all I’ll remove the follow path constraint let’s also delete the curve so I’ll select this press X to delete let’s also unhide the cube object in the scene and move it in the x-axis now to add the pivot constraint go to the constraint properties click on ADD object constraint and in the relationship select the pivot constraint now this pivot constraint basically allows you to change the position of the Pivot Point according to a specific Target object for those of you who don’t know what exactly a pivot point is it simply means that point along which a particular object rotates you can also see that whenever we select any object we have this tiny yellow dot present and this is actually the pivot point of the object similarly if I select the suzan model then you can see this yellow dot which is the pivot point of the monkey or the suzan object now suppose I want that instead of having a pivot point at the center of the object it should rather be present at the position of this suzan model then to do this go to the pivot constraint then in the Target click on the eye dropper tool and with this select the suzan object and now if I try to rotate this cube in the Y AIS then you can see here that it is taking the monkey object as the Pivot Point since it is rotating around it so the pivot constraint is a simple constraint which allows you to set the Pivot Point at any Target object in the scene now moving ahead the next type of constraint that we’ll explore is the floor constraint is the floor constraint so first of all we’ll remove the pivot constraint from here then click on ADD object constraint and in the relationship category select the floor constraint now this particular constraint uses the position of a Target object and it kind of makes a wall Beyond which the main object on which the constraint is applied cannot go to understand it in a practical way go to the Target object and with the ey dropper tool select the suzan for the monkey model now this monkey model will act as a wall which will not permit this Cube object to pass through it and that particular axis where this will be applied can be changed from here so you can choose the x- Axis or the Y AIS or the z- Axis or the negative directions of any of the three so for example if I select the x- axis and try to move this cube in the x- axis towards the monkey object then you will notice that we are not able to take this Cube Beyond this monkey object in the x-axis similarly if I select the y- axis over here and try to move the cube in the y- axis then you will notice that we are not able
to change its position in the y axis beyond the y-axis position of the suzan model so this is how the floor constraint Works in blender it simply allows you to create a wall which works in a particular axis and the object on which it is applied will not be able to pass through that position value in a particular axis now moving ahead the last type of object constraint the last type of object constraint that we’ll explore today is the shrink WAP constraint so first of all I’ll remove the floor constraint then go to add object constraint and in the relationship select the shrink wrap constraint now to understand this constraint I will remove this monkey object from the scene so press X to delete it let’s also clear the location of this Cube object so I’ll select it and press alt plus G and now we’ll be adding a UV sphere in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere let’s place it over here to view everything properly let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad now select the cube on which we applied the Shing wrap constraint tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it down like this and now we are ready to understand the shink wrap constraint so this is a very simple con straint which restricts the movement of the object on which it is applied to the surface of the target object to understand it practically first I’ll go to the Target then with the help of this eye dropper I’ll select the UV sphere and now you can see here that this Cube object is now attached to the surface of the UV sphere also if I try to move it by pressing G then you will notice that we are not able to move it beyond the surface of this UV sphere and this is the use of the shrink wrap constraint over here you also have an option of distance and by increasing this value we can control the distance between the constrained object which is the cube and the target object which is the UV sphere also with a distance set to a value of 1.9 if I try to move it then you can see here that it is still moving in a similar way or basically in a circular way just like it did around the surface of the uis spere the only difference is that the distance between the uis spere Surface and the cube object has now increased and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 58 today we learned about the relationship constraints in blender and their practical usage in complete [Music] detail in today’s chapter we’ll be understanding about the working of the drivers their practical usage the driver editor and a lot more so the first question which arises is that what exactly are the drivers so in simple words the drivers are the functions or the scripts which use the properties or the values to affect some other properties in most of the cases the drivers are used to control the animation of one property like the location rotation scale Etc based on the value of some other property now to understand all this practically let’s first add a monkey object in the scene so press shift plus a go to mes and select the monkey object let’s move it in the x-axis over here now we’ll be creating a driver that will make this monkey object rotate in the z-axis according to the position of the cube in the Y AIS so for this with this monkey object selected go to the object data properties and since we need to rotate it in the Z AIS so go to the rotation in the Z right click and here you will find an option which is ADD driver so I’ll select this now it shows some settings but we’ll be exploring them later on so I’ll take my mouse cursor away and now you can see here that the rotation parameter in the z-axis is now turned into purple color and this thing basically indicates that we have added a driver for this specific parameter now for the drivers in blender we also have a separate type of editor which is called the driver editor and to open it let’s expand this timeline editor click here and in the animation category select the drivers now if I select the monkey object then you can see here that first of all we have the name of the object then we have the list of drivers where we have the Z Oiler rotation which simply represents that we have added a driver for the rotation in the z-axis now if I left click on the Z Oiler rotation then now we have some more options in this side tool bar and if I select the drivers over here and scroll down then these are the same settings that we saw when we added the driver over here you can even check it again by taking the cursor to the rotation Z in the properties editor then right click and select the edit driver and now you can see over here that all of these properties are exactly the same as in the side toolbar in the driver editor now in the end you have the option to select an object and suppose I left click over here then it gives us the list of the object to be selected so if I select the cube object then what it basically means is that this particular parameter which is the rotation in the z-axis where we added the driver will now be controlled by the cube object and since the X location is selected in the type by default as a result if I select the cube and try to move it in the x-axis then by doing this the rotation of the suzan or the monkey object is also changing in the z-axis and basically this is the use of the drivers they simply allow you to control any specific parameter of an object simply by controlling some other parameter of another object in the scene now moving ahead we can also view the curve in the driver editor and to do this you simply need to press the home button in the keyboard and now this is the graph which is also known as the F curve now this horizontal axis will represent the position of the target object in the x-axis and this vertical axis will be representing the rotation of the suzan object in the z-axis now in the side toolbar we have an option which is called the driver type and by default the scripted expression type is selected over here which basically means that it will allow us to control the driver with the help of an expression now in the expression the V means the variable meaning that the rotation of this suzan model is dependent upon the position of this Cube object then after variable we have plus 0 which simply indicates the initial rotation of the monkey object now to understand it with the help of an example I’ll go to the expression and we’ll change this from variable + 0 to variable + 10 and press enter and now you can see here that the initial rotation of the suzan model has now changed and if I still select this Cube object and try to move it in the x-axis then in this case also the suzan or the monkey object is rotating in the z-axis so whenever it’s written variable plus any number in the expression it basically means that the number is representing the initial value of the parameter which is being controlled by the driver also you can see in the driver value that it shows 10 right now however if I change it back to variable plus 0 then in this case the driver value is now equal to zero now you can also use this expression in order to make the rotation of this monkey object faster and to do this we have to change this to variable multiply which will be represented by this aeic symbol and then if I type any number for example two and try to move the cube in the x-axis then you will notice that the rotation of the suzan model is much faster than before to see the effect in a much better way I’ll select the suzan object again let’s multiply this by a much higher number like 10 and now if I select the cube and move it in the x- axis then the change in speed of rotation is properly visible now so in this way you can use this expression to control the initial value of the parameter for example the rotation in this case and also the speed of change in that parameter meter now moving ahead the next type that we have over here is the average value and to understand this we first need to do some changes in the scene first of all select the cube create a duplicate of this Cube by pressing shift plus d and move it over here now select the suzan object or the monkey object again and now we’ll be removing this driver in the Z rotation so right click and select the delete drivers and we’ll be creating another driver for the location in the Z AIS so go to the object properties and in the Z location right click and select add driver now go to the driver editor left click on the Z location and in the driver type select the average value now by using the average value we’ll basically be considering the average change in parameters of both of these Cube objects in order to define the change in location of this suzan model to understand it in a practical way first we need to add both of these Cube objects in the driver properties so for the first Cube object go to this input variable and in the object select the cube object also we’ll be using its location in the z-axis in order to control the location of this suzan model in the z-axis so in the input variable change the type to Z location and now to add the other Cube click on ADD input variable and you can see here that this input variable which was added by default has the transform Channel type so in this new one also I’ll click here and in the type select the transform Channel now in the object select the cube. 001 and in the type select the Z location now suppose I select both of these cubes and move them in the z-axis then the same change in location will also get applied to this monkey object however if I select any one of them and try to move it up in the the z- axis then you will notice that this monkey object is still moving up in the z-axis but almost by about half the value of the cube and this is because in the driver type we have selected the average value as a result it is taking the average value of the Z location of both of these cubes in order to set the Z location for this monkey object you can also view this in this side tool bar that for the first Cube the value is equal to approximately 12 and for the other Cube the z- location value is set to zero as a result the average of both of them will be 12.3 313 + 0 / 2 which is equal to approximately 6.15 and if I scroll up then the driver value which is affecting this suzan model is equal to 6157 which is nothing but the average value of the Z locations of both of these cubes now moving ahead the next type that we have here is the sum values and if I select this then in this case it will take a sum of both of these values which are representing the Z location and as a result the suzan or the monkey object will move up in the z-axis by that added value for examp example for this first Cube the value is equal to 12. 313 and suppose to select the other Cube also and move it up in the z- axis by 5 m then now you can see that in the driver’s property the value for the first cube is equal to 12. 313 and for the second Cube the value is equal to 5 which means that the driver value for the monkey object is equal to the sum of both the values which is equal to 17. 313 and you can also see this in the 3D viewport that the Z location of the suzan or the monkey model is having a value which is equal to the sum of locations in the z-axis for both of these cubes then the next type that we have here is the minimum value and if I select this then now it will take the minimum of both the values or in simple words it will take the minimum value of the location in the z-axis of both of these cubes in this case this first Cube has the location in the z-axis equal to 12313 M and the second Cube has a value of location in the z-axis equal to 5 m as a result the minimum value is equal to 5 m and therefore this monkey model is also taking the minimum value which is equal to 5 m now just the opposite of minimum value we also have a maximum value type and if I select this then now it basically takes the maximum value of the Z location so for the first Cube the location in the z-axis is equal to 12. 313 and for the second Cube the location in z-axis is equal to 5 m as a result the maximum of both the values is equal to 12313 and as a result the location in the z-axis for the suzan object is also equal to 12313 M and with this we now arrive to the the end of this chapter today we understood about the fundamentals of drivers in blender their practical usage then we understood about the input variable and in the end we also explored all of these five types in the driver’s [Music] properties in today’s chapter we’ll be understanding about a simple yet interesting topic in blender which is the shape Keys now to begin with let’s first delete this Cube object so press X to delete and to understand the concept of shape Keys we’ll need a slightly complex object so let’s add the suzan or the monkey object in the scene so press shift plus a then go to mesh and select the monkey object let’s also apply the subdivision surface modifier to it so you can either press crol + 2 or you can go to the modifier properties and add the subdivision surface modifier now suppose I ask you to create an animation where this Cube object moves in the x-axis so you will think that it’s very simple because you will insert a key frame at this position for the frame number one by pressing I then you will take the pointer to the frame number 40 or 50 move the monkey object like this and press I to insert another the key frame and just by doing this the simple animation of this monkey object moving in the x-axis will be created however if I tab into the edit mode and select any particular face by first enabling the face select mode by pressing three then if I select this phas and move it in the z-axis like this then now the question that I’ll ask you is that how will you create an animation where this particular face of the monkey object will be moving in the z-axis because if I return back to the object mode and try to move this pointer then you can see here that whatever changes we’ll do in the edit mode of an object object are not animated in the timeline editor and as a result only the final edited object is seen throughout the animation also if I go to the edit mode again and try to press I to insert a key frame for this particular face then you will see that the insert faces is turned on and it is not performing the function of inserting a key frame and the reason for this is very simple when you are in the object mode pressing the I key will insert a key frame however in the edit mode pressing the I key will turn on the insert faces so returning back to the question of how exactly can you animate any particular faces or the edges or the vertices of an object in the edit mode then for all of these things blender has given us the feature to use the shape keys so to understand this practically let’s first undo all the changes we did to the monkey object let’s also come out of the erate mode now to use the shape case we first need to go to the object data properties so click on this green color triangular icon which is the object data properties and here you have a section known as the shape Keys now if I click on this plus icon then a basis shape key will be added which simply carries the information about the original and the UN modified state of a 3D object so it’s basically like a reference point for all the other shape keys that we add over here so if I click on the plus button again then now we are having a shape key with the name of key 1 so practically this is the first shape key that we have added for the suzan or the monkey object now with the key1 selected and this value parameter set to zero if I go to the edit mode of this monkey object select a particular face and move it in the z-axis like this let’s also get back to the object mode then you will see that when the value is equal to zero we are able to see the original and the unmodified object however if I begin to increase this value then you will see that the changes that we did in the edit mode are now being applied to the monkey object so when the value is set to zero you will see the original object and by increasing the value you will begin to see the changes now if you want you can even create an animation with the help of shape keys to do this go to the timeline editor for the frame number one I’ll change this value to zero and to insert a key frame you can either click on this white dot or else you can right click and select insert key frame and another way to insert the key frame is to take the cursor over with this value parameter then press I and the key frame is inserted now I’ll take the pointer to somewhere near frame number 60 then in the value parameter enter one and insert a key frame again then if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then you can see that the monkey object is moving in the x-axis and the animation that we created by using the shape key can also be seen in the animation timeline and so basically this is the use of the shape Keys also you can create more than one shape keys and to do this simply go to the object data properties again and in the shape Keys category click on this plus button now the key to is added which means that a second shape key has been created and to make the changes tab into the edit mode Let’s also go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad let’s zoom in press one for Vortex select let’s also turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z and I’ll be selecting some random vertices over here let’s move it in the z-axis like this and return back to the object mode Let’s also turn off the x-ray mode and now if I go to the shape keys and with the key2 selected if I try to increase the value then you will now see that this monkey object changes from the original state to something like this now if you want you can even create a similar effect on the other side of the suzan model also by using the shape keys and to do this with the second key selected click on this icon and from here select the new shape from mix now a new shape key is created and since we need to get the same effect that we got from the key number two on this other side also so we basically need to mirror the shape key and to do this click on this icon again and from here select the mirror shape key now if I increase the value then then you will see that we are getting the same result on this side of the monkey object like we previously got by using the second key and so this is how the shape keys are used to create the animations in blender and with this we now arrive to the end of this [Music] chapter in this chapter we’ll be exploring some of the amazing add-ons that can be used in blender we’ll also be understanding about their installation process and we’ll be using them in the blender software in order to understand how they work so first of all in blender you have two types of add-ons the first type type is the pre-installed add-ons that blender already provides you on downloading its software and the second type is the downloadable add-ons which we basically need to download from some external websites and then we can install them in blender and the first add-on that we’ll be exploring today is the blender kit add-on the reason for placing this blender kit add-on on the rank number one is that it’s a very useful tool for anyone who is using blender because it gives you the access to a wide range of high quality models materials and brushes and the best part is that you can directly install this add-on in your blender software and directly add any model material hdri Etc in your blender file now to download the blender kit add-on you simply need to visit this website blender kit.com and I’ve dropped its Link in the description of this video the blender kit add-on provides you an extensive library of 3D models materials hdris a variety of 3D scenes brushes and many more things now blender kit offers you both the free as well as the premium plans the free version is for those of you who are just starting out and require some basic asset but if you’re looking for more advanced features with more than 36,000 models 13,000 plus different materials over, 1500 scenes and around 2800 hdis in a single package then you can try the blender Kit full plan it starts at just $4 a month if you take the yearly plan and if you take the 30-day plan then this will cost you $6 for a single month and the best part is that you can get an additional 10% discount on all the blender kit Plans by using the link that I have dropped in the description of this video so if you decide to purchase the pre prium or the full version then you can check that link and get an additional 10% discount from jb3d Studio so whether you decide to choose the free version or the premium version blender kit is definitely the best add-on which is available for blender and to download this add-on you can click on the download blender kit button and then if I click on the download button then now the zipped file having the free blender kit version will get downloaded on your PC now to install the blender kit add-on in the blender software go to edit then select the preferences and in the add-ons category click on this drop down and select the install from dis then open that particular folder here you have downloaded the blender kit zip folder then left click to select the zip folder and click on the install from disk now in the add-ons category you will find this blender kit online asset library and do ensure that this particular box is checked now let’s close this window and in the blender file you can see here that we have an additional toolbar at the top which is due to the blender kit add-on now over here you have some icons where the first one is the find models the second one is for finding the materials the next is for finding the scenes then you have the find hdis and the last one is the find brushes now with the find model selected if I go to the search bar and type any model’s name for example car and press enter Then you can see here that it provides us a wide range of car 3D models to add in our scene however not all of these are available for free because all these models which are having this lock icon at the bottom can only be accessed in the premium or the paid version of the blender kit addon however the 3D models without this lock icon for example this car can be used in the free version now suppose I want to add this car in my 3D scene then to do this simply left click on the car and drag it into the 3D viewp similarly you can try the same with a materials also so click on the find materials icon and you can apply any of these materials to any object in your scene also you can go to the search bar and type any materials name for example if I type wood then this will display a list of all the materials which resemble with the wood now suppose I want to apply any of these materials to this Cube object then for this simply left click on any of the materials drag it into the tdv port and release it on any object in the scene and now you can see here that the wood material is applied to this Cube object in the scene similarly you can try this with other materials also and so it’s a very convenient way to add any 3D models or apply any materials and moreover you also have some more options like the find scenes and this will allow you to add any of these scenes in your blender projects and out of these some of them are available for free and the others which have this lock icon at the bottom are only available in the premium version then you also have the option of of finding the hdis so by using these you can directly add any HD or environment in your blender file for example suppose I select this one so I simply need to left click and drag it into the 3D view Port then select the resolution to download and click on the okay button now if I go to the render view then you can see here that we are having this hdri added as the environment that we downloaded from the blender kit add-on and now moving ahead the number two add-on that we have on our list is the sell fracture add-on this particular add-on helps you to break apart the objects just with a few clicks and the best thing about this add-on is that it is already available in blender which means that we don’t need to download the self fracture add-on from any external website now to get the sell fracture add-on go to edit then select the preferences now click on get extensions then search for sell fracture and then the self fracture extension or the sell fracture add-on will appear in the list so click on the install button let’s also close this window and now to understand how the sell fracture add-on Works in blender we’ll be adding a Taurus object in the scene so first of all let let’s delete this Cube object so press X to delete then press shift plus a go to mesh and select the Taurus object now click on ADD Taurus to change the settings of the tus object let’s first increase the minor radius let’s also reduce a minor radius like this and now our object looks perfect now we’ll be using the cell fracture add-on on this Taurus object and to do this go to the object settings and in the quick effects select the last one which is the cell fracture then this menu will appear where we don’t need to change anything so click on okay and now you will see that the single Taurus object is now converted into multiple broken pieces in fact if I select any single piece by left clicking on it and try to move it then you can see here that we are able to separate out any single piece however one thing to notice here is that the cell fracture add-on creates a duplicate of the Taurus object that we used and then applies The Broken Pieces effect on it this means that the original Taurus object is still present at this location and to confirm this go to the scene collection and select the original Taurus object let’s move it up in the z-axis and now you can see that this object at the top is the original Taurus and this one at the bottom is the Taurus object which is made up of separate broken pieces of the Taurus object now if you want you can even create some amazing animations by using the cell fracture add-on and to do this let’s first delete the rest of the objects from the scene so select the original Taurus press X to delete let’s also select this car and delete it select the lamp and the camera and press X to delete now we are only having this tus object in the scene which is made up of all these separate objects which you can see in the scene collection so we are having a total of 100 different cells or these broken pieces in this tus now if I select any broken piece then press o to turn on the proportional editing and try to move this piece then you can see here that because of the proportional editing the rest of the pieces around the selected one are also showing the movement as a result we can also create an animation out of it so first of all let’s undo this by pressing cr+ Z then press a to select everything press I to insert a key frame and with this we now have a key frame inserted at the frame number one then I’ll take the pointer to the frame number 40 or maybe 50 select any random piece and with the proportional editing turned on press G to move it in the z-axis now since we need to insert a key frame not only for the selected object but also for those who were influenced by moving up of this piece so we’ll be selecting all these pieces by pressing a then press I to insert a key frame and now if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then you can see here that we have a simple animation created where this Taurus object is being broken down into separate pieces and they’re also moving up in the z-axis and so this is how the cell fracture add-on Works in now moving ahead the next add-on that we have on our list is the grung jit add-on and this particular add-on allows us to create wear and tier effect to the models in the scene just with a single click and to download the grung it add-on you need to open this website and I’ve dropped the link of this website in the description of this video so this is the grit add-on which helps us to add V and tier to the blender models and if I scroll down then here you can see that this add-on can be downloaded for free on this website so to download this go to the fair price enter zero if you want to get it for free and click on add to cart now over here it will ask you for your email address and any tip that you want to add so enter your details over here and after that click on the get button now this download page will appear and we’ll be downloading this ZIP file which is made for blender 4.0 and the newer versions so click on the download button and after downloading the zip folder we’ll return back to our blender file now to install the grit add-on in blender go to edit then select preferences then select the add-ons click on this drop- down arrow and click on the install from disk now open that particular particular folder where you have saved the zip folder that we downloaded then select the grunged folder and click on install from disk let’s also close this window now we’ll be using the gudget add-on in order to add V and tier to a suzan model in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey or the suzan model turn off the proportional editing by pressing o let’s move the monkey object in the x-axis and place it over here let’s also go to the render View and now to use the grit add-on press n to open this side toolbar then over here you will have a category known as grit so left CLI to selected and in this you have some settings like the resolution the quality the scaling of the V and tier effect for now we’ll be keeping the default values only and to apply this add-on click on apply grit then click on okay and now you can see here that this monkey object is having a completely different look previously it was not having any materials however it is now having a realistic material with some V and tier effect added to it also if you want to view this material in the Shader editor then to do this let’s go to the timeline editor click on this icon and select the Shader editor and now you you can see here that in the Shader editor we are having a system of different nodes which are combined together by the grung add-on in order to create this material for the suzan object the different parameters in the different nodes help you to control the specific things in the applied material but the most common thing that you might want to do is to change the color of this model so to do this you need to select this grung node then in the base color if I change it to Yellow then you can see in the 3D view Port that the base color of the suzan object is also changing similarly you can also try the same with the other objects like a a cube or a cylinder and add the V and tier by using the grung add-on also before applying this you can change the resolution or maybe the quality and while doing this do remember that if you set very high quality or very high resolution that it might take very long period of time to apply this add-on and in some cases it might even crash and now moving ahead the next add-on that we’ll be exploring is the alt tab ocean and water add-on by using this particular add-on we can generate animated ocean scenes of various scales and sizes in our blender file and to install this add-on you need to visit this website whose link is available in the description of this video and as you can see here that the full version of this add-on is available for $0 so we can download it for free so click on the purchase button then click on continue to check out and it will ask you to create a new account or log to an existing account and then after completing all the steps you need to download the zi folder which is nam as all tab water and after downloading it we’ll return back to the blender file now to install this add-on go to edit then in the preferences go to get extensions and from this drop- down button click on install from disk now open that particular folder where you save the zip folder then select it and click on install from disk let’s also close this window and now to use the alt tab ocean add-on press the N key to open the side toolbar and over here you will have another option which is the alt tab ocean and in this menu you are having two options the first one allows you to choose any specific ocean type from this entire range of different styles and sizes of ocean for now I’ll be selecting the ocean one and then the second thing that you have here is the water material so you have different kinds of materials which you can use for the ocean to be added for now I’ll be selecting the water small and now to add the ocean in the scene simply click on this upend button and with this we have this ocean added in the scene to view it properly go to the material preview mode and now this is how the Ocean looks also the best part about using this add-on is that it not only creates the ocean but also animates it and to view the animation I’ll switch this to the timeline editor then take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation and now you can see here that we have have this beautiful animated ocean scene created and that to by simply selecting the ocean and its material and clicking on the upend button similarly if I select any other material then it will get applied to the ocean and the scene will look like this and so this is how this ocean add-on Works in blender now before ending this chapter we’ll try to create this image and that do by using some of the add-ons that we understood in this chapter so for this let’s first delete everything by pressing a to select all and press X to delete now press shift plus a go to mesh and select the taus object zoom in and in the add taus settings I’ll increase the minor radius to something like 0.4 or 0.5 and now the basic structure of the Taurus object is ready now to add some V and tier to it go to the side toolbar and select the grung add-on I’ll keep the resolution to 1K and the quality to the high settings now click on apply grung then click okay and within a few seconds the grung add-on will add the V and tier to the Taurus object the reason why it appears like this is that in the render view we are having this hdri added as a result the lighting effect is also being visible on this object in the scene as a result I’ll be removing this hdri and to do this go to the World Properties then in the surface left click on the color and from here select the disconnect nodes now we have the default blender layout and to get some lighting in the scene we’ll be adding a sunlight so press shift plus a go to light and select the sun let’s move it up in the z-axis and place it over here to increase its intensity or the power go to the object data properties and in the strength we’ll increase it to something like 2 or three press R to rotate the light and move it in the x-axis let’s also create a duplicate of this light by pressing shift plus d move it in the xaxis and place it over here press R to rotate it and this is how the scene looks also to have some light at the bottom part we’ll be adding the point light so press shift plus a go to light and select the point let’s move it down in the z-axis and place it over here to increase the intensity of light go to the object data properties and in the power I will enter 2,000 wats let’s also place it in the Y AIS create a duplicate of it and place it over here now our scene is having enough light and to modify this material on the taus object we need to open the shade editor so for this I’ll switch this timeline Editor to the Shader editor by clicking on this icon and in the general category select the Shader editor now we have this entire node system and first of all to increase and decrease this fear and tier effect as a whole we have to use the randomness parameter if I increase it the randomness will increase and this is how the object looks also if I go to the grunge amount parameter and try to increase it then the amount of grunge effect will increase but for now I’ll be keeping this value to something like 0.3 and the next option that you have is the cracks amount and by using this one you you can control the amount of cracks in this material so we’ll keep it to the default value of 0.3 also to change the base color of the Taurus object go to the base color one and from here you can change the base color of the object in the scene so for now I’ll be choosing the yellow color and now this is how it looks similarly if I go to the base color two and change the color then you will notice that the base color for the remaining part of the Taurus is being changed by this parameter but right now I’ll be selecting the white color only but you can choose any color that you wish to apply on your object and now moving ahead we’ll break this tus object into different Pieces by using the cell fracture add-on and for this go to the object settings and in the quick effects select the cell fracture now click on okay and this add-on will break the Taurus object into multiple different pieces and now with all these pieces selected let’s move them up in the z-axis and place them over here now I’ll select the original Taurus object and press X to delete and now to move all these broken pieces down in the z-axis again we need to select all of them and the best way to do this is to go to the scene collection then left click to select the taus cell then scroll down and in the end you will find this tus cell. 099 so with the shift key holded left click on the taus cell. 099 and by doing this all the pieces of the Taurus object are now selected in the scene now let’s move them down in the z-axis and place them over here and if you want you can also select any single piece then press o to turn on the proportional editing and if I move it up in the z-axis then this is how the Taurus object looks but yes to ensure that you have turned on the proportional editing so that the influence of moving this particular object can also be seen on the other objects surrounding it so in this way you you can create amazing cell fracture effects simply by applying the cell fracture add-on and with this we now arrive to the end of the chapter number 61 today we explore some add-ons that can save a lot of our time and yes don’t forget about that 10% discount on the blender Kit full plan which will help you to take your blender projects to the next [Music] level in this chapter we’ll be understanding about the fundamentals of particle system in blender the different settings and the options available in particles now the first question which arises is that what exactly is the use of the particle systems so the particle systems are used to simulate effects like fire dust cloud smoke and also for creating things like hair grass fur and other strand based objects now to practically understand about the particle systems in blender let’s first delete this Cube by pressing X then press shift plus a go to mesh and add the UV sphere now to understand about the particles we first need to open the particle properties and for this click on this icon which has the name particle properties and to create a default particle system for the this UV sphere simply click on this plus button now a particle system has been created and over here you have two types of particles to select from the first particle type is the emitter which allows to emit the particles from the vertices or the faces or the volume of a mesh object and then the second particle type that you have is the hair and we’ll be understanding about this type in the next chapter of this course now with the emiter particle type selected if I try to change the angle then you will notice that we are able to see a tiny particle in the form of a UV sphere on the surface of a mesh object and and in fact to view the rest of the particles you simply need to play the animation by pressing the space bar and now you can see here that we have a large number of particles which are being emitted from different parts of this UV sphere so in this way by adding a particle system it will create an animation where we’ll be able to see the particles being emitted or generated out of the UV sphere now the reason why these particles fall downwards is that in blender the gravity settings are turned on by default and to change these settings you need to open the scene properties and over here you have the gravity option turned on and if I turn it off then the effect of gravity will no longer be seen in the 3D viewport in fact if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation then the particles that are being emitted are no longer moving downwards and this is because of the absence of gravity now if I return back to the particle properties then the first parameter that we have is the number and this parameter helps you to control the number of particles that will be generated in the entire animation by default this value set to 1,000 however suppose I change it to something like 150 then in this case if I the animation from beginning then the number of particles which are being emitted is very low as compared to the previous one so by using the number you can easily control the total number of particles then you have the seed which basically gives a different result each and every time you change this value and play the animation so this parameter is only for getting a random result and then the next thing that you have is the frame start and the frame end and as the name suggests these two parameters control from where the particles will start and stop emitting respectively since the frame start value is set to one as a result this UV sphere will begin to emit the particles starting from the frame number one and since the N value is set to 200 therefore the particles will stop emitting when the animation reaches the frame number 200 in fact you can even check this by playing the animation starting from the frame number one the UV sphere will begin to emit a lot of particles and this will continue till you reach the frame number 200 and after the 200’s frame the UV spere will no longer emit the particles and as a result the number of particles that are being displayed will also reduce now the next parameter that you have is the lifetime and it basically means the number of frames in the animation in which the particles that have been emitted will be displayed in the scene by default the lifetime value is set to 50 which means that each of the particle that is emitted from this UV sphere will be displayed in the scene for a total of 50 frames then if you want the lifetime to be random then you can increase the lifetime Randomness from here by default it is set to zero meaning that the lifetime will have no Randomness and by increasing it to one the lifetime for each particle will be different in the scene in fact you can also check this by playing the animation again each of these particles is now have having a different Lifetime and now moving ahead the next thing that we have here is the source and in this menu the first option that we have is the emit from and with this option we can control that from where the particles are emitted by default it is set to faces and as a result all these particles are being emitted from the different faces of this hubis spere similarly if I change this to vertices and play the animation again then you can see that in this case these particles are emerging from the vertices of the object in fact to understand this in a much better way let’s add a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube object let’s move it in the x-axis and place it over here now in the particle properties click on the plus button to create a new particle system and if you want the same particle system which is applied to the UV sphere then you can see that this one is saved with the name particle settings and so if I select the cube again then click here and select the particle settings then in this case all the changes in the settings in the particle system for the UV sphere and the cube will be same now also in the emit from if I change it back to faces and play the animation again then you can see here here that the particles are being emitted from the faces of the cube and the UV sphere but if I change this emit from to the vertices and take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation then now you can see in this Cube that all the particles are being emitted from only its vertices and now in the emit from you have one more option which is known as the volume and by selecting this one the particles will now emit from the volume of the object or from inside the object to see it practically I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation and now you can see here that the particles are emerging from the inside of the object and now the rest of the settings in the source tab like the distribution particles per face the jittering amount all these things are not important because these settings are not changed often while using the particles in blender then you have the caches settings and again you don’t need to make any changes in this one also and these caches settings basically allow you to free up your memory because each and every time you play a particle simulation your PC will calculate all the information which is required to be displayed for each and every frame in the animation and once you save your file your PC will begin to save all such information related to the particles in the cache instead of saving it in the ram of the computer and as a result it helps to free up the memory and now the next type of settings that we have is the velocity and by using the settings in the velocity tab you can easily control the direction and the speed of the particles emitted the first type of settings that we have is the normal and this basically controls the initial velocity of a particle normal to the point of origin to understand it in a better way I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one play the animation and if I try to increase the normal parameter then it basically gives an initial velocity to the particles that are being emitted from the cube object normal to the point of origin now I’ll change the normal value back to 1 m/s Let’s also take the pointer back to the frame number one let’s also hide this UV sphere from the scene so I’ll select it and press h to height now with the cube object selected the next important settings that we have here is the object align and this parameter allows you to control the direction in which the particles will be aligned to understand it practically press the space bar to play the animation and now if I try to change the object object alignment in the x-axis then you will see that the particles are now being aligned in the positive x-axis similarly if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and this time I’ll change the object align in the x-axis to zero and the object align value in the z-axis as – 20 m/s then now you can see that all the particles which are being emitted from the cube are moving along the negative z- axis and now suppose you want that each of these particles should have a random velocity and for this we have the randomized parameter with the value set to zero all of the particles will be having having the same speed or the velocity however if I try to increase it to its maximum value of 100 and play the animation again then you can see here that the velocity of each particle is random in this case to understand it in a better way let’s change the randomized value to something like 20 let’s play the animation again and now you can easily see that each of the particles which are being emitted from the cube were having a random variation in the starting velocity some of them were very fast and the others were slightly slower and this is because of the randomized parameter for now I’ll reduce it back to zero and by doing this the velocity of each particle is now equal now moving ahead suppose you want that instead of these tiny balls as the particles there should have been some other object in the scene which can be used as the particles and for this let’s first add the suzan or the monkey object in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey object now to use this monkey object for the particles I will select this Cube and in the particle settings go to the render Tab and in the render as select the object by selecting the object in the render as we are basically telling this particle system that we want an object to replace those tiny balls that were being used for the particles now to choose the monkey object go to the object settings in the render and in the instance object click on this ey dropper tool and with this select the suzan object and now if I zoom in then you can see here that we have the suzan object added as the particles which are being emitted out of the cube then if you want that all of these particles should have the same rotation as the original suzan model then for this you simply need to turn on the object rotation in the object settings and now all these particles will have the same rotation which is applied to the suzan object now the next next thing that you can change is the scaling of these particles and for this in the render tab you have the scale option which simply controls the size of these particles then if you want each of the particles to have random scaling then for this you can use the scale Randomness so if I increase it then there is random variation in the scaling of each particle so higher the value of the scale Randomness higher will be the variation however in most of the cases it is advised to keep the scale Randomness value to something in between 0.1 or 0.2 because in this case even though each of the particles will have a random scaling but it won’t be like some of the particles are very large in size and others are very small so it’s practical to use a scale Randomness value of approximately 0.1 to 0.2 now if you remember while discussing the source settings in the emission tab I told you that none of these settings are used often in blender apart from the emit from however we have this one setting over here which is kind of useful in some situations and this is the random order by default this option is turned on in the particle settings and what it basically does is that it makes the particles of an object to emit randomly from the volume to understand understand this concept in a better way I’ll first turn off the random order then to see the new animation I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and now instead of playing the animation by pressing the space bar we’ll be using these arrow keys to move to the next frames so I will press the right arrow key to jump to the next frame and if I take it to somewhere near frame number 20 or 30 then you can see that all of these particles are being emitted in the same direction only and this is because we have turned off the random order in the source settings in fact if we continue moving to the next frames and reach to the frame number 80 then you can see here that the direction of these particles has now changed from the negative x-axis to the Y AIS similarly if we now move to somewhere around frame number 120 then the direction will again change and this will keep on happening throughout the animation so with the random order turned off the direction of the particles will not be random and when we turn it on then in this case all the particles will be emitted in random directions from the cube object now moving ahead in the particle settings you have another category which is the field weights and in this one we have various settings to change like Gravity Force magnetic wind Etc but we don’t need to understand all of these because they’re not useful unless we have added some specific things like the force field or some turbulence in our 3D view Port however one of these settings is the most important which defines the movement of the particles and that setting is the Gravity by default its value is equal to one and when the gravity is turned on all these particles will only move in the downward Direction and when this gravity is turned off then the particles will move in the random directions however in this case you can see that although the gravity is equal to one but still the particles are moving in random directions instead of moving down and the reason behind this is that in the scene properties we previously turned off the gravity option and so if I turn it on and then open the particle settings and do ensure that in the field weights the value of gravity is equal to one now let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and if I play the animation then now you can see that because of the effect of gravity all of these particles are falling in the downward Direction so these are all the settings that form the basis of understanding the particle systems in blender and to revise what all we have done so far in this chapter we’ll be making this simple seed with the help of particles so first of all let’s delete this Cube object so press X to delete let’s also delete the suzan model and in the scene collection we are having a hidden sphere so let’s delete this also by pressing X now we’ll be adding a plane in the scene from where the particles will be emitted so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plain object tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up by four or five times let’s return back to the object mode and move it up in the z-axis now suppose you want that there should be some monkey objects as the particles then for this let’s first add a suzan or the monkey model in the so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey object let’s move it in the x-axis and place it over here now with the plane selected go to the particle settings and to create a new particle system click on this plus button now if I press the space bar to play the animation then these particles will begin to fall and to replace them with the suzan model we’ll scroll down and in the render tab change this render as to the object then to use the monkey object go to the object settings and in the instance object take this eye dropper tool and with this select the suzan or the monkey object to change their size go to the render tab in the particle settings and in the scale let’s increase this value to something like 0.2 let’s also increase the randomness so we’ll keep the value of scale Randomness to something like 0.15 let’s also go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and to adjust the camera view click on this lock button to turn on the lock camera to view let’s zoom out and adjust the camera like this now to fix the rotation of these monkey objects we need to turn on the object rotation in the object settings so let’s turn it on and now all these particles are having the same rotation as the original monkey object and to change this rotation first of all let’s turn off lock camera to view then I select the monkey object which is placed over here let’s rotate it in the z-axis like this let’s also go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and now the scene looks perfect also I’ll select the plain object again and I think that we should increase the scale of all these monkey objects so that they’re properly visible and to do this go to the render tab again and let’s increase the scale to something like 0.3 or 0.35 let’s also increase the scale Randomness to 0.2 or maybe 0.25 let’s also reduce the number of these particles so for this go to the emission Tab and in the number we’ll reduce it to something like 400 let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and to move forward in the animation we’ll be using the right arrow key so keep pressing the right arrow key till you reach somewhere around frame number 100 or 120 and now you can see that we were able to replace the monkey object as the particles we also reduce its size and their numbers but in this image you can see that apart from the monkey object we also having some other objects like a Taurus object and a star and so to have multiple particles in the same particle system we need to do some changes in the particle settings but before that let’s first add the Taurus object and also create the star so that they can be used in the particle system so for this press shift plus a go to mesh and select the Taurus to change its appearance like the inner and the outer radius click on this add tus menu and from here let’s increase the minor radius to a value of 0.5 and now it looks perfect to be used as a particle so let’s move it in the xaxis and place it over here now to make the star we’ll be using a plane object so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane to focus only on the plane press the forward slash button let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad tab into the edit mode and to increase the number of vertices right click and select subdivide now I’ll select this vertex let’s move it up in the Y AIS and place it over here then to do the same thing on this side I’ll select these two vertices then right click and select subdivide then select this vertex in the middle and move it like this let’s do the same with this side also I’ll select these two vertices right click to subdivide select this middle vertex and move it over here now for the bottom part I’ll select this vertex press G to move it and place it over here similarly for this side also I’ll select this vertex and move it down like this now to make it look better let’s select this vertex and move it in the x-axis let’s also move it down in the y- AIS and now it looks perfect similarly with this vertex Also let’s place it over here then I’ll select these two vertices and scale them down in order to bring them closer then in the end I’ll select this vertex and move it up in the Y AIS and with this the basic structure of the star is now ready to give it some thickness press a to select Everything E to extrude and this is how The star looks also to give it a more realistic look we’ll be applying the bevel modifier to it so go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the bevel modifier let’s increase the number of segments to something like two or three then if you want you can even increase the amount from here but for now I’ll be keeping it to the default value and with this the star is now ready to be used as the particle and now to remove the Focus From the Star object press the forward slash button again and let’s also move this in the x-axis and place it over here now let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and to use all the three objects meaning the star the Taurus and the monkey object in place of these particles we first need to create a collection of these three objects so I’ll select all three of them by holding the shift button then to create the collection press M then click on new collection let’s keep its name collection 2 and click on the create button now to use this entire collection of objects as the particles I’ll select this plane go to the particle settings scroll down and in the render tab go to this render as option and from here select the collection now in the instance collection select the collection two where we stored the star the Taurus and the monkey object now let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one let’s also go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and press the space bar to play the animation and now you can see here that we have all the three objects being used as the particles in the scene however we need to fix their rotation and to do this let’s first select the star object let’s rotate it in the x-axis by 90° let’s also rotate it in the z-axis so press r z and rotate it like this let’s also reduce its size so press s to scale it down similarly for the Taurus object press r y to rotate it in the Y AIS and rotate it like this let’s also rotate it in the z-axis and then left click to finalize then if you want you can scale down this Taurus object by pressing s and so finally this is how this particle scene is looking Also let’s increase the number of particles so go to the emission Tab and in the number enter a higher value like 600 or 800 let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation by pressing the space bar and with this the number of particles has now increased now let’s also give them some material so for this let’s first go to the material preview mode then first of all I’ll be selecting the monkey object in the scene and to give it some material we need to open the Shader editor so for this we’ll change the timeline Editor to the Shader editor so click on this icon and from here select the Shader Editor to create a new material click on the new button now we have the default principle bsdf applied to the monkey object and suppose you want that all the particles in the scene should have some random colors then for this we have to use the color ramp node along with the object info node so press shift plus a for to converter and select the color Ram let’s place it over here connect the color socket to the base color also in the interpolation mode select constant then with the first pointer selected let’s change the color by increasing the brightness and I’ll be selecting the red color then for the second color click on this plus button and change the color to any other color of your choice for now I’ll be selecting the green color let’s create another color so click on the plus button again and change the color to the blue color this time let’s create one more color so click on the plus button again and I’ll change this one to the yellow color now I’ll select this pointer at the end which is white colored and change it to the pink color now to make all these pointers evenly distributed click on this icon and from here select distribute stops evenly and right now all of these particles are having only the blue color and that’s because to give them some random colors we need to use the object info node so press shift plus e go to input and select the object info node we’ll place it over here now take the random socket and connect it to the factor now you can see here that all of these particles of the suzan or the monkey object are now having different colors also if if you want you can create different materials for the eyes and the mouth of the monkey object and to do this first tab into the edit mode press three for the face select let’s T select everything and now we’ll be selecting the eyes of the monkey object so let’s select all of these faces then with the shift key holded select the faces of the other eye then to select the faces of the mouth let’s zoom in and with the shift key holded we’ll be selecting all the faces inside the mouth of the monkey object so let’s select both of these faces and to give them some different material go to the material properties click on the plus button create a new material and then click on the sign button now let’s come out of the edit mode now for the eyes and the mouth we’ll be changing the emission in the principal bstf so go to emission let’s increase the strength to something like two or three
let’s also change the color to the light blue color and to view the effect of the emission properly in the scene we need to do some changes in the compositing so for this go to the compositing workspace enable the use nodes now press shift plus a then in the filter select the glare node we’ll place it over here then in the glare type select the bloom settings and in the quality select the high quality now let’s go back to the layout workspace and to view the effects of compositing in the 3D View Board click on this drop down and here in the compositor change this from disabled to always now we are able to see the emission effect and let’s also reduce the strength of emission to the value of one and now the material looks perfect also to make this monkey look slightly more realistic we’ll be applying the subdivision surface modifier to it so you can either go to the modifier properties then click on ADD modifier to apply it but a better way is to use the shortcut which is to press crl + 2 and now the subdivision surface modifier with the lever view Port set to two is applied to the monkey object now now let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and this is how the scene looks now we’ll do the same with the Taurus object and the star also so for this select the tus from this collection two then go to the Shader editor click on this icon and from here select the first material which we applied to the monkey object then if you want to do some changes specifically for the Taurus objects then for this you can create a duplicate of this material by clicking on this icon and now if I do any changes in the material then they will only get applied to the Taurus objects in the scene similarly for the Stars I’ll select this pl. Z 0 1 in The Collection number two then go to the share editor click on this icon and select this first material now to do the changes create a duplicate of this material and for the star object we’ll be doing some changes in the emission properties so for the emission color we’ll be using the same color that we have used in the color Ram so take the color socket and connect it to the emission color now let’s increase the emission strength to a value of somewhere near 0.9 or 1 and now I think that the scene looks perfect if you want you can try to change the number of these particles in the particle settings or maybe their material or the emission part power or maybe the metallic strength and the other properties and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we understood about the different settings in the particle system the effect of gravity on the particles and in the end we also created this simple scene with different objects being used as the [Music] particles in this chapter we’ll be understanding some advanced concepts related to the particle systems like the particle interactions Force effect on particles then we’ll also be understanding about the hair particles and the different settings a available in the hair particles now the first topic for today’s chapter is the interaction of particles with other objects and to understand this concept first of all I’ll delete this Cube object so press X to delete then press shift plus a go to mesh and add a UV sphere let’s move it up in the z-axis and place it over here now we’ll be applying the particle system to this UV sphere in the scene and for this go to the particle settings then click on this plus button in order to create a particle system now if I press the space bar to play the animation then you can see here that the particles are being emitted from the UV sphere and they are falling in the downward Direction due to the effect of gravity but suppose you want that instead of falling downwards these particles should interact with an object in the scene for example a plane and then either bounce back or remain attached to that plane surface and doing this thing with particles is called the particle interaction let’s add a plane in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane object tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up now what we basically want is that all these particles emitting from the uis spere should interact with the plane and to achieve this result we need to do some changes in the physics properties of this plane object so first of all go to the physics Properties by clicking on this icon and here you have some properties related to physics in blender which we’ll be understanding in the upcoming chapters of this course but for now we want that the particles which are being emitted from the UV sphere should collide with this plane and therefore we’ll be applying the Collision physics to the plane in the scene so for this left click on the Collision physics and now we have this Collision applyed to the plane object which means that if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then now the Collision physics will work and as a result all the particles falling on the plane will collide with it and bounce back now in the Collision physics we have several settings however since we are dealing with the particles so we only need to focus on these settings in the particle category so the first setting that we have here is the permeability and it basically means the probability that a particle will pass through a mesh with its value set to zero none of these particles would be able to pass through the plane however if I increase the permeability value to 0.5 then in this case almost half of the particles colliding with the plane would be able to pass through it so if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then you can see here that some of the particles are colliding with the plane and bouncing back while the other particles are passing through the plane so this is the use of the permeability also if I increase its value to the maximum of one then in this case all of the particles will pass through the plane so let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and if I press the space bar to play the animation then now you can see that with the permeability value set to one all the particles are passing through the plane and not colliding and not colliding with the plane for now I’ll change the permeability value to zero and the next setting that you have is the stickiness and as the name suggest it basically defines the amount of stickiness on the Collision object by default it is set to a value of zero and as a result there is no stickiness on the plain object so if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then none of the particles will get stick to the plane surface and all of them will bounce back however if I increase the stickiness value to the maximum value of 10 then in this case all of the particles will we will get stick to the surface of the plane and to see it practically let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation again now it’s clearly visible that none of the particles is bouncing back due to the collision with a plane but instead of that they are sticking on the plane surface for now I reduce the stickiness value back to zero and then the next option that you have here is the kill particles and if I turn it on then now all the particles that will fall on the plane object will get killed or they will simply disappear so let’s again take the pointer back to the frame number one and replay the animation and now in this case none of the particles are bouncing back and not even getting strick to the plain surface they are simply getting disappeared because of enabling the kill particles in the Collision setting then the next setting that you have is the damping and it basically controls the amount of damping during the particle collision it’s very similar to the stickiness parameter because if I increase it to its maximum value of one and replay the animation by pressing the space bar then you will notice that just like the stickiness parameter this damping parameter is also making the colliding particles to stick to the plain surface and then the next thing that you have is the friction however it is not much useful in this case so we’ll not be taking it up right now and now just like the particles interact with the object having the Collision settings they can also be influenced by a simulated force field effect to understand this in a better way first I’ll delete the plain object in the scene so press X to delete it now to add some force field effect press shift plus a and in this add menu you have a separate category known as the force field and in this category we’ll be selecting the wind and now the function of this wind is that it will apply a force on the particles in a particular direction and with a particular amount of strength and to modify these things we need to open the physics properties and in this we have the force field physics applied and the type is selected as wind now to understand all these things practically I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one press the space bar to play the animation and now you can see that all the particles are falling in the downward Direction however if I select the wind and in the physics settings if I increase the strength of the wind to something like four or five and take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation again then now you can see that because of the strength of wind the downward movement of the particles is now getting slower now let’s do this again but this time with a much higher strength of the wind Force so in the strength I’ll type a number like 25 or 30 and now if I play the animation again then now you can see here that instead of falling down the particles are now moving in the upwards Direction due to the effect of wind so in simple words the particles will get influenced according to the strength of the wind if it is very low only the speed of the particles will get reduced however if we set a very high number in the strength then in that case the direction of the particles will change and instead of falling downwards they will begin to move in the upwards Direction so you can try to set different values of strength and get a different result each and every time if you reduce the strength the particles will move down and if you increase it they will begin to move in the opposite direction and basically this is how the particles in the scene are influenced by the force field effects and moving ahead we’ll now be exploring about the second type of particle system which is the hair particle system so firstly I will be deleting this UV sphere and the wind so let’s select both of them them and press X to delete and to understand about the hair particles we’ll be adding a new UV sphere in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere to give it a smooth look right click and select shade smooth now to add the hair particle system go to the particle properties click on the plus button and change the particle type from emitter to the hair particles now we have these long strs of hair which are added on the surface of the UV sphere and these hair particles are used to create various things like grass fur hair particles of any character so we can say that the hair particles system is a very useful thing in blender now in the hair particle settings the first thing that you have in the emission tab is the number and this value controls the number of hair particles which are added to the surface of the uis sphere by default its value is set to 1,000 then you have the seed value which will give you a random result of the placement of hair particles each and every time now to control the length of these hair particles we have the hair length option so if I reduce this value then the length of the hair particles will reduce and now this is how the UV sphere with the hair particles is looking in our scene also with the reduced hair length we can now clearly see the actual position of the hair particles on the UV sphere now since we’ll be understanding about the different settings in the hair particles and we’ll also be creating a simple UV spere object with some colored hair particles so we should also increase the number of these hair particles so go to the number and let’s increase it to something like 8,000 or 10,000 and with this we have a much higher number of hair particles which are being emitted out of the surface of the UV sphere now suppose you want to assign any particular material to these hair particles then to do this let’s first go to the material preview mode and with the UV sphere selected go to the material properties and we’ll be creating a new material let’s change the base color and I’ll be selecting the red color and now you can see here that the hair particles are getting the same material which we applied to the UV sphere but suppose you want that the UV sphere should be red colored but these hair particles or the fur should be of some other material then to do this we need to create a new material then go to the base color and for this one I’ll be selecting the pink color now to assign this pink material which is named as material. 001 we need go to the particle settings and in the render tab you have this option of material and from this list select the material. 001 and now you can see here that the UV sphere is having the red material and the hair particles on it are having the pink material now in the particle settings we also have an option at the top which is the advanced and if I turn it on then in this case it will allow us to control some more settings like the velocity and the physics so it’s always better to keep this on while creating the hair particles now if I zoom in then here we can see that we have some gaps in between the hair particles and if you want to fill these gaps then for this we need to use the children settings in the hair particles so in the children tab select the interpolated and now you can see that all the gaps in between the hair particles are now filled with the children hair particles and to view the hair particles properly in the scene will also switch to the render view now these hair particles or this fur on the UV sphere is properly visible in the render view now moving ahead the next important settings in the hair particles is related to the physics so let’s open this physics Tab and in this the first setting that we have have is the physics type and by default it is set to Newtonian and the Newtonian physics type is basically a simulation method which uses the Newton’s Laws of Motion which we also see in the real life in order to calculate the behavior of the individual hair stands so in most of the cases to get realistic hair particles we’ll be selecting only the Newtonian physics type however if I change it to the Bo’s physics type then you can see here that we are getting a very much complex result and this is because the boy’s physics type refers to a technique inspired by the bird flocking Behavior it is used to give a more natural and a dynamic look to the hair simulation and in most of the cases you only have to use the Bo’s physics type when you’re using some force fields like the wind in the scene but for now I’ll be changing the physics type back to the Newtonian similarly in the physics tab we also have some forces where the first one is the Brownian and if I increase it then it will make the hair particles exhibit some random movements and therefore it looks like this so if you want to give your hair particles a random look then you can try to increase the value of the brownan forces similarly when you’re making hair particles for Animals then you can use the dam forces in the physics tab so in this way you can change the way how your hair particles look in the scene with the help of these forces now moving ahead if I open the source settings in the emission tab then over here we have an option which is known as the particle per face and this basically controls the number of particles on each phase and when its value set to zero it will automatically take a value and assign it as the number of particles per phase however if I try to manually increase it to something like 6 or S then you can see here that these hair particles are kind of combined together and this is because with the particles per face value equal to six it is now emitting six hair particles from each and every phase but for now I’ll change it back to zero also I’ll reduce the brownan forces to something like 0.05 or 0.1 and this will give a realistic look to these hair particles and so basically these are all the settings that are mainly used in order to create the hair particles for any object and yes we’ll be exploring some more options in the upcoming chapters of this course while understanding about the character creation now let’s also try to create some duplicates of this UV sphere with all these hair particles and we’ll be assigning different colors to each of them so first of all select the UV sphere let’s also go to the object mode in order to make our work faster and now to create a duplicate press shift plus d let’s move it in the y- axis and place it over here let’s create one more duplicate and place it over here now let’s go back to the render view let’s also add some lighting on this part so select the lamp press shift plus 3 to create a duplicate and move it in the Y AIS now we’ll be selecting this UV sphere with the hair part particles in the middle and to give it some different color let’s go to the material properties and click on the plus button now we’ll be creating a new material and for this material we’ll be choosing the base color as the orange color however to apply this material on these hair particles we need to do some changes in the particle settings so with this particle system selected if I scroll down then in render I can change the material from here so from this list of materials I’ll select the material. 002 and now we have this orange colored material applied to these hair particles similarly let’s select this one open the Mater material properties and let’s create a new material so click on the new button let’s change the base color from here and we’ll be choosing the green color in this case and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the particles interaction the force field effects and in the end we also understood about the hair particles in [Music] blender in this chapter we’ll be understanding about the basics of physics and simulation in blender the various different options available in the rigid body physics and in the end we’ll also be creating this amazing animation with some candies falling in a glass bowl with the help of rigid body physics now the first question which arises is that what exactly is meant by the term simulation in blender so simulation refers to an animation where the dynamic events which take place in the real world are simulated in an animated sequence in simpler words simulation simply means creating animations in the 3D softwares like blender where the things interact with each other just like the real world by obeying the laws of physics to understand all this in a practical way let’s begin this journey of physics and simulation with the concept of rigid body physics now to enable the rigid body physics we need to open the physics properties so for this click on this icon with the name physics properties and over here we have a type of physics known as the rigid body and if I select it then now the rigid body physics is applied to the cube object now this rigid body physics allows the object on which it is applied to interact with other rigid bodies in the scene resulting in collisions now with all the default options enabled in the rigid body physics if I press the space bar to play the animation then you will see see that the cube will Begin to Fall downwards and this is because being a rigid body the effect of gravity is acting on it now suppose I want that when I play the animation this Cube will move downwards but in Midway through the animation it should hit a plain object and for this we need to add a plane in the scene and then we’ll be applying the rigid body physics to it in this way both of the rigid bodies should be able to collide with each other so to do this let’s first move this cube in the Z axis and place it over here now press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up and we’ll scale it up five times now in the physics properties if I turn on the rigid body for this plain object also then now our expectation is that both of these objects being rigid bodies they should be able to collide with each other however if I play the animation then now both of these objects are moving downwards due to the effect of gravity and to solve this problem we simply need to change the type of rigid body for this plain object by default it is set to active but if I change it to passives then in this case the effect of gravity will no longer work on the plane and as a result it won’t be able to move down downwards so let’s play the animation again and now you will see that the cube object will collide with the plane and in this way they interact with each other now if I select the cube object again then in the rigid body physics we have some more settings like the dynamic and the animated and these are the two fundamental settings which simply Define the movement of your cube in the scene if the dynamic option is turned on it means that the rigid body physics will work on the cube meaning that on playing the animation it will fall downwards and interact with other rigid bodies and if I turn it off and replay the animation then in this case the laws of of rigid body physics will no longer get applied to the cube in the scene and now the next thing that we have here is the animated and if I turn it on then now it will only consider that particular animation which we create by inserting the key frames in the timeline editor for example if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and press I to insert a key frame for this particular location rotation and scale then I’ll take the pointer to the frame number 40 let’s also move the cube in the y- AIS and place it over here now to insert a key frame at the frame number 40 press I and if I try to play the animation by pressing this space bar then you will see that we have a simple animation created with the queue moving in the Y AIS however if I go to the rigid body settings and turn off the animated then if I replay the animation then you will notice that the animation that we manually created is no longer getting applied to the cube object so as a conclusion the dynamic option controls whether you will see the rigid body physics applied to the object or not and the animated option controls whether you will see the manual animation that you create in the scene or not for now I will be turning on the dynamic option let’s also delete these key frames that created so in the timeline editor press X and select delete key frames now before moving ahead do ensure that in the object data properties you change the value of location in the y- AIS back to 0 m and now the next thing that we have in the rigid body physics is the Collision shape and by default the convex whole option is selected now this Collision shape is used to calculate the object boundaries which help you to change the way the physics will work when the two objects Collide for very simple animations we mostly use the convex whole option however in case of complex objects or when you are having a large number number of objects in the scene that will collide with each other then you might have to use some other Collision shapes depending upon that specific object for example with this Cube selected if I go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the bevel modifier let’s increase the number of segments to something like three let’s also increase the amount from here and now you can see that our object is having a much complex look than before previously it was a simple Cube object with no bevel effect applied to it but now we have applied the bevel modifier with the segment set to four and the amount set to zero .35 M now let’s return back to the physics properties and if I go to the Collision shape and change it to box then in this case we are able to see a box boundary around the cube object and this indicates that the rigid body physics will consider this box boundary when this Cube object collides with the plane but when the Collision shape was set to the default convex hle then in this case there was no such box boundary and it was considering the original geometry of the cube however if you have a large number of loop Cuts or vertices or maybe subdivision applied to your object then in that case using the convex H Collision shape will take up slightly larger amount of memory of your PC in order to create the simulation however by changing the shape to the box it will no longer consider the number of vertices or any subdivision or beel effect on your Cube because now it will only consider this boundary that is created along the cube for the purpose of collisions so it’s completely your choice if you want to select the Collision shape as the box or the convex Hull but yes one thing to notice here is that by selecting the convex hell shape we have one more option over here which is named as the source Now by default the the source is set to deform and this basically means that blender will only consider the deform modifiers that we have applied to the object in our scene apart from this it will also consider any shape keys that we create for this object then the second option that we have in the source is base and with this base selected as the source blender will no longer consider any modifiers that we have added for this object but not yet applied then the next option that you have in the source settings is the final and now this one will ensure that all the modifiers which you have added to your object whether they are applied or not will be considered for the Collision in the rigid body physics and now moving ahead we’ll be deleting this plane from the scene and instead of this we’ll add a UV spere and we’ll convert it into a hemisphere so press X to delete the plane press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere press one to go to the front view now tap into the edit mode press alt plus Z to turn on the xarray mode now I’ll select these top vertices and to delete them press X and select delete vertices now we have a hemisphere in the scene and suppose I want that this Cube object should fall into the hollow space of this hemisphere so for this I’ll first scale up this UV spere so tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and scale it up like this now in the physics properties I’ll be adding the rigid body physics then I’ll change the type to passive and now if I take the pointer in the timeline editor back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then you will notice that this Cube object will not consider the hollow of space inside the sphere and to solve this problem we need to change the Collision shape so for any such objects where you have some hollow space and you want it to be considered for for the rigid body physics we need to select the mesh as the shape so with the mesh selected over here if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation again then this time the cube object will consider the hollow space inside the sphere and now moving ahead we have two more important options in the surface response menu which are the friction and the bounciness to understand these two factors in a better way we’ll again bring back the Plaine object in the scene so press X to delete this UV sphere now press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up 10 times let’s also apply the rigid body physics to the plane in the scene so go to the physics properties select the rigid body and in the type change this to passive Now by default The Bouncing s value is set to zero for both the plane as well as the cube object as a result when we play the animation the cube will simply hit the plane and not show any bouncing animation however if I increase this bounciness value to something like 0.5 or 0.6 and we also need to increase the value of bounciness in this plane so go to the boun value and change it to 0.5 or 0.6 and now if you replay the animation by pressing the space bar and the reason why we don’t see much Chang is that in the rigid body physics of the cube we have selected the source as the final as a result while making the animation of the Collision blender is considering the modifier that we have added to the cube object however for a better animation we need to change this Source back to the deform now let’s replay the animation one more time and this time we see that the cube will not only hit the plane but it also topples due to the effect of bounciness similarly if I go to the friction value and reduce it to a much lower number like 0.1 or 0.2 and replay the animation Again by pressing the space bar then you will notice that this time also the cube will bounce and topple however the Distance by which it moves due to the top Ling has now reduced and this is because of the friction value similarly if I change the friction value to a very high number like 0.9 and let’s also take the pointer back to the frame number one let’s also change the friction value of this plain object from 0.5 to 0.9 and now press the space bar to play the animation now this time you will notice that the amount of displacement of the cube is much higher due to the a higher value of friction and now moving ahead in order to revise what all we have done in this chapter we’ll be creating a simulation with the rigid body physics where we’ll have a glass bowl and some candies will be falling in it so first of all I will be deleting the cube and the plane so press X to delete both of them now for the candies we’ll be creating some very simple shapes in the scene so first of all let’s add a cylinder so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder let’s tab into the edit mode scale it down in the z-axis and left click to finalize now press three for the face select mode select the top face press I2 in z let’s also extrude it down in the z-axis now to give it a better look first of all right click and select shade Auto smooth let’s also apply the bevel modifier to it so go to the modifier properties then click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the bevel modifier I will be increasing the number of segments to something like three or four then if you want you can also try to change the amount from here but for now I’ll be keeping it to the default value of 0.1 M and finally we have a simple candy ready for our scene just like this let’s also create another candy in the shape of a cube so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the Cube let’s move it in the y- axis and place it over here now go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the bevel modifier let’s increase the number of segments to three or four let’s also increase the amount from here and we’ll be keeping it to a value of somewhere near 0.4 or 0.5 and now it looks perfect also right click and select shade Auto smooth now let’s also go to the render View and to improve the lighting I’ll select the point light let’s go to the object data properties and let’s increase the power from 1,000 wat to somewhere near 2500 wat now press 7 on the numpad to go to the top view let’s move this lamp over here press shift plus d to create a duplicate and move it in the y- AIS similarly I’ll select both of these lights press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place them on the opposite side also now we have enough Lighting in the scene and now to create the glass bowl we first need to add a UV sphere in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere now tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up now with the verx select mode Let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad let’s also go to the solid View Press alt plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and now we’ll be deleting the top vertic of the UV sphere so let’s select all these vertices on the top press X to delete and select delete vertices now we have a shape like this let’s also turn off the x-ray mode and to give it a better look I’ll be selecting this Edge loop at the top so hold down the alt button and left click over here now press e to extrude it in the z-axis then left click to finalize and so this is how it looks let’s now return back to the object mode right click and select shade Auto smooth to give it a much better look let’s go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the bevel modifier let’s increase the number of segments to four and finally this this is how the glass bowl is looking now for the material of the glass bowl let’s first go to the render view let’s also change this window to the Shader editor so click on this icon and from here select the Shader editor Now to create a new material click on the new button let’s zoom in and we have the default principle bstf applied to our object but to make it look like glass we’ll be adding a mix of glass bsdf and the transparent bsdf so first of all select the principal bsdf press X to delete it now press shift plus a go to Shader and select the glass bsdf let’s place it over here now if I connect the glass SDF to the surface socket in the material output you will notice that we are not able to see the glass properly and to solve this problem we need to use some HD in the scene so for this click on this drop down and from here turn off the scene World similarly if you want to view the hdri around the scene also then for this change the world opacity value from 0 to 1 Let’s also reduce the blur and now we can clearly see that this bowl is now having a glass material applied to it however to make it transparent we also need to use the transparent bstf so press shift plus a go to Shader and select the transparent bstf let’s place it over here now to connect both of them to the material output we need to use the mixed Shader node so press shift plus a go to Shader and select the mix Shader we’ll place it over here now I’ll take the bsdf socket in the transparent bsdf and connect it to the mix Shader to make it look even better go to the render properties and turn on the retracing also in the material properties scroll down and in the surface settings turn on the r race transmission and now you can see here that we have a realistic looking glass material applied to the glass bow also for the base let’s add a plain object at the bottom so so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up 10 times or maybe let’s double it up now let’s move it down in the z-axis so press gz and place it over here to change its color go to the Shader editor click on the new button and in the base color I’ll be changing this to the blue color now we also need to animate the candies by using the rigid body physics so for this let’s first go to the solid mode select this candy at the top let’s tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down and let’s do the same with this Cube also to place it near the first candy press alt plus G to reset the location tab into the edit modee scale it down let’s also move it up in the z-axis now it looks like a sphere because we applied the bevel modify to it and when we scaled it down the bevel vertices are making it look like a UV sphere so let’s go to the modifier properties and in the bevel modifier I’ll reduce the amount from here so I’ll keep it to something like 0.1 or 0.15 and now it looks perfect now we’ll be having more than one candies in the scene as a result let’s select both of these candies press shift plus d to create a duplicate and move them up in the z-axis now instead of repeating the same step again and again we can use a shortcut which is to press shift plus r this will repeat the last step that we did in the blender file you can keep as many candies as you like but for now I’ll be keeping it to somewhere around 10 or 12 candies so I’ll press shift plus r one more time and now it looks perfect all these candies will fall into the glass bowl with the help of rigid body physics now moving ahead let’s also give some material to these candies in the scene so I have switched to the render view let’s select this first candy go to the Shader editor click on the new button and now we’ll be using the same material which is saved with the name material. 002 for each of these candies but to give each of them different colors we’ll be using the color ramp node along with the object info node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here connect the color socket to the base color let’s also change the interpolation mode from linear to constant now with the first pointer selected let’s change the color by first increasing the brightness from here and for the first one I’ll be choosing the red color let’s select the second pointer and I’ll change this color to the blue color to create some more colors click on this plus button then change the color from here and I’ll choosing the yellow color let’s do the same thing two more times so click on the plus button again change the color from here choose the green color and one last time click on the plus button now we’ll change the color to the pink color now to place all these pointers evenly distributed from each other click on this icon and select distribute stops from left now you can see here that since we have applied the material to only the first candy as a result we are not able to see this material with different colors on the other candies and to solve this problem we need to select all the candies in the scene so let’s select all these candies except the one which has the material. 002 applied now with the shift key holded select this candy which has the material applied now press ctrl+ L and from here select the link materials right now all of them are of the same color and to give them some random colors go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to input and select the object info node let’s place it over here take the random socket and connect it to the factor now each of them are having some different colors also to give them a plastic light or a reflecting look I’ll go to the principal bstf and reduce the roughness value to somewhere around zero and now we are ready to create the animation so first of all I’ll select this candy which will first reach the glass bowl and with this selected I’ll go to the physics properties and turn on the rigid body physics now to give the candy some bounciness go to the surface response settings and in the bounciness value I’ll be entering 0.2 now we have the rigid body physics apply to only this candy and not the rest of the candies and instead of applying the rigid body physics separately to each one of these we can do a very simple thing so first of all select all these candies except the one on which we have the rigid body physics applied and now with the shift key holded select that particular candy at the end now go to the object settings and in this list go to rigid body and select copy from active by doing this we now have the same rigid body physics applied to each of these candies now let’s also apply the rigid body physics to this class Bowl so I’ll select it go to the physics properties and select the rigid body physics since we don’t want the gravity effect to be applied on this glass bowl so I’ll change the type to passive and since we want the candies to go inside the hollow space of this glass bowl so we also need to change the Collision shape to the mesh Also let’s increase the bounciness value to something like 0.2 and now we are ready to view our animation to ensure that the animation runs smoothly let’s first go to the object mode also I’ll change this window to the timeline editor and take the pointer back to the frame number one now let’s adjust the view properly and press the space bar to play the animation and now you will see that all of these candies move in a straight line and fall into the glass bowl now to give the animation a much more natural look we need to do some changes in the location and the rotation of these candies in the starting frame for example I’ll select this candy at the bottom and we’ll move it down in the z-axis so what we basically doing is that we’ll randomize the distance between each candies and also give them some random rotation similarly I’ll select this one also let’s move it over here let’s also give it some random rotation and we’ll be doing the same thing with each of these candies let’s select this one also rotate it place it over here so all these changes are completely random and it totally depends upon you that exactly what changes you need in the location rotation and the scaling of different candies let’s do the same with these candies also let’s move this one up in the Z axis let’s select this one move it over here let’s scale it up slightly let’s select this move it down in the z-axis and similarly this one also let’s rotate it like this and move it down in the z-axis one more thing all the three candies at the top are having the same color and to solve this problem let’s go to the Shader editor and slightly try to change the position of the different pointers in this way we can assign different colors to each of these candies now let’s return back to the timeline editor and now it’s the time to view the final result so press the space bar to play the animation and so finally this is how our animation looks all so we have this one candy that is falling outside the glass bowl and it’s even passing through the plane object in the scene and to avoid this I’ll select the plane in the scene go to the physics settings turn on the rigid body physics and change the type to passive now let’s replay the animation One More Time by pressing the space bar and so this is how this candy animation looks and in fact this time that one particular candy managed to get inside the glass bowl and this is because there’s no one such particular animation that it will always follow for a specific number of objects placed at a specific location rotation or scale and the main reason behind all this is that as I told you in the beginning the blender simulations try to give you the same results that you would expect to get in the real life and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we understood about the concept of rigid body physics and in the end we also created the simple animation with some candies and a glass bowl and as a homework of this chapter you can try to create the same scene but with a much higher number of candies in this way you will learn about how a much larger number of objects would interact with each other with the rigid body physics [Music] in this chapter we’ll be understanding about how the cloth physics Works in blender we’ll also be using it in order to create some different types of clothes like leather silk and in this way we’ll be able to understand about the various settings available in the cloth physics in complete detail now before adding a cloth we first need to add an object in the scene with which the cloth will interact and so we’ll be adding a UV sphere in the scene so first of all I’ll delete this Cube object so press X to delete now press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere right click and select shade Auto smooth now to understand the cloth physics let’s add a plane object and then we’ll be applying the cloth physics to it so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane let’s move it up in the z-axis and place it over here tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up like this now before applying the cloth physics we also need to understand that applying the cloth physics will make this plane get converted into a cloth and on playing the animation it will begin to move in the downward Direction and when it will interact with the UV spere it will fall on it and will continue to remain on the UV sphere but to make this practically happen we also need to ensure that that there are enough number of vertices in this plane which is to be converted into a cloth so for this right click and select subdivide and in the subdivide menu over here we’ll change the number of cuts to something like 20 or maybe let’s increase it to 40 and with this we have a large number of vertices in the plane object so let’s come out of the edit mode and to apply the cloth physics we’ll go to the physics properties and in this menu select the cloth physics now if I try to play the animation by pressing the space bar then you will see that the cloth object is not interacting with the UV sphere and this is because we have not yet applied any Collision physics to the UV sphere which will make it interact with the plane so to fix this I’ll select the UV sphere go to the physics properties and select the Collision physics now I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and let’s replay the animation by pressing the space bar and now we’ll notice that this plain object is interacting with the UV sphere and it’s also animated like a simple cloth object now if I zoom in then you can see that the quality of this cloth is not very good in fact if I select it and right click to apply shade smooth then it kind of looks better but it’s still not perfect and to improve its quality we have this quality steps parameter in the cloth physics by default its value set to five however if I increase it to something like 8 or 10 then in this case two things will happen first of all the quality of the cloth will improve and due to this the time that it takes to run the simulation in the 3D view port and also while lendering will increase so if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and play the animation again then in this case you can see that the quality of cloth has improved a lot similarly if I increase the quality steps to an even higher number like 16 and play the animation again then the quality will further increase but with that the time that it takes to run the simulation will also get longer so practically it’s good to keep the quality steps value to somewhere near 10 or 12 also you can see here that in some areas the cloth is not interacting in a proper way with its own surface its vertices are kind of intersecting with each other and as a result we have these irregular patterns on these areas of the cloth and to fix this problem we need to use the self collisions in the cloth physics so if I scroll down then you have a category known as the collisions so I’ll open it and in this we have two subcategories the first one is the object collisions and the second is the self collisions right now let’s turn on the self collisions and now just like the CLA object is interacting properly with the UV sphere it will also interact in a similar way with its own vertices and this will give it a much better look so to practically view this let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation and now in this case we’ll observe that the vertices of the cloth will interact with each other in a much better way because of the self collisions and now just like we had the quality steps option for the quality of the entire cloth we also have the quality option in the category this quality will control how well the collisions occur with other objects as well as the self Collision so if I increase the quality to something like 8 and let’s replay the animation so press the space bar and now in this case the quality of collisions will be much better than before also one more thing that influences the quality of your cloth is the number of vertices which you can see in the edit mode higher the number of vertices better will be the cloth quality and also the interaction and the collisions will be much better but again if I increase the number of vertices by subdividing or if I try to increase the quality in the cloth physics then it will also take much longer time in order to show the simulation and the render time will also increase now moving ahead suppose you want that some particular vertices of the clothe object should not move in the animation or in simpler words they should get pinned at a particular point then for this we have the pin group in the shape category to understand this concept in a better way we first need to create a Vertex group with some random vertices so let’s select some random vertices over here and to create a Vertex group with these vertices go to the object data properties and here we have the vertex group so to create a new one click on this plus button and to assign these vertices click on the assign button now we’ll go to the physics properties scroll down and in the shape category click here in the pin group and select this group which we just created as the vertex group and now if I press the space bar to play the animation then you will notice that first of all the speed with which the simulation is getting displayed is very slow due to the high quality settings that we have applied in the physics properties and one more thing to notice is that all the vertices that we assigned in the vertex group are pinned at their respective locations and they have not moved even on playing the animation so this is the use of pin group in the shape category it allows you to pin any number of vertices at a particular location so you can use the pin group if you want to create a cloth hanging from a particular point or if you simply want that some particular part of the cloth should remain fixed throughout the animation now moving ahead another important thing that we have in the cloth physics is the cacher settings it’s a very useful tool that helps to save a lot of memory if you want to create a particular simulation again and again in your file but the only condition is that whatever changes you will do to the cloth object will not get applied to the animation that is saved in the cache settings to understand this concept in a better way I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and now in the caches settings we have the option to select the simulation start and the simulation end meaning that from which frame the simulation will start and on which frame it will end and the entire simulation will get saved in your memory on clicking the bake option so for now I’ll keep the simulation end to 50 frames and now if I click on the bake option then it will take some time in order to calculate the physics for each and every frame and once the entire baking is done it will show 50 Fram saved in memory now if I press the space bar to play the animation then you will see that unlike before it’s no longer taking a large amount of time to play the animation because the entire simulation is now saved in the cache memory but if you wish to make any changes in the clothe object like the number of vertices its size or the pin vertices then first of all you need to delete the bake by clicking on delete bake and then you need to click on the bake option again to recreate the entire simulation now moving ahead suppose you want to create different types of clothing blender like cotton leather silk Etc and to do this we basically need to change the different properties like the tension bending vertex mass in the cloth physics now the reason why we can’t change them right now is that we have baked the entire animation so to change any of these values we first need to delete the bake so go to the cache settings and click on delete bake now let’s scroll up and now here we have several properties which are used to change the way how different clothes look in blender but the most important ones are the vertex Mass tension in the stiffness the shear parameter in the stiffness and the bending value in the stiffness category by changing these four parameters we can create different types of clothes and since it is not possible to memorize the value of each of these parameters for different cloth Fabrics I have this table for you where I have written the different parameter values for different types of fabrics for example cotton leather rubber Denim and silk fabric this table can help you to create a variety of cloth Fabrics just by assigning these values in the cloth properties now coming back to the scene we also have some default values in all these parameters and the resulting fabric that it creates is the cotton fabric you can also check these values in that cloth fabric table but now suppose you want to create the leather fabric in your scene and to do this let’s first go back to the frame number one now with this plane selected I’ll select the UB sphere also and we’ll be creating their duplicate and we’ll place them in the x-axis now for the first plane object we have the cotton fabric and for the second let’s try to create the leather fabric so for this I’ll select this plane and in this table you can see that the vertex Mass value for leather fabric is 0.4 so I’ll go to the vertex mass and change this to 0.4 then in the stiffness tension the value is equal to 80 so let’s enter 80 then the stiffness here is 25 so let’s enter 25 here and the last value is the stiffness bending which is 150 so I’ll change this value in the stiffness bending parameter to 150 and now we are ready to view the simulation so for this let’s first bake the simulation so go to the cacher settings and click on bake and then it will take some time to bake the entire simulation let’s also select This Plane where we have the cotton fabric and let’s bake this one also and once the baking is done let’s play the animation by pressing the space bar bar now both the clothe objects will fall on the UV sphere and you can clearly see the difference between the fabric of both the clothes this clothe with the cotton fabric looks very thin however the one with the leather fabric looks thicker and the way both of them collide with the UV sphere is also very different the overlapping is more for this cloth object but being the leather fabric we don’t see much overlapping in the fabric in the second case also one more thing to notice here is that in both the cloth objects we have the group of vertices over here pinned at the respective locations and this is because we created a duplicate of the plane and as a result result the group of vertices is still selected in the pin group option so if you want you can delete the baking and remove this vertex group if you don’t want these vertices to be pinned and now moving ahead let’s also try to create one more cloth object but this time with the silk fabric so for this let’s first go to the frame number one now with this plane selected let’s also select the UV sphere press shift plus 3 to create a duplicate and move it in the x-axis now let’s select the plane and to create the silk fabric we need to input the values according to this table so in the vertex Mass the value is 0.15 so let let’s change this value over here to 0.15 then in the stiffness tension the value is equal to 5 so let’s enter five here then for the stiffness here we have the value equal to 0 so let’s enter 0o here and the last one is the stiffness bending which is equal to 0.05 so let’s enter 0.05 and now we are ready to bake the simulation so scroll down and in the cache settings click on bake and since the baking is now done so let’s play the animation and with this you can see that we have three different types of cloth Fabrics that we created just by modifying the properties the first one is the cotton fabric the second looks like leather and the last one is the silk fabric you can see here that the silk fabric is kind of very thin as well as smooth which makes it different from the other two and so this is how you can create different types of clothes in blender moving ahead let’s also try to assign some material to these cloth fabric so for this let’s go to the material preview mode now I’ll select the first cloth which is the cotton fabric now go to the material properties and let’s create a new material right now we’ll be creating a material with only a simple base color however if if you want to understand about creating a cloth material in complete detail then you can watch this particular chapter where we covered the creation of a cloth Shader so let’s go to the base color and for the cotton fabric I will be choosing the yellow color similarly let’s select the leather fabric and create a new material let’s change the base color from here let’s assign the red color to it similarly for the silk fabric click on the new material button and for the base color I’ll be choosing the purple color so in this way you can create different types of cloth Fabrics simply by changing the parameters in the physics properties and you can assign them any material directly from the material properties and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the cloth physics in blender we used it to create different types of clothes then we also learned about pinning A specific group of vertices at a particular location and most importantly we also saw this table where you have different parameter values for some important cloth [Music] Fabrics in this chapter we’ll be understanding about how the soft body simulation Works in blender the various options available in the soft body physics and to Rev device everything we’ll also be creating a simple jelly scene with the help of soft body physics in the end of this chapter now the first question which arises is that what exactly is meant by the term soft body physics so the soft body physics makes an object to act like a clay or dough or anything which is soft in nature now to view it practically in blender let’s go to the physics properties and from here select the soft body physics now we have applied this soft body physics and in the 3D view Port if I press the space bar to play the animation then you will notice that nothing major is happening apart from the cube moving up and down by a small distance now the reason why it stays only at this position even after playing the animation is that the goal option in the soft body physics is turned on by default however if I turn it off and again play the animation by pressing the space bar then in this case the effect of gravity will get applied to the soft body and as a result it move downwards now let’s try to make it interact with a plain object so for this let’s add a plane so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up and we be scaling it up five times now let’s select the cube and move it up in the z-axis and to make sure that this cube with the soft body physics interacts with the plane we also need to apply the Collision physics to the plane so go to the physics properties and select the Collision physics now let’s select the cube and for a better animation press R to rotate it like this and now if I press the space bar to play the animation then the cube or the soft body will interact with the plane and it gets folded into a flat surface or a flat plane now to fix this problem we need to open the edges category in the soft body physics and over here you have an option called stiffness so if I turn it on it will make the cube stiff and so if I take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then now in this case you can see that the cube will not turn into a plane object but instead it interacted with the plane just like a soft body or a jelly like object now in the edges category we have some more important settings like plasticity and bending but to understand these we need to have a complex model with a much larger number of vertices and therefore let’s go to the edit mode of this Cube right click and select subdivide and in this way this cube is now having a greater number of vertices now the first important thing that we have here is the bending and with its value set to zero and also with the subdivided vertices if I try to play the animation then you will notice that when the cube collides with the plane we see a kind of crumbling effect on the faces of the cube and this effect can be influenced by the bending parameter so we can keep its value anywhere between 0 and 10 but for now I’ll be entering two as the bending value and let’s try to play the animation again and this time you can notice that the amount of that crumbling effect on the faces of the cube has now reduced and this is because as we increase the bending the amount of bending stiffness on the object will increase and as a result the crumbling effect will reduce now one more time I’ll change the bending value to 0.5 and let’s try to play the animation again now this time also on collision with the plane the faces of the cube show the same effect but with a slightly lesser intensity as compared to when the bending value was equal to zero also if I again tab into the edit mode and subdivide the vertices one more time then now the complexity of the shape has increased and with with this if I go to the bending parameter and enter two and play the animation one more time then now you will see that the crumbling effect is still visible on the faces of the cube so it completely depends upon the geometry that how much bending stiffness will be added because of the bending parameter and for now I’ll be keeping the bending value at 0.5 and moving ahead we have one more important setting in the edges category which is the plasticity and it basically controls the deformation of the object on colliding with some other object by default its value set to zero and therefore throughout the animation we were not able to see any major deformation in the structure of the cube however if I increase the value of plasticity to 20 and try to play the animation Again by pressing the space bar then in this case you will notice that when the cube collides with the plane it has major deformations in its structure and this is because of the plasticity parameter it kinds of create a dent whenever the object collides with some other object you can also understand it in this way that whenever you hit a plastic object with a hammer or a similar tool it kind of creates a dent on its surface similarly in this case also when this soft body will collide with the plane the plasticity parameter will create a deformation or a dent on that particular area now to see the plasticity effect in a much better way let’s return back to the frame number one go to the edit mode and let’s subdivide the vertices one more time so right click and select subdivide and now if I play the animation again then in this case the soft body or the cube will collide with the plane and if I zoom in then you can clearly see the deformation in the structure on this part of the cube due to the plasticity parameter and also if I continue to play the animation then you will notice that the deformation effect due to the plasticity is now applied permanently on the cube now to get the
results which look realistic let’s reduce the plasticity value to somewhere near five let’s also increase the bending and I’ll keep it to a value of two now let’s replay the animation one more time and this time you will notice that when the cube object collides with the plane the entire animation gives a much more realistic look than before now to revise what all we have done till now we’ll be creating this simple jelly scene with the help of soft body physics so for this let’s go to the frame number one now I’ll select the plane tab into the edit mode and let’s increase its size and then left click to finalize now we have this plane with the Collision physics applied but we need to create some more jellies in the scene that will collide with each other and for this let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad select this Cube press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here let’s create one more duplicate let’s place it over here and in a similar way we’ll be keeping about five to six cubes in our scene so let’s select one more place it over here and yes to ensure that they kind of intersect with each other because in this way when they fall down they will collide with one another and form an inter interesting simulation now let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and we’ll be giving some different heights to the different jellies in the scene so I’ll select this one place it over here similarly let’s select this one at the back and move it up in the z-axis now we have a simple system of jellies in the scene and right now if I try to play the animation by pressing the space bar then you will notice that when the cubes will fall down they are not interacting properly with each other in fact some of the cubes are even intersecting with one another and this is because we have not yet applied the Collision physics to each of these cubes so to solve this problem let’s go back to the frame number one and with this Cube selected go to the physics properties and apply the Collision physics similarly let’s do the same with this one also add Collision to it now let’s select the third Cube go to the physics properties and apply the Collision physics now with this one we’ll apply the Collision to it and finally the last Cube go to the physics properties and click on the Collision now if I play the animation then you will see that the cube objects will collide with each other like they just did around the frame number 30 like here they were touching each other but on playing the animation further they collided and finally this is how the animation looks let’s replay the entire animation one more time also to give these cubes a smooth look you can simply select them then right click and select shade Auto smooth let’s do the same with the others also so I’ll select this Cube then right click select shade Auto smooth similarly with this one let’s do the same with this one also right click select shade Auto smooth and in the end I’ll select this one then right click and select the shade Auto smooth and in this way we have a simple animation of some jellies and now let’s work on giving some material to these jellies so for this let’s first go to the material preview mode and with this Cube selected go to the material properties and first of all I’ll go to the base color and let’s assign the red color to it and right now all of these cubes are having the same material because they are the duplicates of the one specific cube in the scene now to make it look like a real jelly let’s reduce the value of roughness to zero then go to transmission and increase the value to one and with this you will notice that we have the material which looks like a real jelly now to assign different colors to the different cubes I’ll simply select the other Cube go to to the material properties and we need to create a duplicate of this material so for this click on this icon and now the name of this material is saved as material. Z1 as a result whatever changes I’ll do in the base color will only get applied to this particular Cube similarly let’s select this one create a duplicate and let’s change the base color to the blue color this time now I’ll select this one create a duplicate and change the base color to the yellow color and in the end I’ll select this Cube create a duplicate of the material and change the base color to the pink color and with this we have five different jellies having different colors in the scene let’s also select this plane and to give it a material go to the material properties and create a new material let’s change the base color and I’ll be assigning the dark blue color to it let’s also reduce the brightness from here and finally this is how the jelly scene is looking now and with this we are now ready to play the animation I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation and so this is the final result and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the soft body physics in blender and we used it to create a simple jelly scene of different colors which collide with each [Music] other in this chapter we’ll be understanding about the various concepts of fluid simulations and we’ll be using them to create a simple animation of a cup with some juice falling into it now the first question is what exactly is meant by the fluid simulations so in blender fluid simulation replicates the way how the fluids behave in the real world it also takes into consideration the physical obstacles and also the physical forces like gravity and pressure in the blender scene throughout the simulation Now to create a fluid simulation in the scene we basically need to have two objects one will be the flow and the other will act as a domain to understand this practically we’ll be making this default Cube as the domain for the fluid simulation so let’s also increase its size so tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up now let’s come out of the edit mode and with this we have the domain for the fluid simulation ready but as I told you before we need one more object which will act as the flow as a result I’ll be creating a duplicate of this Cube by pressing shift plus b then right click and to view both the objects properly let’s turn on the wireframe display now with the second Cube selected let’s scale it down like this and now we have two cubes in the scene the bigger Cube will act as the domain and the smaller Cube as the flow which in terms of fluid simulation means that the fluid will flow from the flow object which is the smaller Cube and the volume in which it will flow will be according to this domain which is the bigger Cube to understand this in a better way let’s apply the fluid simulation so with the smaller Cube selected let’s go to the physics properties and turn on the fluid simulation now in the type select the flow and after this you will have a lot of different settings in the fluid simulations and the most important one is the flow type so if I select this it will give you various options like smoke fire plus smoke fire and liquid and since we want the liquid so I’ll be selecting the liquid and with this we have the selected Cube object assigned the flow type in the fluid simulation now let’s do the same for the bigger Cube so I’ll select this go to the physics properties and turn on the fluid simulations now in the type select the domain and in the domain type select the liquid and now you will notice that we are not able to see the domain in the 3D scene and also this little Cube that we added as the flow type is also looking slightly different so now if I press the space bar to play the animation then you will see that some kind of fluid is falling down from the smaller Cube and this is the basic fluid simulation as you can see there was a simple flow of fluid from the small cube according to the domain object to put it in even simpler words you can understand it in this way that the object on which the flow type is applied in the fluid simulation will act as the source of fluid and the other object which will be the domain will basically act as the volume in which the fluid will flow now moving ahead in the recent example we saw that there was a very little amount of fluid emerging out of this Cube however to get a continuous supply of fluid throughout the simulation we need to do some changes in the physics settings so with the small cube selected go to the physics settings and in the flow Behavior change this to the inflow and now if I press the space bar to play the animation then this time you will notice that there is a continuous supply of fluid from the selected cube with the flow type and also the volume which the fluid is occupying is the volume of the bigger Cube or the domain object now to understand about some more settings in the fluid simulation we need to select the domain object so for this let’s take the pointer back to the frame number zero and now this domain object will appear also if I take the pointer to the frame number one instead of the frame number zero then the fluid simulation will begin and as a result the domain object will disappear so do ensure that you have the frame number zero selected in the timeline editor and now I’ll select the domain object and in the fluid settings we have one more important option which is the resolution to be used for the fluid domain so this resolution division setting basically controls the quality of the fluid simulation higher the value of the resolution better will be the quality but with that it will also take much more time to render so practically it’s advised to keep the resolution division value to somewhere near 64 but yes if you have a high NPC then you can increase this value further to somewhere around 128 but in most of the cases a value of around 64 will work the best for the fluid simulations now if I scroll down and here you have a category which is called the liquid and if this is turned on it means that blender is using a particle system in order to create the fluid simulation you can also check this by opening the particle settings and over here you have an active particle system which is named as liquid so in the fluid simulation the fluid or the liquid is made up of the particles in the particle system now another important setting that we have in the fluid simulation is the initial velocity and the direction of the fluid to understand these settings select the smaller Cube and over here you have the option of initial velocity so if I turn it on then now you can control the initial velocity of the fluid in any of the three axes by default all the three values are 0 m/ second and as a result if I try to play the animation then you can see here the fluid is Flowing simply in the downward Direction due to the effect of gravity however if I go to the initial velocity in the Y AIS and change this to 10 m/s then in this case the direction of the flow of the fluid will be more in the y- axis and to practically see this let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then now the direction of the flow is in the Y AIS with a much higher speed let’s take one more example of the initial velocity so in the y- axis I’ll change this to 0 m/s and in the xaxis let’s keep a value of around 4 m/s now let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and now press the space bar to play the animation and so in this way you can give a direction to the flow of fluid and also control the speed of the flow with the help of initial velocity parameter now moving ahead one thing to notice here is that currently we are in the wireframe display mode but if I switch to the solid mode and take the pointer back to the frame number one and try to replay the animation then this is how the animation will look we have this beautiful looking fluid simulation that we simply created by adding two objects in the scene the domain and the flow object and yes it might also be possible that in some particular cases it won’t be displaying this fluid simulation in the solid mode or the final rendered mode and if you have this problem then for this you need to do some changes in the cache settings of the fluid simulation to understand this in a better way I’ll again take the pointer back to the frame number one or maybe let’s go to the frame number zero now I’ll select the domain object and in the physics properties if I scroll down then here we have a category which is called the cachier and by using this you can temporarily store a fluid simulation in the cachier memory and in this way that particular fluid simulation will get saved in your blender file until and unless you need to do any changes in the fluid properties now to do this go to the type option in the cache settings and change this to modular now turn on the is resumable and now if I scroll up then over here in the fluid settings you have this option to bake the fluid data and what it basically does is that it will create a memory with the entire fluid simulation and the advantage of doing this is that you can smoothly play the fluid simulation in any number of times as it won’t use your memory to calculate the fluid simulation again and again each time so if I click on the big data then it will take some few seconds in order to bake the fluid data now once the baking is done the bake data option will disappear from here and it will show the option to free or delete the baking data now if I go to the 3D view port and press the space bar to play the animation then in this case we are not able to see the fluid simulation and this is because till now we have only bake the data for the fluid but not for this mesh and to bake the data for this mesh go to the physics settings scroll down and over here you have a category known as the mesh let’s open this and from here click on the bake mesh now it will take some time to bake the mesh now once the baking is done you will be able to see the fluid simulation in your scene in fact if I take the pointer to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then you can see here that the entire animation is being played without much lagging and see this is the advantage of using the bake data in the fluid simulations so whenever you’re working with the fluids and you have finalized the simulation like the properties the initial velocity do ensure to B the data and also bake the mesh in order to view the entire animation in a much simpler way now moving ahead if I go to the material preview mode then you can see that this fluid is having the same default material that is applied to the domain Cube and to give it some different material let’s go to the material properties and now to make it look like water let’s go to the base color and let’s change the color to the light blue color now to give it a slight transparent look go to the transmission and increase the weight to something like 0.9 or 1 now scroll down and in the surface settings turn on the rate race trans transmission also to improve the quality go to the render properties and turn on the rate tracing Also let’s open the material properties again and in the base color let’s make the blue color even more lighter and now we are ready to view the animation so let’s go to the first frame and press the space bar to play the animation and with this we have this final fluid simulation ready where we have this basic water-like fluid with a simple blue color and the source of this fluid is that tiny Cube which has the flow type and the volume of its flow is the cube with the domain type and now moving ahead in order to revise what all we have done in this chapter so far let’s try to create a simple scene with a cup and some juice flowing into it with the help of fluid simulation so for this let’s select the domain press X to delete it let’s also select the small cube and press X to delete it now to model a simple cup let’s add a cylinder in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder now tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up press three for the face select mode select the top face and to delete this face press X and select delete faces now press one for the vertx select mode and to select the entire Edge loop at the top hold down all and left click on the edge Loop now let’s slightly scale it up and left click to finalize now to give it some thickness let’s return back to the object mode right click and select shade Auto smooth now go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the solidify modifier now to get some outer thickness go to the thickness parameter and try to reduce this and we’ll keep it to something like – 0.3 and – 0.35 and now it looks perfect also I think that we should make it slightly longer so tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and scale it up in the z-axis like this now to make the handle of the cup we’ll be using a Basia curve so press shift plus a go to curve and select the basier curve let’s move it in the x-axis and place it over here now to give it the shape of a handle let’s first go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad tab into the edit mode Let’s also zoom in now select this point of the bzier curve and press R to rotate it like this now left click to finalize also to scale it up press a to select everything and let’s scale it up in the x-axis let’s also slightly scale it up in the Y AIS like this and now let’s return back to the object mode now to make this curve look like the C handle we first need to convert it into mesh so for this go to the object settings and over here you have a category known as convert and from this menu we’ll be selecting the mesh now if I tab into the edit mode then you can see that instead of the end points we are now having the vertices which we have when the selected object is a mesh to give it some thickness press a to select everything e to extrude it in the z-axis like this let’s also scale it up properly so go to the top view Again by pressing seven on the numpad press a to select everything and S to scale it up now to give it some thickness in this direction also we need to extrude these faces along the normals so press alt plus e and select extrude faces along normals now if I move my cursor you will notice that the faces of the handle are being extruded like this now left click to finalize the Extrusion and with this we have a simple handle ready for our cup now let’s return back to the object mode press one for the front view now to rotate this handle press RX and type 90 let’s also rotate it by 90° in the Y AIS press G to move it and place it over here now tab into the edit mode press a to select everything let’s scale it up in the z-axis like this let’s also scale it up in the x-axis also I think that it shape is not regular so to solve this problem let’s first go to the solid mode press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode Let’s deselect the vertices and now I’ll be selecting these vertices in the middle and we’ll move them in the x-axis so press o to turn on the proportional editing now press G and x and let’s move these vertices also to increase the size of the circle of influence you can use your scroll wheel so if I scroll down the size of the circle of influence will increase and in this way we can make the shape of the handle look much better now let’s also fix the ends of this handle so for this press C for the face select mode now I’ll be selecting this top face let’s go to the front view again and if I zoom in then you can see that this end is passing through the plane so to solve this problem let’s rotate this face by pressing R I think that we have selected the wrong face so let’s change the angle turn off the x-ray mode and we’ll be selecting this face again let’s go back to the front view turn on the x-ray mode again let’s also turn off the proportional editing tool by pressing o and now if I press R to rotate this face then you can see here that now this face is not passing through the inside boundary of the up let’s also ensure this by turning off the x-ray mode and now the handle looks perfect let’s do the same thing with this other end also so I’ll select this face at the bottom go to the front view again press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode press R to rotate the face and now it looks perfect Also let’s reduce its thickness in the y- axis so press a to select everything and let’s scale it down in the y axis like this now let’s return back to the object mode and finally this is how the cup is looking in the scene now we should also align this handle properly with the cup and to do this let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and with this handle select Ed press g y and move it in the Y AIS like this now if I change the angle then you can see that this handle is now perfectly aligned with the cup now right click and select shade Auto smooth let’s also apply the bevel modifier to it so go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the bevel modifier let’s increase the number of segments to something like three or four let’s also increase the amount from here and we’ll be keeping it to something like 0.25 or 0.3 and now it looks perfect Now to create the fluid simulation we need two objects in the scene one of them will be the domain and the other will be a low object so for this let’s first add a cube in the scene which will act as the domain so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up like this now let’s go to the front Cube by pressing one on the numpad let’s also go to the wireframe display let’s scale this Cube up in the z-axis like this now press gz and move it up like this and we’ll make sure that the base of the cube is touching with the cup base let’s also go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and from this angle also the size of the cube is looking perfect so now we have the domain ready and for the flow object you can choose any object like the cube or UV sphere and in this case I’ll be choosing the UV sphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it down slightly now let’s return back to the object mode press gz and move it up in the z-axis now to add the fluid simulation let’s go to the physics properties and turn on the fluid simulation in the type select the flow and in the flow type select the liquid also to ensure a continuous supply of fluid change the flow Behavior to the inflow now I’ll select this Cube go to the physics properties and select the fluid then in the type select select the domain and in the domain type select the liquid let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and now if I press the space bar to play the animation then you can see that we have the fluid emerging from the UV sphere but since the domain is set to the cube as a result it is taking the volume of the cube into consideration and not the volume of the cup so what we basically want is that the fluid should collide with the cup in the scene so for this select the cup go to the physics properties and turn on fluid now in the type we have one more option apart from the domain and the flow and this is the effector and if I turn it on then now the fluid that flows from the uis spere will take the domain Cube into consideration however it will also collide with the cup in the scene but right now if I press the space bar to play the animation the fluid that flows from the UV spere will still pass through the cup and the reason behind this is that the cup that we have in our scene has some surface thickness which the fluid simulation is not taking into consideration and to solve this problem with this cup selected go to the fluid simulation settings and over here you have an option which is called the surface thickness by default its value is set to zero and that is why we were getting this error but if increase this value to 0.5 now let’s replay the animation One More Time by pressing the space bar and now you will notice that the fluid that is Flowing from the UV sphere will collide with the cup this time instead of passing through it and in this way we are able to create a simple animation of some fluid flowing into a cup now let’s go to the solid mode and to complete our final animation we need to change some minor settings so first of all I will be joining this cup and the handle together into a single object so for this first I’ll select the handle then with the shift key holded select the cup now to join them together press C control press J now to hide this domain object let’s press the space bar to play the animation and then immediately stop the animation now let’s select the UV sphere and we’ll be moving it in the x- axis and we’ll also give it some initial velocity so that the direction of flow is not completely straight so for this press GX and move it in the x axis now go to the physics properties and turn on the initial velocity and in the initial x value I’ll be entering 3 m/s now let’s check the animation so take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar and we can see here that the direction of the flow is opposite and also the velocity is very low so let’s go to the initial x velocity again and this time we’ll be entering – 5 m/s now let’s replay the animation one more time and finally this is how the fluid animation is looking in the scene now moving ahead we’ll be working on improving the quality of the fluid and for this let’s go back to the frame number zero select the domain object and in the physics settings change the resolution division value to 64 and now to view the animation scroll down and in the cache settings change the type to modular and turn on the is resumable now scroll up and from here click on the bake data and once the baking is done scroll down and in the mesh settings click on the bake mesh and after this if I press the space bar to play the animation then this is how our final animation looks we have created a simple yet interesting fluid simulation where the fluid is flowing into this cup in the scene to make it look even better right click and select shade smooth and now we are ready to give some material to both the cup as well as the fluid so for this let’s go to the material preview mode now with the fluid selected let’s go to the material properties let’s also change the frame to somewhere near 130 or 140 now let’s create a new material let’s change the base color from here and I’ll be choosing the orange color now let’s reduce the roughness to somewhere near zero now go to the transmission and increase the weight to a value of anywhere between 0.9 and 1 now scroll down and turn on the rate race transmission also in the render properties do ensure that you have turned on the rate racing also since we are making the juice so I think that we should reduce the transmission value so go to the material properties and in the transmission weight let’s reduce it to something like 0.3 or 0.4 and now it looks perfect if you want you can change the base color from here and assign any color that you want but for now I’ll be choosing the mix of orange and yellow then for the cup let’s create a kind of plastic material for it so I’ll select the cup click on the new button let’s change the base color from here and I’ll be assigning the blue color let’s also reduce the roughness to somewhere near zero and now we are ready to view the animation so let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation and finally this is how our final animation is looking we have this fluid flowing from a UV sphere into a plastic cup which has the effecta type selected in the fluid s ulation also you can make the animation look even more interesting by selecting the UV sphere and in the physics properties you can try to change the value of initial velocity like if you want you can move this UV sphere in the positive x-axis and then give a value to the initial x velocity as something around – 7 or – 10 m/ second and in this way you can give your animations a completely different look and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the fluid simulation s blender and the different types of settings in the fluid simulation then we also created a simple scene with a cup and some juice flowing into it with the help of fluid [Music] simulation in today’s chapter we’ll be understanding about another Concept in the physics and simulation which is known as the fire simulation we’ll be understanding about the various types of settings and the controls available in the fire simulation and in the end of this chapter we’ll also be creating a simple scene of some burning wood with some fire on it now to create a fire simulation in blender we basically need two different objects one of them will be the domain and the other will be a flow object the domain basically means means the region or the volume in which the fire that is created will be flowing and the flow object is simply the source of the fire so in our scene we’ll be using this Cube as the domain object for the fire and for the flow object you can add any type of mesh so if I press shift plus a then go to mesh then I can select any mesh object from this list but for now I’ll be selecting the UV sphere which is now located at the world origin now I’ll select this Cube let’s tab into the edit mode and since this will be the domain or basically the volume in which the fire will flow so let’s also increase its size to see the simulation properly so let’s scale it up in the z-axis like this also press alt plus Z in order to turn on the x-ray mode Let’s scale it up slightly more and now it looks fine also I’ll go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and let’s move this Cube or the domain in the z-axis let’s place it over here and now we are ready to create the fire simulation let’s also turn off the x-ray mode and now with the cube selected we’ll go to the physics properties and from this list select the fluid simulation now in the type select the domain and by default the domain type is selected as the gas so so in case of fire simulation we have to use the gas domain type and in case of the liquid simulations we have to use the liquid domain type and gu if you want to learn about the fluid simulations in liquid then you can watch this particular chapter where we discussed about this concept in complete detail now with the gas domain type selected we also have to create the source of fire so for this I will be selecting this UV sphere now go to the physics properties and turn on the fluid simulation now in the type select the flow and you will notice in the scene that we have some smoke emerging out of the uis spere and this is because in the flow type the smoke is selected similarly you also have some other options like fire plus smoke which will add both the fire and the smoke and you have one more option which is the fire and this one will add the fire individually without any smoke for now we’ll be selecting the Fire Plus smoke in the flow type so that we can understand both of them simultaneously and once I select the Fire Plus smoke flow type you can see here that we can see some simple fire in the scene also if I press the space bar to play the animation then we have the simple animation created where the fire coming out of the UV sphere will turn into smoke but what if you need a continuous supply of fire and to achieve such a result we need to change the flow Behavior by default the geometry is selected meaning that the amount of fire that will emerge out of the mesh will depend upon the geometry of the object and in order to get a continuous Supply we need to change the flow behavior from the geometry to the inflow now I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation and this time you will notice that we have a continuous supply of the fire and the smoke coming out of the UV sphere and the region in which it flows is the volume of this Cube which is the domain object now suppose you want to improve the quality of fire and smoke and to do this we have to change the fluid settings of the domain object so let’s select this Cube which is the domain and in the fluid settings the most important thing is the resolution divisions and by default this value is set at 32 but to improve the quality of the fire and the smoke we need to increase this value so if I increase it to something like 64 then in this case the quality of the animation will be improved but with that it will also take a much longer time to show the simulation in the 3D view Port as well as when you render the final animation but to skip this problem we have another setting in the fluid simulation which is the cas menu this will allow you to B the animation or in simpler words it will create a temporary memory where it will save all the details of the simulation between any two frames and the benefit of using this is that after making the entire animation in the C we’ll be able to run the animation smoothly without any issues so to bake the animation we first need to change the type from replay to the modular and also turn on is resumable now to bake the animation scroll up and in the settings category here you have an option to bake the data so I left click on it and now it will take some time to bake the entire simulation now once the baking is done the bake data button will get replaced by the free data which you can use if you want to make any changes in the fluid properties because in that case you will first have to remove the data by clicking on the free data option then you will change the properties and then you will have to rebake the entire data by clicking on the bake data button but now let’s go back to the frame number one and now if I press the space bar to play the animation then this time you can see that the fire and the smoke in the simulation look much more realistic and detailed than before and the best part is that even after improving the quality it is still running smoothly since we use the big data so to get realistic fire in the Smoke it’s advisable to use the resolution division value of around 64 but yes if you want much more realism or detailing added to the fire then you can increase the resolution division value to somewhere around 128 or maybe 256 and yes one more method to add some detailing or some noise to the fire is to use the noise option in the fluid settings so if I turn it on and let’s also open this menu then from here you can control the strength of the noise but for now we’ll be going with the default values and now to view the effect of noise you simply need to click on the bake noise this will take a few seconds to bake the noise for the entire animation and once the baking is done if I try to play the animation then now you will be able to see that how realistic and detailed this fire is looking because of adding the noise to it now moving ahead I will be removing this noise for now so I’ll uncheck this box and now we have the fire without the noise effect now one thing to notice here is that we are able to see the fire along with the smoke in the solid mode however if I switch to the material preview mode then we are not able to see any fire or smoke in our scene similarly this is true for the render view also the fire in the smoke is still not visible in our scene and the reason behind this is that we need to apply some material to the fire and the smoke in order to view them in the render view now a very important thing to understand is that the material of the fire and the smoke will exactly be the same as the domain object therefore to create the material for the fire and the smoke you have to select this domain object or the cube and with this selected go to the material properties now we have this default material applied which is sa with the name material and since we want this material to be applied to the smoke and the fire we’ll have to use the principal volume node and to do all this stuff we also need to open the Shader editor for this I’ll be changing this window of the timean editor into the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor now I’ll be deleting the default principal bstf so left click to select it and press X to delete now press shift plus a go to Shader and select the principal volume Shader let’s place it over here now I’ll take the volume output socket and connect it to the volume input in the material output node now that both of them are connected the domain object or the cube will disappear and this is because it is a mesh object but we applied the principal volume to it also we are able to see some smoke emerging out of the UV sphere due to the principal volume node also if you want to change the color of the smoke then you can go to the color parameter and change the color from here but for now I’ll be choosing the default white color then you have the density option and if I try to change it the density of the smoke will increase or decrease now we also need to view the fire in our scene and for this we’ll be using the same principal volume node which is currently changing the material properties of the smoke now to do this you have to go to the color attribute option and in this type temperature now if I press enter you will notice some slight changes in the scene but before that let’s also understand why we entered the temperature in the color attribute so the reason for using the temperature in the color attribute is that we want to control the color of the volume based on the temperatures by doing this we are telling the blender software to use a temperature map in order to determine the color of the volume at each point now you must be knowing that the region around the fire will obviously have a higher temperature than the region around the smoke as a result the higher temperature areas will get assigned the colors associated with heat like orange red yellow and lower areas will be assigned the colors like the gray color or slightly blue color and to view this color change based on the temperatures you have to increase the value of the black body intensity by default it is set to zero but if I change it to one then now you will begin to notice slight orange color for the fire in the scene also to get realistic results it’s advisable to use the cycle cender engine so let’s change it from E to cycles and this is how it looks if you want to add more glow or heat to the fire then you can try to increase the values of the black body intensity and the temperature so in the black body intensity if I enter four then now this is how the fire is looking similarly if I go to the temperature value and change it from 1,00 to 1200 then because of the increase in temperature the color will also change also if you want to change the color of your fire then for this you can use the black body Tint by using this we can easily change the color of fire to any color of our choice but to get realistic results it is advisable to keep the black body tint color to either the white color or some light shade of yellow or orange and so finally this is how the fire simulation Works in blender let’s also change this window back to the timeline editor and let’s play the animation to view it in the render View and now it looks like this obviously it won’t run smoothly because we have the cycle sender engine turned on but you can run the animation properly when you finally render it by clicking on render and selecting the render animation and now moving ahead let’s try to revise what all we have done in this chapter by creating a simple scene with some wood and some fire coming out of them so for this let’s go to the solid mode and we’ll be deleting the cube as well as as the UV sphere so with the shift key hold it I’ll select the UV sphere now press X to delete and now to make the wooden pieces let’s add a cube object so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down let’s also scale it up in the Y AIS like this now let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad let’s come out of the edit mode and we’ll place it over here also to make it incline let’s rotate it in the x-axis like this let’s also go back to the edit mode press three for the face select select this bottom face and let’s scale it up like this now we have one piece of the wood ready and to create the rest of them let’s first go to the Top View Press shift plus d to create a duplicate then right click and let’s rotate it in the z-axis by 180° let’s move it in the y- axis and place it over here let’s create two more pieces so with the shift key holded I’ll select the other one also now press shift plus d to create a duplicate of both of the pieces and right click to cancel the movement now let’s rotate the duplicate pieces in the z-axis by 90° and with this we have four simple wooden pieces added in our scene if you want to increase their number simply select them press shift plus d to create a duplicate right click and rotate them in the z-axis now we have enough wood in the scene and to create the fire we need to have a flow object in the center for this let’s use a UV sphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere let’s move it up in the z-axis and place it over here also let’s create a domain object so press shift plus a go to mesh and select a cube tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up like this let’s also scale it up in the z-axis like this now go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and let’s move this Cube up in the z-axis now left click to finalize now let’s return back to the object mode mode Let’s also turn off the x-ray mode and now we’ll be making this Cube that we added as the domain for the fire simulation so for this let’s go to the physics properties select the fluid simulation and in the type select the domain then for the flow object I’ll be selecting the UV sphere so in the physics properties select the fluid simulation and in the type select the flow now change the flow type from the smoke to Fire Plus smoke let’s also change the flow behavior from geometry to inflow now I’ll take the pointer to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation so with this we have a simple fire simulation ready where we have some wood pieces and a UV sphere in the center from where the fire is emerging then if you want to increase the quality of fire you can select the domain change the value of resolution divisions to 64 let’s also bake the animation so in the cas category change the type to modular let’s also turn on the is resumable and to bake the data scroll up and click on the bake data now once the baking is done we can see the improved quality of the fire and the smoke but again if I go to the render view then we’ll not be able to view the animation to solve this problem with the domain object selected go to the material properties click here and from this list select this first material which we used to create the fire previously in this chapter and with this the fire is properly visible in the scene and now we’ll be working on creating the wood material for these pieces so for this let’s select one of them and to focus only on the object press the forward slash button for some lighting click on this drop down and from here turn off the scene world now to create the wood material let’s change this window to the Shad editor now click on the new button and for the wood texture we’ll be adding the noise texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it over here connect the fact factor to the base color in the principal bsdf and to add the texture coordinate and the mapping node select the noise texture and press crl plus T now connect the object socket to the vector in the mapping node and to get a texture which looks like wood we need to change the scaling of this texture with the help of mapping node so let’s try to change the scale in the xaxis let’s also change it in the y- axis and let’s keep it to something like five or six let’s also change the scale in the z-axis so by changing these values you can change the way how the texture looks on your object for now I’ll be changing the scaling in the x-axis to something like 0.5 or 0 6 let’s also slightly increase the value of scaling in the z-axis so we’ll keep it to something like 4 or 4.5 and now it looks perfect to give it some colors let’s add the color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here in between the noise texture and the principal bstf now for the first pointer we’ll be using the black color only but for the second pointer I’ll change this color to something like brown so let’s reduce the brightness from here and change the color to the brown color also to give it a more realistic look let’s add some bump effect to the texture so for this press shiftless a go to vector and select the bump node let’s place it over here connect the factor socket in the noise texture to the height and the normal socket in the bump node to the normal in the principal bsdf also if you want to increase the amount of black color in the texture then for this select the first pointer with the black color and move it like this this will increase the amount of black color in the texture so for now let’s place it somewhere over here also you can use the scale parameter in the noise texture in order to control the overall scaling of the texture applied but for now I’ll be keeping the default value of five and now the wood material looks perfect so to remove the the focus from this wood piece press the forward slash button again let’s also turn off the scene World from here and now to apply this wood material on the other pieces Also let’s first go to the object mode then we need to select all the pieces except the one on which the material is applied so let’s select all of them by holding the shift key like this and in the end we have to select that particular object on which the wood material was applied so with the shift key holded I’ll be selecting this one in the end now press contrl plus L and select the link materials now if I go back to the render view then you can see here that we have the wood material applied to all the wood pieces also to finalize our scene let’s add a plane at the bottom so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up 10 times now go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and let’s move this down in the z-axis now if I go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s also turn on the lock camera to view and then zoom out and finally this is how the scene looks let’s also change the color of this plane at the bottom so go to the material Properties or in the Shader editor and click on the new button now let’s change the base color and for now I will be assigning the blue color also if you want to get some more light in the scene then you can select this lamp go to the object data properties and increase the power to something like 2500 wats let’s also create a duplicate and move it in the y axis and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the fire simulation in blender and also used it to create a simple scene with some wooden pieces and some fire coming out of [Music] it in this chapter we’ll be understanding about the four types of quick effects that are used in blender in order to create basic simulation scenes or effects and get inst results now to begin with the first question is that what exactly is meant by quick effects and what is its use so the quick effects allow you to set up a basic simulation scene or effect including the selected objects and it allows you to add essential objects like domains or the particle systems with the predefined settings so that you can easily get instant results and to access the quick effects you need to open this object menu and in this list here you have the quick effects and these are the four basic quick effects that are mainly used in blender the first one is the quick fur the second is quick explode the third is the quick smoke and the last is the quick liquid so let’s begin with understanding the usage of each of these four quick effects and for this first I’ll be deleting this Cube so press X to delete and now we’ll be adding a suzan or the monkey model so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey object and with this monkey selected we’ll be applying the first quick effect to it which is the quick fur and to add this effect go to the object menu then in the quick effects select the quick fur and on applying this effect you can see that we have some fur added on the suzan or the monkey object however if I select the San object from the scene collection and go to the particle settings then you can see here that we don’t have any hair particle added but still we are able to see these hair particles or the fur applied on the suzan object and this is because by using the quick fur effect we made blender to add a geometry note setup built with the hair node groups to check this thing you can go to the geometry nodes workspace and with the first selected you can see here that we have this entire node system created automatically by blender and due to this note system blender managed to produce this fur effect on the suzan object also in the scene collection if I click on this drop down then you can see here that we have this object named as curves and this is representing these hair particles or the fur particles so if I selected the Curves in the scene collection it means that we have selected the fur but if I select the suzan then in this case we have selected the original suzan object for now let’s return back to the layout workspace then I’ll select this F either from the 3D viewport or from the scene collection by clicking here and selecting the curves now press X to delete it and the next type of quick effect that we’ll be exploring is the quick explode so for this I’ll be selecting the suzan object then go to the object menu and in the quick effects select the quick explode now what this basically does is that it creates an explosion effect which you can view by playing the animation so if I press the space bar then the suzan object will explode so whenever you have to create a simple explosion effect for your object then for this you can simply use the quick explode in the quick effects also if I go to the modify properties then here you can see that because of adding the quick explode it has created a particle system which you can also see in the particle properties and also this explode modifier is added due to which the explosion effect was being created also if you want you can apply this modifier directly in the modifier Properties by clicking on ADD modifier and in the physics here you have the explode modifier but with the help of quick effects it will directly make the setup of the modifi in your blender file also if you want that the number of these pieces in the explosion should increase or decrease then for this you can go to the particle settings and increase the number from here by default this value set to 100 however if I increase the number to something like 2,00 and let’s play the animation one more time and now you will notice that the suzan object is being broken into a much larger number of pieces similarly if I change the number value to value of two and let’s play the animation one more time and now you can see that the explosion effect is still being applied but this time the monkey object is broken into two separate pieces so with the number value in the particle settings you can control the number of pieces which will be there when the explosion occurs now moving ahead I don’t think it’s right to break or explode this innocent suzan like the way we just did so right now we’ll be removing this effect and for this let’s go to the modify properties and with my cursor over the explode modifier press X to delete let’s do the same with the particle system also and press X to delete now we have our innocent suzan object back in the scene and now the next type of quick effect that we have is the quick smoke and to access this go to the object menu and in the quick effects select the quick smoke now what this quick smoke does is that it automatically creates a smoke simulation by adding a domain object around it also to understand about the simulation in Smoke and fire in complete detail you can watch this particular chapter we understood about how the fire in the Smoke simulations work in blender now returning back to the scene we have this domain object around the suzan model and if I go to the physics properties then here you can see that we have the fluid simulation selected with the domain selected here and in the domain type we have the gas selected also if I select the suzan or the monkey object then here in the physics properties we have the fluid simulation selected and in the type the flow type is selected meaning that the smoke will be emitted from the suzan object and it will flow according to the volume of the domain object so to view the smoke simply take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar and now we can see the smoke emerging out of the monkey object also if you want to add some fire then for this with the monkey object selected go to the physics properties and in the flow type select fire plus smoke now let’s take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar and with this we now have both the fire as well as the smoke coming out of the monkey object so whenever you have to get some fire or some smoke emerging from an object then you simply need to select that object then go to the object menu and in the quick effects you simply need to apply the quick smoke and now moving ahead the fourth and the last type of quick effect that we have on our list is the quick liquid so to understand this I’ll be deleting the monkey object so press X to delete let’s also select the domain and delete it as well let’s also take the pointer back to the frame number one and now let’s add a simple cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select a cube now with this Cube selected go to the object menu then in the quick effects select the quick liquid now what the quick liquid does is that it simply creates a liquid simulation in the scene where the selected object which is the cube will get get the fluid simulation applied with the flow type selected meaning that the liquid will emerge or flow from that object and it will also add a liquid domain which you can select from the scene collection and with this selected if I go to the physics properties then here you have the fluid simulation selected and the type set as domain also in the domain type we are having the liquid selected which will allow us to create a liquid simulation so if I go to the 3D view port and press the space bar to play the animation then you can see here that we have the simple liquid simulation created simply by using the quick liquid effect so in this way whenever ever you want the liquid simulation to be applied on any object in the scene then you can simply use the quick liquid from the quick effects and with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the four simple yet timesaving quick effects that are available in [Music] blender now before beginning with the character modeling we first need to understand that what exactly will be the type of character that we’ll be creating so from this particular chapter we’ll be creating this particular character where we’ll be focusing on modeling the character’s body making the hair of the character then we’ll make the clothes of character so by following all these steps we’ll be completing the creation of character model now to begin with modeling the head of character we need a simple object to start with it can either be a cube or a UV sphere or maybe a cylinder and in this particular chapter we’ll be making the character’s head with a cylinder so first of all press X to delete the cube now press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder now in the add cylinder menu we have several settings to change and the one that will be changing will be the vertices parameter by default its value is set to 32 but we need the character’s head to be much more simple as a result I’ll change the vertices value from 32 to a value of 16 now we have lesser vertices and this will give the head of the character a very simple look now let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and we’ll be keeping this x-axis as the base of the character so we’ll be moving the cylinder up in the z-axis by 4 M and that’s because we’ll be keeping the character’s height of somewhere around 4 M now let’s also reduce the size of head and right now if I select the measure tool from here then you can see that for a height of about 4 M we have to keep the head of cylinder somewhere around this point also we’ll be keeping the length of the character’s head of around 1/4 the height of character which is approximately equal to 1 M but right now the length of the cylinder which will be used as a head is around 2 m so to solve this problem tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down and type 0.5 also return back to the object mode move the cylinder down in the z- axis by 0.5 M so for this press G then Z and enter minus 0.5 now to make the cylinder look like the character’s head go to the edit mode and now we’ll be applying the bevel tool to the edges of the cinder so for this press two for the edge select mode now left click anywhere in the screen to deselect all the edges and now we need to select only the top Edge Loop and the bottom Edge Loop so for this with the ALT key holded left click on the top Edge Loop and similarly with the alt and the shift key holded select the bottom Edge Loop let’s go back to the front view and to apply the bevel tool press ctrl+ B this will help us to form the basic structure of the character’s head also to improve the number of segments you can use the scroll wheel so if I scroll up the number of segments in the bevel will increase and once you have finalized simply click the left Mouse button also to make the head of character slightly thinner press a to select everything and we need to scale it down in the X and Y axis simultaneously so for this press s and press shift plus Z now let’s scale it down like this and left click to finalize now one of the most important things while modeling anything is to take care of the fact that each face of the geometry should be made from four vertices as far as possible but in this case you can see that the top face as well as the bottom are made up of more than four vertices and to solve this problem simply go to the face select mode by pressing three now select the top face press X to delete and select delete faces and now we need to fill this face such that all the faces in the geometry will have exact four vertices so for this press two for the Ed select mode now with the ALT key holded select this Edge loop at the top now if I press crl plus F then it will show the menu for the face settings like the extrude faces insert faces filling the faces and for this particular case we’ll be selecting the grid fill this will help to fill the empty space in between the selected vertices by adding multiple faces in the grid form also if I go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad then here we need to ensure that the pattern of these grid faces should be such that the vertices of these faces should be aligned with the X and the Y AIS but in this case we are not having that alignment and to solve this problem in the GD fi settings over here you can try to change the offset value and by doing this we’ll reach a result where these vertices or the edges are properly aligned with both the X and the Y AIS now let’s do the same with this bottom face also so for this press three for the face select mode now select the bottom face press X to delete and select delete faces now press two for the Ed select mode and with the ALT key hold it select this Edge Loop now now press crl plus f for the face menu and select the grid fill now for the bottom View Press crl + 7 and to align the vertices and the edges with the X and Y AIS go to the grid fill settings and change the offset from here and add the offset value of two I’m getting the desired results now with this we have the basic structure of the head ready in our scene now moving ahead if I go to the side view then we need to make the face slightly more upwards from this right side and for this press alt+ Z to turn on the xarray mode now press one for the vertex select mode and select these bottom edges now first of all press X s and z and slightly scale it down in the z-axis now press R to rotate it like this and left click to finalize also press G to move it in the y- axis and move it slightly towards the right also if you want you can rotate it even more by pressing R so it completely depends upon you that how much angle you want to keep for the head of character now moving ahead we’ll be creating the mouth of our character so for this let’s first add some Loop Cuts in order to increase the number of vertices so press cr+ R then left click and drag it down like this let’s add one more Loop cut below the first one so press rl+ R again and let’s add a loop cut over here now left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement for a better geometry let’s add one more Loop cut over here so press cr+ R then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement now let’s go back to the front view by pressing one on the numpad Press alt plus Z to turn off the x-ray mode now for creating the mouth we’ll be selecting some faces on this Lower Side and we’ll then insert the faces so for this press three to enable the face select mode and now we’ll be selecting these eight vertices over here now to insert them press I and then left click to finalize Now to create a hollow space for the mouth part press X and select delete faces now moving ahead in order to ensure a proper symmetry of the face on both the sides it’s advisable to use the mirror modifier so for this first enable the x-ray mode by pressing alt to Z Now select the second half of faces press X and select delete faces let’s turn off the x-ray mode and with this half go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the mirror modifier now whatever changes I’ll do on this right hand side to any of the vertices edges or the faces will automatically get applied to the other the symmetrical side for example if I select this face and press G to move it then you can see here that the same effect is being applied to the other side of the face as well however if I press one for the vertx select mode and select a Vertex anywhere in the middle and try to move it then now you will notice that the middle vertices of both sides of the Symmetry are not connected to each other and to connect them together simply go to the mirror modifier and turn on the clipping and with this if I again try to move this vertex by pressing G then the geometry is no longer getting ripped
apart now let’s go to the front view and now let’s place these vertices around the mouth properly for the character so for this I’ll select this top Vortex let’s slightly move it down in the z-axis let’s select this one also and move it up in the z- axis like this in this way we’ll reduce the hollow space that we have created for the mou now select this Vortex over here press G to move it and place it over here now I’ll select this one let’s move it slightly upwards now we’ll select this vertex let’s move it over here similarly with this one let’s place it over here and now this particular vertex we’ll place it over here now let’s zoom in and you need to ensure that the space between the top and the bottom vertices is almost equal for all these vertices around the mouth so let’s properly fix this so first of all let’s move the selected vertex slightly upwards in the z-axis like this let’s select this one and move it slightly downwards in the z-axis let’s also select this one and move it slightly in the x-axis like this and now it looks perfect Also let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad now over here we’ll be selecting this vertex and press G to move it in the y- axis then I’ll also select this one and let’s move it over here let’s also move this particular vertex slightly upwards in the z-axis let’s also move this one slightly ly upwards in the z-axis and guess it depends on your model and the placement of different vertices that what changes you should do here in simple words you need to ensure that all of these vertices of the mouth are kind of symmetrical on both the top as well as the bottom also I’ll select this vertex which is not connected to the mouth and will slightly move it in the y- AIS the reason for doing this is that when the mouth of the character will move it will also show the stretching effect as a result we had to move this vertex slightly apart in order to increase the area around the mouth for stretching also for a better geometry we’ll be adding a Loop cut over here so press c cr+ r then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement now it’s completely up to you if you want to change the position of any vertices and the effect of these changes will basically be visible when we work on the facial expressions so if you want you can try to move some of these vertices as per your own choice but for now I think that the mouth area looks almost perfect and now moving ahead we’ll be creating a nose for our character so for this let’s first go back to the object mode and now to make a simple cartoon like nose for this character which will be kind of circular you can add a UV sphere on an icosphere but in this chapter I’ll be using a cube and we’ll apply subdivision surface modifier to it so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube now go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the subdivision surface modifier now with the level viport set to one let’s apply this modifier so click on this drop down and select apply now go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down like this now let’s return back to the object mode press G to move it and place it over here now let’s zoom in and we still need to make it get smaller in size so tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down again and now it looks perfect Also let’s return back to the object mode press G to move the nose and let’s move it in the y- axis and place it over here now moving ahead let’s also model the eyes of the character and for this we’ll be using the same cube with the subdivision surface applied so for this press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here now tap into the edit mode and instead of round we’ll be making it slightly overal so for this press s to scale it up in the z-axis now left click to finalize now let’s go to the side view get back to the object mode let’s move it in the y- axis and place it over here also let’s slightly scale it down in the Y AIS in order to make it thinner and now it looks perfect now to get a better view of the ice position let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad tab into the edit mode now with all the vertices selected let’s rotate it in the z-axis like this now come out of the edit mode press C to move it and place it over here now let’s go to the front view again and once this eye is ready we’ll now be creating the eyebrows of the character so for this press shift plus a go to mesh and select a cube tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down let’s zoom in come out of the rate mode and let’s place it over here also go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and let’s move it forward in the y- axis now to convert it into an eyebrow we need to do some changes in the geometry of this Cube so tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it down in the z-axis in order to reduce its height Also let’s scale it down in the Y AIS in order to reduce the depth now let’s go to the front view in order to see it properly now let’s come out of the edit mode and move it down in the z-axis I think that we should reduce the size in the xaxis also so tab into the edit mode again and scale it down in the x-axis like this now to align the eyebrow properly with the face go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad Press R and Z to rotate it in the z-axis now come out of the edit mode and move it over here and now this is how the simple eyebrow of the character is looking in order to make it curve tab into the edit mode and now we need to add some Loop Cuts in order to make the eyebrow curved so press crl + r and to increase the number of loop Cuts you can use the scroll wheel so let’s keep around three Loop CS then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement now turn on the proportional editing tool by pressing o and now we’ll move the selected vertices upwards in the z- axis so for this press G and since the proportional editing tool is turned on as a result if I try to move these vertices the effect will also be seen on the neighboring vertices and to solve this problem we need to reduce the size of the circle of influence of proportional editing tool and for this after pressing the G key simply scroll up and this will reduce the size of the circle of influence let’s keep the size to something like this so that when we move up the selected vertices in the z-axis the surrounding vertices will also show some movement now left click to finalize now while being in the edit mode press a to select everything or to turn off the proportional editing and let’s move it down again in the z-axis like this and now we have the curved eyebrows in the scene now let’s return back to the object mode and now the next thing that we going to do is to complete this other side of the face as well and for this we’ll be joining the nose eyes the eyebrows and the head together as a single object but before that let’s also make this nose cut into half so that we can properly join it with the remaining parts of the face and then apply the mirror modifier so let’s Saab into the edit mode press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode now select this half of vertices press X to delete and select delete faces now let’s come out of the edit mode press all plus Z to turn off the x-ray mode and with this nose selected hold the shift button then select this eye then with the shift key still holded select this eyebrow and in the end select the head now to join them together press crl + G and now because of the mirror modifier we are having the nose eyes and the eyebrows on both the sides of the face and now one thing that you might have noticed is that currently the face of our character is looking somewhat like a robot and that is because we are not having enough vertices to give it a human like look and to solve this problem we’ll be applying the subdivision surface modifier to it so with the head selected go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the subdivision surface modifier and with this the face is now looking much more realistic than before similarly if I go to the subdivision surface modifier and increase the level seport to a value of two then the character will look much better but for now I will be keeping the level suport value to one also I think that we should try to increase the thickness of the eyebrows so for this tab into the edit mode Let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and to select only the eyebrows one of the ways is to select the eyebrows like this but in this method you might exclude some of the vertices or include some vertices of the surrounding objects so a better way to do this is to first deselect everything by left clicking in the 3D view Port now with my cursor over the eyebrow press L and now you can see here that we have all the vertices of the eybrow selected now let’s scale it up in the z-axis like this also let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and let’s scale it up in the y axis also if I zoom in then you can see here that because of the subdivision effect the distance between the nose and the face has slightly increased and to bring it closer first ensure that nothing is selected then take the cursor over the nose press L and now let’s move it in the Y AIS let’s place it over here and left click to fin lights and now moving ahead we’ll now be creating the ears of the character so for this we’ll be adding a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select a cube let’s move it and place it over here now tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down and left click to finalize now come out of the edit mode press G to move it and place it over here now let’s return back to the edit mode and let’s slightly scale it down now let’s go to the side view let’s scale it down in the y axis also and now it looks perfect now to make it shape look more like an ear we need to add some Loop Cuts so press crl plus r and add one Loop cut over here then press crl + r again and add another loop cut over here now turn on the x-ray mode and select these vertices let’s scale them up in the z-axis slightly then I’ll select this vertex and with the shift key holded select this one and we’ll be moving them slightly inwards so press G and move them in like this let’s also scale them down in the z-axis and now it looks perfect now let’s turn off the x-ray mode press three for the face select mode and now we’ll be selecting these four faces of the ear press I to inzet then left click to finalize and to create the hollow space we’ll be extruding in these faces so press e to extrude it inwards and left click to finalize let’s also scale them slightly downwards by pressing s and left click to finalize now let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad press a to select everything and let’s slightly rotate them in the z- axis now left click to finalize and now moving ahead we’ll be joining this ear with the head of the character so return back to the object mode and and with the ear selected hold on the shift key and select the head now press control+ J and with this we’ll observe two changes one is the mirroring which is due to the mirror modifier and the second effect is the application of the subdivision modifier now moving ahead if I go to the mirror modifier and click on this third icon then now we’ll be able to see only the original right half of the head and if I change the angle then you can clearly see that a mesh is not having any kind of thickness currently it looks thin as a paper and to give it some thickness we’ll be adding the solidify modifier so go to the modifier properties click on add modifier and in the generate select the solidify modifier also to ensure that you move the solidify modifier up in the order before the subdivision surface modifier and to do this left click over here and drag the solidify modifier above the subdivision surface modifier now in the thickness value keep it to somewhere around 0.01 or 0.02 and this will give a slightly thick look to the mesh of head now moving ahead let’s work on creating the interior part of the mouth so for this we’ll basically be making a curved object to be placed in here and for this we’ll be adding a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube now go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the subdivision surface modifier with the levels UT set to one we’ll be applying this modifier from here now let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad now press gz and move it up in the z-axis now go to the wireframe display mode and to modify this Cube tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down and left click to finalize now we have to ensure that the position of this object which will be using for the interior of mouth must be placed somewhere at this position so for this come out of the edit mode press G to move it and place it over here now tab into the edit mode again press one for the vertex select mode select everything by pressing a and let’s scale it down again now left click to finalize now let’s go to the front view and we’ll be deleting this left half of the object so for this I’ll select these vertices press X to delete and select delete faces Also let’s return back to the object mode press three to go to the side view or maybe let’s press cr+ 3 to view the other side now press alt plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and now we’ll also be deleting these vertices that are coming out of the face so press X and select delete vertices now we’ll be selecting this front edge Loop of this object so hold on the alt button and left click now press e to extrude it in the y axis then left click to finalize let’s also go to the side view in order to see everything properly so press crl + 3 and I think that we should move all the vertices slightly backwards so press a to select everything and let’s move it in the y axis Also let’s slightly scale it up in the y axis like this and left click to find Li now select this vertex over here and also with the shift key holded select this vtex and let’s move them forward in the y axis now left click to finalize and with this we now have the interior of the mouth almost ready for our character now let’s return back to the object mode and just like the other body parts we’ll also be connecting this interior of the mouth with the face of character so for this with the mouth interior selected hold on the shift button and select the face and to join them together press crl + J and because of this we now have both the solidify as well as the subdivision surface modifier applied to the entire face along with the mouth interior also to view the effect of the mirror modifier again you simply need to turn on the realtime display by clicking on this icon now before moving ahead in the solidify modifier to ensure that you have turned on the only Rim option the benefit of enabling this is that now the solidify modifier will affect only the open edges of the model and as a result it won’t add any thickness or the solidify effect to those areas which don’t have an open Edge so it’s better to keep this option on now moving ahead we’ll now be creating the teeth for our character and for this we’ll be adding a cylinder in our scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder now in the add cylinder menu change the number of vertices to 16 now tab into the edit mode and with all the vertices selected let’s scale it down in the z-axis now to model the teeth we’ll be using these front faces and we’ll extrude them in order to give them some thickness so first of all press three for the face select mode select the top face and with the shift key holded select this bottom face now press X to delete and select delete faces now as I told you earlier we only need these front faces and therefore I’ll go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad press one for the vertx select mode then press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and we’ll be selecting all these vertices now press X to delete and select delete faces and with this we have only the front faces of the cylinder in our scene let’s also turn off the x-ray mode press a to select everything and to reduce its width let’s slightly scale it down in the Y AIS so press s y and scale it down like this and now to add some thickness to these faces press three for the face select mode and now we’ll be extruding these faces along the normals so for this press alt plus e and select extrude faces along normals now if I move my cursor then the faces will get extruded and to finalize the Extrusion simply click the left Mouse button now we’ll be using the this Teeth part for the upper teeth that will get attached to the upper jaw as a result we don’t need to have all these faces on the top and also on the sides so to delete them first I’ll select this phas then with the control key holded select this last phas also with the shift key holded select this phas and similarly select this face also now press X to delete and select delete faces and with this we have all the selected faces deleted also to give it a realistic look let’s return back to the object mode and now we’ll be using the subdivision surface modifier so go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the subdivision surface modifier Also let’s tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and let’s scale this up and I’ll scale it up in the z-axis also to make this lower part slightly less rounded let’s add a loop cut over here so press crl plus r then left click and move it down and with this we now have the teeth ready for our scene and so now it’s the time to place the teeth inside the mouth of character and to do this let’s first select the head of character and I’ll disable the realtime display of the mirror modifier let’s go to the side view by pressing control and three on the numpad now select the teeth press G to move it and place it over here now tap into the edit mode press a to select everything and scale it down and then left click to finalize now go to the front view press Al plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and let’s scale this down in the x-axis Also let’s go back to the side view let’s also scale it down in the z-axis slightly turn off the x-ray mode and let’s also return back to the object mode now to move the teeth press G and move it over here let’s go to the front view also so press one on the numpad let’s move them slightly upwards in the z-axis and place them over here similarly for the lower teeth press shift sh plus d to create a duplicate then right click to cancel the movement let’s move it down in the z-axis and place it over here but if I change the angle then you can see here that for the lower teeth also we have the hollow space on the top and the field faces on the bottom part but to get the reverse result we need to rotate this object in the y axis by 180° so press r y and enter 180 let’s go back to the front view and move it down in the z-axis now left click to finalize Also let’s go to the side view tab into the edit mode and let’s slightly scale it down so that the upper teeth have a slight higher size as compared to the lower teeth also I will be joining both the upper teeth as well as the lower teeth together so for this with the lower teeth selected hold on the shift key and select the upper teeths now press crl plus J to join them together and with this the teeth are now completely ready also I’ll change their name in The seene Collection so instead of Cinder .001 I’ll double click and change its name to teeth similarly for the head also I’ll select it go to the scene collection double click to rename and change its name to head let’s also go to the mirror modifier and turn on the real time display and with this we have the basic structure of the head along with the teeth ready in our scene Also let’s go back to the front view with the head selected tab into the edit mode deselect everything press one for the vertex select mode and I’m planning to make the lower part of the face slightly scal down so for this let’s select this Edge Loop so with the ALT key holded select the edge Loop and to increase the selection we’ll be using the shortcut to press control with the plus button also turn on the proportion editing tool to get better results now press s and x and slightly scale it down let’s reduce the circle of INF fluence and left click to finalize before moving ahead I can also notice that this interior part of the mouth is intersecting with the teeth so let’s turn off the realtime display in the mirror modifier let’s change the angle and now we need to select this interior part of the mouth and move it slightly backwards in the y- AIS so for this let’s first T select everything now I’ll take my cursor over the mouth interior part then press L let’s also turn off the proportional editing and let’s move it back in the Y AIS then left click to finalize and with this we have the head of our character completely ready and now moving ahead we’ll be creating the hair for our character for this tab into the edit mode and now we need to select all those faces where the hair will be added so for this first of all I will be selecting these top faces so let’s select all of these then to increase the selection press control and the numpad plus let’s do this one more time now we have some of the faces selected Also let’s deselect all these faces on the bottom which might have been accidentally selected so for this hold on the control button and select all these faces Also let’s select these side faces so with the shift key holded select all these faces now let’s change the angle select these faces at the back back and I think that these will be the faces where we’ll be adding the hair particles so now I’ll press one for the vertex select mode and we need to increase these vertices in order to create the hair particles so right click and select subdivide and we need to repeat this step three to four times so let’s do it one more time and now we have a high number of vertices added on these faces Also let’s assign all these vertices to a Vertex group so for this let’s go to the object data properties then to create a new vertex group click on this plus button and to change its name double click here and we’ll rename the vertex group to here now to assign these vertices to the hair vertex group click on the assign button and now we are ready to create the hair so let’s come out of the edit mode and now we’ll be opening the particle properties to create a new particle system click on the plus button and change the particle type to hair now we have the hair particles added all over the character face on this left hand side however to get the hair particles only on the vertex group that we selected go to the vertex group settings and in the density select the hair vertex group also it’s advisable to select the hair vertex group for all of these parameters so let’s do the same with the fourth one then with the roughness one parameter similarly the roughness 2 parameter the roughness n parameter and at last I’ll do the same with the twist parameter now first of all let’s increase the number of hair particles so let’s change the number to something like 3,000 then to reduce their length let’s go to the hair length and change it to something like 0.1 M or maybe 0.08 M now in the segments we have to input a very high number in order to give a realistic look to the hair so in the segments I’ll be entering a value of 20 then go to the source settings and in the emit from select vertices this will make the hair particles emit from the vertices that we have selected rather than the faces also in the render settings scroll down and in the path category increase the number of steps to something like eight this will again give a much more realistic look to the hair particles similarly in the viewport display change the Strand steps to seven or eight and now we have the most important setting which is the children’s settings also before moving forward if you don’t know anything about the hair particles then I’ll first advise you to watch this particular chapter where you understood about the hair particles in complete detail now returning back to the concept in the children select the simple type and change the display amount and the render amount both to a value of eight also let’s reduce the radius value to something like 0.1 and now we have the setting called the clumping that will completely change the way how the hair particles are looking so first of all let’s add some clumping to the hair by changing this value to one also let’s increase the value of the shape of clumping to a maximum of one and now the next parameter that we have is the most important one and this is the twist parameter this value will control the number of turns around the parent here along the Strand to understand it in a better way let’s try to increase the twist value so let’s change it to something like two and now you will begin to notice that the hair of character is actually looking better it has this twisting effect in the hair particles which is due to the twist parameter let’s further increase this value of the twist parameter to something like four or five or maybe let’s keep it to six and now the hair particles look perfect we have created realistic looking hair particles with the help of the hair particles in blender also if you want you can try to change the values of parameters like the number of hair particles or the hair length or maybe the amount of clumping or the twisting effect according to what you think think will look the best for your character but for now I’ll be going with only this particle system also one more thing that you can see here is that we have the hair particles only on this one side of the character’s head and this is because we have not yet applied the mirror modifier so if I click on this drop down and apply then you will notice that we now have the hair particles added on both the sides but it might be possible that we may want to edit something in the mirror modifier and therefore we’ll not be applying it right now so let’s undo this by pressing cr+ Z and now we have the mirror modifier back in the modifier properties also one more thing that you can see here is that some of the hair particles are covering the ears of character and to solve this problem let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad tab into the edit mode and now we’ll be selecting all those vertices that are around the character’s ear for this let’s first turn on the x-ray mode and now we’ll be selecting all these vertices over here with these selected go to the object data properties and with the here vertex group selected click on the remove button now this will remove all the vertices that were previously the part of the vertex gr but are now selected over here so let’s return back to the object mode let’s also turn off the x-ray mode and now you can see here that we have slightly lesser number of hair particles around the ear to reduce the number further let’s again go to the side view tab into the edit mode and let’s try to increase the selection by pressing control and the plus icon in the numpad let’s repeat this step one more time and now again I’ll click on the remove button let’s return back to the object mode and now this is how the result is looking we are only having a few hair particles in front of the ear and this is because we still have not selected these vertices over here so if you want to reduce the number of hair particles further you can press control and the plus icon again and click on the remove button but for now I won’t be doing this step because I think the characters hair is looking better in this case also one more thing that I should explain you in the edit mode is that you might be thinking that while removing the vertices we have selected all these unwanted vertices which are not related to the hair particles but as I told you before when you are removing the vertices in a vertx group it will not consider these vertices which were already not part of the vertx group it will only consider those selected vertices that were already there in the vertex group now let’s return back to the object mode again and with this we now have the head of the character ready and now before ending this chapter we’ll also be creating some materials for the character’s head so first of all let’s right click and apply shade smooth and now to create the material let’s go to the material properties let’s also go to the material preview mode and now we’ll be creating the material for the skin so in the material properties let’s create a new material and for the base color we’ll be selecting the skin color and for this we’ll be using the HX code of skin color which is E7 ae80 so let’s go to the HX code and we’ll type E7 AE 80 and press enter to confirm now we have the skin color applied to the entire head along with the hair particles so we’ll be assigning different material for the hair the eyebrows and the eyes of character but for now let’s first work on the skin material so let’s also increase the roughness value slightly so we’ll keep it to something around 0.6 or 0.7 then go to the sheen category and in the weight let’s increase it to one let’s also increase the roughness value to something like 0.6 or 0.7 who don’t know the usage of Sheen in the material properties it is simply sub scattering which simulates the way light interacts with translucent objects like skin wax marble so in simple words it helps to create a soft or a glowing effect beneath the surface of material giving it a much more realistic appearance now since we are making the skin color so in the sheen tint we’ll change it to something like orange or red and so with this the material for the skin is completely ready now moving ahead we’ll be creating the material for the hair particles and for this let’s create a new material and in this one we’ll simply change the base color to something like black or dark blue so let’s reduce the brightness from here and to apply this material go to the particle settings and in the render category change the material to the material. 001 and by doing this the color and the material of the hair particles will now change let’s go to the material properties again and we’ll rename the material. 001 to hair similarly let’s also change the first material’s name to skin now in this hair material it’s completely up to you if you want complete black color or slightly gray also you can also make it slightly dark blue or any other color of your choice by changing the color from here you can Al keep the hair dark brown colored but for now I will be choosing the dark blue color and will further reduce the brightness and yes if you want to apply the same color for the hair of your character also then you can enter this HX code value which is 1 21 327 in your base color now moving ahead let’s also create the material for the eyebrows and the eyes and for this let’s first go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad tab into the edit mode Let’s zoom in now deselect everything and before applying the Colors Let’s also do a few things in order to make our character appear much better so first of all with everything Des selected I’ll take my cursor over the I and press L now I’ll scale it down slightly also I will select this Outer Edge Loop and for this I’ll first select this Vortex then press control and the plus icon to increase the selection and let’s scale it down like this now we’ll be using the faces of all the selected vertices in order to give the eyes the black color so for this let’s go to the material properties click on the plus icon and create a new material let’s change the base color and we’ll be assigning the black color now to apply this material on the selected faces click on the assign button let’s also move the faces slightly in the x-axis also for the white color of the eye let’s first deselect everything then with my cursor over the eye I’ll press L and now I will deselect this middle vertex and now we’ll be applying a white colored material to the rest of the faces so for this go to the material properties click on the plus button and create a new material it will have the white base color and to assign this material we’ll click on the assign button and with this we now have a perfect material created for the eyes now moving to the eyebrows press L to select them let’s also move them down in the z-axis let’s also slightly scale it up in the x-axis and now it looks perfect now I’ll go to the material properties select this black material and click on the assign button and with this we have now applied all the materials for the character’s head let’s do one more thing in the edit mode first deselect everything then I’ll select this Edge loop around the mouth and I’ll scale it down in the x-axis let’s come out of the edit mode and to get a final look let’s go to the modify properties then click here and select apply and so finally this is how the character’s head is looking and so with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we created a simple character’s head head then we also created realistic looking hair particles the eyes of character the eyebrows the nose the mouth interior and the teeth and also applied the material to all these but yes before ending this chapter I’ll press cr+ Z in order to undo the applying of the mirror modifier because as I told you before it might be possible that we would need to make some changes in the character’s head and in that case the unapplied mirror modifier will be a useful [Music] thing in the previous chapter we finished the creation of the character as head then we even created realistic looking hair particles and other things like Eyes Nose the interior of mouth and the teeth of character and in this particular chapter we’ll be modeling the characters body like the Torso the legs arms fingers and the hands and in this way we’ll be completing the basic modeling of our character apart from the clothes so in the previous chapter we created the face of character along with the hair particles and to see the hair particles on both the sides you can go to the mirror modifier and click on the apply button but for now I will undo this because we might need to edit some vertices in the edit mode which will be better to do if we have not applied the mirror modifier and now to create the Torso or basically the upper body first I’ll go to the solid mode I will be adding a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and let’s place it over here now tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down in the x-axis and left click to finalize we’ll be keeping the width of the Torso in the x-axis of approximately equal to the width of the face without the ears so let’s scale it down further in the x-axis like this and left click to finalize now let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and let’s scale it down in the y axis so press s and Y and scale it down like this also let’s move it in the y- axis and place it over here and the reason for doing this is that we’ll be making the neck of character slightly inclined with the Torso let’s further scale this down in the y- axis like this let’s also slightly move it in the y- axis now coming to the height of the Torso we’ll keep it to somewhere around 1.2 M or 1.1 M so for this let’s select this measurement tool then left click and drag your cursor like this since we need the torso’s height to be somewhere around 1.1 or 1.2 M so we’ll finalize this and to achieve this let’s scale down the cube in the z-axis let’s also move it upwards and place it over here now let’s check the height of the Torso so left click and drag the cursor like this and now you can see here that the height of a character is approximately equal to 1.2 M now let’s go to the select tool again now to add the other details to the Torso we’ll be adding some Loop Cuts so for this press crl + r now use the scroll wheel to increase the number of loop Cuts then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement similarly press ctrl+ R again and let’s add some Loop Cuts over here let’s use the scroll wheel to increase the number of loop cuts and we’ll be keeping a total of five Loop Cuts now left click and then right click to cancel the movement similarly let’s also add one Loop cut over here so press cr+ R and with your cursor over here left click and right click to cancel the movement now to give the Torso slightly rounded shape we need to select these outer edges for this first deselect everything then with the ALT key hold it select these edges then with the alt and shift key holded select these outer edges similarly let’s do the same with this side also with the alt and shift key holded select these vertices and in the end we’ll also be selecting these vertices now let’s scale them down in the x-axis and left click to finalize similarly let’s also scale them down slightly in the y axis and left click to finalize now let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad let’s also turn on the x-ray mode and now we’ll be making the Torso or the upper body look slightly more realistic so for this let’s select these two vertices and with the shift key hold R select these two and let’s move them down in the z-axis now left click to finalize similarly for the vertices at the bottom Also let’s select these two and with the shift key hold rate let’s select these as well now let’s move them up in the z-axis and left click to find dice now moving ahead we’ll be creating the neck of the character for this let’s turn off the x-ray mode press three for the face select mode and with this we’ll be selecting these four faces at the top now press I to insert them and left click to finalize to see the faces properly let’s come out of the edit mode and we’ll now be hiding the head of the character so I’ll select it and press HED to hide let’s also hide the teeth of character by pressing H and now I’ll select the Torso tab into the edit mode and we’ll be using these faces by extruding them in the upwards Direction in order to create the neck but for that let’s first make it slightly rounded and for this press one for the vertex select mode and now we’ll be selecting all these Corner vertices to give it a rounded look press s to scale it down and left click to find lice now moving ahead let’s also make all these four faces completely flat and for this press three for the face select mode then select these four faces and to make them flat press s then Z and enter zero now to extrude the neck press three for the side view let’s move the faces up in the z-axis let’s also rotate it slightly and left click to finalize now let’s unhide the head in the scene collection and with the faces selected press e to extrude the neck now left click to finalize and with this we now have the neck of the character completely ready for a better topology let’s add some Loop Cuts over here so press ctrl+ R and use the scroll wheel to increase the number of loop Cuts then left click and right click to cancel the movement Also let’s make the back area slightly more upwards and for this press one for the vertex select mode and I’ll be selecting these three vertices let’s move them up in the z-axis and left click to finalize also I’ll select this one and with the shift key hold it select this one and let’s move it slightly up in the z-axis now moving ahead we’ll now be modeling the legs of our character and for this we’ll be extruding the bottom faces of the Torso but before that in order to ensure a proper symmetry of the character on both the sides we’ll be deleting one half and then we’ll apply the mirror modifier so for this press alt plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode select all these vertices on the left half press X to delete and select delete faces now let’s return back to the object mode Let’s also turn off the xray mode and now to apply the mirror modifier go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the mirror modifier now let’s return back to the edit mode and to model the legs we’ll be adding a loop cut over here so press crl + 7 for the bottom view now press cr+ R and add a loop cut over here also I’ll select this vertex and let’s move it in the x-axis similarly this one press G and x and move it over here also one more thing to notice here is that if I select this vertex in the middle and try to move it the geometry of the object will rip apart and to prevent this go to the mirror modifier and turn on the clipping also I will be selecting these four vertices and let’s scale them down like this similarly let’s also select these vertices over here and slightly scale them down now to extrude the legs press three for the face select mode select these four faces let’s also go to the front view and now press the E key to start the Extrusion now left click over here and in order to make all these four faces completely flat press s z and enter zero now let’s go back to the front view and now we’ll be keeping mov the length of the legs to somewhere around 1.4 or 1.5 M so for this let’s go to the measurement tool and with this let’s take a measurement from here until we reach 1.4 M so for a length of about 1.4 M we need to extrude the legs to around this point but before that let’s slightly scale down the faces and now press e to extrude we’ll extrude it till this point and left click to finalize let’s again scale it down slightly let’s also add some Loop CS over here so that when you animate the character the movement of the legs will be proper so for this press crl + r to add the loop cuts and to increase their number you can use the scroll wheel so we’ll keep the number of loop cuts to somewhere around 8 or 9 then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement now moving ahead we’ll be creating the feet of our character and for this press three for the face select mode Let’s zoom in and we’ll be selecting these four faces so let’s go to the select tool and let’s select these four faces now press three for the side view and to make the feet let’s extrude these faces down like this let’s also add some Loop Cuts over here so press crl + r and by using the scroll wheel we’ll increase the number of loop cuts to three now left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement now to make the feet let’s turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z let’s also zoom in and press one for the vertex select mode now I will be selecting these three vertices and let’s move them forward in the y- axis similarly let’s select these vertices let’s also move them ahead in the Y AIS and left click to find light now I’ll select these vertices over here press G to move them and let’s place them over here now to align the bottom vertices according to these let’s move them ahead in the Y AIS and left click to find Li also I think that we should move these vertices slightly downwards in the z-axis so let’s place them over here and now to make the feet we’ll basically be extruding these front faces but for that we also need to increase their width so let’s scale them up in the x-axis like this and also to make them flat press s y and enter zero Also let’s go to the verx select mode select these two vertices over here and let’s scale them up in the x-axis like this now press three for the face select mode select these four faces let’s go to the side view and press e to extrude now left click to finalize and to change this structure press r+ R to add the loop Cuts let’s increase the number to Two with the help of scroll wheel now left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement now we won’t be going into too much detail in modeling the feet and that’s because we later on be creating the shoes of character and as a result the feet will get covered by the shoes therefore we simply need to make it shape to look somewhat similar to a shoe so for this let’s turn on the x-ray mode press one for the vertex select mode now select the vertices over here let’s move them down in the z-axis like this then I’ll select the vertices over here and let’s move them down like this this so with this we have a simple structure of the shoes ready to view them properly and to make some changes let’s turn off the XR mode now to make the shape look much better I will be selecting these Corner vertices and we’ll move them down let’s also select the ones over here so with these four vertices selected on both the sides I’ll move them down in the z-axis and left click to find lights also to make the base of the foot wider press three for the face select mode and by holding the ALT key select this face Loop let’s scale it up in the x-axis like this also to make the foot look more rounded press one for the verx selction mode now I’ll select these two vertices and let’s move them in the x-axis similarly select this one also and move it slightly in the x-axis like this let’s do the same on the other side also I’ll select these two vertices let’s move them in the x-axis like this and left click to finalize now coming to the front of the shoe I’ll select these vertices over here let’s also select these and now scale them down in the x-axis and so with this we have created a basic structure of the feet which we’ll be covering with shoes in the next chapter of this course and now moving ahead we’ll be creating the hands of our character so for this let’s first go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and now there can be two types of hands which can be created in 3D animation the first type is the three finger and one thumb hand which you commonly see in the cartoons for example Simpsons SpongeBob and then there is second type of hand having four fingers and one thumb for example te Titan SK Steven Universe Etc in fact for most of the 3D animated characters the animators use four fingers instead of five and the reason behind this is that fewer fingers makes a character design simpler which helps in the animation because it reduces the complexity of hand movements and for our character also we’ll be creating a hand with a total of four fingers or to be more particular three fingers and one thumb now to make the fingers of the character we’ll be using a cylinder object so let’s return back to the object mode now press shift plus a go to mesh and select a cylinder then in the add cylinder menu let’s change the number of vertices from 32 to 8 also press G to move it and place it over here tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down like this let’s also rotate it in the Y axis by 90° now let’s zoom in and we’ll be focusing on the cylinder that we’ll be using to make the fingers of our character so first of all let’s scale it down even further Also let’s scale it up in the x-axis like this now for a better geometry let’s add some Loop Cuts over here so press crl + r and to increase the number of loop Cuts simply scroll up and let’s keep the number of loop cuts to somewhere around 6 or seven then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement also from the side view we can see here that this face is made up of more than four vertices but as I told you in the previous chapter that it’s always ideal to have almost all the faces in the character made up of exactly four vertices so to fix this we’ll be selecting this vertex and with the shift key holded select the one which is opposite to it now press J to connect them together and with this we are having an edge connecting the two vertices similarly I’ll select this vertex and with the shift key holded I’ll be selecting this one now press J to connect both of them and with this we are now having all these faces made up of exactly four vertices moving ahead I’ll be selecting this middle vertex let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the num and slightly move it forward in the x-axis now to give the finger a more realistic look we’ll be selecting some vertices near the end of the finger so first of all turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z Now select these vertices over here and let’s scale them down slightly and so with this we now have the basic structure of the finger completely ready and we’ll be using this finger as the middle finger of the character to create the remaining ones press a to select everything press shift press three to create a duplicate right click to cancel the movement let’s slightly rotate it like this press G to move it and place it over here here now this will be the index finger let’s rotate it slightly more like this and now to create the thumb let’s create one more duplicate so press shift plus d and right click to cancel the movement let’s rotate it like this press G to move it and place it over here also let’s scale it down in the z-axis in order to make the thumb shorter in length let’s move it slightly down in the z-axis like this and in the end we’ll be creating one more finger which will be the little finger of the character so for this with the thumb selected press shift plus d to create a duplicate right click to cancel the movement press R to rotate it like this and place it over here and so with this we now have all the fingers ready for the character to make the rest of the hand let’s return back to the object mode and now we’ll be adding a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select a cube press G to move it and place it over here tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down and left click to finalize let’s zoom in properly Also let’s place it over here and let’s again enter the edit mode press alt plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode select these vertices press G to move them and we’ll be placing them near the index finger similarly I’ll select the vertices over here press G to move them and we’ll be placing them near the little finger then I’ll select these vertices let’s scale them down slightly and now it looks perfect also press 7even to go to the top view press a to select everything and we’ll scale it down in the y- AIS to reduce the width of hand so let’s scale it down like this now let’s again go to the front view and to make the shape of hand better let’s add some Loop Cuts so press crl + r and with the scroll wheel we’ll be adding two Loop Cuts then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement press alt plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and now we’ll be placing these two vertices on the right hand side side according to the gaps in between the fingers so I’ll select the vertices over here press she to move them and let’s place them here similarly I’ll select these press she to move them and we’ll place them over here also I’ll select these vertices and let’s move them slightly away from the little finger now to make this part of the hand slightly curved I’ll select these vertices over here and we’ll move them in the x-axis similarly for the thumb Also let’s add two Loop Cuts so press cr+ R then left click and add a loop cut over here and for another one press crl plus r then left click and add the second Loop cut over here now as you can clearly see we need to fix the size of these fingers and the thumb so that they can be properly attached with the vertices of the hand so for this let’s come out of the edit mode of the hand select the fingers tab into the edit mode now deselect everything with my cursor over here I’ll press L to select this finger and let’s move it over here similarly I’ll deselect everything and with my cursor over the little finger press L and let’s also move this one slightly in the upward direction also I’ll select the thumb press C to move it and place it over here let’s slightly rotate it like this and now it looks perfect let’s again go back to the object mode then select the hand and tab into the edit mode Let’s also turn off the x-ray mode and now we’ll be adding a loop cut on this part of the hand so press cr+ R and add a loop cut over here also to make the hand look slightly curved or rounded from the sides I’ll select these vertices over here let’s also select this one and similarly let’s also select these four vertices and with these selected we’ll move them down in the z-axis now let’s do the same with the bottom part also we’ll select these four vertices over here and similarly let’s select these as well and with this let’s move them up in the z-axis now left click to finalize now let’s again go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and now we’ll be creating the wrist for the hand so for this let’s return back to the object mode press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder and do ensure that the number of vertices are selected as eight now press G to move it and place it over here tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down like this let’s also rotate it in the Y AIS by 90° let’s scale it down further by pressing s Also let’s place it over here and now to connect the wrist with the hand we will be joining both the object objects so for this with the rist selected hold down the shift button and select the hand then press crl plus J to join them together now let’s enter the edit mode and the first thing that we’ll be doing to join them together will be to delete these faces on this side of the hand so for this press C for the face select mode now we’ll select these faces over here let’s also select these bottom two faces and to delete them press X and select delete faces now let’s again go to the front view and with everything deselected I will be selecting only the wrist so for this with my cursor over the wrist I’ll press L and let’s scale it up slightly now to join both of them together we simply have to merge the vertices of the wrist and the hand together and to do this I will first select the Hand by pressing L and let’s scale it up slightly in the y- AIS like this and now we’ll be aligning these outer vertices of the hand as per the vertices of the wrist object so for this go to the top view by pressing s on the numpad now turn on the XR mode and select the vertices over here press G to move them in the Y AIS and we’ll align them according to the corresponding vertices of the wrist object similarly let’s select the vertices over here and and move them in the y- axis let’s again change the angle to view everything properly now just like we aligned the vertices of the hand as per the vertices of the wrist we’ll also be doing the same for the fingers and for this press three for the face select mode now we’ll select these two faces which are just below the thumb finger press one to go to the front view and we’ll extrude them up in the z-axis so press e to extrude in the z-axis like this also to make this thumb perfectly aligned with the face let’s return back to the object mode and we’ll enter the edit mode of the fingers now press a to select everything and let’s scale them up slightly also I’ll select the Little Finger by pressing L with my cursor over it and let’s align it properly according to the hand now let’s return back to the edit mode of the hands and we’ll be now deleting these two selected faces that we just extruded so press X and delete faces then we’ll do the same thing for the other fingers also so for this select these two faces over here let’s go to the front view and we’ll extrude them by pressing e and press X to delete the faces similarly I’ll select these two faces and we’ll extrude them like this let’s also scale them down also to get some more space in between the fingers and the hands let’s enter the edit mode of the fingers now I’ll select this finger and we’ll move it in the x-axis similarly I’ll select this finger also and move it over here now let’s again return to the edit mode and with these two faces selected let’s move them in the x-axis now press X to delete the faces similarly for the last finger I’ll select these two faces and we’ll extrude them like this let’s also rotate it slightly and press X to delete and select delete faces now if we want to join together the wrist hand and the fingers we need to go to the object mode then we’ll select the finger fingers and the hand and press crl + J to join them together now if I go to the edit mode then you can see here that we able to see the vertices of all the three parts together in our scene now suppose I want to join the thumb along with the hand so for this we’ll basically be merging the corresponding vertices together but for this to happen we need to ensure that the two faces whose vertices will be connected together should be having the same number of vertices but here you can see that this Edge Loop connected to the hand is having a total of six vertices however this particular Edge Loop of the thumb is having a total of of eight vertices as a result we need to add Loop cut over here in order to increase the number of vertices so press cr+ R and add a loop cut over here similarly this is also true for all the other fingers so to add some Loop cuts for all the fingers press crl plus r let’s add a loop cut over here similarly press ctrl+ R and add one more Loop cut for this finger and in the end we’ll be adding one more Loop cut for the little finger but because of doing this the number of vertices on this part of the hand which will connect with the wrist has also increased and this will create a problem when we’ll try to connect the wrist and hand together so to solve this problem we basically need to dissolve some edges so for this press two for the Ed select mode now select these edges over here which are further connecting to the middle finger part of the hand similarly let’s also select these three edges over here and with a total of six edges selected I’ll right click and from here select dissolve edges and with this the edges will get dissolved now moving ahead let’s do the same with the other side of the hand so for this press control+ one for the back view now first of all We’ll add some Loop Cuts so press cr+ R to add a loop cut for the index finger then we’ll add a loop cut for the middle finger and in the end we’ll be adding one more Loop cut for the little finger now we’ll select the edges which will further connect with the middle finger part so we’ll be selecting a total of six edges then right click and select dissolve edges and now finally we’ll be merging the vertices together off the wrist with the hand so for this let’s go to the front view press one for the vertex select mode and now we’ll select this vertex of the hand first and then with the shift key holded select this vertex off the wrist part now to merge them together into a single vertex press M and this will give you a list of some options which will Define the way how the vertices are merged if I select add Center then in this case the vertices will get merged at the center similarly there are other options also like to merge at cursor merge at first merge at last and in this case I’ll be selecting merge at last option this will basically merge the vertices on that point that we selected at last similarly if I select this vertex and then with the shift key hold it if I select this one at last then press M and select merge at last and in this case also the vertices will get merged together but at the position of the last selected vertex now let’s repeat the same procedure for these vertexes also similarly let’s go to the back of model by pressing CR + one now I’ll select this vertex and with the shift key hold it select this one press M and select merge at last we’ll repeat the same for these two vertexes also and also let’s do the same with these two and now you can see here that we have one vertex along the wrist side and three vertices along the hand side so instead of merging them together we’ll be dividing this total area into two equal parts and to do this first we’ll be selecting these four vertices over here here and then we’ll be creating a face so for this press F and this will fill the face between these four vertices similarly I’ll now select these four vertices and press F to fill the face now let’s do the same with this bottom side also so I’ll select these four vertices over here press F to fill the face and at last I’ll be selecting these four vertices and to fill them press F and so with this we now have the hand completely connected to the wrist to view it properly let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and now before moving ahead there’s one small mistake that we have done in the geometry or the top ology of this hand model which is that for this particular phas we are having a total of five vertices surrounding it this is also true for this phas where we again have a total of five vertices but as I already told you it’s ideal to have all the faces made up of four vertices and to solve this problem we’ll be using the knife tool so to activate the knife tool press K and with this I’ll first select this vertex over here then I’ll take my cursor over here and left click then a Vertex will get created over here and we’ll connect it to this Edge then we’ll create one more vertex over here and we’ll connect to this vertex and to confirm this simply press the enter button and now you can see here that by using the knife tool we are able to make these four-sided faces but because of doing this these two faces are now having a total of six vertices and to convert them into faces with four vertices we’ll be dividing them into two parts each so for this let’s again activate the knife tool by pressing K now select this vertex by left clicking and we’ll connect it to this vertex now to confirm press enter and now they’re joined together also because of this all the faces on this side are now made up of four vertices similarly let’s do the same for this one also so press K to activate the knife tool select this vertex then we’ll connect it to this vertex over here and press enter to confirm so with this the front side of the hand is completely ready now let’s go to the back part of the hand and we’ll repeat the same procedure on this side also so press K to turn on the knife tool select this vertex then we’ll create a Vertex over here by left clicking then we’ll connect it to this Edge then we’ll create one more vertex over here and at the end we’ll be connecting it to this particular vertex then to confirm press enter and now to divide these two faces into two equal parts each we’ll again press K to turn on the knife tool now select this vertex and connect it over here then press enter to confirm and in the end press K one more time for the knife tool select this Vortex and connect it to this one and then press enter to confirm and now moving ahead just like we merged the wrist and hand together we’ll now be merging the fingers with the hand so for this let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and we’ll be deleting the faces of the fingers and the thumb which will connect with the hand so for this let’s turn on the x-ray mode then press three for the face select mode and we’ll be selecting the bottom face of the thumb then with the shift key holded we’ll select the bottom face of the index finger similarly we’ll do the same with the middle finger also and in the end we’ll also be selecting the bottom face of the little finger now with all these selected press X to delete and select delete faces now let’s turn off the x-ray mode also press one for the vertex select mode and now we’ll be merging together the vertices of the fingers with the hand but before merging them together let’s first align these vertices properly according to the vertices of the thumb and fingers so for this let’s go to the front view by pressing seven on the numpad let’s zoom in let’s also turn on the x-ray mode now I’ll select this Vortex over here let’s move it and place it over here similarly I’ll select this vertex and from the top view let’s align it with the thumb similarly for this vertex also we’ll be aligning it according
to the vertex of the thumb then I’ll select this one and from the top view let’s zoom in and let’s slightly move it in the x-axis so our main purpose is basically to align these vertices according to the position of the corresponding vertices of the thumb base now in the end I will be selecting this Vortex over here and place it over here let let’s also select this vertex and move it in the x-axis and now let’s turn off the x-ray mode now press one to go to the front view and we are now ready to merge these faces together so for this with this vertex selected I’ll hold the shift button and select this one press M and select merge at last similarly let’s select these two vertices and merge them together also let’s select these two press M to merge them together and select merge at last let’s do the same with these two also similarly I’ll select these two vertices and merge them together at last and now the set of three vertices is left and so let’s merge them together so select these two vertices press M to merge them together at last similarly with these two also and in the end I’ll select these two vertices press M to merge them together at last also for a better geometry let’s add a loop cut over here so press crl plus r then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement and with this the thumb is now connected properly with the hand let’s now repeat this step for the fingers also so with the index finger I will be selecting these two vertices together press M to merge at last then we’ll go to the second pair of vertices we’ll select both of them and merge them at last let’s do the same with with the third pair of corresponding vertices press M and select merge at last moving ahead let’s also do the same with the fourth set so I’ll select this vertex and then with the shift key hold it select this one press M to merge them together at last let’s do the same with this one also similarly with this one now let’s change the angle select these two vertices and merge them together and in the end I will be selecting these two vertices press M to merge them together and select merge at last Also let’s add a loop cut over here so press cr+ R and now we’ll move to the middle finger so in this case also we will be selecting the corresponding in vertices together for example I’ll select these two press M to merge them together and select merge at last then I’ll select these two vertices over here press M and select at last similarly with these two also then with the fourth pair I’ll select both of them press M to merge at last then with the fifth pair also similarly with the sixth pair let’s merge them together moving ahead let’s do the same with the seventh pair also press M and select merge at last and finally to finish this finger I’ll select the last pair press M to merge and select merge at last Also let’s add a loop cut over here by pressing cr+ R then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement moving ahead let’s repeat the same procedure for the little finger also so first of all I’ll select these two vertices together press M and merge them at last then I’ll select these two and we’ll merge them together then for the third pair I’ll select these two vertices press M to merge and select at last similarly for the fourth pair Also let’s do the same thing also for the fifth pair now let’s change the angle for the sixth pair now we select these two vertices press M to merge and select merge at last now now we are close to the end so we’ll select these two press M to merge at last and finally we’ll select the last pairer press M to merge and select merge at last finally let’s also add a loop cut over here and with this the geometry of her hand is now completely ready moving ahead let’s also give it a proper shape so for this I’ll select some verx in the middle press o to turn on the proportional editing and let’s move this in the y- axis like this this will increase the width of the character’s hand similarly let’s do the same with this side also so with the proportional editing turn on we’ll move it in the y- axis like this and left click to finalize and now the next thing that we’re going to do today will be to model the arm of the character so for this let’s return back to the object mode Let’s first move it in the x-axis and place it over here also we’ll be rotating this hand by 90° in the x-axis so for this tab into the edit mode press a to select everything turn off the proportional editing tool by pressing o and let’s now rotate it in the xaxis by 90° now to model the arm we’ll be selecting this Edge Loop of the wrist and will extrude it to join with the body so for this let’s switch to the front view by pressing one on the numpad Press e to extrude it like this also to make it properly aligned with the body let’s return back to the object mode and move it down in the z-axis now to merge the arm with the body we first need to join both of them so with the arm selected hold on the shift button and select the body now press contr plus J to join them together now tap into the edit mode and let’s Now work on combining or basically merging the arm with the body but you can clearly see here that this face of the arm is having a total of eight vertices however these two faces of the body which will connect with the arm are having a total of six vertices so to solve this problem we’ll be adding a loop cut so press crl + r and add a loop cut over here now press three for the face select mode then we’ll be selecting the four faces of the body which will connect with the arm so once they are selected press X to delete and select delete faces and now this time instead of merging the vertices together we’ll be filling the faces in between the selected edges to understand this in a better way I’ll First Press Two for the Ed select mode then I’ll select this Edge and with the shift key hold it select this one now to fill the faces in between these two EDG edes or basically to connect them together press F and now we have a pH created in between the two selected edges now before moving forward if I notice closely then the alignment of this arm is not properly with the body so to solve this problem let’s go to the bottom view by pressing CR + 7 on the numpad now we need to select all the faces of the arm and the hand and to do this press three for the face select mode Let’s also turn on the x-ray mode and now we’ll be selecting all these faces now go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and let’s move the arm in the y axis and with this we now have the arm perfectly aligned with the rest of the body also I’ll select this face which is at the end of the arm and we’ll delete it so press X and select delete faces now let’s continue filling the faces over here so for this I’ll press two for the Ed cect mode then we’ll select these two faces and press F to fill the face and if you want you can similarly fill all the remaining Faces by selecting the corresponding edges and then pressing F to fill them but a better way will be to select that edge which was last created when we used the fill option and with this Edge selected if I press F then it will automatically complete the next segment similarly let’s press f one more time and this will fill the next phase and now we have four remaining faces so I will press F four times and with this we have now connected the arms with the body now we’ll also add some Loop Cuts in the arm of the character so that it will be easy to move it when we finally rig and animate the character so for this press crl + r and let’s add some Loop Cuts over here to increase the number I’ll simply scroll up and we’ll keep the number of cuts to 10 then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement now the body is almost ready but let’s fix a few things to make it look more natural so first of all I’ll select an edge of the hand then press o to turn off the proportional editing and we’ll move it up in the z-axis let’s do the same with the bottom part also so I’ll move it down in the z-axis like this also if you feel that in your model you can modify some body parts to make them look more natural or organic you can definitely try to do that in order to make your character look better and so with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we modeled the complete body of a 3D character [Music] in the previous two chapters we created the character’s face the hair of character then we even created the Torso arms legs and the hands of character and in this particular chapter we’ll be modeling the clothes of our character like a simple t-shirt a pant and a pair of shoes now in the previous chapter we created this body of the character and to give it a realistic look let’s apply the subdivision surface modifier so go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the subdivision surface modifier with this the characters body is now having a much more natural look also the reason why we can’t see the hair particles on both sides of the face currently is that we have not yet applied the mirror modifier if I click here and apply it we’ll get the hair particle system on both sides of the face but for now I will undo this because we might require the use of the unapplied mirror modifier if you want to edit something in the face of character easily now before modeling the clothes and the shoes of the character let’s first go to the material preview mode and we will be applying the same material to the body that we applied to the face so for this let’s go to the material preview mode and click here and from this list of materials select the skin material now the first thing that we’re going to do today is to model the pants of character so for this let’s first go to the front view tab into the edit mode press one for the vertex select mode and now we have to select all those vertices of the characters body where we’ll be having the characters pants so first of all press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and now I’ll be selecting all these vertices over here let’s also add a loop cut over here and then we’ll be selecting these vertices also now let’s turn off the x-ray mode and to create the character pants simply press shift plus e to create a duplicate and right click to cancel the movement now currently we are in the edit mode of the body and as a result the duplicate that we created is not a separate object and to converted into a separate object press P for the separate menu and select selection now let’s come out of the edit mode and by doing this we have now separated the body and the duplicate which is saved with the name cube. 001 that we’ll be using as the characters pants let’s also rename this particular object to pants similarly I will also change the name of this Cube to body now with the pant selected if I go to the edit mode then you can see here here that all the vertices are exactly at the same position as that of the original body and as a result the pants are overlapping with the body to prevent this from happening press a to select everything and now we’ll be using the string flatten tool to access this tool simply press alt plus s and if I move my cursor in the upward Direction then you can see that this tool is basically moving the vertices along the normals so right now we won’t be increasing this value too much so let’s keep it in such a way that it’s not completely overlapping but is still away from the body now press one on the numpad for the front view and we’ll be extruding the bottom vertices to make the pants longer so for this select this bottom Edge Loop press e to extrude it in the z-axis also press three for the face select mode select this bottom Edge Loop and we’ll slightly extrude it along the normals in order to make the pants look folded from the bottom so press all plus e and select extrude faces along normals and if I move my cursor then you can see here that the face Loop that we selected is now getting extruded along the normals to give the fold a much natural look let’s add a loop cut over here so press crl + r left click and right click to cancel the move movement now with the shift key holded we need to select this Edge Loop and for this along with the shift key we’ll also hold the ALT key then I’ll select an edge over here and with both of the edge Loops selected we’ll move them up in the z-axis now we have completely modeled the pants of our character and now before applying the material to it first right click and select shade smooth Now to create a material let’s go to the material preview mode Let’s expand the timeline editor and we’ll then convert it into the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader Editor to remove the skin material from the pants simply go to the material properties and click on the minus icon let’s create a new material and we’ll first work on the color of this material for this let’s add a color amp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here connect it to the base color in the principal bstf now in the color ramp we’ll be using a mix of black and blue color in order to give it a jeans like appearance so with the first pointer selected we are having the black color now let’s create one more pointer by clicking on this plus icon Also let’s move it over here and we’ll change its color to the dark blue let’s also reduce the brightness from here in order to make it look more darker to give it some texture we’ll be connecting the color amp node with the Warner texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the wner texture let’s place it over here now connect the distance socket to the factor in the color ramp let’s also turn on the normalize in the Warner texture and with this we have the simple material created for the pants which are having the Warner texture and as the colors we use the color ramp with a mix of blue and black but to give it a 3D look we’ll be adding the bump node so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump with we’ll place it over here connect the normal to the normal in the principal bsdf and for the input we’ll be using a mix of noise texture and the magic texture so press shift plus a go to texture and first of all we’ll be adding the magic texture so let’s place it over here now press shift plus a again go to texture and add the noise texture we’ll place it over here now to combine both of them together we’ll be using the mixed color node so press shift plus a go to color and select the mixed color we’ll place it over here now I’ll take the result socket of the mixed color node and connect it to the height of the bump node now for the texture part we’ll first connect the factor socket of the noise texture to the mixed color node so I’ll take the factor socket and connect it to the socket a then in the socket for the color B I will take the magic texture by using the color socket and will connect it to the socket B now to give it a realistic look let’s first go to the noise texture and we’ll increase the scale value to something very high like 1,000 also in the magic texture let’s increase the scale value and we’ll keep it to something like 500 or 600 in order to give it a fabric like look moreover if you want you can try to change the various parameters of over here in the noise texture if you want to change the way how your current material is looking but for now I won’t be doing much changes except for the scaling values which we have entered for both of these textures and with this the pant or the jeans for a character is completely ready now moving ahead the next thing that we’ll do is to model the shoes of our character so for this I’ll again select the body let’s also apply the shades mod to it tab into the edit mode now we need to select all those vertices or the edges or the faces where we want to model the shoe and to do this properly let’s first turn off the real-time display of the division surface modifier and to do this simply click on this realtime display button in the modify properties now press three for the side view then press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and we’ll be selecting all these edges now we’ll repeat the same steps that we did while creating the pants so first of all press shift plus d to create a duplicate and right click to cancel the movement then to separate the shoes press p and separate by selection let’s come out of the edit mode then select the shoes and we’ll rename it in the scene collection so let’s change their name to shoes now tap into the edit mode press a to select everything and to use the shrink and flatten tool press alt plus s and I’ll move my cursor slightly upwards now left click to finalize now to add some detailing to the shoe let’s add a loop cut over here so press cr+ R and add a loop cut press three for the face select mode and select this bottom face Loop now press alt plus e to extrude and select extrude along normals and if I move my cursor then the face Loop will get extruded along the normals let’s return back to the object mode and also enable the real time display of the subdivision surface modifier right now we can clearly see that the shoes and the feet are still overlapping so tab into the edit mode press a to select everything press alt plus s again and increase the offset by moving up the cursor slightly now left click to finalize and with this the shoes are now completely ready also I’ll select the body and enable the real-time display of the subdivision surface modifier now moving ahead we’ll create the material for the shoes in our scene so let’s go to the material preview mode and to create the material let’s go to the Shader editor click here and for now I’ll be selecting the same material that we appli to the pants we’ll be modifying it in order to create the material for the shoes so for this let’s first create a duplicate of this material so click on this icon to create the duplicate then in the color ramp I’ll select this blue pointer and we change its color to the brown color let’s also reduce the brightness and with this the material for the shoes is now ready if you want you can make any changes in the texture to modify the way how the material looks for example the scaling the detailing roughness or colors but for now I have selected the brown color for the shoe materials and now moving ahead we’ll now be creating the t-shirt for our character for this let’s first enable the solid mode then press one for the front view select the body tab into the edit mode now press one for the vertex select mode press alt plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode Let’s also disable the realtime display of the subdivision surface modifier and now we’ll be selecting all the vertices that we want for modeling the T-shirt now with these vertices selected let’s turn off the X mode and we’ll now check if you want to select or deselect any particular vertices so first of all I will deselect these vertices around the character’s neck by holding the control button and selecting them like this so let’s deselect all of these also to include any vertices you simply need to hold the shift key and with the shift key hold it I will be selecting this Edge loop on the arm Now to create a t-shirt press shift plus d to create a duplicate right click to cancel the movement and to separate it from the body object press p and select Separation by selection let’s return back to the object mode now let’s rename the body. 001 to t-shirt now tab into the edit mode now press a to select everything alt plus s to turn on the shrink and flatten tool then I’ll move my cursor and then left click to finalize now to make the neck look rounded I’ll select this vertex press G to move it and place it over here similarly I will select the remaining vertices in this Edge Loop and will move them in the x-axis like this for a better geometry now let’s adjust the same from the back also so for this I will select this Edge Loop and will move it in the x-axis and now it looks perfect now to make the T-shirt look folded from this side press three for the face select mode select this face Loop press alt plus e and select extrude faces along normals now I’ll move my cursor up and left click to finalize now let’s return back to the object mode and let’s also turn on the realtime display in the subdivision surface modifier also I’ll select the body and and turn on the realtime display in the subdivision surface modifier now before creating the material for the T-shirt let’s first select the t-shirt and tab into the edit mode and we’ll be adding a loop cut around the folded region so press cr+ R and add a loop cut over here let’s return back to the object mode and now we are ready to create the material for the T-shirt so let’s go to the material preview mode Let’s also go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and zoom out now we’ll be using the same material that we use for the pants but we’ll modify it to give the t-shirt’s material a different look so in the share editor click here and select the material. 002 Now to create a duplicate of this material click on this icon and to change the way how the texture looks we’ll go to the color RAM and with this blue pointer selected I’ll change the color by increasing the brightness and I will be assigning the purple color let’s also increase the brightness also I’ll select the black pointer and move it over here similarly let’s also move this pointer in order to give the texture a completely different look then if you want to change the color then you can choose any color in the color wheel and assign that particular color as the material for the T-shirt now to complete the model I’ll select the face then in the modif properties we’ll be applying the mirror modifier and with this we have now completed the modeling of the entire character first of all we begin with modeling the face of character and its hair then we also added things like eyes the eyebrows nose and even the teeth which we’ll unhide by clicking on this icon then we created the body of the character like the Torso arms hands legs and in the end we modeled the clothes of the character like the T-shirt the pants or the jeans and also the shoes and so with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter in this one and the last two chapters we disc discussed about all concepts related to modeling the character and the clothes and from the upcoming chapters we’ll be starting with the character [Music] again in the previous three chapters we completed the modeling of our character including its face the hair and the rest of the body then we also created the clothes for our character and in this chapter we’ll begin with understanding the basic concepts related to rigging including our matures and Bones now the first question which arises is that what exactly is the meaning of character rigging so character rigging is the process of creating an Armature to suit the model of a character and it involves associating the bones in the Armature with the parts of the model or basically the body parts of our character now in this definition we also have words like Armature and for those of you who don’t know what an Armature is it is used to control the movement of objects or components of an object in an animation our mates are made up of Parts which are called Bones and it may consist of a single bone or multiple bones linked together in a child parent relationship now to understand this concept practically we will be using this Cube so let’s Saab into the edit mode and we’ll scale up the cube in the x-axis Also let’s add some Loop Cuts so press cr+ R and we’ll increase the number of loop Cuts with the help of scroll wheel so we’ll keep the number of loop cuts to around four or five and then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement now let’s return back to the object mode and now we’ll be creating an Armature object so press shift plus a and in this add menu here you have the Armature object so I’ll select this and by doing this we now have an arure object added at the world origin to view it I’ll first hide this Cube so press h to hide it and here we have a single bone created which is saved with the name our mat in the scene collection and now if I tab into the edit mode then we’ll be able to see the different parts of the bone so first of all let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and if I zoom in then you can see here that this bone is made up of three parts the first part is this UV sphere which is the tail of the bone then we have another UV sphere which is called the head of bone and in the middle we have this main part of the bone by moving the head or the tail of the bone we can basically control the shape and the size of of our bone now to understand this in more detail let’s return back to the object mode and let’s also unhide the cube from the scene collection let’s also turn on the x-ray mode now our main purpose is to add some bones to the cube that we created in order to understand about how the rigging works so for this we’ll go to the front view and with the bone selected let’s first move it in the x-axis and place it over here now tap into the edit mode and with this tail selected press G to move it and we’ll place our first bone like this in this way we have set up a single bone inside the cube which will allow us to our character Now to create new bones with the tail selected simply press e to extrude and by doing this a new bone will get created let’s do the same thing one more time and with this we now have three bones which we have added inside the cube object now if I press control+ Tab and keep holding it then it will show that the Armature or the bone is having three different modes the first is the default object mode then the second is the edit mode where we just extruded a single bone to create multiple bones in the Armature and the third that we have is the pose mode and in in this mode blender allows us to animate the Armature or the bones and in that animation whatever changes we’ll do to the bones like the rotation or the scaling will also be followed by the main object which will be the cube in this case but right now the cube is not following the Armature because we have not yet created any connection between the cube and the arator so to solve this problem let’s first return back to the object mode by pressing control+ tab let’s also turn off the x-ray mode now I’ll select this Cube and before creating a connection in between the cube and the Armature I’ll first apply the subdivision surface modifier to it so go to the modifier properties then click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the subdivision surface modifier with the levels viewboard set to one I’ll also apply this modifier and by doing this we now have the subdivided geometry that is having a larger number of vertices added to our Cube now with the cube selected hold down the shift button and then select the Armature and yes to ensure that you have selected the cube first and then the Armature now with both of them selected go to the object menu then in the parent settings here you have the option of our maor form and in this we have three different types empty groups automatic weights and envelope weights in this case we’ll be selecting the automatic weights in the armat form and now in the scene collection over here you can see that we no longer have the cube object named separately also if I click on this drop- down arrow of the Armature then inside this we have the cube stored meaning that the cube and the Armature are now having a parent child relationship which in simple words means that the Armature will now control the structure of our Cube to understand this practically I’ll select the Armature then press contrl plus tab to enter the pose mode Let’s also turn on the x-ray mode and now with one of the bones selected if I press R to rotate it then you will see that the cube is also following the rotation of the bone this is also true for all the other bones in the Armature so in simple words we created a connection in between the Armature which is made up of Bones and the cube object and in a similar way the characters are also rigged in blender but obviously for complex characters it is not practically possible to create each and every bone for separate parts of the body and so to make the character riging easy blender provides us with the rigify add-on and to access the rigify add-on go to edit and select preferences then in the add-ons go to the search bar and type rigify and then this add-on will appear having the name rigify add-on so let’s turn it on now let’s close this window and with this in the 3D view Port if I press shift plus a then go to Armature then it gives us the option of rigify meta and in this we have the option to add the human are mature so if I select this then now blender has added this entire skeleton of the bones which can be used for rigging of any human character it is saved with the name metallic in the scene collection and the benefit of using this human metallic is that we don’t need to create this entire skeleton system or the Armature manually by extruding the bones and so with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the basics of rigging and also learn to create this human meta rig with the help of rigify add-on and in the next chapter we’ll be creating the meta rig for the 3D character that we created in the previous [Music] chapters in the previous previous chapter we begin with the basics of rigging and blender and in this chapter we’ll try to create and attach a simple metallic for our character that we created from the chapter number 70 to the chapter number 72 of this course so we are done with the modeling of the character’s body and the clothes and so now it’s the time to create a meta rig or basically a skeleton for this character so for this let’s first go to the solid mode now press shift plus a then go to our major and in The rigify Meta rigs select human also one more thing to note here is that you might not be able to see the rigify metx option if you have not turned on the rigify add-on in blender about which we learned in the previous chapter of this course now coming back to our scene we need to scale up the skeleton or basically this arat according to the height of our character so for this with this metx selected tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and let’s scale it up but right now it’s being scaled up according to the median point to fix this simply click on this icon which is the transform pivot point and select the 3D cursor now let’s scale it up again and we need to ensure that the height of the shoulders of the character are matching with the shoulder bones of the metallic now to focus only on the skeleton simply press the forward slash button and now we can see here that the skeleton or basically the metallic or the Armature is made up of a lot of Bones and all these bones together allow the movement of a character on the top we have the bones related to the face then we have the spine in the middle which will basically be for the back then we have the character’s arm bones the hands and in the lower part they have the bones for the character’s legs and the feet also if you want you can select any particular bone by left clicking on it and we can modify the meta rig by deleting a bone and to do this simply press X and select delete bones now this particular bone that we had here is now deleted and to get it back simply press cr+ Z one more thing with this bone selected if I click on this icon which is the bone properties then here you can see the name of this bone which is shoulder DOL representing the bone for the left shoulder similarly if I select this one then this is named as shoulder. R representing the bone for the right shoulder now in this chapter we need to delete all those bones that will not require for a character so first of all we’ll be deleting these face bones because we’ll be working on the manual face rigging in one of the upcoming chapters of this course but if I try to select each one individually and delete them then it would take us a lot of time and a better way to do this is to first go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad then press alt to Z to turn on the x-ray mode and now over here you will see this bone in the x-ray mode where this larger one is the spine. 06 but inside it we have the smaller bone which is named as the face and this bone is basically the parent of all the bones which are available for the face rigging in fact he can also select all the children bones for the selected parent bone by simply pressing shift plus G and in the select similar menu select children with this we now have all the children bones selected for this parent bone now to delete all of them simply press X and select delete bones so in this way we easily deleted all the bones related to the face of the character also for our 3D model we created the hand with one thumb and three fingers meaning that we should be deleting all the bones of this little finger so let’s select all four of these bones then press X to delete and select delete bones similarly for the other side also we’ll be selecting these four bones off the little finger and to delete them press X and select delete bones now moving ahead in order to create the final rig skeleton along with the controls first of all go to the object mode Let’s also turn off the x-ray mode and to view the rest of the things or basically to remove the Focus From The Meta rig simply press the forward slash button now to generate the rig go to the object data properties then scroll down down and in the rigify category select generate rig and with this we now have this final rig skeleton created along with the controls that we’ll be using while animating our character but for now we’ll be adjusting the meta rig according to the character’s body but before that do ensure that you have the mirror modifier applied in the modifier properties for the head of the character and also for the body so for the body of character we have added the mirror modifier but have not applied it yet so to fix this click on this icon and select apply also we’ll be hiding the clothes of the character in in order to adjust the skeleton or this meta rig properly for the character so press h to hide the T-shirt similarly I’ll select the pant of the character and press h to hide also I will be selecting the shoes of the character and hide them as well moving ahead let’s Now work on adjusting the meta rig and the bones according to the character’s model so for this let’s first hide this final rig that we created so press h to hide now select the meta rig in the scene collection and tap to enter the edit mode now press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode also to hide these hair particles let’s go back to to the object mode select the head then open the particle properties and turn off the real-time display now select the meta Ric again and tab into the edit mode now in the edit mode on the top right corner we have this option of applying the mirroring effect and if I turn it on in the x-axis then whatever changes I’ll do in the edit mode will get applied on both the sides according to the Symmetry with respect to the x-axis so do ensure that you have turned on the mirroring effect in the xais and now to begin with adjusting the meta rig let’s first go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad then select the boot bones of the arms and the fingers and press h to hide them similarly let’s also hide the bones for the arms and the fingers on this side also by pressing H and then go to the side view by pressing three on the numad now the first bone that we have for this skeleton is named as spine. 006 you can also view its name by going to the Bone properties and then over here you can see the bone name which is spine. 006 now we need to place this bone in such a position that the top or basically the head of the bone is somewhere near the top of the character’s head so for this with this top part of the bone selected press G to move it and we’ll place it over here then we’ll select the tail of the bone and we’ll place it somewhere in the middle of the neck similarly the next bone that we have here is the spine. 005 and we need to select the base of this bone and place it over here in somewhere around the region of the neck then we have this bone which is named as spine. 004 so I’ll select it tail which is this tiny circle at the bottom press G to move it and place it over here also let’s zoom out and we’ll be selecting all the bones except for the ones that we have already adjusted and move them in the y axis now left click to finalize let’s zoom in again and with this most of the bones in the metallic are now properly placed moving ahead I will be hiding this particular bone which is the bone for the left thigh by pressing H similarly let’s also select this one which is the right thigh bone and press h to hide now we’ll be selecting the bottom of the pelvis bones press G to move them and place them somewhere in between the region where the upper body and the lower body is connecting also one more thing to notice here is that there are two types of pelvis bones one is the pelvis left and to view the other one let’s go to the front view and now over here this one is the right pelvis bone and this one as we discussed earlier is the left pelvis bone and while moving we selected both of them in order to place them properly in The Meta Ric moving ahead let’s also make all these bones in the upper body a bit more straight in order to increase the accuracy of the character riging now press one on the numpad to go to the front view select the head of the pelvis bone press G to move it and place it over here now over here we also have the shoulder bones and to adjust them properly I first select this part of the bone press G to move it downwards in the z-axis like this let’s also move it away in the x- axis like this similarly select this part and place it somewhere near the shoulders of the character then over here we have the breast bones and we’ll place them slightly in the x-axis like this and left click to fin light and so with this we have now completed the rigging for the upper body of the character now moving to the lower part first of all let’s unhide the thigh Bones by pressing alt plus h of the legs now first of all we’ll be selecting all the bones of the legs and the foot by holding holding the shift button and we’ll move them in the x-axis like this and we basically need to ensure that they placed somewhere near the center of the legs now I’ll select this bone which is named as the left thigh and we need to move it downwards in the Z axis so for this we’ll select its head press G to move it in the z-axis place it over here and left click to finalize now go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad then select this part and move it slightly upwards like this then select this one press G to move it and place it in the middle of the foot then I’ll select this part of the left toe bone and move it in such a way that it touches the front tip of the foot also if I zoom in then over here we have the heel bones and so with both of these selected we’ll press G to move them and place them at the back part of the foot also one more thing to notice here in the legs bones is that these two bones which is the thigh bone and the shin bone are not completely straight and this is because we’ll be having the knee joint at this place as a result for a better movement it’s recommended to have a small angle in between the two bones now moving ahead we’ll now be working on adjusting the Met rig or basically these bones that are for the arm and the hands of character so for this first of all I select this part connecting the two bones of the arm press G to move it and place it over here then select this part press G to move it and place it over here let’s move it slightly in the x-axis like this and left click to finalize similarly we’ll be selecting all the bones of the hand of character press G to move them and we’ll place them over here in order to rotate them properly first of all in the transform PIV Point select the median Point press R to rotate it and left click to finalize let’s place it properly again now press 7even on on the numpad to go to the top view zoom in and we’ll be scaling up all these bones which we have created for the hands of character now let’s place them properly like this similarly I’ll select this bone and place it over here also I’ll select this part of the upper arm bone and we move it slightly in the y axis now left click to finalize and now we’ll be working on placing the bones of the hand properly in the metallic but before that one more thing to notice here is that the joints in between the two ending bones of any finger are not connected to each other if I try to move one of them then it will get disconnected with the other part however for a proper rigging we need to ensure that both of them remain connected even when we move their position so for this first of all press cr+ Z to undo then deselect everything and now before moving them we’ll first select both of them together by left clicking and dragging like this then press G to move them and place them over here now I’ll be selecting this particular part of the bone and we’ll move it in such a way that it is placed at the 1/3 position of the finger similarly I’ll select this part and place it over here then in the end I’ll be selecting this one and we’ll place it at the tip of the finger similarly let’s do the same thing with the other fingers also so let’s place all these parts properly according to the position of fingers so now I’ll select this part place it over here and in the end we’ll be placing this last part at the tip of the finger also to ensure that there’s a little Gap in between this joint part and the beginning of fingers let’s do the same for the middle finger also and now it looks perfect moving ahead I will be selecting this joint part first for the index finger press G to move it and place it over here then I’ll select this part of the the bone and move it over here moving ahead I’ll select this one press G to move it and place it over here and then in the end I will select this last part and we’ll place it at the tip of the index finger now for the thumb we are having these three bones which we’ll be placing properly according to the position of thumb so first of all with this end part selected press G to move it and place it over here then select this one press G to move it and we’ll place it over here similarly I’ll select this one and place it somewhere near the middle of the thumb and At Last I will select this particular part of the bone and place it at the tip of the thumb so in this way we are having these three bones for the thumb which we have placed like this now over here you can also see that we are having three Palm bones this one is the first Palm bone for the left hand since it is named as palm. 01l similarly this one is the second bone for the left palm and this one is the third bone for the left palm and we basically need to place them in such a way that their ends are located somewhere near the wrist of the hand so let’s adjust their position slightly and now they look perfect now moving ahead we have one more bone over here which is named as hand DOL meaning that this one is the bone for the left hand and we need to place its head somewhere near the joint of the middle finger and the tail part at somewhere around the wrist of the hand also if I zoom out then one more thing that we need to take care of is that just like the bones in the legs by having a slight angle in between both of them similarly for the arms also we need to have a slight angle in between the upper arm and the forearm so for this we’ll select this joint connecting both of them and we’ll move it slightly in the y- AIS and now it looks looks perfect and so with this we have now created the rig and even adjusted it according to the character’s body however there are still a few things that we can fix in order to make it perfect for example these bones for the finger are not yet properly placed so to solve this problem we need to select all the bones for the hand so for this let’s first go to the top view by pressing seven on the num pad then zoom in let’s select all these bones let’s change the angle and now to make them straight let’s scale them down in the z-axis now left click to finalize and now to view everything properly press one to go to the front view let slightly move it up in the z-axis like this let’s also check it from the other views so go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and from this view all the bones of the hand are looking perfectly placed similarly let’s also check the Same by going to the top view and from this view also the hand that we rigged is looking completely perfect now moving ahead if I select any particular bone of any finger then in the bone properties you can see here that we have a parameter known as the r and this one controls the rotation of the bone around the head and the tail axis in most of the cases this roll value will be somewhere close to- 180° for all the bones of the fingers however in order to make them exactus 180° we’ll simply select one of the bones go to the roll value and enter minus 180 then to input the same r value for all the other bones in the fingers we need to select the bones individually first and then at last we’ll be selecting that bone in which we have entered the correct roll value so we have now selected all the finger bones except this one so with the shift key holded I will be selecting this one at last which is having the R value equal to minus 180° and to assign the same Ro value to all the other bones simply go to the Armature menu then in the bone roll go to recalculate Ro and select active bone and now if I select any particular bone then in the bone properties you can see that the RO value will either be minus 180° or positive 180°. so for this selected bone the R value is positive 180° however if I select this one then the RO value is equal to- 180° now the reason why some of these bones are having a ro value equal to- 180° whereas for some other the value is equal to 180° is that between the values of – 180° and postive 180° there’s a difference of 360° and we all know that the object will return to its original state if we rotate it by 360° you can also check this by going to the role parameter so with this particular bone selected if I begin to change the RO value from positive 180° and begin to reduce it and will bring it to minus 180° then you will notice that the rotation of the bone will again be in the same state so you can check this thing on your own that if I increase the r value by 360° then it will again return back to the same position also if I go to the top view again then it might be possible that even after selecting some particular Bones the R value is still not equal to plus or minus 180° so in such cases we don’t need to change the value of R manually and we’ll keep them fixed at only that value that we got by using the recalculate Ro now moving ahead we’ll be doing the same procedure for the right hand also so for this let’s zoom into the right hand now we’ll select any particular bone and then the RO value and Ure that- 180° is entered and now we’ll be selecting all the bones apart from the one that we have selected right now so for this first I’ll be selecting the thumb bones then we’ll move to the index finger then the middle finger of the hand and then we’ll be selecting the little finger and at last make sure to select that particular finger whose r value was equal to – 180°. now go to the Armature menu then in the bone roll go to recalculate Ro and select the active bone and so with this the RO value will now change to either positive 180° or 180° but in this case also the R value for some of the bones will still not be exactly minus or positive 180° but as I told you earlier we don’t need to worry about that now moving ahead we’ll now be adjusting the bone rotation axis for the fingers in this part we’ll basically select all the first bones of the fingers then we’ll press control+ Tab and switch to the pose mode then in the bone properties we’ll go to the rigify type and in the bend rotation axis we’ll change this from automatic to the X manual similarly I’ll select this bone go to the rigify type and in the bend rotation axis we’ll change this to the X manual as well now let’s do the same for this B also similarly for the thumb also we’ll change the bend rotation axis to the X manual now let’s do the same thing for the right hand also so for this we’ll be selecting the first bone of the finger then we’ll go to the bend rotation axis and we’ll change this to the X manual similarly let’s do the same for this finger also so we’ll change this to the X manual just like this we’ll select this bone and in the bend rotation axis select the X manual and let’s do the same thing for the bone in the thumb also and now with this we now have have the complete meta rig ready for our character so with this let’s now enter the object mode also go to the scene collection and unhide the rig and now you can see here that all the adjustment that we made in the edit mode of the meta rig are not automatically changed for the rig that we generated and to solve this problem select the meta rig again then go to the object data properties scroll down and in the rigify category click on the regenerate rig however you can see here that it shows us the rigify error and it states that this particular bone named as spine. 004 is not properly placed since the bone position is disjoint now it might be possible that for your character this particular error was not generated but in most of the cases it’s certainly possible to see such kind of Errors so now let’s work on understanding about why we see that particular error and how we can fix this so first of all tab into the edit mode go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad let’s zoom in and now you can see here that if I select this particular bone and go to the Bone properties then its name is saved as spine. 004 and this is that particular bone about which Blended told us while giving the rigify error so what basically happened was that the tail end of this spine. 004 bone had to be connected or basically joined properly with the head of the spine. 003 so in some particular cases it is important that while adjusting the meta rig we need to ensure that both of them are selected together and then moved around however in this case we did not take care of this fact and as a result we received this error so to solve this problem return back to the object mode then go to the scene collection and with the rig selected press X to delete it now after deleting the the rig select the meta rig in the CN collection tab into the edit mode Let’s zoom in and now first of all we need to select the head of the spine. 003 and then with the shift key holded select the tail of the spine. 004 then right click select snap and in this list we’ll be selecting the selection to active and now if we return back to the object mode Let’s also zoom out now with the meta selected go to the object data properties then scroll down and then we have the rigify category and from here click on the regenerate rig and now you will notice that lender will successfully generate the rig after we have done the changes in the spine bone of the meta rig now the reason for generating this rig is that we actually use this particular rig in order to animate our character and not the meta rig we basically use the meta rig to edit the bones and place them properly according to the character’s body then we generate the final rig which is to be used in the animation and this is named as the rig in the scene collection so for now we’ll be hiding the meta rig from our scene now moving ahead we’ll Now work on connecting this rig that we generated to the character’s body right now we have only generated the rig but we can’t use it in order to modify or animate the character so for this let’s first turn off the x-ray mode then I’ll select the head of the character first and we’ll join it with the character’s body so press crl + J to join them together now with the body selected hold on the shift button and select the rig and now to define a relationship between the characters body and the rig go to the object menu then in the parent we have this option of our deform and in this we’ll be selecting our deform with automatic weights now it might take some time to define the relationship of parent and child in between the rig and the character’s body and once it is done if I select the rig then press control plus tab to enter the pose mode then all of these are the different controls that you can use to animate your character and collectively these are known as the rigify controls to understand this with the help of an example if I select this box in the middle and press G to move it then you will notice that the character’s body is also moving along with the cube similarly if I select this hand control and press R to rotate it then you will notice that the specific part of the hand is also rotating because of it also if you make any changes in the pose mode and want to reset the pose then for this simply go to the pose menu then in the clear transform select all and this will clear the transform for that particular control that you have selected in the pose mode currently I selected only the cube and as a result the changes that we did to the cube have now disappeared however to make this happen for all the controls press a to select everything then go to the pose menu select clear transform and in this list select all so in this way you can reset the controls in the pose mode now let’s return back to the object mode and one more thing is that if I select the character this body and go to the modify properties then for better deformations while creating the animation it is suggested to place the our maor modifier above the subdivision surface modifier so to do this left click over here and drag it above the subdivision surface modifier and so now we have learned about connecting the rig and the characters body together by using the parenting option and we’ll also be learning about the different types of rigify controls that are available in the pose mode in the upcoming chapters of this course and so with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we created this meta rig which we used to generate this final rig that we’ll be using for the animation purposes we also learned about fixing the error that you might see while generating the [Music] rig in the previous chapter we created a final rig for a character and even created a connection or a relationship between the final rig and the character and in this particular chapter we’ll be understanding about the various things that we can do with the help of rigify controls in blender so we begin to model this character from the chapter number 70 of this course and if you wish to download the 3D model of this character then you can join the patreon whose link is available in the description of this video now returning back to our topic let’s first switch to the solid mode and currently we are having this final rig that we created for this 3D character also I will be hiding the clothes of a character along with the hair in order to understand about the rigify controls in a better way so first of all I’ll select the body then go to the particle settings and to hide the hair particles turn off the real-time display from here then I’ll select the t-shirt and press h to hide it similarly with the pants also and at last I’ll also select the shoes of the character and press h to hide them then in the scene collection let’s also hide the metallic and the teeth of the character the reason for doing all this is that currently we want only the final body and the rig in order to see how the rigify controls work now by default all the rig layers in the final rig of the character are visible in the scene however suppose you want to see only some specific layers like the ones for the Torso or maybe only to control the hands and to do this with the rig selected go to the object data properties and in the bone collections you can control the specific bones or the layers of rig to be shown in the scene for example if I begin to click on this I button for some specific bone collections you will notice that they will begin to disappear from the scene also to disappear all of them simply hold the left Mouse button on any one of the eye buttons and drag your cursor like this now all the bone connections have been hidden from the scene and so in this way it will be better to only view some specific bones and understand about them so first of all we’ll be understanding about the Torso bones so go to the Bone Collections and in this list we’ll unhide the Torso also also to view everything properly in the scene let’s turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z and this will display even those rigging controls which are present inside of the body of character now to make any changes in the character on the basis of these rigify controls we have to first enter the pose mode because if I try to change anything in the object mode for example if I try to move it then you will notice that the character and the rigging is moving together as a whole and we are not able to control individual things in the character so to enter the pose mode press control plus tab or else you can also click here and from this menu select the pose mode now all the controls that we have here can be moved by pressing G or they can be rotated by pressing R and in a similar way we can also scale them up by pressing s and as you can see here that whatever changes I’ll make to any of the rigify controls will automatically get applied to the character’s body also now the first igy control that you have here is for the head and if I move it then you will notice that the head of the character will begin to move also to rotate the head simply press R to rotate it like this but a much better way of rotation is to press R2 twice and now if I move my cursor then you will notice that the rotation of the head gets a much more natural look then over here you have the controls for the shoulders of the character and to see everything properly I’ll first enter the object mode and let’s turn off the x-ray mode now in the pose mode with the controls for the right shoulder selected if I press G to move it then you will notice that this control is helping us to change the location of the shoulder part of this 3D character similarly if I press R to rotate it then the shoulder part will get rotated like this then if I change the angle then this particular control is for the neck and if I try to move it by pressing G then you will notice that we are able to control the neck of the character and along with it the character’s head is also moving similarly if I press R to rotate it then the part of the 3D character related to the neck and the head will begin to rotate then over here we have the rifi controls for the chest and by moving it we can basically control the entire upper body of the character apart from the hands similarly if I try to rotate it then the upper body will get rotated like this moving ahead this box over here controls the entire torso because if I try to move it then you will notice that the changes are being applied to almost the entire body except for the hands and the feet in the previous one which specifically control the chest so when we moved it it only control the upper body but in this case we are able to control not only the upper body but also the lower body of the character then over here we have the rigify control for the hips of character and in most of the cases we only use it to rotate the hip part by pressing R so in this way you can use the various rify controls available in the Torso bone collection now suppose you do any changes using any of the rigify controls to the character in the pose mode and then you want to reset it then for this simply go to the pose menu then in the clear transform select all and with this the object will return back to its original state now moving ahead we’ll be understanding about the rigify controls available for the fingers so for this go to the Bone collection in the object data properties and we’ll unhide the fingers controls now in the rifi controls for the fingers we first have these four controls which we can use to rotate or bend the fingers of character for example if a select any one of them and press R to rotate it then you will notice that we are able to rotate the finger around its Spas but suppose you want to bend the fingers then for this with the control selected press s and you will notice that the finger will now begin to show the bending effect similarly we can also try the same with other fingers so if I press s then the bending of fingers will occur and if I press R to rotate them then they will begin to rotate around the base of the finger also by holding the shift key we can select all of these controls for the fingers and to use them together first go to the transform Pivot Point and select individual Origins and now if I press s to scale them down then you can see here that we are able to bend all the fingers of the character at the same time now moving ahead in the fingers digging we also have this control which is for the palm of character and if I try to move it then you will notice that it’s causing the deformation of the Palm so whenever you want to change the way how your palm looks or to basically deform it then you can use the Palm controls in the character’s rig moving ahead in the bone collections we also have the fingers detail and if I turn it on and go to the x-ray mode then in this case we’ll be having some more controls available in the fingers of the character which will allow us to add some more detailing to the finger rigging for example if I select this particular control in the index finger and try to rotate it then you will notice that we are now able to control this upper part individually of the index finger similarly if I select this part on the tip of the finger and try to move it by pressing G then you will notice that we are now able to control the tip of the finger individually and similar is the case with all the other controls of the remaining fingers now moving ahead let’s also explore the rifi controls available for the arm and for this go to the Bone Collections and we’ll unhide this arm DOL which is the left arm and in Brackets ik is mentioned meaning inverse kinematics so we’ll unhide this and now you will notice that we are having these red colored controls added in the rig which we’ll be using to control the arm of the character so first of all we have this control which is for the left hand of the character however if I try to move it by pressing G then you will notice that it’s not only controlling the movement of the hand but along with it it also controls the movement of the entire arm to understand this in a much better way let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad let’s zoom out and now with this hand control selected if I try to rotate it then in this particular case the rotation will get applied only to the hands however if I try to move it then unlike
the rotation this effect will be visible on the entire arm of the character and so this is how the rigify controls for the arm Works in our scene now just like the left hand we can also turn on the rifi controls for the arm for the right side of the character and for this go to the Bone colle celection again and unhide this arm. R and in Brackets ik will be mentioned so let’s unhide this and now just like the left hand if I try to do the same with the right hand also then you will notice that we are able to see same changes for this one also moving ahead in the arms control we also have these red colored arrows and these can be used to control the arms of the character individually so basically the hands will control both the arms and the hands together however if you want to control only the arms of the character then for this purpose you can use these upper arm controls similarly on the right side also we are having these Arrow controls which are there to individually control the movement of the arms however in general cases you’ll be using the hands control for most of the animations now before moving to the rigify controls available for the legs we’ll first clear the transform of all the controls that we have applied on our character so for this press a to select everything then go to the pose menu and in the clear transform select all now for the legs go to the Bone collection and we’ll unhide this leg DOL and in bracket ik which is for the inverse kinematic so let’s unhide this and in a similar way for the right leg also we’ll unhide this leg do R and ik in the brackets now just like we were able to control the entire arm of the character just by moving the hand in a similar way the legs of the character can also be controlled by using this particular control which is for the foot of character so with this selected if I press G to move it then you will notice that we are now able to control not only the movement of the feet of character but with that we are also controlling the movement of the legs similarly if I press R to rotate then in this case the rotation will get applied only to the feet and not to the entire leg also if I click on this Arrow which is for controlling the thighs and try to move it then you will notice that we are now controlling the leg of the character individually but just like the arms the more General way to control the legs is to use the foot control one more thing to notice here is that if I select the arrows and press R to rotate them then in this case we are able to control the rotation of the thigh or basically the leg of our character now moving ahead for the feet of the character we are also having some more controls and to understand them let’s first reset all the changes that we have applied in the pose mode so press a to select all then go to the pose menu and in the clear transform select all now let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and for the foot the first control that we have is this one which is for controlling the toes of the foot so with this selected if I press R to rotate then you will notice that we are able to control the rotation of the front part of the feet or basically the toes of the feet then over here we have one more control which is named as has foot spin and if I try to rotate it by pressing R then you will notice that it kind of rotates the foot around this point and along with the foot we’ll also see the movement or the rotation in the legs of the character and this thing is useful while creating an animation of showing the walking of the character and now moving ahead the next control that we have here is named as the foot heel and if I try to rotate it then you will notice that its main area of control is basically the heel or the back part of the foot and so with this we have now learned about using the rifi controls for for all the parts of the body however there are still a few adjustments in order to make the rigging and the animation process perfect for example if I select this control for the chest and try to rotate it then you will notice that the eyes the eyebrows and the nose are not rotating properly with respect to the character’s body and so we’ll be making all such adjustments in the next chapter of this course but before ending I’ll press a to select all then go to the pose menu and in the clear transform select [Music] all in this chapter we’ll find finally complete the entire riging of the character since we’ll be making some final adjustments that need to be done for a proper rigging and animation and apart from that we’ll also learn about rigging the clothes along with the body of character so starting from the chapter number 70 we created this 3D character then we even created a final rig for this character that we’ll use for character rigging and the animation and if you wish to download the 3D model of this character then you can join the patreon whose link is available in the description of this video in order to complete understanding about the character rigging we also need to make some adjustments in the rig and the character in order to make it perfect so starting with the first one if with the rig selected if I press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and select the rify control for the head of character and try to rotate it by pressing R then you will notice that the eyes eyebrows the nose and the teeth of the character are not rotating and this is because we need to make some adjustments in the weight paint of this character model and since teeth are a separate object in the scene collection so we need to create a parent child relationship of the teeth and the bone so to do all this let’s first come out of the pose mode and for now we’ll be hiding the clothes and the hair of the character so for this I’ll first select the character then in the particle settings turn off the realtime display by clicking on this icon then I’ll go to the scene collection we’ll be hiding the T-shirt the shoes of the character and also the pants let’s also hide the meta rig and now we are ready to make the adjustments so with the character selected if I hold on control+ Tab and take my cursor to the weight paint then basically this is where we need to make the changes for the rigging adjustments to understand this in more detail let’s open the object data properties and in the vertex group you will notice that we are having a large number of vertices and for each one of these we have a certain area assigned which you can also see as green and yellow colored on this character and this painted region simply represents that the selected vertex group will be controlling the painted region now the reason behind having so many vertic groups for this character we have not created them ourselves is that whenever we do the rigging of any character or any object then in that case each of the deformation bones will have a specific spe ific area of some vertex group assigned to it which it will control while rigging the character to understand this in even more detail we have opened the edit mode and let’s also turn on the x-ray mode and now in the bone collections we have this DF which stands for deformation bones so if I unhide this then you will notice that all these bones that we can see inside the character are basically the deformation bones and all of them have some specific region defined that will be controlled by the controls that we can view in the pose mode for example this particular bone which is the spine .006 is there to control the character’s head and for the controlling purpose we have this head control and if I rotate this then you will notice that the character’s head along with the bone will rotate like this and now to set the region where this effect of the control will be applied we have to use the weight paints so first of all let’s return back to the object mode then with the rig selected hold on the shift button and we’ll select the character now to enter the weight paint mode hold on control and tab and take the cursor to the weight paint now in the weight paint mode if you want to select any bone then for this simply hold the alt button and if I left click on a bone then it will get selected and we’ll be able to see that specific region which will be controlled by that bone just like this if I hold the alt button and select this bone inside the chest then you will see that this particular bone is controlling this entire region which is shaded as green and yellow similarly with the ALT key holded if I select this bone at the top then this entire shaded region which is red in color is being controlled by this particular bone and as you can see here that only the head of the character is shaded and not the eyes the eye Rose and the nose of character so to solve this problem we need to shade all of these with the same red color as the head of the character but before that let’s also turn on the mirroring in the x-axis from here and now if I left click my cursor on this unshaded region you will notice that it’s creating a painting like effect as the area is being shaded on both the sides now let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad let’s zoom in properly and now we’ll be doing the same with the eyes and the nose of the character also a faster way to do this is to hold down the left click Mouse button and if I drag my cursor then the entire area around the cursor will get shaded like this so do make sure that you have shaded the entire area of the eye with the red color and similarly let’s do the same for this upper part of the eyebrows also like this now let’s change the angle and let’s shade this particular area also on the side of the eyebrow let’s also shade this region and so basically we need to shade each and every region of the eyes and the eyebrows because we want them to be affected by the character ring let’s fix some more areas like this and now it looks perfect now it might seem that we have shaded the entire region of the eye and the eyebrows however this is not true because we still need to shade the area of the eyes which is inside the character’s head and to view it we need to zoom into the character’s head and let’s try to change the angle zoom in again and at some specific angle you will notice that you are able to see this green and the yellow region of one of the eyes now to shade them into the red color simply left click and drag your cursor like this and so with this we have now shaded the entire region of the eyes with the red color in the weight paint now let’s do the same with the nose also so for this simply left click and drag your cursor like this around the nose of the character now let’s change the angle slightly and we’ll be doing the same step for this back part of the nose also so let’s shade this region Also let’s also do the same for the bottom part of the nose and so with this we have now completed the weight painting for the character’s head completely so now if I hold control+ Tab and go to the object mode Let’s also turn off the xray mode and now let’s enter the pose mode of this character rig finally with this head control selected if I press R to rotate it then you will notice that this time the eyes of the character are being influenced by the rotation of the head control however the rotation or basically the alignment is not correct and to solve this problem let’s return back to the object mode then with the rig selected hold on the shift button and select the body of the character now hold on control and tab and we’ll again enter the weight paint mode now to avoid the issue that we were just facing we have to use a very simple tool which is known as the auton normalize tool to access this go to this menu of options and from here turn on the auton normalize and now with this turn on WE simply have to zoom in and we now need to reapply the weights on the eyes of character but the better way to do this is to First select this head control on the top by holding the alt button and left clicking to select it and then we’ll rotate it by pressing R like this now to apply the weights again to the character’s eyes we’ll be selecting this bone by holding the alt button and left clicking on it let’s also turn off the x-ray mode in order to get a better view now to apply the paint again simply left click and drag your cursor like this and you will begin to notice that the eyes will begin to move towards their original position and will get attached to the head of the character so we have to do this from all the angles in order to give the eyes a completely perfect look and so with this we have now fixed the error of the improper rotation of the eyes for this head control now let’s return back to the object mode then I’ll select this rig press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and with this head control selected if I try to rotate it then now finally we are able to rotate the head of the character including its eyes and the nose and also the eyebrows in a perfect manner now moving ahead the next thing that we’ll do today is to create a relationship between the teeth and the characteric because currently even when we rotate the head control we are not able to see any changes on the teeth of character so for this let’s first go to the pose menu and clear the transform by selecting all now let’s return back to the object mode now select the teeth from the scene collection and then with the shift key holded we’ll be selecting the character’s rig let’s also turn on the x-ray mode in order to view everything properly and now with both of these selected press control plus tab to enter the pose mode now what we basically need to do is that we want to create a parent child relationship between the teeth that we have selected and the spine. 006 bone because this is that particular bone which is controlling the entire transformation and the rotation of the character’s head so to do this with this bone selected go to pause menu and from here you will have a parent option and in this one we have several categories but since we want the teeth object to be parented with a particular bone so we’ll be selecting the bone option and with this if I select this head control again and try to rotate it then now you can see here that the teeth of the character which are outlined with the orange color are also rotating along with the head to see this in a much better way let’s return back to the object mode and we’ll turn off the x-ray mode and so in this way we were able to add both the eyes and the teeth together with the head object for a proper rotation while riging the character now moving ahead the next thing that we’re going to do today is to transform the weights from the body to the clothes of character or to be more specific we’ll be applying the rigging to the clothes just like we did to the body of character so for this let’s first unhide the T-shirt shoes and the pants of character and with this if I press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and try to move this torso control then you will notice that the effect of rigging is only being applied to to the character’s body but not to the clothes of the character and to solve this problem let’s first enter the object mode now I’ll be selecting the T-shirt of the character then I’ll go to the modifier properties and first of all we need to ensure that we have applied the mirror modifier to all the cloths in the scene also we need to turn off the real-time display of any other modifier that we have added and not get applied so let’s turn off the realtime display of the subdivision surface modifier of this t-shirt similarly I’ll select the pants of the character then we’ll go to the modify properties and we’ll be applying the mirror modifier and we will also turn off the realtime display of the subdivision surface modifier similarly with the shoes also we’ll apply the mirror modifier from here and we’ll turn off the realtime display of the subdivision surface modifier now what we basically have to do is that we need to transfer the body weight to the clothes so that we can see the effect of rigging on the clothes of the character and to do this you simply need to select the character’s body first and then with the shift key holded select the clothes which will be the target object in this case and now to transfer the weights of the body to the t-shirt we need to enter the weight pain mode so hold down Control Plus tab and select the weight paint now in the weights menu here you have the option to transfer the weights so we’ll select this and now over here we have a menu which is the transformation data menu and we need to change some settings in order to achieve our result so first of all in the vertex mapping change this to the nearest face interpolated then in the source layer selection select by name and in the ray radius we’ll be entering a value of 5 m also to connect this t-shirt to the rig that we created we also need to add the arure modifier so go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier then in the form select the Armature modifier now in the object select this rig that we created for the character’s body also do ensure that the Armature modifier is placed above all the remaining modifiers in the modifier properties and to do this simply left click over here and drag the arator modifier above the subdivision surface modifier and so with this we have now successfully transferred the weights of the body to the T-shirt object in fact we can even check this so first of all let’s return back to the object mode then select the rig press control+ tab to enter the pose mode and if I select this hand control and try to move it then you will notice that it’s not only controlling the body of the character but also the character’s clothes so in this way we can easily transfer the weights of the body to the cloth object and also apply the rigging effect to the character’s clothes Also let’s come out of the pose mode select the T-shirt object and we’ll also turn on the real-time display of the subdivision surface modifier now moving ahead we’ll be doing the same thing for the pants and the shoes of the character so for this first of all we’ll be selecting the character’s body and then with the shift key holded select the characters pants now press contrl plus tab to enter the weight paint then go to weights and click on the transfer weights then in this menu of the transfer M data change the vertex mapping to the nearest face interpolated increase the ray radius to a value of 5 m and the source layer selection to the by name also go to the modify properties and we’ll be adding the Armature modifier then in the object select the rig and we’ll also place it above the subdivision surface modifier now let’s return back to the object mode and now to confirm that the body weights is transferred to the pants of the character I’ll select the rig press control plus tab to enter the pose mode now I’ll select the feet of the character and if I try to move it by pressing G then now you can see that the effect of rigging is also being applied to the pant object so in this way we successfully transferred the weight of the body to the pants of the character similarly we’ll also be doing the same thing for the shoes of the character and for this we’ll first clear the transform so with this foot control selected we’ll also select the one on the left side then go to the pose menu and in the clear transform select all now press control plus tab to enter the object mode again now select the body first then with the shift key hold it select the shoes hold on Control Plus Tab and select the weight main mode now to transfer the weights go to the weights menu and select transfer weights now in the transfer M data menu to ensure that in the vortex mapping nearest face interpolated is selected then in the ray radius 5 m should be the value and in the source layer selected by name should be the option now in the modifier properties we’ll be adding the our ma modifier and in the object we’ll select the rig let’s also place it above the subdivision surface modifier and now let’s return back to the object mode to check everything let’s the rig press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and now I’ll select one of the foot controls and if I move them then now you can see here that the shoes are also following the same movement and the rotation as the character’s body Also let’s return back to the object mode then I’ll select this pant and in the modify properties let’s turn on the subdivision surface modifiers realtime display let’s also do the same thing for the character shoes and so with this we have now completed the entire rigging of the character’s body in today’s chapter we discussed about some final adjustments that we needed to make in order to make this body of the character ready for rigging and also from the next chapter onwards we’ll be starting a journey of understanding the concept of face rigging in [Music] blender in the previous chapters of this course we first modeled the character’s face and the body along with the hair particles and the clothes then we worked on the character rigging part and created the final rig for our 3D character and so now it’s the time to understand about the concept of face rigging in blender and basically in today’s chapter we’ll be covering the basics of this concept by creating the shape keys for the face rigging and in the end we’ll also add some bones to the face rig so we created this 3D model and if you want to download the blender file with this character’s body along with the rigging then you can join my patreon whose link is added in the description of this video now to begin with the face rigging let’s first return back to the solid mode and we’ll also be clearing all these Transformations that we did in the last chapter of this course so with the rig selected press control plus tab to enter the pose mode then press a to select everything and to clear the transforms go to the pose menu then in the clear transform select all now let’s return back to the object mode and now moving to the topic of face rigging this face rigging is basically done to create the facial expressions for example a happy face or a sad face and similarly the closing and the opening of mouth and to create such facial rigs or the controls we’ll be using the shape Keys feature available in blender and so before beginning with the process of face rigging I would advise you to watch this particular chapter of the shape keys if you want to brush up on the basics of the shape Keys feature so to begin with we’ll first hide all the objects apart from the character’s body and the teeth of character so go to the scene collection and first of all I’ll hide the pants of character let’s also hide the rig the shoes and the T-shirt of character now I’ll select the body and the first type of facial expression that we’ll be creating will be the neutral facial expression so for this let’s first enter the edit mode by pressing tab let’s also go to the front view let’s zoom in and to make the face neutral we need to ensure that the mouth of the character is properly closed so to ensure this press one for the vertex select mode and let’s also turn off the real-time display of the the subdivision surface modifier also to view the geometry in a much better way let’s return back to the object mode and now we’ll be applying the shade flat so right click and select shade flat this will simply remove the effect of shade smooth that you previously applied now tap into the edit mode and with this Loop of vertices selected we’ll scale them down in the z-axis Also let’s slightly scale it down in the x-axis like this let’s again scale it down in the z-axis in order to properly close the character’s mouth now go back to the object mode right click and apply shade smooth again and with this we now have a neutral expression for the character’s face however there are still a few things that we can fix to give the face of character a much more natural look so first of all let’s add a loop cut over here so press control plus r then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement let’s go to the side view let’s also disable the subdivision surface modifier realtime display from here and now we’ll be adjusting the vertices of the face in order to give it a much more natural look let’s do the same from the front view also so I’ll select this vertex and we’ll move it over here in the x-axis like this so you basically need to ensure that there’s enough spacing between each of the vertices and they are placed in a uniform manner let’s again go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad now we select this Vortex over here and we slightly move it in the Y AIS like this let’s do the same for this one also so we’ll move it in the y- axis and yes it’s not mandatory to follow each and everything about what I’m doing in the edit mode because it might be possible that for your character the placement of vertices or the position can be very different from my 3D character so after doing all these things we’ll return back to the object mode Let’s also turn on the realtime display of the subdivision surface modifier and now we’ll be creating a shape key in order to save this neutral facial expression so to do this let’s first go to the object data properties and in the shape Keys click on this plus icon and this will create the basis shape key and this one will be used for the neutral expression now moving ahead we’ll also be creating another facial expression with the mouth of the character open and for this we’ll be creating one more shape key and to change its name double click on the key one and we’ll type open mouth press enter to confirm and now with the shape key selected we have to create the open mouth expression so for this let’s first right click and select shade flat and also we’ll disable the realtime display of the subdivision surface modifier now press tab to enter the edit mode and to create the open mouth expression press three for the face select mode and now we have to select all these faces present at the bottom part of the face now if I press G to move them in the z-axis then the faces will move down however to give them a much more natural look we’ll be using the proportional editing tool so press o to turn on the proportional editing and now if I press G to move these faces down then you will notice that along with these selected faces the other faces on the upper part are also moving and to prevent this from happening click on this option in the proportion editing tool and turn on the connected only this will allow the proportional editing tool to only be applied to those faces connected to the ones that we selected so now if I try to move it in the downward Direction then we are no longer facing the problem of The Unwanted vertices moving in the downward Direction now left click to finalize and with this we have created a basic expression for the opening mouth however to give it a much more natural look we’ll be fixing some vertices or some edges of the character’s face so for this let’s first go to the front view Press Two for the edge select mode and I will be selecting this particular face and we move it up but before that let’s also turn off the proportion editing tool by pressing o and now I’ll move it up in the z- axis in this way we’ll be making the structure or basically the geometry of the character’s face a much more natural and a better look let’s also do the same thing from the side view so I’ll select this Edge and we’ll move it over here similarly I’ll select this one press G to move it and place it over here so it will depend upon your model that what changes you need to make in order to give it a natural looking expression now let’s change the angle and after all this the character space and the expressions are almost looking perfect so let’s finalize this and also if you want that the opening of the mouth should be more wider then for this select this Edge Loop and simply scale it up in the z-axis you can also do the same thing with the proportional editing tool turned on so after pressing o if I try to scale it up in the z-axis then the vertices or the edges around the selected ones will also show the movement now we’ll finalize this by left clicking and let’s now return back to the object mode also we’ll turn turn on the realtime display of the subdivision surface modifier and also apply the shade smooth and now to view the result I’ll go to the object data properties and with the open mouth shape key selected if I try to increase the value from 0 to 1 then you will notice that the mouth of the character will begin to open now moving ahead let’s also adjust the teeth of the character according to this open mouth so for this select the teeth then in the object data properties we’ll create a basis shape key which will carry the information about the original placement of the teeth then we’ll create a new shape key and we change its name to open teeth now tab into the edit mode Let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad first deselect everything and now we’ll be selecting the lower teeth and for this I’ll place my cursor over them then press L and we’ll now move them in the downward Direction so first of all turn off the proportion editing tool by pressing O then press G and z and move them down in the Z axis now left click to finalize and now if I go to the object mode again and with the open teeth selected if I try to increase this value then you will notice that we are able to move the lower teeth of the character with the help of shape keys and now moving ahead we’ll be creating another shape key which will show the mouth being expanded in the outward direction or basically the x- AIS so to do this I’ll first change the value in the open teeth shape key to zero then I’ll select the character’s body and we’ll also change the open mouth value back to zero now let’s create another shape key so click on this plus icon and we’ll rename it to out mouth Now to create the expression first right click and select shade flat now tab into the edit mode now press one for the vertex select mode and it’s also disabled the real-time display of the subdivision surface modifier now we have to select the entire vertex loop around the mouth of the character so with the ALT key holded select this entire vertex Loop and to create the expression of the mouth expanding in the outward Direction we’ll scale this up in the x- axis but let’s also turn on the proportional editing tool by pressing o and now press s and x and scale it up like this now once the scaling is done left click to finalize and now to view how the expression looks let’s return back to the object mode go to the object data properties and increase the value with the out mouth shape key selected so if I increase it you will notice that the mouth of the character is expanded in the outward direction or basically the x-axis in fact if you want you can see more than one expression at a time and to do this over here in the out mouth we have entered a value of one similarly if I select the open mouth also and enter the value equal to 1 then now you will notice that we are able to see both the Expressions the mouth is expanded in the outward Direction and also the mouth is showing the opened expression similarly if I select the teeth also and in the open teeth if I enter the value equal to 1 then now we are able to see the effect of all the three shape Keys together applied to our character moving ahead if I zoom in you will notice that because of scaling up these vertices around the character’s mouth we are able to see these edges of the inner part of the mouth that we created while modeling the character you can also check this by going to the x-ray mode and to view everything in a much better way click here and turn on the wireframe display in the geometry category and now you can see here that this particular part of the mouth which we modeled as the interior of the mouth is being visible on scaling up the vertices around the character’s mouth in the x-axis so to solve this problem I’ll first select the out mouth shape key and and tap to enter the edit mode now I’ll deselect everything and with my cursor over this interior part of the mouth I will press L and this will select all the vertices which are present in the mouth interior now we’ll scale it up in the xaxis like this and left click to finalize let’s return back to the object mode and now you will notice that if I try to reduce this value in the out mouth shape key to zero then not only the expression is changing but also the scaling of the mouth interior part is also changing now moving ahead we’ll now be creating an expression where all these vertices around the character’s mouth will move in the in Direction so for this let’s create one more shape key and we’ll rename it to in mouth now before creating the expression let’s first reduce the value of all the other shape keys so for the out mouth I’ll enter zero as the value similarly I’ll select the teeth then in the shape keys with the open teeth selected I’ll change the value to zero and in the end I will select the open mouth shape key and will reduce its value down to zero Now to create the expression of the in mouth I will select the shape key now tab into the edit mode now first deselect everything and with the ALT key hold it we’ll be selecting this vertex Loop around the character’s mouth now let’s scale it down in the x-axis like this and left click to find lights now let’s return back to the object mode and with the in mouth shape key selected if I try to increase the value from here you will notice that this expression is created where the vertices around the mouth of the character are moving in the inward Direction now moving ahead we’ll be creating one more facial expression which will be the happy face expression so for this let’s first reduce the value of the in mouth shape key to zero and we’ll be creating a new shape key let’s rename it to happy mouth and press enter to confirm now in this EX impression we’ll be creating a simple smile on the character’s mouth so for this press tab to enter the edit mode first deselect everything and now I’ll select this particular Vortex surrounding the mouth and present at the ending part now with the proportion editing tool turned on we move it up like this and left click to find lights to make it look better let’s turn off the proportional editing tool and now I’ll select some random vertices and move them up in the z-axis so let’s do the same thing with all of these vertices surrounding the mouth and in this way we’ll be giving the face or basically the expression a much more natural look now I’ll select these four vertices and we’ll move them in the downward Direction like this so you basically need to ensure that the placement of all these vertices is uniformly distributed from the ones which are surrounding them and once all this is done the expression will be finalized and if you want you can even try to change the Angles and try to move some vertices in a particular direction to give the face a uniform and natural look now let’s return back to the object mode Let’s also go to the front view and now with the happy mouth shape key selected if I try to increase the value from here you will notice that we are having an expression which shows a simple smiling face on the character’s mouth and now moving ahead we’ll be creating one last expression for the character which will be the sad mouth so for this let’s first reduce the value in the happy mouth back to zero and we’ll be creating a new shape key so let’s rename it to sad mouth and press enter to confirm now tab into the edit mode and now with this Vortex selected around the character’s mouth we’ll first turn on the proportion editing tool and we’ll move them down in the z-axis now left click to finalize and we again need to fix the positions of the different vertices so we’ll fix all of them in order to give the character’s face a natural look so let’s turn off the propor P editing tool then I’ll select this Vortex and we move it ahead in the y- axis similarly I’ll select this one also and we’ll move it forward in the y- axis like this now let’s select this one and move it like this and so in this way we’ll be modifying the positions of the different vertices around the character space in order to give it a natural appearance let’s fix this one also and once all this is done the characters Expressions will be finalized now let’s return back to the object mode and to test the expression I’ll go to the object data properties and with the sad mouth shape key selected I’ll try to increase the value and finally this is how the sad expression is looking in fact we can even go to the modifier properties and turn on the real-time display of the subdivision surface modifier to see the expressions in a much better way let’s also turn off the wireframe display by using this menu let’s also apply the shade smooth and so with this we can now test all the Expressions individually as well as by combining them together simply by selecting each one and increasing its value one by one for example right now I have entered the value of one for two shape Keys one of them is the out mouth and the other is the happy mouth and as a result the expression that we see on the character’s face is having the mouth expanded in the outward Direction and along with it there’s also a smile on the character’s face because of the happy mouth shape key now once we have created all the shape keys for the facial expressions we’ll begin the Journey of rigging the parts of the face so that we can use these expressions in the character animation so for this we basically need to create the bones for the character’s face that we’ll use for the face rigging and also to create the controls that will easily allow us to change the character’s Expressions so for this go to the scene collection and first we’ll unhide the rig that we created for the character now I’ll select the rig and to create the bones for the face press tab to enter the edit mode but before that in the object data properties of the character’s rig we have to select the face bone collections so that whatever bones we add in the edit mode now will be categorized in the face bone collections also to view all the bones that we add let’s unhide the face collections by clicking on this icon and now to create a new bone the shortcut is to press shift plus a by doing this a new bone will get created at the position of the 3D cursor now we’ll be using this bone for the character his mouth so for this I’ll first select it then go to the side view press G to move it and place it over here now let’s change the angle let’s also zoom in and we’ll scale it down like this and place it near the mouth of the character let’s move it slightly more upwards and we’ll also scale it down like this now moving ahead we need to create another bone which will control the opening of the mouth so for this press shift plus d to create a duplicate of this bone and we’ll move it in the downward Direction so we’ll place it over here let’s also scale it up further and so we’ll be using this particular bone for controlling the downward movement of the face also so we need to create one more bone for controlling the movement of the teeth so with this bone selected press shift plus d to create a duplicate right click to cancel the movement and we’ll scale it down like this so that we can view both the bones placed at the same position now moving ahead we’ll also be creating the bones to control the movement of the character’s eyes so for this with one of the bones selected we’ll create a duplicate by pressing shift plus b and we’ll place it somewhere near the eyes of the character to bring them forward in the Y AIS let’s go to the side view now press G and Y and move it forward like this let’s again go to the front view so you basically need to ensure that the base of the bone is aligning with the center of the eye similarly let’s create one more duplicate by pressing shift plus b and we’ll place it in front of the eyebrows because we’ll be using them in order to rig and animate the character’s eyebrows so in this case also you have to ensure that the base or basically the tail of the bone is somewhere near the middle of the eyebrow Now to create the bones for the other side of the eyes and the eyebrows also we’ll first select both the bones together by holding the shift button and we’ll create the duplicates by pressing shift plus b now right click to cancel the movement and to place them accurately at the same position of the ice on the other side also we’ll be using the mirroring tool so for this first we’ll change the transform P point to the 3D cursor now go to Armature and in the mirror select X Global and now you will notice that the two duplicate bones will accurately get placed on the other side now moving ahead one last thing to notice here is that if I select any particular bone and go to the object data properties then you can see here that the name of this bone is not defining its function similarly this is true for all the other bones as well so to fix this problem I’ll first s this bone and we change its name from bone to bone do mouth similarly I’ll select this bone and we change its name from bone. 001 to bone. mouth. open because we’ll be using this bone to open and close the character’s mouth to create the Expressions similarly I’ll select the small bone and since it will be controlling the movement of the teeth so we’ll change this from bone. 002 to bone. teeth. openen similarly for this left eye we’ll rename this to Bone do I do L similarly for the right eye we’ll rename the bone to bone do I do R now let’s do the same thing with the eyebrows also so for this left eyebrow we’ll rename it to Bone do eybrow DOL and in the end I will select this right eyebrow and we rename it to bone. eyebrow. R now moving ahead we need to parent all these bones to that bone which is present inside the character’s head so to do this let’s first deselect everything now press alt plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and we first need to select only those bones which we have created for the character pH so we’ll select all of them and then in the end with the shift key holded we’ll be selected this particular bone present inside the character’s head now to parent all these bones to the Head bone go to the Armature menu then in the parent select make and in this menu select keep offset and by doing this if we now enter the pose mode and select only the head control and try to rotate the head by first changing the transform Pivot Point back to individual origin and then press R to rotate it then you will notice that all these face bones that we just created are following its movement and this is because we parented these face bones to the headbone of the character and so with this we now AR to the end of this chapter today we created various facial expressions with the help of shape keys and then we also created the face bones on which we’ll be working in the upcoming chapters of this course for the purpose of rigging an [Music] animation in the previous chapter we begin with the understanding of the basic concepts of face riging for a 3D character there we created the facial expressions for the character and we also created some bones for the face rigging and in this particular chapter we’ll be moving a step ahead as we’ll learn about using a custom shape in place of the bones and we’ll also be adding some bone constraints in order to restrict the transformation and the rotation of the bones so we have created this 3D model of the character and we have also created the final rig for the character and some facial expressions also and if you want to download the blender file with the 3D model of this character with the rigging then you can join the patreon of this channel by clicking on the link given in the description of this video now to continue with the face rigging we’ll switch to the solid mode and in the last chapter we created these seven facial bones and in this particular chapter we’ll be learning about replacing these bones with a custom shape so to create a custom shape First Press shift plus a go to curve and add Circle let’s zoom out and here we have the bzier circle added in our scene now to change its shape tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and to give it a square or a rectangular shape we’ll first scale it down in the x- axis and then we’ll scale it up in the Y AIS if you want you can try to change the scale values in the different axis in order to give the shape of this curve a different look now let’s return back to the object mode and we’ll Now work on replacing these facial bones with this B a circle that we have just added so to do this first of all select the rig now press contrl plus tab to enter the pose mode and we need to select that particular bone that we want to replace with the bzier circle so first of all I will select this particular bone which is for the left eyebrow then I’ll open the bone properties and in the viewport display here we have the option to select a custom object in this I’ll be selecting the bzier circle and after this you will notice that the bone is now replaced with the bzier circle in fact you can even change the location or the scaling of this shape in different axis by using these settings also one more thing to consider here is that the XY and the z-axis in the custom shape settings is based on the local axis of the original Basia curve you can also understand it in this way that the rotation of the original Basia curve and the one that replaces the bone is not the same we can clearly see that the one which replaces the bone is rotated by an angle of 90° now moving ahead we’ll go to the front view and we’ll be changing the scaling of this custom shape so go to the scaling in the y- axis and we’ll reduce it to something like 0.7 and with this we are having a perfect custom shape in in place of the bone also it completely depends upon you that which particular shape you want to add in place of the bones we are doing this procedure of replacing the bones with the shapes so that we can easily use the controls of the face rigging moving ahead we’ll do the same procedure with the other bones also so I’ll select this one which is for the right eyebrow then in the bone properties go to custom object and we’ll select the bzier curve let’s change the scaling in the Y AIS to 0.7 or maybe let’s reduce it to something like 0.4 or 0.5 let’s do the same for this one also so we’ll reduce the scaling in the Y AIS to 0.4 and now it looks perfect moving ahead I will select this bone for the right eye and in the custom object I’ll again select the Basia Circle let’s scale it down in the X and Y axis to something like 0.7 let’s also move it slightly upwards so in the translation of the y axis I’ll enter a value of 0.01 M now let’s repeat the same step for this particular bone also so I’ll go to the custom object select the basier curve then in the scaling I will enter 0.7 in both the X and the Y AIS then for the translation we’ll be entering 0 0.01 in the Y AIS similarly let’s also add the custom shapes for the mouth bone so I’ll select this particular bone go to custom object and select the bzier circle now first of all I’ll reduce the scale value in the Y AIS to something like 0.7 let’s also move it slightly upwards so I’ll go to the translation in the Y AIS and keep it to something like 0.05 and now it looks perfect moving ahead I’ll select this particular bone which is for the open mouth then I’ll go to the custom object and select the B Circle let’s reduce the scaling in the y- AIS to somewhere around 0.6 or 0.7 and let’s also Move It Up by going to the translation in the Y AIS and increasing it to something like 0.05 and now we’ll select the last bone on the face which is to control the opening of the teeth now go to the custom object select the bzier circle let’s reduce the scaling in the Y AIS to 0.6 or 0.7 and we’ll also Move It Up by going to the translation in the y- axis and changing it to somewhere around 0.05 M and with this we have successfully created the custom shapes in place of the facial bones now moving ahead if if I select any particular control for the face for example this left I and press G to move it then you will notice that we are able to freely move it in any direction and by any value similarly we can also scale It Up by pressing s or scale it down to any extent however for a proper face diing it is mandatory to set a restriction on the values within which all these facial controls will transform rotate and scale and for this particular purpose we’ll be using the bone constraints so for this I’ll first select this control which is for the mouth of the character and and to add a bone constraint to restrict its movement first we’ll open the bone constraints Properties by clicking on this icon then go to the add menu and since we want to control or basically restrict the movement of the control or the bone so we’ll be adding the limit location constraint so we’ll select it from here and yes if you want to understand about all the important constraints in complete detail then you can watch these three chapters where we understood about the constraints in blender now coming back to our scene if I go to the Limit location constraint and turn on all these options in the minimum and the maximum values then you notice that the control will suddenly disappear from the scene and this is because currently blender has selected the world Space by default meaning that it will only consider the world axis and not the local axis of the control meaning that the location of that control is now restricted to these values which is zero in all the three axes for the minimum range and similarly 0 m for all the three axes in the maximum also in simple words the object’s location is now constrained to only one specific location which is 0 m in all the three Axis or basically the world origin where we also have the 3D cursor like over here you can see that at the center of the world we are having this control for the mouth placed over here because of adding the limit location constraint in fact if I try to move it by pressing G then you will notice that nothing will happen but suppose I want that instead of considering the world origin it should rather consider the local axis of the control so to do this go to the owner option in the limit location constraint and change this from the world space to the local space and now you will notice that the mouth control is again placed at its default location and since we have selected the local space then now it will consider the local axis of the control and not the global axis and to see those axess in the 3D view Port first of all in the transform orientations select local and in this tool menu we’ll turn on the Move control and now over here you can see that the local xaxis for this control is in this direction which is also aligning with the global x-axis however the local y AIS of the control is in the upward Direction which for the global axis means the positive Z axis but as I told you earlier we have selected the local space in the limit location constraint and as a result we’ll only be considering the local axis of the control so right now if I try to move this control then you will notice that the location of the control is not changing however if I go to the maximum x value and increase it to 0.1 M and then if I try to move it by pressing G then you will notice that we are able to move it but only up to a small distance and that to only in the x- axis now if you want that we should also be able to move it up and down then for this we’ll go to the maximum bu value and change it to a very small small number like 0.1 M only and now if I try to move it in the upward Direction then you will notice that it is now moving both in the x axis and also in the y axis similarly if you want to move the control in the negative axis also then for this we’ll go to the minimum X and Y values and change them to minus 0.1 M and now if I try to move the control by pressing G then you will notice that the control is now moving in the positive axis and also the negative axis also it’s not mandatory that you have to assign exactly these values in the limit location con constraint if you want you can change the values depending upon the size of the controls so for now I’ll be entering the value in the x-axis to minor 0.15 for the minimum and positive 0.15 in the maximum now moving ahead let’s reset the position of this control so for this go to the pose menu then in the clear transform select all now the next control that I’ll select is this one which we have added to control the opening and the closing of the Mouse as a result we need to apply the limit location constraint to restrict the movement of this constraint only in the downward Direction so for this in the bone constraint properties click on ADD bone constraint and select the limit location now in the owner select the local space and we’ll also turn on all these options for the minimum and the maximum values in all the three axes also it’s advisable to turn on the effect transform in the limit location constraint for all the controls so in the last one also we’ll turn on the effect transform and now coming back to this control which we have to move only in the downward direction we simply need to set the minimum value in the local y AIS to something around 0.1 M and now if I try to move this control by pressing G then you will notice that it is only moving in the downward Direction and yes the reason why we are seeing a lag in the performance is that I have not hided the characters here in the scene so I’ll go to the object mode first then I’ll select the character’s body and in the particle properties I’ll turn off the realtime display of the particle system now select the rig again press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and now if I try to move the control then now there will be no lag moving ahead the next control on which we’ll apply the bone constraint will be this one which is for controlling the movement of the T teeth of character and just like the control for the movement of the mouth we need to restrict the movement of this control also only in the downward direction or the negative Y axis so for this with this control selected I’ll hold the shift button and select the control which is for the mouth opening and closing then to apply the same bone constraint go to the Bone constraint properties and in the limit location constraint click on this icon and click on copy to selected now if I deselect everything and select only the control for the teeth then this limit location constraint is now added to this control meaning that if I press G to move it then location will get restricted only to the negative y AIS for the downward movement now moving ahead if I select any of the controls and press s to scale it down or R to rotate it then you will notice that we can easily change the rotation or the scaling of any of the controls and to avoid any mistakes due to Accidental rotating or scaling we’ll be locking the rotation and scale of all these controls so to do this first press n to open the side toolbar and in the item category we have the option to control the rotation and the scaling and to restrict the rotation and the scaling we simply need to click on these lock button along these values and now if I try to rotate or scale the control you will notice that we are not able to do it let’s do the same with the other controls also so I’ll select this one and I’ll click on the locks in the rotation and scaling values similarly for this one also click on the lock buttons for the rotation and the scaling values and now moving ahead we’ll be working on the controls for the eyes and the eyebrows of the character so first of all I have selected the left eye of the character and in this particular case we need to limit the rotation of the ey to understand this concept in more detail I’ll go to the object mode then with the body body of the character selected press tab to enter the edit mode Let’s also open the material preview mode and now with everything deselected if I keep my cursor over the left eye of the character and press L to select it and try to rotate it in the x-axis then you will notice that the eyes are rotating properly in the x-axis similarly if I try to rotate it in the z- axis then the rotation looks like this and also while rotating you can see on the top left corner that it shows the specific value of rotation so for the rotation of the ice we’ll be limiting it to a value of 45° in all the three axis so let’s set R back to the object mode then go to the solid mode also and with the ri selected press control+ tab to enter the pose mode now with this control selected for the left ey go to the Bone constraint properties click on ADD bone constraint and in this case we’ll be selecting the limit rotation constraint now in the owner select the local space and we’ll turn on the limit X limit Y and the limit Z let’s also turn on the effect transform and to set the values I’ll first go to the Limit X and enter – 45° for the minimum value then in the maximum I enter positive 45° and we repeat the same same step for the remaining axis so let’s enter 45 here then in the z-axis minimum will be – 45 and maximum will be postive 45° how to apply the same bone constraint to the right eye also then for this first I’ll select the right eye then with the shift key hold it select the left eye on which we already used the limit rotation constraint now click on this icon and click on copy to select it and with this we have now applied the limit rotation constraint to both the I controls moving ahead we’ll now select the left eybrow and for this one we’ll be using both the limit location and the limit rotation constraint so with this control selected go to the Bone constraint properties click on ADD bone constraint and first I’ll be selecting the limit location then in the owner select the local space and we’ll turn on all these options now in the minimum X and the Y I will enter a value of somewhere aroundus 0.05 M and in the maximum for the X and Y AIS we’ll be entering a value of somewhere near positive 0.05 M and now if I go to the 3D viewport and press G to move it then you can see here that the movement of the eyebrow is now constrained similarly let’s also app the constraint for the rotation of this eyebow control because if I try to rotate it in the x-axis then it will rotate like this however in this particular case we want the rotation to only exist in the local Z axis so for this click on ADD bone constraint and we’ll be selecting the limit rotation then we’ll first enable the limit for all the three axis and in the owner select the local space Also turn on the effect transform and now to set the values I’ll go to the limitation in the z-axis and change the minimum to -30° and the maximum to postive 30° and now if I press R to rotate the constraint then you will notice that the rotation of the control is now restricted similarly to apply the same constraint for this control also for the right eyebrow I’ll first select this then with the shift key holded select the control for the left eybrow and first of all in the limit location click on copy to select it and then in the limit rotation again click on the copy to select it and with this the same constraint is now applied to the right eyebrow also and so with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we learned about the creation of some custom shapes for the rigging bones and we also added the bone constraints to limit their location and the rotation and in the next chapter we’ll be finishing with the face rigging since we’ll be creating the drivers for the face [Music] controls we started with the modeling of a 3D character in blender from the chapter number 70 of this course where we model the body of character the hair particles the clothes of character and finally we even understood about the concepts of character rigging and then in the last two chapters we also started to understand the facial rigging in blender and in today’s chapter we’ll be finalizing the complete facial rig since we’ll be first creating some drivers for a better application of face rigging and then we’ll also be learning about connecting the mouth and the eyes to the facial rig so we have modeled this character and if you want to download the blender file containing this 3D rigged character then you can join the patreon of this channel by using the link given in the description and now to begin with let’s first go to the solid mode and we’ll also hide the characters Hair by disabling the real-time display of this particle system now the first thing that we’re going to do today is to connect these spatial rigs to the shape keys that we created for the characters body so for this first of all we need to ensure that the value of all the shape keys that we created for the mouth Expressions is set to zero and yes since we’ll be working on the creation of drivers for these shape Keys it is suggested to watch this particular chapter in order to understand the fundamentals of drivers now returning back to our scene we’ll first select the open mouth shape key with the characters body selected now I’ll take my cursor over this value option and if I write click then here we have the option to add the driver so I click on this and this menu will appear where we have to select the rig and the bone by using this object settings so I’ll click on this object and from the list we’ll first select the rig and then from the bone option we need to select that particular bone or the control which will move the mouth of the character up and down so for this click on the bone option and we’ll start typing bone and this list will appear from which we’ll be selecting the bone do mouth. open which we created in the character rig now since its motion will be up and down so in the space we’ll be selecting local space and as we discussed in the last chapter the up and down movement in terms of the local space was in the Y AIS so in the type I’ll select the Y location and once everything is finalized I simply need to take my cursor away from this menu and it will disappear also it might be possible that by mistake also you might accidentally take your cursor away causing the removal of the driver menu and if that happens you simply need to right click on this value again and go to edit driver and then you will be able to make any changes in the driver settings now in the 3D view Port if I select the character’s rig and go to the pose mode by pressing control+ tab then select this control with the name bone. mouse. open and try to move it in the local y AIS by pressing G then you will notice that nothing is happening right now also do ensure that in the transform orientation the local is selected and not the global now the reason why we are not able to see any changes in the opening and the closing of mouth is that we have to move this control in the downward Direction however if I return back to the object mode and select the character’s body again then in the open mouth shape key if I right click over here and go to edit driver then the expression in the driver which is variable plus 0 is positive by default and to make it netive negative we
simply need to add a minus sign before the variable in the expression with this I’ll press enter to confirm and we’ll again select the rig then press contr plus tab to go to the pose mode and with this control selected if I try to move it in the downward Direction then you will notice that we are able to see some slight movement in the upward and the downward direction of the character’s mouth but to increase this effect we’ll again return back to the object mode select the character’s body then go to the edit driver for the open moue shape key and in the expression we’ll change this from minus variable plus 0 to negative of variable multip light by 10 now press enter to confirm then select the character’s rig press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and with the control selected I’ll move it down in the downward Direction by pressing G and Y and you can now notice that we are able to use this particular control for the opening and the closing of mouth now moving ahead we’ll be using the same driver for this control which is named as bone do teeth. openen which is for controlling the upward and the downward movement of the teeth so for this we’ll again return back to the object mode then I’ll select the character’s body and to copy this driver simply right click over here and click on copy driver now to select the character’s teeth we’ll first enable the x-ray mode by pressing all plus Z then select the teeth from here and guess another way to do this is to go to the seam collection then in the rig object you can select the te from here now to use the same driver for the open te shape key also simply right click over here and select paste driver now to edit the driver in order to connect this shape key with the particular control that we created for the teeth simply right click over here then go to the edit driver and in the bone I’ll type bone Dot and select this bone. T do open now to see the effect I’ll select the rig then go to the pose mode by pressing Control Plus Tab and I’ll first select this control which is for the opening of mouth and we’ll first move it in the downward Direction then I’ll select the control for the character’s teeth and if I move it down in the downward Direction then you will notice that by moving the controls the character’s teeth are also moving now moving ahead we’ll now be adding a driver for this control which is named as bone do mouth so let’s go to the object mode again select the character’s body and in the shape ke we’ll be selecting the out mouth now right click here and click on ADD driver then in the object select the rig and and in the bone we’ll type bone and select this bone do mouth now in the type we’ll keep the X location selected but in the space we’ll be selecting the local space Also to increase the effect I’ll change the expression value from variable plus 0 to variable multiplied by 10 now to see the effect I’ll select the characters rig then press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and with this control selected if I try to move it in the x-axis then now we are able to use the Expression showing the output movement of the mouth by using the shape Keys now just like the out mouth shape key we’ll be repeating the same procedure for the in mouth shape key also so for this let’s again go to the object mode select the characters body then in the shape Keys we’ll first copy the driver that we created for the out mouth so right click here and select copy driver and to paste this I’ll select the in mouth shape key then right click and select paste driver and also since it will be for the inward movement of the mouth as a result we need to change the expression value from positive to negative so go to the edit driver from here then the expression we’ll be adding a minus sign before the variable multiplied by 10 now select the characters rig again press control plus Tab and and with this control selected if I move it in the negative x-axis then now we are able to see the inward movement of the mouth so by moving it in the negative x-axis it shows the in mouth effect and then moving it towards the positive x-axis it will show the out mouth effect now moving ahead let’s also create the drivers for the remaining two shape Keys which are for the happy mouth and the sad mouth so for this with the previous driver copied I’ll go to the Happy mouth then right click here and select paste driver then to edit the properties right click and select edit driver and we just need to change the type from the X location to the Y location this is because we’ll be moving this particular control in the upward direction or basically the local y AIS to see the effect of the happy mouth shape key similarly I’ll select the sad mouth then right click and select paste driver and to edit the properties I’ll go to the edit driver and first of all I’ll change the type to Y location and in this particular case we’ll be moving the control in the downward Direction and as a result I’ll change the value of expression by adding a minus sign in front of the variable now to see the effect select the rig again then press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and with this control selected if I try to move it in the upward Direction by pressing G and Y then we are able to see the smiling mouth and if I move it in the downward Direction then we able to see the sad mouth so in this way we have connected all the shape keys to the different controls that we created for the mouth and the teeth of character and now moving ahead we’ll be connecting the eyes and the eyebrows of the character to these controls that we created in the character’s rig however while being in the edit mode if I select this control which is for the head of character and try to rotate it then you will notice that by default the movement of the eyes and the eyebrows is being controlled by this rig control which is named as the head also this particular control is because of this bone inside the character’s head which is named as DF spine. 006 so first we need to remove the influence of this particular bone from the eyes and the eyebrows and to do this let’s first go to the object mode select the character’s body press tab to enter the edit mode and do ensure that everything is deselected now to select the eyebrows and the eyes of character I’ll take my cursor first over this eye and press L to select it similarly let’s do the same thing for the eyebrow and for the other side also now with both the eyes and the eyebrows selected go to the object data properties and in the vortex group do ensure that this de spine. 006 is selected now to remove the eyes and the eyebrows from this vertex group simply click on the remove button and now we need to create individual vertex group for both the eyes and the eyebrows so first of all deselect everything then we’ll be selecting the left eye first and to create a Vertex group click on this plus icon now we’ll change its name by double clicking here and we’ll rename it to I DOL press enter to confirm and to assign these vert to this vertex group click on the assign button now we’ll do the same thing with the right eye also so with my cursor over it I will press L to select it then go to the vertex group click on the plus icon and rename it to i. R press enter to confirm and click on the assign button let’s repeat the same procedure for the eyebrows also so with my cursor over the eyebrow I will press L go to the vertex groups create a new one and we rename it to ibrow DOL now press enter to confirm and click on the assign button at last I’ll select this eybrow by keeping the cursor over it then press L and we’ll again create a new vertex group and we’ll rename it to io. R click on the assign button now we need to ensure that the name of these vertex groups should exactly be the same as the name of these individual controls and to see their name you simply need to select one of them and then over here the name of the control will be displayed so this selected one is named as bone. i.l similarly this one is named as bone. i.r and the I also are named as bone. i.l and bone. i.r for the right I so to rename the vertex groups let’s again go to the object mode select the characters body then in the vertex groups simply double click to rename and I’ll be adding the word bone dot before each of these four vertex groups so we are done with the first one now select this one let’s rename it and I’ll be adding bone dot before ibrow DOL similarly for this one also I will type bone Dot and press enter to confirm then in the end I’ll select the vertex group for the left eye and we’ll add bone dots before its name and now to see the effect I’ll select the character’s rig press control plus tab to go to the pose mode and with any of these controls selected for the eyes or the eyebrows if I press R to rotate it then you will notice that the same changes are being applied to the respective objects also by using these controls you can create different types of expressions for the character’s face and so with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we understood about adding the drivers for the shape keys and then we also connected these four controls to the eyes and the eyebrows of the [Music] character in the previous 10 chapters we learned to model the character’s body its hair particles the clothes of the character and then we also learned about all the concepts related to character rigging in blender then later on we discussed about the face rigging tools and in this particular chapter we’ll understand about creating character animations since we’ll be making an animation sequence where the character will be doing some pull-ups and then in the end we’ll also be rendering it in order to create a final animation so we created this character and if you want to download the file containing this character then you can join the patreon of this channel from the link available in the description of this video and now to begin with the animation we’ll first go to the solid mode and also let’s hide the meta rig from the scene collection and we’ll Al be hiding the characters hair particles in the 3D view Port so I’ll select the characters body then in the particle system turn off the realtime display of this hair particle system now to create any kind of character animation we first have to select the character’s rig and go to the pose mode by pressing control+ tab then suppose I want to create an animation showing the arm and the Hand of character moving in the downward Direction then for this first St deselect everything then we have to select this particular control which is red in color and has the name hand i.l now to save this position of this control at the frame number one we simply need to press the I key so if I press I you will notice that a key frame has been inserted at the frame number one now I’ll take the pointer to somewhere near frame number 60 then go to the 3D view port and to move it down we’ll first change the transform orientations to Global then in 3D view Port press gz and move it down like this and with this we have moved the character’s hand and the arm in the downward Direction now to save this position for the frame number 60 simply press the I key to insert the key frame and now if I take my pointer to the frame number one and press the space bar then you will notice that we have a simple animation created showing the downward movement of the hand now moving ahead we’ll be understanding about the character animation in complete detail by creating a simple animation sequence showing the character doing some Pull-Ups so for this let’s first clear the transform for the selected control so go to the pose menu then in the clear transform select all also go to the timeline editor press a to select all the key frames and press X to delete them and select delete key frames now first of all we’ll return back to the object mode and we’ll be adding a cylindrical rod in the scene which the character will be holding while doing the pullup so for this press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder now tab into the edit mode press a to select everything and we’ll rotate it in the y axis by 90° now let’s scale it down like this and then we’ll scale it up in the x-axis and once we have done the scaling of this Rod we’ll return back to the object mode and to place it properly let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad Press G to move it and place it over here we’ll be placing it somewhere near the tip of the character’s head on the front side now to begin with creating the animation we’ll select the character’s rig then press control plus tab to enter the pose mode and we’ll also take the pointer back to the frame number one now the first thing that we’ll be doing in order to create the animation of the character doing the pull-ups will be to animate the lower body of the character with the help of the foot controls and to ensure that whatever changes I’ll make on the left side also get applied to the right we simply need to turn on the mirroring effect in the x- axis by clicking on this icon now press one on the numpad to go to the front view and with the foot control selected we’ll move it up like this and yes our main objective is to create an animation where initially at the frame number one the character’s body body will be in the default position then at somewhere around frame number 40 the character’s legs and the arm will move in the upward Direction and the fingers of the character’s hand will be holding this rod and then from the frame number 40 the character’s body will move in the up and down position in order to show the pull-up animation by the character’s body but for now returning back to the feet we’ll go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and we’ll move them in the y axis like this let’s also rotate them properly and you can adjust the character’s feet in any way depending upon the character’s body and your personal preference now once we have finalized the position of the feed controls or basically the lower body of the character we need to insert the key frames in the timeline editor so for this I’ll keep the pointer with the frame number 40 and now we need to select both of these controls together meaning the control for the left and also the one for the right foot so to do this with the left one selected hold on the shift button and we’ll select the right foot control now press I to insert a key frame at the flame number 40 however if I try to move my pointer in the timeline editor then you will see that the legs are not moving in the upward Direction and this is because we need to insert a key frame at the frame number one showing the default position of the character’s lower body so I’ll take the pointer to the frame number one and to get the default position with both of these controls selected I’ll go to the pose menu then in the clear transform select all now press I to insert a key frame and with this if I press the space bar to play the animation then now you will see that the feet of the character will begin to move similarly let’s also animate the arms and the hands of character and for this we have to select the hand controls which will be used for moving the character’s hands and the arms so first of all we’ll insert a key frame at the frame number one for the default position of both the hand controls so with the left one selected I’ll hold the shift button to select the right hand control and with both of them selected press I to insert a key frame now I’ll take the pointer to the frame number 40 and now it’s the time to move the character’s hands in the upward Direction so let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and with both the controls selected I will press G to move the hands and the arms like this and we have to keep it in such a way that the character’s hands are located on the top of this Rod now let’s go to the side by pressing three on the numpad and let’s also move the hands slightly forward in the Y AIS like this now to insert a key frame with both the controls selected for the hands press the I key and now you will notice that as I Chang the frames in the timeline editor we have a simple animation created showing the upward movement of both the legs and the feet and also the character’s arms and the hands now moving ahead we’ll also create the animation showing the rotation of the character’s hands and for this let’s first hide all the other controls in the scene apart from these two hand controls so for this we simply need to press crl + I to invert the selection and this will deselect both the hand controls from the rig and the remaining controls will get selected now press h to hide them and in this way we’ll be having only the hand controls in the scene now with both of them selected I’ll take the pointer to somewhere near frame number 35 and we’ll insert a key frame at this position now I’ll take the pointer to the frame number 45 and to rotate the hands press R and z and rotate it in the z-axis like this after this press the I key to insert a key frame at the frame number 45 so in this way we have created a simple animation in which first the character’s legs and the arms will move up and then the character’s hands will show the rotation also if you want you can select this key frame at the frame number 40 and press X to delete it moving ahead we’ll also be showing the fingers of the character’s hand holding this rod and for this we first need to unhide all the remaining controls so press alt plus h and now we need to select only those particular controls that are available for the character’s fingers so we’ll select all these controls over here by holding the shift button let’s also select it for the left hand and after this press contrl Plus to invert the selection and press h to hide with this we are only having the finger controls in the scene now press a to select everything and at the frame number 45 press I to insert a key frame then I’ll take the pointer to somewhere near the frame number 55 and to create the holding animation by using the finger controls we first need to ensure that in the transform Pivot Point individual Origins is selected after this with all the controls selected press s to scale down and yes in some cases it might be possible that a particular finger would still not show the bending because of incorrect calculation of the bone roll so to solve this problem let’s first unhide all the remaining controls by pressing alt plus h then deselect everything and you can see here that this little finger is not bending properly and as a result I’ll select this control for this little finger which is in the middle and press R to rotate the finger in the x-axis also to insert the key frames for the fingers we have to select all the controls where we made the changes so with this one selected for the little finger we’ll be selecting all the other controls for the remaining fingers that we previously selected so let’s select all of these on the left side also and now press I to insert the key frame at the frame number 55 also if I take the pointer to the frame number 45 then we can see here that all the fingers are showing the default position apart from this little finger and this is because we have not created a separate key frame at the frame number 45 for the specific control that we used for the rotation so for this with the x-ray mode turned on I’ll first deselect everything and then we have to select that particular control which we used for the fingers rotation with this selected I’ll go to the pose menu and clear the transform by selecting all then press the I key to insert the key frame and so with this if I begin to move the pointer forward in the timel editor then you will see that we have created a beautiful animation of the bending fingers now moving ahead the next thing that we’re going to do is to move the character’s body up in the z-axis so for this let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and I’ll keep the pointer to somewhere near frame number 50 now to move the character’s body in the upward Direction we’ll be selecting this torso control now press I to insert a key frame at the default position and we’ll take the pointer to somewhere near frame number 90 now move the control up in the z-axis like this and left click to finalize now press I to insert a key frame and it might be possible that due to excessive increase in height the character’s legs will get stretched up so to solve this problem we’ll be selecting both of these controls for the character’s feet then I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number 40 and we’ll move them up in the z-axis now left click to finalize and press I to insert the key frame again now to view the animation I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar and so with this we have created an animation showing the movement of different body parts of the character also I will be rotating these feet so press R to rotate them like this and left click to finalize now moving ahead the next thing that we’re going to do is to convert this onetime animation into a loop animation and to do this we’ll first select this torso control and with both of these key frames selected we’ll create the duplicates by pressing shift and d and we’ll move them in such a way that the first key frame of the duplicates is exactly 40 frames away from the last animation key frame so basically for the duplicate the first key frame should be at the frame number 130 and the last should be at the frame number 17 and in this way you will notice that the character’s body will continue to show the animation in a complete Loop if you want the animation to further continue then for this we can again create a duplicate by pressing shift plus d and we’ll move them at somewhere near the frame number 210 and the frame number 250 respectively now moving ahead we’ll be making some final adjustments before finally rendering this animation so for this I’ll go to the frame number one and we’ll see the entire animation again from the different angles so I’ll press the space bar and now one thing that I can notice here is that the distance between the character’s body and the rod is too much around those regions where the character’s body goes down and again goes up so to solve this problem I’ll take my pointer to somewhere near the frame number 70 that is around the midpoint of the first pair of key frames then with the Torso selected we’ll also be selecting both the controls for the feet and we’ll move them slightly in the Y AIS now left click to finalize and press I to insert the key frame similarly we also need to use the same key frame in between all the other pairs of key frames that we have created for the loop animation so for this I will left click to select this key frame then press shift plus d to create a duplicate and will place it somewhere near the frame number 110 similarly to repeat the same process again for the remaining pairs I will use the shortcut which is to press shift plus r and this will automatically create a duplicate off the key frame and place it at the same distance away according to the distance of the previous one and now to view the final animation I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and press the space bar and finally we have created this animation where first of all the character’s body will move up then after holding the rod the character will be doing the pull-ups now moving ahead we’ll also be creating a simple animation showing the change of expressions of the character’s face so for this we’ll be selecting this particular control which is named as bone. mouth and with this I’ll first move it down in the z-axis in order to create a slightly sad face then press I to insert the key frame at the frame number one then I’ll take the pointer to somewhere near the frame number 40 and press I to insert another key frame with the same expression then I’ll take the pointer to somewhere near the frame number 70 or frame number 60 and we’ll move the control up in the Z axis to show the smiling face now press I to insert a key frame at this Frame number and in this way we’ll be able to create an animation showing the change of Expressions on the character’s face now after doing all this we can finally render the animation and for this let’s go to the rendered view let’s also turn on the real-time display of the hair particles so for this let’s first come back to the object mode by pressing control and tab then select the character’s body and in the particle settings turn on the real-time display also do ensure that you have turned on the cycle sender engine and right now for a better performance I’ve reduced the maximum samples in the viewport from 10,24 to a value of 32 also to ensure that you have a proper Lighting in the scene you have to open this menu and in the lighting turn on the scene lights and turn off the scene World moving ahead I’ll select this Rod right click and apply shade Auto smooth and to give it some material let’s go to the material properties create new material now to make the rod look like a metal I’ll increase the metallic value to something like 0.8 let’s also change the base color from here and you can choose any color of your choice but for now I will be using the dark green color Also let’s add a plane at the bottom so press shift plus a go to mesh and add a plane press tab to go to the edit mode and we’ll scale it up 10 times now let’s come out of the edit mode and let’s also create a simple background for a scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and add another plane let’s rotate it in the x-axis by 90° also to adjust its position I’ll first go to the solid mode now go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad Press G to move the plane and place it over here let’s scale it up so go to the edit mode press s to scale it up 10 times now come out of the edit mode and to create the material we’ll open the material preview mode now with the plane selected we’ll be creating a new material so go to the material properties click on the new button and in this particular case we’ll be giving some texture to the planes material so for this let’s open the Shader editor so click on this icon and from here select the Shader editor now we’ll be adding the magic texture in the Shader editor so press shift plus a go to texture and select the magic texture let’s place it over here connect the color socket to the base color and now you will begin to notice a simple and a random texture applied to the background to change its appearance we’ll first increase the depth to a value of three or four then we’ll increase the scale value from here and I’ll keep it to somewhere around 14 let’s also increase the Distortion from here and I’ll be keeping it to a value of somewhere close to three to add some colors to it we’ll be using the color ramp node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color RAM and we’ll place it in between the magic texture and the principal will be SDF now for the first color I will be selecting the red color so let’s increase the brightness from here and change this to the red color then for the second pointer let’s move it over here and I’ll change this to light blue color also by changing the position of these pointers you can change the way how the texture looks on the plain background moving ahead if you want to give a 3D appearance to the background that we created then you can use the bump node in the Shader editor so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump we’ll place it over here now take the color socket in the magic texture and connect it to the height in the bump node then for the out put I’ll take the normal socket of the bump node and connect it to the normal in the principal bsdf to see how it looks in the final version we’ll switch to the rendered View and finally this is how the texture is looking if you want you can set the same texture for this plane also by clicking on this icon and from here select that specific material however in this case I’ll be creating a simple material with a dark base color for the plane to be used as the base so I’ve set the color to dark green I’ll also increase the roughness value to somewhere around 0.8 or 0.9 and now it looks perfect so to render it let’s first go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and to adjust it properly we’ll go to the solid mode and to move the camera we’ll click on this lock button which is the lock camera to view now let’s change the angle and the positioning of the camera in order to get a perfect view also if you want you can change the resolution of your camera by going to the output properties and by default this resolution is entered which is 1920 pixels in the X and 1080 pixels in the Y which also gives the camera the landscape resolution however if you want to change this to the vertical or the portrait resolution then you can go to the resolution values and we simply need to Interchange these values so in the X we’ll enter 1080 and in the Y we’ll be entering 1920 now to adjust the camera properly let’s first disable the lock camera to view now zoom out and we’ll again enable the lock camera to view now I’ll zoom out now let’s adjust the camera properly in order to get a perfect rendered video and once all this is done we’ll be finally ready to render the animation so for this we first need to change the file format from PNG to this ffmpeg video format and in this output path you basically need to enter that specific location where the video will be saved so you can click on this folder icon and choose that specific location and after all this is done we’ll go to the render properties and you can set the maximum samples to any value that you like however higher the value of Maximum samples better will be the quality but with that it will also take much more time to render in fact in most of the cases it is suggested to have a value of a maximum of 128 samples for General usage so in this particular case also I’ll be changing this maximum sample value in the render category to 128 and after this we are now ready to to render the final animation so click on this render option and from here select the render animation after this the rendering will start however you can see in the final render that the lighting is not perfect so to solve this problem we’ll cancel the render by clicking on the escape button and I’ll now close this render window now we are back in the scene and to adjust the lights properly I’ll first turn off the lock camera to view and let’s switch to the rendered view now to see that version which we’ll also be seeing when we finally render the animation we’ll click on this icon and from here turn on the scene world now to add some lighting let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and I’ll select this light which is by default added in the scene now press G to move it and place it over here to change its properties let’s go to the object data properties and if you want you can try to increase the power from here and in fact change the color of Light by using this color wheel but for now I will select the default values and after this in the 3D view port with this lamp selected we’ll create its duplicate by pressing shift plus d and we’ll place it in the xaxis like this now I’ll select both of these lights together press shift PR D to create more duplicates and we’ll move them in the Y AIS to see how it looks let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and now the lighting almost looks perfect however we still need to adjust it around the region in between the rod and the face of character also the reason why we are seeing a slower performance is that we have turned on the cycle surrender engine so for now I’ll switch this to the Eevee now I’ll select this lamp go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad let’s zoom out and with this lamp selected press shift plus d to create a duplicate and we’ll place it over here close to the character’s face to adjust it properly let’s go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and let’s move it slightly forward in the Y AIS also to reduce its influence or the power we’ll go to the object data properties and we reduce the power to somewhere around 50 wats and with this we are now having a much better Lighting in the scene and now we are also ready to render the final animation so go to the render properties and change the render engine from EV to Cycles then click on render and select render animation after this lender will take some time to render the entire animation frame by frame and once this is done you can view the final animation by opening that particular folder which you save in the output path and this is the the final rendered video that I created after making a few adjustments and so with this we now arrive to the end of this chapter today we understood about the concepts of character animation by creating this simple scene of the character’s body moving up and down during the pull-ups in fact in the similar way you can also create your own animations with your 3D character just by inserting the key frames for the particular R control [Music]
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This text provides a comprehensive guide to using Blender, a 3D creation suite. It explains core functionalities like object manipulation, editing tools, modifiers, and materials. The text offers step-by-step instructions for tasks like creating and joining objects, using meta shapes, and constructing simple scenes. It also explores advanced features such as geometry nodes, textures, and shaders for intricate design control. Finally, the text emphasizes practical application through example projects, teaching users to build complex models like a Rubik’s Cube, a table scene, a fence, and a Sci-Fi corridor.
Modifier Mastery: A Comprehensive Study Guide
Quiz
What is the primary function of the Mask modifier? The Mask modifier conceals portions of a mesh, either displaying a selected vertex group or hiding it, to limit visible areas.
How does the Mirror modifier create symmetry? The Mirror modifier generates a duplicate of one side of a mesh on the other side along a chosen axis.
Explain why the Multi-Resolution modifier is not covered immediately. The Multi-Resolution modifier requires prior knowledge of sculpting within Blender to be fully understood.
What is the Remesh modifier used for? The Remesh modifier increases vertex count to enable more detailed modeling, and evenly distributes the new vertices across the mesh.
How can the Screw modifier generate spiral shapes? By revolving a profile, usually a curve or an object, around an axis.
What types of structures are best suited for use with the Skin modifier? Stick-like structures, like arrangements of vertices and edges without faces, because it is able to generate a 3D shape from vertices and edges.
How does the Solidify modifier add thickness to an object? The Solidify modifier transforms a thin-walled object into a solid object by adding volume.
What is the purpose of the Subdivision Surface modifier? This modifier subdivides an object’s surface by adding vertices, edges, and faces. It is used to give a smoother, rounded appearance.
Describe the function of the Triangulate modifier. The Triangulate modifier reduces the number of vertices per face to three, mainly used for detailed models before rendering or exporting.
Explain how the Hook modifier allows object manipulation in Object Mode. It allows you to manipulate or animate selected vertices of a mesh while in Object Mode, providing a way to deform the object by moving an associated “empty” object.
Answer Key
The Mask modifier conceals portions of a mesh, either displaying a selected vertex group or hiding it, to limit visible areas.
The Mirror modifier generates a duplicate of one side of a mesh on the other side along a chosen axis.
The Multi-Resolution modifier requires prior knowledge of sculpting within Blender to be fully understood.
The Remesh modifier increases vertex count to enable more detailed modeling, and evenly distributes the new vertices across the mesh.
By revolving a profile, usually a curve or an object, around an axis.
Stick-like structures, like arrangements of vertices and edges without faces, because it is able to generate a 3D shape from vertices and edges.
The Solidify modifier transforms a thin-walled object into a solid object by adding volume.
This modifier subdivides an object’s surface by adding vertices, edges, and faces. It is used to give a smoother, rounded appearance.
The Triangulate modifier reduces the number of vertices per face to three, mainly used for detailed models before rendering or exporting.
It allows you to manipulate or animate selected vertices of a mesh while in Object Mode, providing a way to deform the object by moving an associated “empty” object.
Essay Questions
Discuss the creative applications of the Screw modifier in architectural modeling, providing examples of how it can be used to efficiently generate complex shapes such as staircases, columns, and decorative elements.
Elaborate on the relationship between the Solidify and Subdivision Surface modifiers, detailing how their combined use can refine the appearance of 3D-printed objects by increasing their structural integrity and smoothing out layered surfaces.
Compare and contrast the advantages and limitations of the Remesh modifier and traditional subdivision techniques in terms of vertex distribution, computational cost, and suitability for different types of modeling projects.
Analyze the potential of the Skin modifier in the context of organic modeling, describing how it enables the efficient creation of complex, branching structures such as trees, veins, and abstract organic forms.
Explore the artistic uses of the Displace modifier, explaining how it can be leveraged with procedural textures to generate realistic terrains, abstract art pieces, and detailed surface imperfections on various 3D models.
Glossary
Modifier Stack: A list of modifiers applied to an object, processed sequentially, which can be reordered to change the final result.
Vertex Group: A collection of vertices that can be assigned specific properties or used to control the influence of modifiers.
X-Ray Mode: A display mode that allows you to see through the mesh to select vertices on the opposite side.
Mesh: A collection of vertices, edges, and faces that define the shape of a 3D object.
Boolean Modifier: A modifier that combines meshes using operations like union, difference, or intersection.
Axis Object: Used with the screw modifier to define the origin and orientation of the spiral created.
Bran Smoothing: Controls smoothing of geometry in a model.
Levels Viewport: Sets the degree of subdivisions visible in the 3D viewport.
Levels Render: Sets the degree of subdivisions that will be visible in the final rendering.
Vertex Select Mode: One of Blender’s selection modes that allows you to select individual vertices of a mesh object.
Merge Tool: Merges the vertices together and creates a combined mesh object.
Display Modifier: Used to displace a group of vertices as per a texture.
Noise Modifier: Modifies a curve to add a noise texture to its form.
Lattice Modifier: Lets you easily deform your objects, especially those with a large number of vertices.
Curve to Mesh: Takes a defined curve and converts it into a meshed surface.
Map Range Node: Used to remap a range of values to a new range of values, useful for controlling the intensity and contrast of textures.
Musgrave Texture: Creates detailed and realistic textures with varying levels of detail.
Normal Node: Gives information on the direction of normals.
Align Euler to Vector Node: Aligns the orientation based on the specified directions.
Attribute Node: Allows access to arbitrary attributes.
Map Range Node: Re-maps a range of values to a new range of values.
Subdivision Surface Node: Smooths and refines the model by subdividing the surfaces.
Distribute Points in Volume Node: Distributes points within a defined 3D volume.
Cycles Modifier: Allows an animation to repeat or loop over time.
Non Linear Animation: Allows the manipulation and repurposing of animations without manually adjusting the individual keyframes.
Mesh Line Node: Creates a mesh that looks like a line.
Normal Node: Gives you information about the normals.
Noise Texture: Provides a noise texture for distortions.
Vector Rotate Node: Takes the current vector and gives you the ability to rotate it along various directions.
Shader Editor: Allows you to create and edit materials and shaders.
Material Properties: Gives you the properties of the materials associated with the current mesh.
Points to Volume: Allows you to convert points into a volume.
Vector Math: Allows mathematical operations on vectors.
Emission: Property that allows a volume or surface to emit light.
Principal Volume: Shading node used for volumes.
UV Sphere: Standard sphere shape object, it is a primitive in Blender.
Volume to Mesh: Takes an object defined as a volume, and turns it into a mesh.
Distribute Points on Faces: Used to distribute a mesh over the surface faces.
Instance on Points: Creates copies of a source object on the location of every point.
Join Geometry: Combines multiple geometry streams into a single output.
Scale Elements Node: Can be used to scale the elements in a mesh.
Splits Edge Node: Splits the edges of a mesh and separates each face.
Edge Split Modifier: An alternative to the Splits Edge Node in the Modifier tab.
Extrude Mesh Node: Used to extrude certain faces to form a shape, like an edge or a border.
Compare Node: Used to select which faces to extrude.
Index Node: Generates index number of different faces and vertices.
Vector Math: An operation which changes mathematical value to the position of a different vector.
Voronoi Texture: Creates a cell like structure with random colors and shapes, can simulate structures like crystals.
Blackbody: A physical body that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation, regardless of frequency or angle of incidence.
Wireframe Display: Displays the underlying wireframe skeleton.
Object Info Node: Provides information on the object you selected.
Wanner Texture: To create spots on a surface, can be distorted with a noise texture.
Color Ramp: Used to define color.
Bump Node: Creates a bump (3D effect) on a texture.
Loop Cut: Used to generate a loop in the mesh.
Blender Modifiers: Procedural Modeling, Symmetry, and Non-Destructive Workflows
This document summarizes the core concepts and techniques described in the provided excerpts from “01.pdf,” focusing on using modifiers in Blender. The document mainly covers mesh manipulation and deformation using a variety of modifiers.
Main Themes:
Modifier Overview: The document provides a step-by-step guide to using various Blender modifiers for mesh generation, deformation, and visual effects.
Procedural Modeling: The document emphasizes the use of modifiers for procedural modeling, where changes to the base mesh or modifier settings automatically update the final result.
Symmetry and Duplication: The document highlights modifiers such as “Mirror” and “Screw” which allow for the easy creation of symmetrical and repetitive designs.
Non-Destructive Workflow: The document describes a non-destructive workflow where the original mesh data remains intact, and modifiers are used to create and edit in a flexible manner.
Important Ideas and Facts (with Quotes):
Mask Modifier: Limits the visible or rendered part of a mesh using vertex groups. “It allows you to limit the part of the mesh which it would display in the 3D view editor or the part of the the mesh which will be rendered.”
Mirror Modifier: Duplicates a mesh across a defined axis, creating symmetry. “Basically what it does is that it duplicates one side of the mesh to the other side based on the axis that we have selected here.” It can be used to create objects with exact symmetry, where editing one side reflects on the other: “basically it creates a symmetry on both the sides so whenever you are making something which requires exact same symmetry on both the sides of your object then you must use the mirror modifier”
Remesh Modifier: Increases the number of vertices in a mesh for detailed modeling. “The Remish mod modifier increases the number of vertices in your object for detailed modeling and evenly distributes them in your mesh.” The “Octree Depth” setting controls the density of the remeshed geometry. The reason why the source went to the object mode before applying the modifier, “is that you can only apply a modifier to an object when it’s in the object mode and not in the edit mode”
Screw Modifier: Generates spiral shapes by revolving a profile around an axis. “Basically this modifier generates a spiral shape by revolving a profile or an object around an ax.” It allows control over the angle of revolution, screw offset (length), and iterations (number of repeats). The axis object can be changed by selecting an object as an access object. This, “means that this Cube will now Define the screw axis for example if I press G to move it then you can see how the screw axis is changing itself basically the radius and the position of the screw is changing by moving this Cube this is because this screw is taking this axis object that is this Cube as its reference”
Skin Modifier: Creates a surface from stick-like structures defined by vertices and edges. “The skin modifier uses the vertices and the edges to create a skin surface which helps to Define the shape of the object in a better way.”
Solidify Modifier: Adds thickness to thin-walled objects. “Basically what the solidify modifier does is that it converts thin wall objects into solid objects.”
Subdivision Surface Modifier: Subdivides the surface of an object, adding vertices, edges, and faces to create a smoother, rounded appearance. “The subdivision surface modifier basically subdivides the surface of an object by adding vertices edges and faces and it helps to give the surface of the object a smoother and rounded appearance” The “Levels Viewport” and “Render” settings control the subdivision level in the viewport and final render, respectively. The order of the modifiers in the modifier stack can greatly influence the overall shape. The modifier on top takes precedence over the modifier below.
Triangulate Modifier: Reduces the number of vertices per face to three. “Basically what the triangulate modifier does is that it reduces the number of vertices of each face in your model to a lower number.”
Volume to Mesh Modifier: Converts volume data into a mesh. The object on which this modifier is applied, “will take the shape of a particular volume.”
Weld Modifier: Merges vertices within a specified distance. “The weld modifier basically does the welding of the vertices of a particular mesh.”
Wireframe Modifier: Converts a mesh into a wireframe representation. “The wireframe modifier convert a solid 3D shape into a wireframe like structure.”
Displace Modifier: Displaces vertices based on a texture or vertex group. The source warns that, “for those of you who are new to this blender software and have not worked with textures yet it might be difficult to understand this display modifier but later on on when we will cover textures completely in this course then you will completely understand every concept of this display modifier properly”
Hook Modifier: Allows manipulating individual vertices in object mode via empties. “The hook modifier allows you to manipulate or animate selected vertices of a mes while in the object mode.”
Laplacian Deform Modifier: Deforms a mesh using hooks as anchor points, allowing for complex deformations while maintaining smoothness.
Lattice Modifier: Allows deformation of objects via a lattice structure, especially useful for meshes with a high vertex count. “By using the lce modifier you can easily deform your object especially if it has a large number of vertices.”
Animation: Describes techniques for animating objects, including setting keyframes, creating loop animations, and manipulating animation curves in the Graph Editor. Describes how to manipulate the curves to control the speed of motion.
Nonlinear animation: Allows “manipulation and repurposing actions without the need of handling the key frames.”
3D Modeling Modifiers in Blender: An FAQ
Here’s an FAQ that addresses the concepts and uses of various modifiers in Blender based on the provided text:
1. What does the Mask modifier do in Blender?
The Mask modifier allows you to selectively hide parts of a mesh in the 3D viewport and during rendering. It works by utilizing vertex groups; only the portions of the mesh associated with the specified vertex group, or conversely, those not associated with it, are displayed. You can reverse the selection to show the inverse of the defined vertex group.
2. How does the Mirror modifier work, and when should I use it?
The Mirror modifier duplicates a mesh across a chosen axis (X, Y, or Z), creating a symmetrical copy. Editing one side of the mesh automatically mirrors the changes to the other side. It is useful when creating objects that require precise symmetry, saving time and ensuring consistency.
3. Why is the Remesh modifier useful, and how does the “Octree Depth” setting affect it?
The Remesh modifier restructures the topology of a mesh, increasing the vertex count for detailed modeling and distributing vertices more evenly. It is especially helpful when subdivision doesn’t produce the desired vertex distribution. The “Octree Depth” setting controls the level of detail; a higher value increases the vertex count (and thus detail) but also increases computational demands. It’s recommended to keep the depth around 4 or 5 for moderate PCs.
4. How does the Screw modifier create spiral shapes, and what is the purpose of the “Axis Object” option?
The Screw modifier generates a spiral shape by revolving a profile (like a circle) around an axis. Settings include angle of revolution, screw (offset along the axis), and iterations (number of repetitions). The “Axis Object” lets you use another object in the scene to define the screw axis. Moving or rotating the “Axis Object” changes the radius and position of the screw.
5. What is the Skin modifier used for, and what kind of structures does it work best with?
The Skin modifier creates a 3D surface (“skin”) from a stick-like structure of vertices and edges. It’s particularly useful for generating a mesh from a framework of connected edges where faces are initially absent. It is considered to work best with stick-like structures.
6. How does the Solidify modifier add thickness to an object?
The Solidify modifier converts thin-walled objects into solid objects by adding thickness to their surfaces. You can control the thickness value to achieve the desired effect.
7. What does the Displace modifier do, and how can vertex groups and textures be used with it?
The Displace modifier displaces vertices based on a texture. It can target a specific vertex group, allowing for localized displacement effects. Applying a texture (like a noise texture) modulates the displacement based on the texture’s patterns, allowing for complex deformations.
8. How does the Laplacian Deform modifier work in conjunction with Hook modifiers, and what does it allow you to achieve?
The Laplacian Deform modifier enables you to deform an object by manipulating control points (hooks) attached to specific vertices. Multiple hooks can be grouped, and their combined influence dictates the object’s deformation. This enables complex deformations and animations that would be difficult to achieve manually.
Object Properties Panel: A Guide
The object properties panel allows for object manipulation.
Specifically, the object properties panel can be used to:
Change the location of a selected object by entering different values. For example, typing “1.5 m” in the Z direction will move the object accordingly.
Relocate objects by clicking the left mouse button and dragging. Finalize by releasing the left mouse button.
Rotate or scale an object in a particular direction.
Configuring Units of Measurement in Scene Properties
The metric system can be modified in the scene properties. To do so:
Go to scene properties.
Click on units.
Change from metric to imperial.
The source expresses a preference for the metric system.
Blender Outliner Editor: Object Management
The outliner editor in Blender allows you to manage objects in your 3D viewport.
Here’s what the sources say about what you can do in the outliner editor:
Hiding objects: To hide an object, select it, then in the outliner editor, click the “I” shaped icon next to its name. Click the icon again to make the object visible. Alternatively, you can press “H” to hide an object and Alt+H to unhide it.
Object names: The names of objects in your scene are displayed in the outline editor. You can rename objects by double-clicking on their name in the outliner editor. For example, a duplicated cylinder might be named “cylinder.001”. You could rename this to “cylinder duplicate”.
Checking object names: The names of objects in your scene can be checked in the outline editor. For example, a selected object might be named ‘Cube’, while a cylinder is named ‘Cylinder’.
Blender: Shade Smooth Guide
‘Shade smooth’ is a function in Blender that smooths the surfaces of objects. To use it, an object needs to be selected, followed by right clicking and selecting ‘shade smooth’.
To apply shade smooth using geometry nodes:
The set shade smooth node needs to be added.
It can be connected between the joint geometry and the viewer node.
Meta Shapes: Liquid-like Forms for Animation and Texturing
Meta shapes are described as clay-like forms having a rounded shape. They exhibit unusual behavior when they get close to one another. When moved close together, they appear to pull and flow together like liquid droplets. To finalize a structure made of meta shapes, the left mouse button must be clicked.
Other metabol objects, such as the metabol cube, behave similarly. When brought close to any of the metaballs, it will react in the same way. Meta shapes can be used to create effects via animation and texturing.
you’re watching the part one of the blender Master course and before starting I should tell you that this entire video of over 11 hours comprises of the first 40 chapters of the blender Master course the first 40 chapters will cover the basics of blender the modeling tools techniques modifiers materials textures and shaders the notes system and we’ll even begin with the chapters related to Geometry nodes then in the part two of this course whose link will be added in the description once it is uploaded we’ll cover the remaining chapters of the geometry notes then we’ll understand about animation compositing shape Keys add-ons particle systems all types of physics and simulations and then we’ll also model a 3D character then we learn about character rigging and even character animation so there’s nothing to wait for and let’s start with the Journey of this blender Master [Music] course in this chapter we’ll be understanding that why we’re choosing blender for 3D animation and about some basic features of blender which you must know before using this application also we will be installing the latest version of blender and we’ll also check if our system specification matches with that of blender minimum and recommended system requirements or not so to begin with the first question that may come in the mind of a beginner in 3D is why blender and the answer to this is that with blender you can make almost everything from a simple model to Motion Graphics and even complex characters also blender releases many new versions from time to time fixing bugs and sometimes bringing new features as well now we should check the basic and recommended system or Hardware requirements for blender and for this I should move to my PC screen now first of all open any browser search for blend blender.org this will take us to the official page of blender now we’ll click on the download button here before downloading this software we look at the requirements for running blender for Windows users it says that you need to have at least Windows 8.1 installed and the recommended is Windows 10 or Windows 11 at least 8 GB of RAM is required to run blender and to avoid any lags or crashes in blender you need to have 32 GB of RAM GP of at least 2 GB of V RAM is required and 8 GB of vram is for a faster and smoother experience in blender for Mac users you can check the minimum and recommended requirements here for Linux users it’s mentioned here so now we’ll download blender on our PC so if you using Windows then you can download blender directly by clicking on this button download blender 4.1.1 but if you’re using Mac or Linux then you can download it from here so basically the latest version of blender right now is blender 4.1 but if you’re watching this video few weeks after uploading then obviously the blender must have released a new version so you can download that so I’ll download 4.1 version right now and it’ll download in a few seconds but till then I’ll answer another question that comes in mind of many beginners and that question is that should you use a laptop so basically yes you can use a laptop but just make sure that you have connected a basic three button Mouse with it although blender can run with just a trackpad and without using a laptop without using a mouse but you will feel the need to buy one if you decide to use blender in the long run now coming back to downloading part it will download in a few seconds and it’s not a very heavy software it’s just 327 MB now that it’s downloaded we’ll click on open file here now it will install blender on our PC we’ll click on next accepting all the agreement terms and conditions and click on install button so it will take a few seconds to install blender on our PC so it’s installed on our system now we’ll search for blender do blender 4.1 and this is the screen that appears the first time you open blender on our PC so this is the splash screen of blender and from here you can change the theme of blender blender dark to blender light or deep gray but most of the people use blender dark so we’ll set it on blender dark here and space bar should be set to play and these are the settings that must be there in blender before running the software so now that we have installed blender and even opened it on our system so this was all in the chapter number one of this [Music] course in this lecture we learn about basic interface of blend blender how to open and use different things in blender and by the end we’ll also be having our first standard image so as discussed in the previous chapter this was the splash screen of blender which appears the first time you download an open blender and this allow us to set the theme of blender and make some very basic settings and if you click anywhere else on this screen this splash screen will disappear and this screen Arrangement appears which has multiple panels in it and this is called the graphical user interface of blender now there are different windows in blender where you will be working and these are called the panels or basically the editors of blender the major area is covered by this 3D viewport where you will be spending maximum amount of your time as it basically contains all the objects that you will animate and make different things in blender then this is the outliner editor and it contains the names of all the objects that you are working on now this is the property panel in which you will basically edit all the properties of the objects that are present in a particular file in blender and this is the timeline editor which will be used while we animate different stuff in blender now this is the default cube of blender which always appears whenever you open a new file and along with this a lamp and a camera also appear now you can select any of these using the left Mouse button click now here the lamp is selected and using the left Mouse button click the camera is selected so this was about the default things that appears whenever you open a new file and this is the tool panel of blender which basically covers the very basic operations like moving rotating scaling Etc and we will learn these in our future chapters now you can toggle the object properties panel using the N key and and this is basically used to edit um the basic properties of different objects in viewport very quickly so it’s time to analyze the tool panel by using the move tool rotate tool and the scale tool and for this you need to click on this Cube here which will be the object that we going to move and you need to click here in the tools panel the move button now as you click the move button these arrows will appear on the object which are known as gizmos in blender and if you left click on these arrows and drag it then object will also move along with it and if you leave the the left click button then the objects get relocated at that place so these are the axis in blender and these also represent the XY and Z axis this red one is the x axis this green one is the y- axis and this blue one represents the Z axis in blender now if you want to rotate any object then you need to click here in the tools panel and then you can drag it as per the direction which you need to rotate the object for example if you want to rotate it in X Direction then you need to drag this X1 the red one here and for example if you want to rotate it this much then leave it here so this is the rotated object in the X Direction similarly if you want to rotate it uh in y direction or in Z Direction then you can do so using the particular gizmos now it’s rotated in the Z direction as well as the X Direction now scaling any object is also very similar to rotating and moving it you need to click here on the scale option then if you need to scale it in Z Direction then you need to drag the blue one so it is SC up now and if you want to scale it down then you need to move it like this then drag it like this now it is scaled down and similarly for other axis for example for x axis you can scale it down in xaxis as well and this one is for y axis but with usage of blender you might observe that uh using gizmos for moving rotating and scaling is not convenient every time so blender also gives you the option to use shortcuts for moving rotating and scaling so for moving you can use the G key and move it anywhere you want in the 3D viewport if you want to set a position then you need to click left but left click button on the mouse and it gets set in that position now if you want to rotate this in a particular direction then you need to click R button and move your cursor and it gets rotated in that particular direction now to set it on a particular rotation you need to left click and this is the new rotation of your default Cube similarly to scale it the shortcut key is s key so if you press s and then move your cursor then the object will scale up and scale down now to set it you need to left click like this and this is the scaled object now now the next thing is zooming in and into the 3D viewport and rotating it so for that if you want to zoom in and out then you can do that by your scroll wheel if you rotate your scroll wheel then you can zoom in and zoom out of your 3D viewport and to rotate it or move around the viewport you can do it by uh pressing the scroll wheel button and moving it this will allow you to rotate the view Cort or basically pan in now if you want to go up down left and right in the 3D viewp then you can do that by pressing the shift key and along with that press the middle Mouse button or the St wheel button and if you move your cursor or basically the mouse then you can go up down left and right in the 3D view Port like this and if you leave any of the two buttons then the position will get set now if you’re just a beginner or you’re just starting out in blender then you might think that that it’s too much it’s too hard or there is too much to memorize but with time these things will become a habit of yours and you will find it very easy and interesting to do the next thing is that now since everything cannot be made with just a default cubin blender so blender gives us the option to make different objects and add different objects in the 3D view port and for this first we need to delete this default Cube and we can do it by using the X key if you press the X key and press delete the object will get deleted and to set up a new object add a new object you need to click shift Plus a this will give you a list of different objects that can be added in blender for example if we want to add a UV sphere then we’ll click on mesh and then uis spere and uere will get added here but one question that might uh strike your mind is that why is it appearing at the center or basically at the intersection of these two axes the reason is this 3D cursor that you can see here if I turn off the gizmos then this is the 3D cursor that you can see here whenever you add any new object in blender it gets added at the location where the 3D cursor is present and to move this 3D cursor anywhere in your 3D view Port then you can do it by pressing the shift key plus right click Mouse button and this 3D cursor will get relocated but if you want to uh get this 3D cursor back at the original position then you can do it by shift plus C and the 3D cursor will get back at the center of the 3D World now many people find these gizmos very boring to work with and therefore blender gives you the option to use shortcut keys for moving rotating scaling in a particular direction as well so if you want to rotate it in a particular direction for say uh x axis then you can press R then instantly press X also and the object will rotate only in the x axis now similarly if you want to scale it in a particular direction say y- axis then you can press s and then Y and it will get Scaled up only in the y direction similarly for moving if you press G and say you want to move it in Z Direction then you can press Zed and left click then it gets uh reload located in the Z Direction the next thing that we are going to explore are the modes and blender and for this I’ll delete this object and add a new Cube here now the different modes of blender allow you to do different operations for example if you want to edit the vertices or the edges of a particular object then you can do it only in the edit mode and not in the object mode or any other mode similarly if you want to do weight painting of an object then you can do it only in the weight paint mode and not in the object or edit mode so for different objects there are different different modes in blender and you can discover them here where sit in object mode so the cube has the option of object mode edit mode sculpt mode and fit PA mode texture paint and vertex paint mode but the most important ones are the object mode and the edit mode as you would spend most of your time working in these two modes only now to enter into the edit mode you can click edit mode here or you can also use the Tab Key to toggle in between object and edit mode like this as we enter the edit mode you can select the vertices of your object using the left click Mouse button like this and right now we are in the vertices selection mode only and to change it to Edge selection of face selection you can do it from here if you click on the second option then you can select the edges of your object like this and if you want to select the faces then you can go here and select the face mode and now you can select the faces of your object you can also do it using the shortcut keys and the shortcut keys for selecting the uh vertices or or the edge or the face selection mode are the one two and three keys but these keys are not from the numpad but from here in the keyboard now if you click two the S selection mode will appear and if you click three the face selection mode will appear one is for the Vex selection two is for the edge selection and three is for face selection mode now to come out of the edit mode you can do it using the Tab Key now we are into the object P again for people who have just started out working on blender and they feel that it’s too boring to learn so many new things altoe you need not worry since the best way to deal with this problem is practically making something in blender and so we will start our first practical session in this chapter right now in which we’ll basically make this simple looking Rubik’s Cube in this way we’ll also understand about adding basic colors or materials in our scene now before starting this practical session there’s one more important thing that I must tell you and it’s basically about saving your file I have personally experienced it many times that I’m making something on blender and due to some crash or maybe some power failure blender closes and if I not save that work manually there is no backup and all the time gets waste all my energy gets waste that’s because blender doesn’t UT to save anything so before beginning this practical session we’ll first save our file for this you need to click control+ s and we’ll save a file on our desktop I’ve made a new folder blender Master course and we’ll name our file as chapter 2 so now our file is saved and we can begin our first practical session of making this Rubik’s Cube a rubic Cube’s shape and structure is nothing but a cube only so we do not need to change the shape of this default Cube very much and we’ll Begin by adding colors or materials to it to do this we need to click here in the properties editor make sure that the cube is selected and is highlighted from here you can change the material properties like the base color its metallic strength Etc we’ll be exploring all these in detail in the upcoming chapters but for now we look at the base color option only suppose we want to change its color to Red now if you select red here we observe that this no change in the objects color in the 3D viewport the reason behind this is that we are currently in the solid mode and in blender there are four modes of viewport shading which you can change from here in the upper right corner the first one is the wireframe mode where you can only see the edges of the object in a wired form second one is the solid mode in which we are working till now the third one is the material preview and in this mode we can see the colors that we have assigned to our object and the last one is the render preview mode and in this mode you can see how your output would look like when it it’s ready as for the lighting and other effects you can also switch between these modes using a shortcut key that is Zed now you can enter any mode like this now we are in the material preview mode we have one problem here and that is we did not want to color the entire Cube as red to assign different colors to different faces we need to enter into the edit mode using the Tab Key and now we’ll select this upper face by pressing three for face mode and now selecting this face now we’ll assign it another color by adding a new material and for this have to click at the plus button here then we’ll click at new and assign here now it has changed it color to the default white we’ll change it to something like blue blue looks good on it similarly we will assign different colors to the different faces of this Cube for this pH we’ll assign yellow color like this and for this face we’ll assign some other color uh let’s assign green for this face now we have four faces ready for this face we’ll assign white color and for the last pH let’s assign a new color let’s assign it purple now although this Cube has different colors on its faces but still it does not look that good that’s because we need to assign more colors like in this one for this we need to increase the number of vertices so that there are more faces where we can assign assign more colors in the cube for this purpose we’ll use the subdivide option first select all the faces of this Cube for that you can use the shortcut key a to select all now right click and select subdivide click here and increase the number of cards to two now it looks fine and now we’ll change the color of these smaller Cube faces now we’ll assign blue color to these three faces for this we’ll select the three of them to select them together we will press shift key and then select them like this or else you can also do one more thing that is to press the left click button and then drag it like this the three faces will be selected now we’ll click at the blue material and click assign the three faces will now get assigned blue color similarly we will change the color of these three faces we’ll change it to White and for these three white faces we’ll change them to pink color now these three faces will be select and we’ll assign them yellow color so that’s basic structure of a cube ready now we’ll press tab to enter the object mode to get the final render we will get it from The View as per the camera sees it so to enter into the camera view press zero on your numpad so this is our camera view and to make it look better we’ll rotate this cube in the Z Direction press R then Zed and you can rotate it like this and if you rotate in X Direction then it looks something like this in y direction you can rotate it like this you can finalize any rotation which suits to you and looks good to you uh let’s finalize this one I know it’s not uh looking like realistic Cube and that’s because we are yet to cover a lot in blender we have tried to create something on our first practical session with less than 1% knowledge about blender but as you continue to learn and understand all the concepts you will be able to make realistic looking animations as well but yes to make it look a bit more interesting we can try one more thing we will enter into the edit mode click a to select all and now we’ll use a new tool called bevel basically it will make the edges look a bit rounded or curved we will be understanding this tool as well in much detail in the upcoming chapters to use it right now we’ll Press cr+ B and move your cursor slightly to see its effect and then release it using the left Mouse button click now to fix this mismatch in colors in these Edge Loops we’ll change the Colors by selecting all of them and assigning them a different color to select the entire Edge Loop we first enter the face mode by pressing three to select the entire Edge Loop we’ll press alt and then select by left click like this and to select multiple Edge loop at once we’ll press shift and ALT simultaneously and select the edge Loop now this Edge Loop is also selected similarly we will select all these Edge Loops now now one thing to note is that selecting them will take some time and you have to judge on your own on which face to click to select the correct Edge Loop so try practicing it after this chapter ends and in upcoming practical sessions also we will be doing this again in order to master it now we’ll assign these Edge Loops black color so that they look interesting so we’ll create a new material here and to get black color here we will bring this down like this and now we click the assign button coming back to the object mode we observe that there are still some faces left that should be colored black so we’ll select those particular faces in the edit mode and assign them black color for example this face that is red colored this should be black so that it matches with the edge Loops so we’ll go to Black material and click assign similarly this one now our cube is finally ready and we’ll return back to the object mode and click zero for camera view so now it looks more realistic than before and so we’ll render it now which means that we will ask our software blender to give us the output as an image form to check the lighting in this scene and that how the final output would look like we’ll press Z and enter into the rendered viewport now this one face is a bit dark because of the lighting since a lamp is located here so the light does not fall on this face and as a result it appears to be darker but for today we will render it as it is since we are going to have a complete chapter on lighting as per its strength position Etc and also for our first practical session it looks simple and decent enough to render in order to render this image we’ll click here on the render button then click render image and based on the PC specification it will take the required time to render and this is our final output do tell me in the comments about how good your Cube looks and if possible also share the link of its image if you manage to render it now to save this image we’ll click on image here and click save and save it at your desired location and that’s all in our chapter number [Music] two in the previous chapter we tried to understand the interface of blender by moving or basically changing different things and we ended up making this simple looking cube in our first practical session and now let’s start a new chapter our first topic for today will be understanding editors in blender so as we been discussed in our previous chapter editors are basically individual windows or the panels which together make up this blender interface and they basically contain the controls to edit different types of data in blender Now the default screen Arrangement that is the arrangement which appears as default whenever you open a new file it comprises of these four panels or editors namely the 3D viewport editor outliner editor properties editor and timeline editor but these are not the only four editors available and to access more you can click this icon this is called the 3D view editor icon it’s available in all the editors with different images but it’s the first iccon of your editor and if you left click on this icon it displays a list of all the editors which you can access for example if I select this image editor it will open up here and here you can open images while working on your blender file this helps you when you’re working on some blender project and you need to see some reference images by clicking on image and then open you can open your required file since it’s going to be a long but a complete Master course all of these editors that you can see here these will be covered in detail in our coming chapters the next thing is resizing editors so sometimes you might feel that you need to change the size of your editor so for that just place your mouse cursor on the editor or the panel border and it will change to a double-headed Arrow like this now click left Mouse button and drag it to resize accordingly so editors can be changed from here or here depending upon the editor that you want to change and also they can be divided or basically be splitted now to split an editor place your mouse cursor in the corner of any editor panel and it changes to a white cross like this now click right Mouse button and you can split it in two ways vertical split and horizontal split if you select vertical split you can drag this line as per the area you need for the new editor and click left Mouse button to finalize it will duplicate the same editor panel and then you can change the editor type from here and adjust the size accordingly like this now for horizontal split you can place your mouse cursor here and click hor horzontal split and drag the line As for the area required for your new editor and this will create a new editor here it will duplicate the same and you can change it from here to like timeline now the timeline that was here initially will appear here as well and you can resize it will see it completely like this now to close an editor panel you basically have to join two editor panels together and make them into a single one so for this place your mouse cursor in between any of the two editors and then right click and select join areas then you have to drag this Arrow into the editor that you want to close and click left Mouse button to finalize now the two editors are joined into a single one and the other editor is closed now and now we’ll try to do the same thing with this one as well right click and select join areas then drag the arrow to the one you want to close and it will close same with this one and then we’ll resize it and now in order to make this similar to the default Regent blender we’ll try to add outliner editor up here and for that we’ll click horizontal split here and we’ll split it like this and change this to outliner editor and now we’ll resize it so that it looks similar to the default arrangement in blender so this was all about editors now blender also gives you the option of hiding some objects in your 3D viewport and this will be beneficial when you work on projects like this where you basically have a lot of objects in your 3D viewport and if all of them are shown together it might create some confusion for you to hide any object you need to select that object and then in the outliner editor click this I shaped icon against its name and this will hide the object and clicking it again will show the object in the 3D viewport there’s also a shortcut available to hide objects and that is to press h in your keyboard and this will hide the object and to unhide or show it again then you have to click alt plus Edge now the next thing to explore is user perspective and autographic view so by default blender opens in this user perspective View that means that there’s no visible end of this 3D viewport even if you see it from different angles it seems as if this viewport is infinitely large and so it’s a perspective View and to switch to another view that is The autographic View Press five on your numpad now this is the autographic view in which the viewport visibly ends here and it seems to make a right angle with the face so this was the difference in the perspective View and orographic view for most of our time we’ll be working in perspective view only so let’s return back to the perspective view by pressing five on an unpad again now one way to navigate or move around the viewport and blender is to press the middle Mouse button and to navigate like this but there’s one more way in which the navigation is similar to the walk style navigation in games such as GTA so if you play GTA with the keyboard you will use the WD keys to move your character similarly in blender there’s a special mode in which you can use the WD keys to move around the 3D viewport and it is known as walk navigation to access it click on The View menu here and then go to navigation and select walk navigation from here now you can use your WD keys to move around the 3D viewport W is for moving forward a is for moving towards left s is for backward movement and D is for moving towards right and in order to increase the speed of your movement you can press shift key simultaneously along with W SD keys shift W will move it forward in a quick way similarly shift s shift a shift d and the view will be finalized with the left Mouse button click and always remember that when you have to cancel your navigation like you’re navigating like this then before finalizing press the right Mouse button click and it will return back to the position where you were before navigating all these things will get in your mind when you actually practice blender over time so if possible do try to practice all these shortcuts and modes and try to explore them after this chapter ends also I can assure you that following this master course series will Bren up your skills and at the end of this course you will be in a position to make everything that your mind can think of in blender now coming back to our chapter the next topic is workpace so Works spaces are basically the screen Arrangements of editors um for working at specific task like there’s a sep workspace for modeling things a separate one for sculpting shading animation Etc and these can be accessed from here in the upper screen header where you can see layout modeling sculpting these are the workspaces in blender the default one is the layout workspace if you click on modeling or sculpting we observe that the workspace layout changes and since right now we haven’t done modeling sculpting shading Etc so we won’t be discussing each one right now but whenever the upcoming chapters will be released we would be understanding about all these different tools as well now we’ll return back to our default workspace now we’ll see these tools which are known as the widget panel blender if you click here and move around your cursor then you will navigate in the 3D viewport so this is another way to navigate the 3D viewport and this one is for zooming in and out in the 3D viewport which you can also do using your scroll wheel then this one is to move around the view like this and as discussed earlier you can also do this using the shift plus middle Mouse button now this camera icon is for toggling the camera view and the short cut for this as discussed earlier was the zero you can toggle the camera view using the zero key in the numpad now this one is for switching between the perspective and orthographic view if you click this the view changes from perspective to orthographic and if you click it again it returns to the perspective yain and the shortcut for this is five in the numpad the next thing is the preference editor which is basically like the settings menu for blender to open it click edit from here and select preferences and here you can basically change the settings in things such as interface themes viewport navigation input uh saving different files and installing add-ons there will be a separate chapter in this course which will make you understand what exactly the add-ons are and which ones are the best for blender also it is advisable not to change any preference settings on your own unless and until you know the exact consequences of that change when whenever it is required to change anything I will share that with you in the upcoming chapters but yes for today’s chapter we’ll be exploring the themes in the preference settings we will try to change the color of this 3D viewport background for this with the theme selected here we’ll go to 3D view here 3D viewport and scroll down and select theme space and scroll down again and select gradient colors here now click the gradient high off option here to display this Color Picker Circle now to increase the brightness you can use this brightness slider here and this will increase the brightness of the colors now you can select any of the colors like if we move it to Green the color of the 3D viewport editor will also change you may set any color that you like and you can adjust the brightness from here now you can also change the Cosmetic appearance of your interface that is the theme of your interface as per your preference to do that in the same themes preference scroll up and and and select this presets drop down menu you may select any of these themes that you would love to see while working on your blender file or blender project and the default one in blender is the blender Dark theme also blender gives you the option to download themes from some external websites and to install them you can click this install button and select the file but for most of the people it’s not required because blender already gives you a good range of themes to choose from so choose the theme that suits you the best and now we’ll close these preference settings and this brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter now coming back to the topic today we are going to start navigating and saving in blender so first of all blender files is saved in your PC with the file extension of do blend and as we even discussed this earlier in order to save your files in blender you have to press control+ s and then it will ask you to choose your desired location it suggested to make a separate folder in your PC for blender files like I have created this blender Master Master course folder where I save the files that I have created during this master course series similarly you can also create a folder in your PC so now I’ll rename this file as chapter 4 and then I click enter and it automatically adds the file extension and now I click save blender file and the file is now saved in our folder now one of the most important things while working in blender is to frequently save your work and the reason is that blender doesn’t have any autosave feature as of now and so if your software crashes or if there is some power failure you will lose all your unsaved work similarly if you want to open a blender file then just press cr+ o and then by navigating through your folders from here you can choose your desired file which you want to open suppose I want to open chapter number two file so I click here and press open and the file is now open so this was the file in which we made the cube and this for the chapter number two file and now I’ll close it and open the chapter number four file like this so till now in this chapter we have learned how to open and save files in blender but what does it exactly mean to save a file in blender just like a text file contains the data of words and letters or an image file contains the data which displays an image similarly a blender file contains a combination of data organized into separate parts or elements so whenever you save a file in blender you are basically saving the elements of that file and to understand this in a practical way click on file here and press append and now I’ll click on the chapter number two file and press upend so it displays a list of the different folders and these are the folders which contain the data of a particular file in blender for example the materials folder here contains the data of all the materials or the colors that you have used in your project and if you go back and select the object folder then it contains all the objects that are present in your 3D viewport of that particular file now you may be thinking what this append option was when I clicked it earlier so basically you can insert elements from one blender file to another using the upend option or the link command the difference between the two is that a pen will take the data from a file and will add it to the other file whereas link allows you to use the data from an existing file to your current file but the data will still remain in the existing file at this stage it might be difficult to understand these but in our upcoming chapters when we will use these tools and commands practically then your concept will get more clear about them and also we will try one example of aend right now so suppose we want to add this Cube that we created in our previous chapter into this file so to do that we have to go to file and press upend here then you need to select the file where it was saved for example I click chapter number two and append and now I will click on collection since it contains basically all the objects that were in your 3D viewport and it will add this Cube here in the 3D viewport of this new file the reason why it’s appearing like this is that there are d duplicate cubes here the previous Cube that was in the default file is also there and the added cube is also here and the lamps are also two the cameras are also two which you can see in the collection here so we’ll delete one light from here and we’ll also delete one camera from here and now I will also delete this default Cube and now if I go to the material preview mode here then we see that the cube we made in chapter number two file is now in our chapter number four file as well and now our final topic for this chapter is importing objects so basically there are many file types of formats which can store a 3D model and blender has the ability to accept most of them now there are many websites from where you can get such 3D models for your projects such as sketchfab.com here you can find a number of free and paid 3D models which you can use in your blender projects we will be discovering this in detail in one of our upcoming chapters but for now we will see an example of importing an object from this website into our blender file so let’s search for a 3D model of an apple on this website and for this I’ll go here and search for apple and I’ll check this downloadable option and this one looks good so I’ll go here and scroll down let’s look at this first and it looks fine so I’ll scroll down click on download 3D model and we’ll choose this usdz format to download it and it will download in a few seconds now let’s go back to blender and I’ll first delete all these objects from a 3D viewport or maybe I’ll keep this Cube and delete the rest of them so I’ll click on this and along with shift I’ll select this camera press X to delete and I am thinking of hiding this object instead of deleting so I press h to hide this Cube now to import that 3D model of Apple in this file we’ll go to file then import and from here we’ll select Universal scene description USD format now I will go to my downloads page and select this apple. usdz then click on import and now I’ll scroll back and press s to scale this down like this similarly you can also try this with other 3D models online and that’s all in our chapter number [Music] four now the most important thing in our 3D view editor is this 3D cursor here so while working in the 3D view Port there are two cursors the mouse cursor which I’m moving right now and the 3D cursor which is by default located at the center of the scene and before understanding the usage of this 3D cursor it’s important to understand selecting deselecting and adding objects in your 3D view editor or your file so in this default blender scene the cube is selected as it’s shown by this orange outline or this yellow outline here and to deselect it click left Mouse button anywhere in the empty space and to select it again click left Mouse button on the cube and as discussed earlier also the shortcut key for selecting all the objects in your 3D view editor is to press a and all the objects would get selected an alternative selection method is the Box selection method and for this I’ll first deselect these objects and now I’ll press B on my keyboard now left click and drag it like this and to finalize the selection I will release the left Mouse button click and now only the cube is selected since it lied within the Box area now whenever you open blender then by default this select box tool here is activated in the tools panel so basically this tool is similar to what we learned in box selection method with this selected you can click left Mouse button and then drag it like this and if you release it then this will select all the objects that lie in the particular box area and if you keep your cursor on this tool and keep holding your left Mouse button then you will see a list of four options if you select The Tweak option here then it basically allows you to select only by clicking on a particular object using a left Mouse button for example if I click on this camera here then this camera will get selected if I click on this cube the cube will get selected now the next option available here is the select box tool which we have already discussed and it basically allows you to make a box and any object within the Box area will get selected now the next one is the select Circle method and in this case the mouse cursor turns to a selection Circle and in order to select an object using this for example this camera make sure that the entire object is within this circle area and for this I will scroll my middle Mouse button to make sure that the camera lies within the circle area and then I’ll click my left Mouse button to finalize the selection and the camera will get selected and the last one is the select lasso tool and it basically allows you to create a lasso area like this and any object that lies within the area will get selected if I try to select this lamp this lamp will get selected and if I try to select this Cube then this Cube will get selected now our next topic for today is adding objects in blender so by default blender scene contains three objects a cube a camera and a light and the camera and the light are the special objects which perform their functions but when you actually render your image they do not appear because camera takes the image and the light adds 3D lighting effect to your scene now if you want to add a new object object in blender press shift plus a and select the mesh list then you can see a list of 10 mesh objects which are called Primitives in blender because they allow you to basically create any model out of them by resizing them by scaling them and doing other operations suppose I select this cylinder here now the cender will get added where my 3D cursor is within the scene and if you want to change the location of your 3D cursor you basically have two options first one is to select this tool which is known as the cursor tool from here and now if you click your left Mouse button anywhere then the cursor will get relocated and another way is to hold shift and click right Mouse button anywhere to position the 3D cursor on your viewport also there is one more way to change the location of your 3D cursor if you press shift plus s then this cursor P menu appears and it basically allows you to snap your 3D cursor to some particular locations we will be using all these in the upcoming chapters while modeling things practically but for now I’ll take an example by taking my cursor back to the world origin and for this I’ll click on this cursor to world origin option and my cursor gets relocated back to the world origin also blender gives you the option to duplicate objects suppose I want to create a duplicate of this cender so the shortcut key is shift plus d and then by dragging my cursor around I can move the duplicate object now if you want to move it in a particular direction let’s say x axis then I’ll press X on my keyboard and its movement will get restricted to the xaxis and suppose I type a number like five in my keyboard then it will move exactly by 5 m in the xaxis and to finalize you can click either enter or another option is to click left Mouse button both of them work in order to move an object let’s say this cube in our scene then one way as we discussed in our previous chapters was to press G on our keyboard and then move around the cube but there’s another way as well and that is by using the object properties panel here so you can change the location of your selected object by entering different values here suppose I type 1.5 m in Z Direction then it will move in the required location similarly if I type three in y direction then it will move by 3 m in the y direction and instead of entering the values here you can also click left Mouse button and then drag like this and the object will relocate as per the values and to finalize it you need to release your left Mouse button similarly you can also rotate or scale your object from here in a particular direction also there are many people who are not comfortable with the metric system and they follow the imperial system more so for such people you can go to scene properties here and then click on units and you can change from metric to Imperial from here and I’m choosing the metric system since I’m more comfortable with that now you might have noticed that when you press shift a then apart from mesh there were many more object types here so we’ll be understanding almost all of them in our future chapters whenever they are required to be used now coming back to the topic these objects in our scene have different names assigned to them which you can check from here in the outline editor for example the selected object is named Cube and this cylinder this is named as cylinder in the outline editor and since this one was the duplicate of this cylinder so it’s named as cylinder. 001 similarly if I create another duplicate out of it then that duplicate will be named as cylinder. 002 also you can rename any of these objects by double clicking here and then typing the name for example cylinder duplicate and then press enter to confirm the name similarly let’s change the name of this Cube and let’s name it box and now I’ll delete all these objects and now I’ll add a special object in blender that is the suzan or the monkey model the reason why blender has this complex model in a list of all simple looking models is that most 3D softwares have a generic semi- complex primitive that they use for testing renders and other things in their software and they can’t do this with a simple Cube or a simple sphere so they need something more complex and that’s why blender added this suzan or this monkey model in this software the next thing that we will see is joining two or more objects together and for that let’s add a cube here let’s move it in X Direction and we’ll also add a UV sphere and let’s move it in X Direction like this now suppose I want to join all these together as a single object so for that I’ll select all these by pressing a and then press cr+ J to join them now they will appear as a single object here in the outliner editor and if if you wish to undo the action then you have to press contrl plus Z and this will undo your last action and if you want to redo any action in blender then you have to press contrl plus shift plus Zed now I’ll delete this and we’ll add a UV sphere we can notice that its surface is not smooth and is made up of rectangular flat surfaces if you want it surface to be smooth then you can do this by clicking right Mouse button and selecting shade smooth this produces a smooth spherical surface which looks better than the previous one also if you want the surface to be flat then you can do this by clicking right Mouse button and going for the shade flat option and now the last and the most interesting topic of this chapter is meta shapes so first I’ll delete this UV spere and press shift plus a and in the metab ball section I’ll select the ball So Meta shapes are described as clay like forms having a rounded shape and the reason why they are special is that they show some strange Behavior when they get close to one another so first I’ll move it in X Direction like this and now I’ll add another metaball and if I try to move it closer to the other one then they try to pull and flow together like liquid droplets and to finalize structure you have to click left Mouse button also similar is the case with other metabol objects such as the metabol cube if you add it and scale this p and move it in Z Direction and if you bring it close to any of the metaballs then it will also behave in a similar way so with the help of these meta shapes we can create some very good Effects by animating and texturing them but that would be covered in our future chapters so now we have learned and understood lots of tools in the 3D view editor and different types of objects and so it’s time for a practical session in order to apply a knowledge practically in the first practical session of chapter number two of this series we made this Rubik’s Cube and in today’s session we’ll be making this simple scene of a table so to begin with I’ll first add a cube and we’ll scale it down in the Z Direction like this I’ll move it in the Z Direction now we’ll scale it up in X and a little bit in y as well so it looks like this and it looks good as a tabl top now for the next part I’ll place my 3D cursor over here by pressing shift plus right Mouse button and now I’ll add a cube here to make it look like a table leg I’ll first scale it up in Z Direction and now we need to scale this down in both X and Y Direction simultaneously and the shortcut key to scale it in two directions say X and Y simultaneously is to press s then shift plus the other direction that is Zed so by using this shortcut we can scale this down in two directions simultaneously and to finalize the scaling we have to click left Mouse button now we’ll also scale this down in the Z Direction like this and we’ll move it down in Z direction also so it looks fine now and instead of making all the legs separately we will duplicate this leg by pressing shift plus b and now I’ll move it in y direction and we should place it here similarly we will select both these legs and we’ll duplicate them and we’ll place them here on the other side of the table so this looks good and now I’ll move this table down like this and I’ll make it into a single object by joining it so I’ll press control+ J and now this converted into a single object and I’ll ch CH it name from here I’ll rename it as table now I think that we should place the suzan model on this table so that it doesn’t look empty and so I’ll first place my 3D cursor here on the tabletop so that the object gets added here and now I’ll press shift plus a and select mesh then monkey or the suzan model and now I’ll resize it and place it on the tabletop and it’s also not mandatory to copy the exact location or the rotation that I am doing you can do it on your own as per your preferences and it looks complete now and it’s time to render it but before that I have to add a camera in my scene so I’ll press shift plus a and I’ll press camera here now if I press zero on my numpad for the camera view we notice that we don’t see the table that’s because the camera is located where the 3D cursor was and the best way to fix this is to select view here and then click on lock camera to view it basically allows you to view navigation within the camera view meaning that if you scroll down then you will zoom out in the camera view as well and similarly if you press your middle Mouse button and navigate then your camera will also move but if this option is disabled then then if you try to navigate then the camera would remain still so it’s important to turn this on if you want to navigate with your camera view and now I’ll scroll down so that the entire table is visible like this before rendering let’s assign the table and the suzan model some colors so I click on the table and I’ll go to the materials tab I’ll click on new and I’ll change the color but first I’ll go to the material preview mode and now I’ll change the color to something like brown I’ll decrease this brightness lighter and I’ll change the color of the suzan model to Yellow now I’ll go to the render preview mode and I see that there’s no lighting so I need to add lights also I’ll press shift plus a and select light then point and here the light will get added at the 3D cursor I’ll move it up in Z Direction and I’ll switch this off the camera the lock camera to view option so that I can navigate properly then I’ll select this light and move it in y direction and down in Z Direction I’ll increase its power from here let’s set it to 50 wat and I’ll also increase the brightness or the power of the light also I’ll add one more light by duplicating it shift d and I’ll move it in y direction now I’ll return to the camera view and if I zoom in although this looks very simple but with amount of knowledge we having right now it looks decent enough to render so now we’ll click on render then render image and so this is the final rendered image if you also tried making it then do tell me in the comment section how it was and that’s all for this [Music] chapter so whenever you open blender then by default you are in the object mode with this default Cube selected and if you want to edit an object then you have to enter the edit mode and as discussed in the previous chapters the shortcut to do that is to press Tab and now we are in the edit mode so so the difference between the two modes is that in edit mode you basically work with the individual vertices to model your shape whereas in the object mode you basically change the properties of this Cube as a whole to model something now by default the edit mode comes in the Vex select mode in which you can select the vertices by using a left Mouse button click and to switch to the edge select mode press two on your keyboard but not from the numpad and now you can select the edges of your object by left Mouse button click similarly you can also enter the face select mode by pressing three on your keyboard and now you can select the faces using the left Mouse button click now blender even has an x-ray mode which you can toggle from here and it allows you to select the hidden vertices edges and faces and there’s a shortcut available for the x-ray mode also and that is to press alt+ Z to toggle it and this one is also available in the object mode you can enter the object mode and then press alt plus Z to enter the x-ray mode now let’s come back to the edit mode so in the edit mode we can apply move rotate and scale to the vertices edges and faces as well suppose I select this vertex and press G to move it around and then I can left click to finalize the movement similarly if I go to the edge selection mode by pressing two and if I select this Edge and I try to rotate it by pressing R like this so the object is now transformed and similarly I can also go to the face select mode select this face and if I try to scale it down and now if I go to the object mode the object is now transformed now I’ll return to the edit mode so there may be some occasions where you need more vertices in your object for creating details and for this blender has subdivision so suppose I have selected this face and to subdivide this face I will click right Mouse button and then select subdivide from here now this face is subdivided into four parts and you can also change the number of cuts from here by increasing the number of cuts or decreasing it and if you want to delete any vertex edge of face suppose I want to delete this face so I’ll select it and press X and now select face and the face will get deleted similarly if I want to delete any Edge so I first have to enter the edge select mode by pressing two then I’ll select the edge and now I’ll press X to delete and I’ll select edges and the edge will get deleted and the reason why the upper face is also deleted is that the edge of that face was connected with the edge that I deleted so since the shape of that face could not be completed so it also got deleted now I’ll return to the object mode and I’ll delete this Cube and now I’ll add a new cube in its place and let’s also add a UV spere let’s move it in y direction now in the object mode you can easily select any object by simply clicking on it with the left Mouse button click but suppose I select this Cube here and if I enter the edit mode and now if I try to select this UV sphere I can’t do that and that’s because edit mode is only for the object that I selected before entering into the edit mode now the question arises how do I edit both the objects together in edit mode and to do this we have to come in the object mode then with the Box select tool I’ll select both of these and now if I enter the edit mode then I can edit both of these objects together now let’s come back to the object mode and if you notice then every object in your scene has a dot in the center and this is the object’s origin or its Pivot Point to understand it let’s try to rotate this Cube we observe that the cube rotates about its Center Point or the pivot point and that’s the use of the object’s origin and you can also change the position of this piver point and to do this first place your 3D cursor at the point where you want your object’s origin to be located so let’s place our 3D cursor over here using shift plus right Mouse button click now to change the position of your object’s origin from the center to where the 3D cursor is located you have to click your right Mouse button while selecting this Cube and then go for set origin and select origin to 3D cursor now your pivot point or the point of this cube is shifted here where the 3D cursor is located and now if you try to rotate it then it rotates like this due to the position of your pite point and you would be using your object PIV point in a number of different situations based on what your project is now the next topic for this chapter is proportional editing so first let’s remove all this and let’s bring the 3D cursor back to the center of the world origin by pressing shift plus C and now we’ll add a new object from mesh and the object we are going to add is the plane now press tab to enter the edit mode and let’s suppose we want to make a mountain using this plane so for that first we need to have more vertices on this plane and so we’ll subdivide it and let’s increase the number of cuts let’s keep it to 10 now to make the peak of the mountain the first thing that comes in our mind is to select one of these vertices and then move it up in the Z Direction like this but as we can see it doesn’t actually look like a mountain the smoothness or the flow is somewhere missing in it and here comes one of the most important editing Tools in blender proportional vertex editing so proportional vertex editing is basically used to create a flow in the shape while you are editing your vertices and to enable it you have to click here in the 3D view editor header and now the proportional vertex editing tool is enabled also the shortcut key to toggle proportional vertex editing is to press o in your keyboard so now let’s undo this editing by pressing control+ Z and now with the proportional editing enabled if I try to move this Vortex upward then you can see that it’s forming a much better shape and that’s because it’s influencing all the vertices around the selected vertex and the circle that you are seeing is the circle of influence and all the vertices within the this circle will get influenced by the change and you can use your scroll wheel to change the size of the circle and now let’s finalize this by clicking left Mouse button so that was about the proportional editing and now is the time for the last and the simplest topic of this chapter parenting of objects so first let’s delete it and now let’s add two different objects let’s say one is a cube and let’s add another object let’s say it’s a cylinder now let’s move it in y direction like this so suppose you want two or more objects in your scene to act as a single object meaning that if I move this Cube then the cylinder also moves with it then we use parenting now some of you might say that you can join them by pressing crl + J and now if I move them they move together so yes it will work but what if I want it to be like if I move the cube then cylinder should move with it but if I try to move the cylinder then the cube should not move and here I will have to use parenting now let’s understand this with the help of an example first I’ll unjoin them by pressing control+ Z and then I’ll deselect them and now let’s select the cylinder and then by pressing shift I’ll select this cube with a left Mouse button click now we have to press cr+ P for parenting and we’ll select object and now the cube is the parent object of this cylinder which means that moving the cube will move the cylinder with it but if I try to move the cylinder then the cube won’t move so basically you have to remember that the object that you selected first while parenting that is the cylinder becomes the child and the object that is selected later that is this Cube it becomes the parent object and to summarize the various Concepts that we have covered till now in this series let’s start a practical session for this chapter in the last two practical sessions we made these two objects and in today’s session we’ll be making this scene so let’s begin with it I have deleted all the objects in my scene and we’ll start with making the computer screen and it’s upper body so let’s first add a cube let’s scale it down in the x-axis and let’s scale it up in the y- axis a bit like this and we should scale it down in x-axis a little bit more now to make it stand we will place a 3D cursor over here but before that there’s one more important thing suppose you want to view the object from a particular Viewpoint like from the top or the front so for this there are certain shortcuts assigned for the front view you have to press one in your numpad it’s appearing like this because the rotation of our object is not right so let’s press R then Zed and 90 and so for the front view you have to press one in your numpad for the back view you have to press C crl + 1 similarly for the Right View Press three in your numpad for left view you have to press crl + 3 similarly if you want to see the top view then you have to press seven in your numpad and for the bottom view it’s control+ 7 I have typed all these navigation shortcuts here if you want you can take a screenshot of this now let’s come back to the front view by pressing one and we’ll place a 3D cursor here by pressing shift plus right Mouse button click I place my 3D cursor over here so that I can make the stand for the computer now let’s add a cylinder here let’s scale this down and let’s scale it up in the Zed axis like this and now I’ll navigate and I see that the position is not correct so by pressing three on my numpad I’ll go to the right view now I press G and Y to move it in y direction and I’ll place it here now if I come back and see it looks fine now let’s return to the front view and now I’ll add a cube at the bottom of the cylinder so that the stand is complete so I’ll first place 3D cursor over here by pressing shift plus right Mouse button and I’ll add a cube now I’ll scale it down in the Zed axis and it looks
slightly bigger in size so I’ll scale it down in the y- axis and also in the x-axis now even if the basic structure of a computer is ready but still it looks very simple so for this let’s select this PC screen and let’s tab into the edit mode and now with all the vertices selected I’ll use the bevel option and bevel basically makes the edges of your object look smooth so let’s use it to understand it so I’ll press cr+ B and slightly move my cursor away and to finalize I’ll press left Mouse button click and now if I come out of the edit mode the edges now look something like this now I’ll join this entire computer with it stand as a single object and for that I’ll press a to select all and press contrl plus J to join them and I’ll change its name from Cube to computer now if you’re remember we made this table with the suzan model in the chapter number five and I think that we should add this table in this chapter number six project and in this way we’ll also revise the concept of a pending so to append that table we’ll first go to file then append and now we have to locate our file and click on the file name then we’ll go to collection and press on the collection and now the table along with the suzan model and the lighting setup will get added and now I’ll go to the front view by pressing one now I’ll select this computer press G and Zed to move it in that direction and I’ll place it on the tabletop now I’ll select the suzan model and hide it and now it looks good so let’s enter the camera view by pressing zero on our numpad and to adjust it we’ll click on The View here then lock camera to view and now if I scroll back then the whole computer along with the table will come in our view and now let’s enter the material preview mode and let’s change the color of our computer so we’ll go to the materials properties here then click on new and let’s change its color to light blue like this but it screen should be black so I’ll go to the edit mode then if I go to face select mode and select this face only and then click on the plus button here and click on assign then this particular face of the object will have a different color what I’ll assign now so I clicked on new and choose the base color from here to turn it into black I’ll have to decrease the brightness slider and now if I go to object mode it appears something like this now one thing that you might have noticed is that it appears very simple and the reason for that is that we have currently learned only editing objects in blender but to make it realistic and complex we’ll have to learn the editing Tools in blender and that we are going to cover in chapter number seven of this series now let’s go to the render mode to see how it will look when we finally render it and it looks ready to be rendered but we have done one mistake here that we’ll get to know after we click on the render button so let’s render it and this is the rendered image we see that the suzan model is appearing here which means that even if we hide the suzan model while working on our 3D view Port it would still appear in the rendered image now suppose you want to hide the suzan model in your 3D viewport as well as the rendered image so you can do this by clicking on the camera button here so if I click this camera button then it will be disabled in the render also and now if I click on render image then this image is rendered in which suzan model does not appear and so that’s all in this [Music] chapter so the first tool that we will use today is the extrude tool for this we’ll go to the edit mode of this Cube and to enable the extrude tool press on this extrude region icon and now this yellow Gizmo appears which is normal or perpendicular to the face of this Cube so first I’ll go to the face select mode and select the upper face now if I left click and drag this Gizmo or the manipulator we will notice that it it duplicates the face and moves it along the normal axis if I release the left Mouse button it finalizes it but these edges still remain here and thus stay connected to the extruded face and we can also left click and move around the viewport to move the Extrusion along the viewing plane also you can do this with vertices and edges and also with multiple faces together and the shortcut to enable Extrusion is to press e key in your keyboard and the face will extrude along the normal and left click to finalize it now let’s return to the object mode and press X to delete it now I’ll add another Cube here and we’ll enter the edit mode and I’ll disable the extrude region option now suppose I select this face and press e to extrude but instead of left clicking I press the right Mouse button so you might think that the face did not get extruded as I can’t see it here but in reality the face is extruded but it does not have any height and to confirm this with the face selected we’ll press G and then Zed to move this face along the Z Direction and we see that the face gets extruded now let’s undo this by pressing control+ z twice and suppose I want to make a stack of Cubes so for this I’ll press e to extrude then I’ll right click to cancel it and I’ll scale this down like this and I’ll again press e to extrude and move it upwards like this and I can do this multiple times press e and then right click then s and extrude it again so in this way it can be used to form a stack of Cubes now the extrude tool has five modes if you click on this tool for 2 seconds then it will display the list of the five modes the first one is the normal extrude region tool which we have already used so if I press e then it will get extruded like this this and the next one is the extrude manifold if I drag this Gizmo upwards we notice that the edges that were here will get dissolved when we previously used the normal extrude region tool the edges did not disappear but with this mode that is extrude manifold mode the edges will get disappeared or get dissolved and only that’s the difference between the two modes now the next one is the extrude along normal and this one is used when you are extruding multiple faces together to understand its importance let’s first try to extrude two faces in the normal mode that is extrude region mode so let’s select these two faces to select the other face together you have to press shift key along with left Mouse button click and now with both the faces selected if I extrude them then we observe that it is basically extruding in the direction which is average of normals of both the faces but now let’s select the other two faces and let’s switch to the extrude along normals mode and if I extrude it now we observe that both the faces are extruded along the individual normals this is the difference between extrude along normals and the normal extrude region mode in the normal extrude region mode the Extrusion will take place in the direction which is average of both normals and then extrude along normals mode the exion will take place in the direction of the individual normals of the faces and the next one is extrude individual tool this one is really very helpful in making certain faces extend out independently from its neighboring faces basically to understand it let’s select these two faces and choose the extrude individual option from here now if I try to extruded we notice that Extrusion take place in such a way as if both the faces were being extruded individually that is both the faces got extruded along with their individual normals and for anyone who has any confusion in these methods I’m going to summarize them for you see the extrude region tool basically extrudes your face along the normal and if you try it with multiple faces then it will calculate the average of the normal of the faces and it will extrude it in that particular direction the second one that is extrude manifold is used when you want to dissolve the edges while extruding and the third one extrude along normal means to extrude at right angle to the selected face you will be using this mainly in case of extruding multiple faces together and the next one is the extrude individual tool in which the Extrusion take place in such a way as if multiple faces were being extruded individually along their own normals and now let’s explore the last one that is extrude to cursor so first let’s delete this and add a new cube in its place let’s go to the edit mode and select this face let’s go to the extrude menu and select extrude to cursor now if I simply left click anywhere in the viewport then the selected face will be extruded to wherever I click using the mouse cursor and now the most important thing is that in most of the cases like more than 90% of the cases you will be using the normal extrude region tool only to extrude your faces or vertices so even if currently you can’t learn all different extrude modes you do not need to worry because these things will get in your mind only when you practically make something blender and our next chapter is going to be completely on modeling of different objects only so we’ll be using all these tools there also and now let’s come to the next tool that is inser faces so inser faces is used to create new faces inside a selected geometry to understand this first I’ll delete this and add a new cube in its place now let’s go to the edit mode and I’ll deactivate the extrude mode and now I’ll select this pH so to insert this pH press I on your keyboard and move your cursor and left click to finalize so by using this tool we basically created a smaller face on the face that we selected and and it can be used to make many cool things like if I press e to extrude it and left click and now if I press I again to insert this face press e to extrude and again I to insert and I can also extrude this face inwards like if I press e and take it backwards then the face will get extruded inwards and if I want the face to be outwards then I’ll press G to move it and in y direction and it will come outwards like this now the next tool is the bevel tool so this tool basically helps to make the edges look curved or rounded let’s try this with the help of an example so I’ll switch to the edge select mode by pressing two and I’ll select these two edges now to apply the bevel tool press ctrl+ B and slightly move your cursor away and now use your scroll wheel of the mouse to scroll up and this will increase the number of segments now left click to finalize and we observe that these edges now look much curved and rounded and so that’s what the bevel tool does and now the next thing is the vertex or the edge Loop selection so let’s come out of the edit mode and delete this and I’ll add a cylinder let’s tab into the edit mode now I’ll deselect all these edges and suppose I want to select all the edges at the top now so one way to do this is to select one of them and then press shift and select each one individually but this one is too much time consuming and so the shortcut to do that is to press alt and select any one of them and the entire Edge Loop will get selected now the next tool to explore is the loop cut tool so suppose I want to add more Edge Loops in the cylinder to do this I’ll press ctrl+ R and now I’ll move my cursor towards the cylinder now I can use my scroll wheel to increase the number of cuts or to decrease them and to finalize the selection I have to press left Mouse button and now I can move move them based on the location that I want if I want them to be at the center then I have to press right Mouse button similarly if I want to add one more Edge Loop here I’ll press cr+ R and now I left click and if I drag it upwards and then left click again then this position will get finalized instead of the center one and now the last tool is the rip region tool for this first I’ll delete the cylinder and I’ll add a cube in its place now let’s tab into the edit mode and select the vortex mode by pressing one on your keyboard now you can see that these three edges here are connected to each other with this single vertex and to rip it apart with use the rip region tool so to activate this tool we have to press here rip region tool then I’ll select this Vortex and I’ll drag it away in a way that it rips apart similarly I can try it for this one also so it basically opens up the cube by disconnecting the vertices that were joined together and now we have explored all the basic Tools in blender before ending this I want you to analyze yourself if you understood over 60% of all the concepts explained today then it’s definitely very good because the remaining 40% would be cleared when we will model various objects in our next chapter but if you feel that you couldn’t understand 60% then I would request you to either re-watch the video and only understand what I’m showing and telling you or else you can also watch the selected part again where you feel that your confidence was a bit low and so that’s all for this [Music] chapter now in this chapter we’ll be modeling these three objects in blender and in this way we’ll revise the concepts that we have learned in this course till now so let’s first start with this model of chair so let’s begin with it first I’ll delete this default Cube by pressing X now I’ll go to the add object menu by pressing shift plus a and whenever you’re modeling something the first thought that should come to your mind is that which mesh type or object should be edited so that we can model our required object for example if you were to make a model of a planet or sun you would be using a UV sphere because it shape resembles and it can be easily edited to make the required object or the model now for this shair the best object that can be edited is Cube only so I’ll add this in my 3D viewp now I’ll tab into the edit mode with all the vertices selected I’ll scale this down in the Z Direction this will become the seat of the chair so we need many more vertices in order to edit this for this we’ll add some Loop cuts by pressing cr+ R then left click and right click to finalize it and then go here where it’s WR Loop cut and slide and you can increase the number of cuts from here let’s set it to six now again I’ll apply a loop cut in this direction left click and then right click so that it takes the default Center position and increase the number of cuts to six now I want you to understand two basic things first is why I applied Loop Cuts so for editing any object you need multiple vertices and to create more vertices you have to add Loop cuts also always remember that better or more detailed the object you want to create the more number of vertices are required the second thing is that always edit your objects in edit mode only even if you can do basic stuff like scaling in object mode but it’s always advisable to edit only in the edit mode now let’s make the legs of this chair for this we’ll switch to the face select mode by pressing three and we’ll select these four faces so with the shift key hold it select this face this one this one and this one and now we’ll extrude these faces by pressing e and dragging them and left click to finalize and now we’ll press s to set them a little up apart from each other and in this way we’ll also scale up the bottom faces and now to make the back of the chair we’ll select these seven faces for this I’ll select this face and keep pressing control and select this face this will basically select all the faces that lie between these two faces by picking the shortest path in between them and this tool is called the pick shortest part tool let’s practice it once again so I’ll deselect these faces now let’s select this face and keep holding control button and then select the last face so that’s how the pick shortest part tool works now to make the back we have to extrude these faces in the Z Direction and to make them look a bit more comfortable we’ll press G to move them and let’s move them back by a few cm in the X Direction and left click to finalize now we’ll delete these middle faces at the back of the chair so that it looks like this for this press three on your numpad to see the front view of the chair now if I’ll try to delete these faces by the regular method then we won’t get the desired results but still let’s try to do it using this regular method only so that we can understand where it goes wrong so enter the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z and select these faces here press X and select faces to delete them now turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z and now we observe that there are these empty spaces in between that were basically created because the cube was empty from inside in terms of volume and to avoid this we’ll use a new tool that is known as Bridge Edge Loop tool but first let’s undo this using control+ Z and to access this tool you have to go to edge here and select Bridge Edge loops and now you can observe that the faces got deleted without leaving any open Edge Loops or empty spaces in between so the tool that we use that is the bridge Edge Loops it basically Works to join a series of adjacent Edge loops and it is an advanced tool which is used for modeling objects and the condition for using this is that the edge Loops should have same number of vertices for example in this case the front face had four edges and the back face also had four edges so when I selected both the faces and applied Bridge Edge Loop tool it worked and joined the two selected Edge Loops now let’s do the same for other faces as well so let’s select this face and with shift key holded I’ll select this pH now go to Edge and select Bridge Edge Loops then I’ll go for this pH and with shift key hold let’s select this face then go for Edge and Bridge Edge loops and now it looks fine now to make it look better let’s select these faces from here and press control key and select this face and we’ll extrude these faces by pressing e and left click to finalize and also let’s scale them up a little bit now let’s switch to the edge select mode by pressing two and we have to select all the edges except the top ones and the best way to do this is to enter the x-ray mode by pressing all plus Z select all these vertices that we didn’t want and now to invert the selection we have a tool called invert selection tool and to use this tool we have to press control+ I so basically it will select all the edges that were not selected and we deselect the ones that we selected and that’s what the inward tool does now we’ll apply the bevel tool on all the selected edges so that they look more rounded curved and a bit natural for this I will Press cr+ B and slightly move my cursor away and left click to finalize let’s increase the number of segments from 1 to three and click anywhere else to deselect and let’s switch off the x-ray mode by pressing all plus Z so now it looks like a real chair so let’s tab into the object mode press right click and shade smooth now we can also render this image but before that let’s apply some colors to it so I’ll go to material preview and go to this material tab here press new and let’s choose the base color from here we’ll decrease the brightness to get some brown color so let’s adjust it now it looks good enough to render so I’ll press zero for camera view now to lock the preview to the camera mode we need to toggle the Side Bar so let’s press n to toggle it and go to view and click on lock camera to view now if I scroll down the chair is completely visible in the camera view so first let’s go to the render preview mode and it looks like there should be more lighting so I’ll select this light and I’ll increase the power of this light to around 5,000 and also let’s create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and let’s move it in y direction and left click to finalize the location also we should add one more light at the back so I’ll press shift plus b again and right click now I’ll press G and move it in X and Y Direction simultaneously by pressing shift plus Z and now I’ll move it at the back let’s move it down in the Z Direction now I’ll press G and X to move it in X Direction now I’ll move it in y direction so you basically have to adjust the lighting according to what suits you or what looks the best to you and also one of our upcoming chapters will be completely based on lighting so we’ll understand everything about the lighting its types and other things in that particular chapter so it looks good now and let’s render it by clicking on render then render image and that’s the final rendered output it looks decent and I hope your rendered image would also have been perfect so now it’s time to create the second object on our list the treasure chest so I’ve created this new file and I’ll t to the edit mode with the cube selected press three for face select mode and I’ll select the top face and let’s bring this face down by pressing G and Zed and left click to finalize and now I’ll press a to select all the faces and let’s scale them down in the y direction left click to finalize but I think that we need to scale it up in the Z Direction so with all the faces selected I’ll press s and Zed and let’s scale them up now I’ll select the top face and scale it up a little bit more and left click to finalize now to make the top part of the chest we’ll extrude this face and left click and let’s scale it down and left click again now let’s bring this face a little bit down by pressing G and Zed and this much looks good and if you’re doing this along with me on your PC then it’s not mandatory to copy each and every step of mind you can change the basic Dimensions like scaling and other things according to what you think will look the best for your model and you might end up making something more beautiful than what I’m making now if he’ll select four faces this one with the shift key holded this one also this one and the last one is this now what we’re going to do is to press I to insert but we’ll press I one more time time to insert each face individually and press left click to finalize now to make this look like a treasure chest we’ll extrude these faces inwards so the shortcut to get the menu of five extrude tools is to press alt e and we’ll select the extrude faces along normals now slightly bring down the cursor till the Extrusion looks good and left click to finalize now it looks like this and now I’ll switch to the select mode by pressing two I’ll select this Edge and with shift he hold it I’ll select this Edge now I’ll use the bevel tool by pressing cr+ B and we’ll increase the number of SE M Ms by using the scroll wheel and left click to finalize and now to work on these faces here I’ll press three for face select mode I’ll select this face and with the shift key holded I’ll select this face now press I to inser and left click now we again going to extrude these faces inwards and for that I’ll press alt e select extrude faces along normals and bring down your curse a little bit left click to finalize the Extrusion and it looks like this now we’ll tab into the object mode and apply shade Smooth by clicking right Mouse buttton and click shade smooth but we observe that this smoothness is too high and blender gives you the option of adjusting the smoothness so first let’s undo it and now click right Mouse button and go for shade Smooth by angle and you can adjust the angle from here now higher the angle of smoothness more is the smoothness applied and I think around 60° would work in our case since it looks very simple we should apply some colors to it so let’s go to the material preview mode and click on the material properties panel now we’ll change its color to dark brown and to make it look better we’ll also change the color of these faces that are extruded inwards so let’s tab into the edit mode now we’ll select this face add new material and click on assign now change the color from here we’ll change its color to dark green so let’s take it to green and to make it dark let’s decrease this brightness slider let’s tab into the object mode and the color looks fine so I’ll apply this color to all the other extruded faces also for this face I’ll select the green material and click on aign similarly for this face and for this face and now we’ll change the color of the top faces so I’ll select alternative faces I’ll select this one then with the shift key holded I’ll select this and this one and also so this one and I’ll create a new material and let’s change it color to gray so I’ll decrease the brightness from here and I’ll increase its metallic nature to around 0.4 so let’s take a look at it in the object mode so it looks like this let’s also change the color of these faces here so I’ll tab into the edit mode select this face create a new material and we’ll change its color to red and I’ll bring down the brightness slider let’s tab into the object mode and it looks like this let’s increase the brightness slider a little bit now we’ll assign the same material to the other side and now to make it look a bit more realistic we’ll tap into the edit mode and press two for it select mode and to select all the edges I’ll press a and then I’ll apply bevel by pressing crl plus b and slightly moving my cursor away and click left Mouse button to finalize now I’ll tab into the object mode and it looks like this now so it looks a bit more realistic than before I’ll add the before and after images and you you can compare the difference between the two and now we need to model a lock to place at the center of the chest for that I’ll hide this object but first let’s change its name to treasure chest and now press h to hide it press shift plus a to add a new object and we’ll add a cube to make the lock press s to scale it down now for the front view you need to press one in the numpad now we’ll zoom in let’s scale it a bit more now to model the top part of the lock I’ll place my 3D cursor over here by clicking shift and right click now I’ll add another Cube here let’s scale it down and let’s scale it up in the Z Direction now let’s get to the side view by pressing three select this Cube and let’s scale it down in the y direction now we’ll select this Cube and let’s place it here so it looks like this now let’s again go to the front view by pressing one let’s tab into the edit mode with this object selected and let’s apply a loop cut let’s take it above and press three for the face select mode now I’ll select this pH so that I can extrude it and complete the remaining portion let’s go back to the front view and press e to extrude and left click Mouse button to finalize let’s add another loop cut and I’ll select this face here by pressing three and selecting this and we’ll extrude this face and now the basic structure of our lock is ready now we’ll return back to the object mode and we’ll select both of them and press contrl plus J to join them together and we’ll rename them as lock and now let’s zoom out and let’s bring it ahead in the y direction so that we can unhide the treasure chest now go to the front view and let’s scale this down a bit let’s place it here now go to the side view by pressing three now let’s move it in the y direction and we’ll also rotate it a bit and now it looks like this and let’s change its color by clicking on new and let’s set the color to Blue now we’ll tab into the edit mode and let’s zoom in now select this Edge this one by holding shift key and this one and also this one and now we’ll apply bevel tool on them by pressing control+ B and increase the number of segments using your scroll wheel and left click to finalize similarly we’ll do the same same with this we’ll select this Edge and this one by pressing shift key and press crl plus b for bevel and left click to finalize let’s come back to the object mode and it looks like this now and now I think that we should render it so let’s go to the rendered preview mode and switch to the camera view by pressing zero on numpad now we need more lights in our scene so we’ll select this light here and we’ll duplicate it and let’s place it here let’s add another light by duplicating and let’s place it here by pressing on this light we can also change its power or basically the strength of brightness I think around 800 should be fine and to lock the camera to view we need to open the sidebar so press n and go to view and select lock camera to view now we can adjust the camera and we’ll zoom in and this looks decent enough to render so I’ll click on render button and this is the final rendered output of a simple treasure chest and some of you might think that it looks very basic or very cartoonish but that’s only because we haven’t studied materials textures yet and since this is going to be a very long course so I have divided it into such a way that we first understand the basics by creating the basic objects around us and then we will slowly go to the advanced level and so now is the time to create the third and the last model for this class that is this grenade so I’ve created a new file and we’ll delete this Cube now I’ll add a UV sphere the reason for adding this UV sphere is that it shape resembles the most with that of a grenade and there’s a small menu here which says add U spere so we’ll click it and from here we can reduce the number of segments or the number of rings and we can also change the radius from here so we’ll change the number of segments to 16 and the number number of rings will also be 16 and let’s change this radius to one now let’s tab into the edit mode and press one for the front view then I’ll zoom in and let’s scale it up in the Z Direction now we’ll delete some of the lower faces but if I select it like this then the faces at the back would not be selected and the solution for this is to enter the x-ray mode while selecting so I’ll select these faces again and also I’ll select the faces at the top by holding the shift key while selecting them and now I’ll tell you one more shortcut to select more vertices if you want if you want to select more Edge Loops then you can do this by holding control and press the plus button in the numpad and this will increase the number of edge Loops selected similarly if I click minus instead of plus then the edge Loops will decrease now we’ll press X to delete them and select vertices now we’ll select this Edge Loop by holding alt and pressing left Mouse button and I’ll turn on proportional editing by pressing o and now I’ll scale it down similarly I also select this Edge Loop and scale it down also I’ll select this Edge Loop and scale it down now let’s switch to the face select mode by pressing three select all the faces and now we’ll extrude all these faces to form a shape like this for this I’ll press alt e and in this extrude menu we’ll select extrude individual faces and slowly move your cursor up so that the faces are extruded and press left click to finalize now it looks like this let’s switch off the x-ray mode and this is how our grenade would look like and now let’s apply the bevel tool here by pressing crl plus b and slightly moving away our cursor let’s increase the number of segments using our scroll wheel and left click to finalize and so it looks like this now now it looks a bit more realistic than before and now we’ll close the edge Ed Loops here so press two for Ed select mode and press alt and select the edge Loop now we’ll use a tool called fill tool to fill the space in between and to access this tool we have to press F and the space will be filled using the fill tool similarly we’ll also go above select this entire Edge Loop by pressing alt and selecting it press F to fill now to make the top of this grenade we’ll extrude this face and let’s scale it down a bit let’s extrude again and again scale it down and now to make this handle above or whatever it is called We’ll add a cube here by pressing shift plus a and select Cube scale this down press G and Z to bring it up let’s scale it down in the Z Direction more now we’ll go to the front view let’s bring it down in Z Direction let’s go to side view by pressing three and it looks perfect from here let’s also scale it down in the y direction now we’ll go to face select mode by pressing three and select this face now we’ll extrude this face and rotate it in the y direction now extrude it again and we’ll rotate it one more time in the y direction and now one more time we’ll extrude it so the basic structure of our grenade is now ready but let’s also scale up this handle from the bottom now it looks better now suppose you want to select only the handle in this object but if you press a then the entire grenade would get selected so the trick to select the handle only is to press l in your keyboard This is the select link tool and it helps to select only the object which has the vertices or the edges connected to it similarly if I deselect everything and and I take my cursor close to the grenade and then I press L then only the grenade part would get selected that is the main body and if I deselect and hover my cursor over the handle and then press press L then the handle of the grenade would get selected and now let’s apply the bevel tool by pressing crl plus b and take the cursor away a little bit left click to finalize and let’s come back to the object mode so it appears like this now we’ll change the colors so first let’s go to the material preview mode now let’s go to the material panel add a new color let’s change the base color to dark green now to change the color of the handle let’s go to the edit mode and press L to select the handle completely now I’ll add a new material and assign the handle this new material I’ll click on new and we’ll change the color to Gray and I’ll increase the metallic strength of this handle so let’s change the metallic nature to around 0.5 let’s go back to the object mode and this is how the basic structure would look like let’s tab into the edit mode again and change the color of this part also so let’s deselect and now to select the entire face Loop I’ll press alt and then select one of the faces similarly I’ll also select this face Loop by holding shift and ALT simultaneously and selecting one of the faces and now I’ll add add a new material and I’ll click on aign and let’s change this color to Yellow let’s decrease the brightness from here and let’s tab into the object mode so it looks like this now let’s apply shade Smooth by angle and let’s change the angle to around 20 so it looks like this now and I think it looks decent enough to render it now and I’ll switch to the camera view by pressing zero on my numpad we need to increase some brightness so I’ll select the lamp here and shift d to duplicate and let’s place it here I’ll add another duplicate lamp and let’s place it here now to lock the ca camera to the view we’ll press n for the sidebar then go to view and lock camera to view now we can navigate using the camera and let’s set our camera here we’ll zoom in a bit and this position looks good so now I’ll click on render and select render image to render it and this is our final output so that’s all in this chapter but before ending this chapter I would like to give you a task try to model the basic things such as cupboard or a refrigerator or any other similar basic object which you can render using your knowledge in blender that you’re having right now and so let’s end this chapter here [Music] so the first Advanced tool that we’ll explore in today’s chapter is the knife tool but before starting that there is one more important thing and that is you would be using these Advanced Tools in not more than 5% of the cases in majority of the cases we would be using the tools which are the basic tools that we have already covered in the previous chapter and in all the other chapters that we have covered so far in this course so you might think why to learn them and the answer to this is simple see if you learning a software the best thing is to master it completely so that you would be efficient in everything or basically every feature of that particular software now let’s come back to the knife tool so the knife tool allows you to create custom Imes in any direction on any particular face of your object and to access this tool with the cube selected we’ll go to the edit mode and here is the icon for the knife tool and if I click on it my cursor changes to a knife now to make a cut using this tool you need to click any of the edges with the left Mouse button click and a green square is created which is basically the vortex and now we’ll click on the other Edge click left Mouse button and we see that a cut is created we’ll also do the same with this Edge press left Mouse button and a second cut is created and to finalize the cuts you have to press enter and now if you go to the face select mode by pressing three let’s turn off the knife tool first we can select these faces individually now and also we can edit these faces separately for example if I select this face and press e to extrude then this particular face that we created with the help of our knife tool will get extruded and not the other faces but always make sure that you start with an edge and end on an edge while using the knife tool to understand this let’s enable this knife tool again and I’ll create some random cuts from here and I left click here here and here so I made some random cuts on this face but if I have to finalize my cutting then I can’t leave it here I have to end it on one of the edges like this can be an edge this is an edge so I’ll click left Mouse button to finalize and to exit it I have to press enter now I’ll disable the knife tool so always remember that while using the knife tool you have to start with an edge and end on an edge now the knife tool has four options which are pretty helpful in modeling complex bodies but to use these options options we must enable the knife tool with its shortcut key only and so the shortcut key for enabling the knife tool is to press K on your keyboard and the tool is now activated and suppose you want to come out of the knife tool before selecting anything here then you can do this with the right Mouse button click now the first option in the knife tool is the midpoint snap for this press K to enable the knife tool so to use the midpoint snap option you have to hold the shift key and now if I hover over any of the edges then it will automatically snap to the center of the edge so if I left click here and with the shift key holded I take take my cursor to this Edge then it will snap to the middle of the edge here and if I left click then it will create a cut here and to finalize the cut I’ll release the shift key and press enter so basically it will help you when you need to work more precisely and the cut has to be exactly in the middle so that’s the use of the midpoint snap option in the knife tool now the second option is the ignore snap option for this press K on the keyboard for knife tool now suppose I want to create a cut not from the edge but somewhere very near to it like from here but it would automatically snap the cut to the nearest Edge if I Tred to create a cut very near to that edge which I don’t want to happen so here we will use the ignore snap option so that it does not automatically snap to this Edge and to enable this option hold control and now if I try to create a cut very near to this Edge it won’t snap to the nearest Edge and the cut is created to finalize release the control button and press enter But as I already told you this tool must start from an edge and end on an edge so it would automatically connect my cut to the nearest vertices so this was the ignore snap option using which you can create a cut which is very near to the edge and it won’t snap out automatically to the edge which is near to it now the next option is the angle constraint first let’s come out to the object mode press X to delete this and add a new cube in its place we’ll tab into the edit mode now let’s go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and now to understand the angle constraint option press K to enable the knife tool and for the angle constraint press a now if I left click anywhere and drag my cursor then this straight line would appear and if I move my cursor away then this line would rotate at angles of 30° and that’s what the angle constraint tool does it allows you to create precise cuts by giving you the option to cut out specified angles now suppose you don’t want the angle to be 30° but to be like 10° or 45° or anything else for that you can type that specified number for example if I want it at 10° then I can type 1 Z and now if I move it then it will move at angles of 10° now suppose I want to create a cut from this point to this point so I left click on this point here and now I’ll move my cursor there at that point now I’ll left click here also so this would create this precise cut and now I’ll press enter to escape the knife tool mode so the angle constraint option allows you to create a cut at any specified angle you just have to to type in the angle after pressing the a button which is for the angle constraint option and the last one is the cut through option and for this we’ll press k for the knife tool then press C to enable the cut through then press left click from here to here and again click left Mouse button and now we can see that it has created a complete cut even on the faces that I couldn’t see from that angle before and now I’ll press enter to exit the knife tool mode so that’s what the cut through tool does and now we have completed all the options in the knife tool and now the second tool for this chapter is the bisc tool but before that I’ll Tye into the object mode and press X to delete it and I’ll add a UV sphere in its place now for the bisect tool option you have to tap into the edit mode then click here for around two seconds and you will see a menu where it’s WR knife and bisc so we’ll go for the bisc tool and to see what it does we’ll left click here and drag a mouse cursor like this and release the left Mouse button click so it has basically made a loop cut around the UV sphere and you may also notice this Gizmo that is here and if I left click and move it then it would allow me to move this Loop cut or else you can also click on bisect that is written here and from here you can change the location and even the rotation of your Loop cut and if you click on the clear inner option here then you will get rid of the mesh that was opposite to the direction pointed by this Gizmo and if I turn it off and if I click on the clear outer option then we’ll get rid of the mesh which was in the direction where this little Gizmo is pointing and with one of these two options that is clear inner or clear outer selected if I click on fill then it will create a face along the loop that was used to bisect the object and now it’s time for the third and a very simple tool in blender the spin tool for this I’ll delete this UV sphere and we’ll add a cinder here let’s rotate it in x-axis by 90° and press three in the numpad for the side view now we’ll tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up in y direction now suppose you want to make a pipe out of it that goes from here and like this in that case we have to use the spin tool and to access the spin tool you have to click here now we’ll select the vertices on this side and here you can see a little Gizmo which basically tells you about the direction in which the spin tool will work and also we notice that all the vertices are not selected so let’s select all of these vertices and to change the direction of this pin tool we can click on here X or Y or Zed but for our purpose we would need it in X Direction now we’ll go to the side view Again by pressing three now before using the spin tool we have to place a cursor over the Pivot Point as for the direction in which the spin tool is required to work so we’ll place our 3D cursor over here by pressing shift and right Mouse button and now if I click on any of these plus symbols and drag it like this then the spin tool will begin to work and if I release it and press e to extrude the face then we see that it has made this pipik structure so that’s how the spin tool Works in blender and now the fourth tool on our list is head slide and Vex slide tool for this we’ll tab into the object mode and we’ll delete this pipe object let’s bring back cursor to the world origin by pressing shift plus C now we’ll add a cube here let’s tab into the edit mode and press two for the edge selection mode and we’ll select this Edge now suppose I press G and try to move this Edge then it will move like this but it might be possible in certain cases that I do not want to move it like this but I only want it to slide it along the faces and that’s where the Ed slide mode comes into play for this double press G and now if you try to move the Ed then you will notice that it is not moving away and it is only sliding or basically moving along the faces and that’s how the Ed slide tool works it basically restricts the movement of a particular selected Edge by sliding it along the faces of the particular object which are adjacent to it and to finalize we left click and the same is available for the vortex also so press one for the vortex mode we’ll select this Vortex let’s zoom in a bit and if I press double G then instead of freely moving it it will basically slide it only along the adjacent edges and this is the vortex light tool and you have to press left click to finalize and now the last tool on a list is the string flatten tool so let’s come out of the edit mode press X to delete this so to understand this the object that we are going to add is the monkey or the suzan model now let’s tab into the edit mode and press three for face select mode now select some of the faces from the top let’s select these two faces and to enable the shrink and flatten tool you have to click here so I’ll press on this icon now if I drag this Gizmo upwards we observe that the two faces get expanded or flattened up similarly if I left click and bring this down then we observe that the faces will get shrink and that’s what the shrink flatten tool does moving this ISM more upwards will flatten or expand it and moving this downwards would shrink it and this brings us to the end of all the advanced Tools in blender I hope you like this [Music] chapter now let’s come back to blender and our topic for today to understand is what exactly are the modifiers and what can you do with them see theoretically modifiers are some sort of codes that apply some algorithm or process to an object and thus the properties and looks of the object changes but practically speaking modifiers are simply some editing tools which allow you to do things in seconds which might otherwise take you several minutes and also in a much better way now to access the modifiers you have to click on this tools icon here and this is the modify properties editor and by clicking on the add modifier option you can add any modifier from the lists here so as you can see there are these four categories of modifiers the first one is the edit modifier second is generate modifier then def modifiers and the fourth is physics modifiers as for the first group The edit modifiers it basically includes some Advanced modifiers which do not affect the shape of your object but rather other data such as as Vortex groups but we won’t be discussing about them right now at this point because understanding them would require some more Concepts to be covered in this course so we’ll be discussing these in some future chapter of this course and the next two are the main and the most important modifiers in blender that is the generate and the deform modifiers the generate modifiers contain a list of these 18 modifiers and we’ll be discussing all these in detail in the very next chapter that is chapter number 11 and next the deform modifiers have this list of 16 modifiers which we will be covering completely in the chapter number 12 of this course so so the upcoming two chapters would be covering a total of 34 modifiers in complete detail and now the last one is the physics modifiers which include simulations like fluid clothing Etc and each one of these topics is so complicated that every modifier has to be covered individually in detail so we’ll be covering all these one by one in our future chapters of this course but before ending this chapter let’s try to understand what modifiers actually do with the help of an example so we’ll be taking the example of array modifier for this go to add modifier then generate and then array or else you can also click on the search menu here then type array although we haven’t understood what this array modifier is but we are just going to use it to see what happens on applying a modifier so no worries as this modifier as well as all the other modifiers will be covered in complete detail in the next chapters so let’s click on this generate array modifier and we see that a duplicate of this cube is created and that’s what this particular modifier does it allows us to create duplicates of an object in any number which you can change from the count option here like if I increase the number the number of duplicates of this object will increase and to make some Gap in between the duplicates we can increase this X Factor from here and in this way the distance between the duplicates will increase so with this you can understand how modifiers actually work while you could have just selected the individual object and duplicated it using the shift plus d shortcut the much better or quicker way to do this is to use array modifier similarly all the other modifiers also do operations which help us to save time and edit the object in a very efficient way and so that’s all in this [Music] chapter so in the previous chapter we understood the fundamentals of modifiers and an overview of their categories and in this chapter we’ll be discussing about these 18 modifiers in the generate modifier category we’ll be understanding the working of each one in detail so let’s begin with it now the first modifier to start with is array modifier for this let’s first delete this Cube by pressing X and now we’ll add a monkey or suzan model so to add the array modifier with the suzan model selected go to the modify properties editor click on ADD modifier and in the generate category select array modifiers so B basically what this array modifier does is that it creates copies of the object by placing the copies in an array with each copy offset from the other to increase the number of duplicates or the copies of the object created we can do it using the count button here so we can increase the number of duplicates from the count option here now by default this relative offset option is turned on in the array modifier and the relative offset means that it uses the overall size of the object as a reference for determining the distance of the displacement between the arrayed items which means that if I increase The X Factor then the offset or basically the distance between the duplicates or the copies of the object will increase like this similarly if I increase the Y Factor then they move in y direction like this similarly decreasing them also would move them in y direction like this now suppose I want to move it upwards in Z Direction then I can change the Z factor from here and I will increase it like this now if I go to the side view by pressing three on numpad or maybe contr + 3 and if I zoom in here we can see that each one of these is separated by an equal distance from from each other similarly if I press one for the front view then from this perspective also the distance between each of the copies is same and that’s how the array modifier works now let’s change the Z factor to zero and also the Y factor to zero now there is one very interesting option in Array modifier and that is object offset so basically in this option you can add any other object as a reference and whatever we do with that particular object like rotating or scaling will also apply to these arrayed items for this let’s turn off the relative offset option and turn on the object offset now click on this little Arrow here here we need to add an object which would act as a reference for this let’s add a UV sphere here and let’s place it in X Direction Let’s reselect the suzan model and you can select this UV sphere as the object by clicking on this ey dropper and then selecting the UV sphere now to see the results we have to select the UV sphere and now if I rotate it like this then the array items would also begin to rotate but one thing to notice is that the original object that is this one would not show any Transformations but all the other duplicate objects would show it for example if I scale it then all the arrayed items would also scale up but you will observe that this one scales the most in comparison to this one similarly this one will scale up more in comparison to this one and the same for others so the original one would not show any effect and then the effect keeps on increasing and so that’s all in the array modifier now the next modifier on our list is the bevel modifier but before that let’s clear it all by pressing a and press X to delete and now let’s add a CU by pressing shift plus a and select Cube to see how the bevel modifier Works let’s apply the bevel modifier to this Cube for this we’ll go to add modifier then generate and select bevel we see that the edges of this Cube have been beveled it’s the same bevel that we also apply using the control plus b shortcut when we are in the edit mode but it’s mostly better to apply it using this modifier and the reason for this is that suppose you would have edited this Cube and applied bevel and if you’re working on a big project then undoing that bevel is not possible but in case you have applied this modifier to apply the bevel you can easily remove this bevel effect by clicking on this Crosshair this could remove the bevel modifier and it also works with all other modifiers and that is the biggest advantage of modifier normally in edit mode whatever changes you make cannot be undo after a particular point of time but modifiers always give you the option to remove them unless and until you apply them by clicking on this arrow and clicking apply but in most of the cases you won’t apply them because even without applying it would show you the results similarly you can also apply bevel to the vertices by clicking here and now you can increase the amount from here and you will notice that the vertices are now beveled and you can even change the number of segments from here so let’s increase the number of segments so now a cube appears something like this like a dice so these are the two options available in bevel the vertices and the edges so you can apply any of these based on the shape that is required by you and now the third modifier on our list is the Boolean modifier so the Boolean modifiers are used to create shapes by adding or subtracting one object from the other for this first let’s delete this Cube and add a new cube in its place and let’s also add a UV sphere and move it up in the Z Direction like this now with this Cube selected click on ADD modifier and select Boolean now this has three options intersect Union and difference and by default the difference one is selected in the object we’ll click on the ey dropper and select this sphere in this operation the part of the Boolean object overlapping with this selected object will form an empty space in it or basically that area would get removed from the selected object to see what it does we have to apply it first so we’ll click on this arrow and click apply or else you can also click cr+ a to apply it now if I select this Uvis spere and move it in y direction then we see that this Uvis spere has created an empty space in the cube that is the area which was overlapping between the cube and the UV spere led to the formation of this hollow space and the reason why this effect was shown only in the cube and not in the sphere is that we applied the modifier to the cube and not the sphere the object that is selected while adding the modifier is the object on which the modifier actually performs its operations now let’s Undo It by pressing control+ Z to see what the other operations do now let’s try the Boolean intersect option so what does Boolean intersect did was the part of the cube which was intersected by the Boolean object has been separated as a new object in simple words the area which was common in between the cube and the uis spere got separated as a new object and now let’s try the union operation in Boolean and what this does is that it basically joins the two objects to see this let’s go to the vi frame mode by pressing Zed and sliding towards vif frame now if I deselect them and then if I try to select the cube then the UV sphere will also get selected along with it because they have been joined together and to select only the UV sphere you have to click at the common area that is the intersecting part and then you can select the sphere here selecting the cube will select both of them or basically the union area of both and to select the sphere you have to click on the intersecting part let’s come out of the wireframe mode and this is how the Boolean modifier works just to revise if you apply difference and click on apply and then we move this uis spere in the y direction then we see that a hollow space is created that is the intersecting area got subtracted whereas if I undo it and use the intersect option then only the intersecting part of the cube will remain and the rest of the cube will get deleted or subtracted and in the union operation both of the object will get joined together now the three modifiers that we have discussed till now that is the array modifier bevel modifier and the Boolean modifier these are the most important three modifiers that you would be using in the most of the cases so if you still have any doubts then you can either rewatch that section or you can write the doubts in the comment section now let’s move to the fourth modifier that is the build modifier so let’s delete this first by pressing X and this one also and now we’ll add a cube here first let’s understand what does build modifier do so the build modifier creates the effect of something building linearly over a period of time although any object can have a build modifier but to see a nice effect a high vertex count is required that is your object should have a high number of vertices for this let’s tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up in y direction and let’s subdivide it by right Mouse button and click subdivide and to increase the number of Divisions click here where it’s written subdivide and increase the number of cuts from here let’s change it to eight and now to see the functioning of the build modifier let’s tab into the object mode click on ADD modifier and select build we see that our object disappeared now to see what has happened click on this play button here which plays the animation for you and you will observe that the object is getting reconstructed and that’s what the build modifier do it creates an animation effect of the object building over time by default it starts from frame one and ends on frame 100 now although we have not covered animation yet but you can understand it in this way that by default 24 frames together comprise 1 second of animation and this animation started from frame 1 and the length was 100 so it ended after 100 frames so the animation was around 4 seconds you might understand it better when we learn animation properly but you can try this effect with different types of objects you just need to select an object apply the build modifier and press the play animation button to see the animation effect now the next modifier on our list is the decimate modifier to understand the debit modifier first we have to delete this and let’s add a suzan or the monkey model here now let’s tab into the edit mode and let’s subdivide so that we can increase the number of vertices in it let’s set the number of cuts to two now we can see that there are a lot of vertices in our suzan model now if I tab into the object mode and suppose I want to decrease the number of vertices or the faces in this model so this can be done by using the decimate modifier so let’s go to add modifier in the generate section go to decimate now this ratio bar here represents the vertices or the faces in your model if it set to one then it means that it has the original number of vertices or the faces in it but suppose I reduce it to like 0.02 then we observe that the number of vertices or the number of faces in this model has decreased drastically to see its effect in the edit mode we have to apply this modifier now if I tab into the edit mode we observe that the faces have been triangulated that is the number of vertices forming the faces is just three so it triangulated the faces and reduced the number of vertices and the faces of our model and that’s what the decimate modifier do although in most of the cases you won’t require the use of this modifier however if you are modeling something and in between you feel that the number of vertices or the number of faces should be reduced then you can use the decimate modifier and now the next modifier on our list is the Ed split modifier which basically allows you to split an object apart by selecting vertices edges or faces to see how it works let’s delete this and add a cube in its place now go to add modifier and in the generate modifiers select xplit now we have to apply this modifier for this you can either click on this drop arrow and then select apply or else you can also use the shortcut control+ a to apply this modifier now to see its effect we have to tab into the edit mode now if I select any one of the vertices and try to move it we observe that it basically got ripped apart or in other words selecting The Vortex will allow the corner to be lifted or moved now it’s very similar to the rip region tool that we explored in our previous chapter now suppose I select this vertex and press G to move then the same will happen to this also similarly all the other vertices will also show the same effect now if we undo by pressing cr+ Z and press two for Ed select now if I select this Edge and press G and try to move it then we observe that this Edge also got ripped apart and so this is what the edge split modifier do you can see here that selecting The Edge would basically open this face like we open the lid of a box similarly if I press three for face select mode and select this face and try to move it then we observe that it basically got separated from the remaining object however this pH Still Remains the part of the object even though it is separated so this was all about the Ed spit modifier let’s tab into the object mode now and now the next modifier that we’ll explore is the mask modifier first let’s delete it by pressing X and let’s add a UV sphere now the Mas modifier allows you to limit what part of a mesh displays in the 3D view editor or what part renders and the part of the mesh is defined by a Vortex group let’s understand this with the help of example of this Uvis spere for this first tab into the edit mode press one for Vortex select and now we need to create a Vortex group now you might think what exactly is a vertex group so vertex group is simply a group of some vertices suppose I select some random vertices here then click on this triangle icon which represents the object data properties and here you can find the option of vertex group if I click this plus icon then it will create a new vertex group and if I want these vertices to be a part of this group I’ll click on assign and now if I deselect these vertices and suppose I want to select the same vertices again so with this vertex group
selected I’ll click on select and those particular vertices will get selected so basically this group consist of all these vertices now let’s apply the mass modifier so we’ll go to the modifier properties editor click on ADD modifier and in the generate select mask now in the vertex Loop option here we’ll add these vertices so click here and select the group this group represents the group of these vertices and if we now go to the object mode we will see only that part of the sphere which was defined by the vertex group and if you want to reverse the selection then you can click on this double-headed arrow and now we will see the part of the sphere which was not defined by the vertex Group which means that the part of the sphere that was defined by The Vortex groups is not being displayed and we can see the remaining portion of the sphere and this is what the mass modifier do it allows you to limit the part of the mesh which it would display in the 3D view editor or the part of the the mesh which will be rendered so that’s all in this modifier and the next modifier in our list is the mirror modifier for this let’s first delete this and now let’s had a UV sphere in its place now the mirror modifier allows the construction or the deformation of a mesh on one side of a center point to be duplicated or mirrored on the opposite side to understand what it really means tab into the edit mode and let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on numpad now we going to delete half of the vertices of this UV Sphere for this let’s turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z so let’s select these half vertices now press X to delete and select vertices now this is the half UV sphere so if you go to the object mode and let’s turn off the xray mode and now if I ask you how can you complete this UV spere so the best way to do this is to use the mirror modifier so let’s click on ADD modifier then go to generate and select mirror now our UV sphere is completed so basically what it does is that it duplicates one side of the mesh to the other side based on the axis that we have selected here in this case we have selected the x-axis so it created a duplicate along the xaxis of our viewport so you can select your access from here based on your particular requirement now suppose I go to the edit mode and if I select some of these vertices and try to edit them like if I press G and move them then we observe that the vertices on this side also show the exact Transformations that we did on the vertices of this side basically it creates a symmetry on both the sides so whenever you are making something which requires exact same symmetry on both the sides of your object then you must use the mirror modifier so now let’s tab into the object mode and the next modifier in our list is the multi-resolution modifier now the multi-resolution modifier can only be understood after we have learned sculpting and blender so we won’t be covering it right now in this session now the next one is the remesh modifier for this let’s delete this UV sphere so to understand remesh modifier we have to make a structure like this in our scene and so we’ll add a cube and to make a hole like this in our Cube We’ll add a cylinder in our scene and then apply the Boolean difference modifier so let’s scale it down in the X and Y Direction by pressing s and then shift plus Z now we’ll select this Cube and go to add model ifier then in the generate section we’ll first select Boolean and in the object we’ll search for cylinder and we’ll apply this by pressing cr+ a now if I select the cylinder and if I delete it then our cube with the ho is ready now now let’s go to the edit mode and now we’ll see how the Remish modifier works for this go to add modifier then generate and select remesh now if you’re making something which requires detailed modeling then you can’t work with such low number of vertices now some of you might think that you can apply the subdivide to increase the vertices so if you right click and apply subdivide then you will notice that the word veres are not properly added in our object for example in this area at the top of the face there are no vertices added and that’s why we use the remesh modifier so for this we’ll change the mode from Vel to Sharp and now if I go to the object mode and then apply this by pressing crl + a and now if I go to the edit mode again we see that the number of vertices have increased significantly now the reason why I went to the object mode before applying the modifier is that you can only apply a modifier to an object when it’s in the object mode and not in the edit mode so now you must have understood that the Remish mod modifier increases the number of vertices in your object for detailed modeling and evenly distributes them in your mesh and if I undo it by pressing cr+ Z two to three times then you will observe that there are some options here and the most important one for our use is the octy depth the higher the octy depth more will be the number of vertices but do not increase it to something like seven or 8 if your PC cannot handle it so it’s always advisable to keep the number to around four or five for best results especially if you have a moderate PC now let’s go to the object mode again and press crl plus a to apply it and then go to the edit mode again and the number of vertices are increased now the next tool to discover is the screw modifier for this let’s go to the object mode and delete this now we’ll add a circle by going to mesh and selecting circle now let’s tab into the edit mode and press G to move it in y direction now you might observe that this pivot point of the center point of this circle is still at the 3D cursor and has not moved that’s because we move the circle in the edit mode and not in the object mode and the reason for doing this is that it will act as the center of the screw that we will make by using the screw modifier now we’ll add the screw modifier to this circle so let’s to add modifier then generate and select screw and you can also change the axis from here where it’s written XY Z by default it sets in the Z Direction but you can change it by clicking on y or maybe x in x Direction it looks something like this like a donut but we’ll keep it in Zed axis and you can also change the orientation of the screw by rotating the circle so if I press R then y to rotate it in y direction and press 90° so that it rotates by 90° and press enter then it looks like this and we can even scale down the circle and press left click to finalize now this looks good to form a screw now the screw modifier has many options here the angle option will change the angle of Revolution so let’s set it to around 300 and the screw option will change the offset along its axis or basically the length of the skew and iterations means the number of times this would repeat itself for example I’ve kept the iteration to 22 so that it would keep on repeating itself 22 times but suppose I keep it to around 10 then it would repeat itself 10 times and if I reduce its length by decreasing the scw value then now it looks like a screw so basically this modifier generates a spiral shape by revolving a profile or an object around an ax and now we’ll tab into the object mode and here we have this option of access object to understand this we have to add another object in this scene so we’ll add a cube select this scw again and to add this Cube as the access object we’ll press this ey dropper and select this Cube now this Cube has become the access object for our screw which means that this Cube will now Define the screw axis for example if I press G to move it then you can see how the screw axis is changing itself basically the radius and the position of the screw is changing by moving this Cube this is because this screw is taking this axis object that is this Cube as its reference similarly if I rotate this Cube like this then the screw also rotates with it and that’s all in the screw modifier and the next modifier on our list is the skin modifier so let’s delete all of them by pressing a and then X and let’s add a plane and let’s tab into the edit mode now the skin modifier works the best with stick like structures to understand this let’s delete one of these vertices by pressing X on our keyboard and now you can see that there’s no face but three vertices here these three vertices are forming two edges but without forming any face because they’re not connected to each other now let’s select this vertex and we’ll extrude this vertex by pressing e and then y to move it in y direction and left click to finalize and let’s move it to next direction also now it is a system of four vertices that are joined with each other but are not forming any faces and the skin modifier will create a 3D shape out of them to understand it better let’s tab into the object mode and apply the skin modifier for this I’ll go to add modifier then in the generate we’ll select skin modifier so the skin modifier uses the vertices and the edges to create a skin surface which helps to Define the shape of the object in a better way as you even saw in this case that we just had four vertices in the edit mode but after playing the skin modifier it turned it into a complete mesh object and now suppose I add a cube and let’s move it upwards in the other direction and if I apply a skin modifier in this Cube then let’s see what will happen so I’ll go to add modifier and in the generate we’ll click on skin so as I already told you that the skin modifier Works only on the stick like structures so it considered only the edges of this Cube and so it formed this skade like structure now here is this option of bran smoothing and if I increase it then it will smooth the geometry of the object and that’s all in the skin modifier and now is the time for the 13th modifier of this chapter the solidify modifier first let’s delete all this by pressing a and then X now to understand how the solidify modifier Works let’s add a cylinder in our viewp and now we’ll diab into the edit mode and press three for face select now let’s select this face and press X to delete the face now what I’m trying to do is to make a cup from this cylinder but if I tap into the object mode You observe that this cylinder is very thin it it requires some thickness to be added to it and that’s where the solidify modifier helps us so let’s go to the modifier Tab and let’s add a modifier we’ll go to generate and select solidifier now to increase the thickness of this cylinder go to the thickness option here and you can increase it and now you can see that our cylinder has gained some thickness so basically what the solidify modifier does is that it converts thin wall objects into solid objects like earlier it looked like this that is very thin shape but after applying this modifier it looks like this now it has gained some visible thickness so whenever your object is very thin and you need to add some thickness to it you must use the solidify modifier for that now the next modifier on a list is a very important one and it is the subdivision surface modifier so we’ll use the same cup object to see how the subdivision modifier works for this let’s add the modifier in the generate section we go to subdivision surface and here you can see that our object looks like this but one thing to notice is that on this cylinder object there are two modifiers applied although we have not finally applied them but you can still see them in the modify properties editor and one more thing to notice is that that the subdivision modifier is appearing below the solidify modifier in our modifier stack basically the modifier at the top takes precedence over the modifier that is below it so in this case the solidify modifier will take precedence over the subdivision modifier and if you want to change the order of the Precedence then you can click here and left click and then you can drag it and in this way you can change the order of your modifiers so we’ll place it below the solidify now let’s come back to the subdivision modifier so the subdivision surface modifier basically subdivides the surface of an object by adding vertices edges and faces and it helps to give the surface of the object a smoother and rounded appearance and all these things are important while you are editing a very detailed object but you might see here that the cup is not perfectly rounded and to improve this you have to change the levels viewport number from here let’s set it to three or four and now you can see that the cup is much more rounded than before similarly if I increase it to four then it shape is improved much more than before now this levels viewport means the number of subdivisions it will show in our viewport however if you will render this then you won’t get the same results because the render number is not the same as the levels viewport number so before rendering you must also increase the render number to around four so that you can get the same results viewport means the display that you are seeing right now and render means the final image that is obtained after you click on render and then render image so now the next modifier is the triangulate modifier and to understand it we have to delete this cup and let’s add a suzan or monkey model now right now you can see that each face of this model is made up of four vertexes here but suppose you are in a situation where you want each face of your model to have just three vertices and for this you can use the triangulate modifier so let’s go to add modifier and in the generate section we’ll select the triangulate and now you can see that each face of your model has three vertices now so basically what the triangulate modifier does is that it reduces the number of vertices of each face in your model to a lower number now you will be using this modifier in very rare circumstances only or basically after you have applied subdivision on your mesh model and there is some fine detailing in your model and you want to keep it consistent while you’re exporting it or rendering it then you will require this modifier but in most most of the cases you won’t require it so now let’s move on to the next one which is the volume to mesh modifier so to understand it let’s delete this and let’s add a taus object in our 3D viewport so a Taurus object looks something like a ring now in simple words the volume to mesh modifier means that it turns volume to mesh so at the first place we need to have a volume in our scene but as you can see that this tus is just a mesh object and not a volume to add some volume to this mesh press shift plus a and go to the volume and select empty we will use this empty volume to add some volume to the taus object and to do this with the empty volume selected go to add modifier and in the generate go to mesh to volume now the mesh to volume means that it will give some volume to a particular mesh that we’ll select here so in the object click on this eye dropper and select the Taurus object now to see if our Taurus object has gained some volume or not we’ll hide the Taurus object and this camera button here indicates that even if we have hidden this but it will still appear in our final render so far now I’ll turn off the renter display also now you can see that even after I turned off the display for Taurus you can still see a slight volume of the Taurus object and we can increase the density of this volume from here so if I increase it to four then it looks better now and in this way our Taurus object has gained some volume and now to give it some texture I’ll click on ADD modifier and in the deform we’ll select volume displays to give it some texture and then click on new and now you can see that it has some texture it now has a cloudy texture on it now to understand what the volume to mesh modifier does let’s add another object by pressing shift plus a and let’s add a UV sphere it’s not mandatory to add a UV sphere sphere you can add any other object now with this UV sphere selected go to add modifier and now we’ll add the volume to mesh modifier we see that our sphere has disappeared and now in the object if I click on the eye dropper and select this volume then you can see that the new mesh that is the UV sphere takes the shape of a volume and this is what the volume to mesh modifier do the object on which this modifier is applied will take the shape of a particular volume but again you won’t be using this modifier very often but it’s always better to understand the fundamentals of these modifiers that you won’t be using much often and so now let’s move to the next modifier of this chapter that is the weld modifier for this I’ll delete this and let’s unhide the taus object and press a and X to delete them now everything in our scene is cleared so let’s press shift plus a to add a cube in our scene now tab into the edit mode press one for the Vex select mode and right click to subdivide it and we’ll increase the number of cuts to three and now let’s tab one for the front view now what I’m going to do is to basically cut this Cube into two parts for this I’ll turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z and I’ll select the vertices on the second half always remember that whenever you are doing this thing never select the vertices in the middle because deleting them would leave you with less than half of the mesh and you don’t want that to happen you need exact half mesh and so for this always select only the second half of the mesh now I’ll press X to delete vertices and now we have half of this Cube press a to select all and let’s make a copy of it by pressing shift plus d and right click and let’s rotate it in Z Direction by 180° and move it in X Direction now suppose I want you to merge the vertices at the center with each other so how do you do this so one way to do this is to to select this vertex and with shift key hold it select the other Vortex and then merge them by using a particular tool known as the merge tool and to use this tool you have to press M on your keyboard and this will open a merge menu from here select merge at Center and this will merge the two vertices at the center point and this can be used to merge all these vertices together one by one but merging them individually would take a lot of time and here you can use the weld modifier so let’s turn off the x-ray mode and let’s undo this merging by pressing crl plus Z and go to add modifier and in the generate section select weld now what this modifier will do is that it will merge all the vertices that are falling within this distance from each other so if we slowly increase the distance then at one point you will notice that our mesh will get completed as the vertices have been merged and now let’s tab into the object mode and we see that our cube is completed so as its name suggest the weld modifier basically does the welding of the vertices of a particular mesh and now the last modifier for this chapter is the wireframe modifier and it’s a pretty cool modifier and a simple one so we’ll delete this Cube and let’s add a new Cube to see what the vi frame mode does go to add modifier and in the generate section select wireframe so basically the wireframe modifier converts a solid display as seen in the solid viewport shading to stick or wireframe display or to increase the thickness of these sticks you can go to this thickness option here and increase it and now it looks like this so it’s an interesting modifier that you can use if you want to make stick like structures from your mesh and so this brings us to the end of this chapter since we have covered all the modifiers in the generate modifier section so do tell me in the comments if you like this chapter or not [Music] so in the previous chapter that is chapter number 11 we discussed about all the 18 generate modifiers and in this chapter we’ll be discussing about these 16 modifiers of the deform modifier category we’ll be understanding the working of each one so let’s begin with it so deform modifiers basically help us to change the shape of an object without adding any new gemetry to it and the first modifier after clicking on modify properties editor and then going to add modifier and selecting D form is the Armature modifier and armatures are used when you’re modeling your character and rigging it therefore we will explore this aricha modifier in a future chapter of this course when we understand about character creation and the next one on our list is the cast modifier but before applying the cast modifier let’s tab into the edit mode of this Cube and let’s add some vertices to it by subdividing it so I’ll click on subdivide and let’s go to the subdivide menu and increase the number of cuts to around four now tab into the object mode the reason why I did this was that the cast modifier works better when your object has a high number of vertices so let’s go back in the object mode and go to add modifier and in the deform section select cast is now looking somewhat like a sphere even though it’s not perfectly spherical but it still looks like a sphere and that’s what this cast modifier do it basically deforms the Primitive object such as the cube that we selected here and changes its shape to the shape that is mentioned here since here the shape selected is a sphere so the cube in our scene is deformed to turn into a sphere and to make it into a perfect sphere you have to increase the factor from here and if I click on it and enter one then you can see that our object looks like a perfect sphere now but if you increase the factor Beyond one then you can see that our object is forming a very odd shape which we don’t want so we’ll change the factor to one and it will perfectly change its shape to a sphere similarly there are also other shapes available here if I select cylinder here then it will change to a cylinder now let’s try to create a simple animation using this cast modifier to do this I’ll delete this and let’s add a suzan or the monkey model in our scene now go to add modifier and in D form select cast modifier now let’s change this factor to zero and at Zer you can see that our model has the original appearance and you might notice that after this Factor value there’s a small dot here and this dot is used for animating stuff so if I click on this small dot it will basically add a key frame at the frame number one here and if I drag this to increase the space of the timeline and take this timeline cursor to around 100 and now if I change the factor value to one and if I again click here then basically what it does is that it will assign the frame 100 this Factor value of one so if I go on frame zero then this Frame will have a factor value of Z and if I drag it then you can see that the factor value is increasing and at frame 100 the factor value is one so if I go to frame zero and press space to play the animation then you can see that our suzan model is transforming into a shape like a sphere so you can use this cast modifier to make a simple animation that shows your object deforming into a shape like a sphere or a cylinder or a cuboid and that’s all in this clast modifier and the next modifier on a list is the curve modifier but before that let’s delete it by pressing X and add a cube in our scene now for understanding the curve modifier properly you need to have a knowledge of the curves also but currently in this course we have not covered curves but still we’ll try to understand the basics of the curve modifier in this chapter so press shift plus a and click on the curve section here and select this bzier curve from the list now we can’t see it in our scene so press G and Y to move it in y direction now it appears like this now we’ll select our Cube and tab into the edit mode Let’s reduce its size in The Zed Direction and scale it up in the X Direction and right click and select subdivide and we’ll increase the number of cuts to around 9 or 10 and let’s tab back into the object mode now select this curve and to increase its size press s on your keyboard now select this Cube click on ADD modifier and in D form select curve modifier now in the curve object here you have to add this curve so click on the ey dropper and select this curve now you can see that our Cube object is deformed and if I now select this curve and tab into the edit mode and if I deselect you can see that this curve has two vertices and if I select one of it and if I press R to rotate it then you will notice that there are same Transformations being applied on this Cube also and this is what the curve modifier do basically this curve modifier uses the shape of your curve to deform your mesh object and you will understand this in a better way when we’ll cover the Curves in blender in the upcoming chapters so now let’s tab back into the object mode and now the next modifier to explore is the display modifier so press a and X to delete all and now let’s add a plane in our scene by pressing shift plus a and in mesh select plane let’s tab into the edit mode and let’s subdivide it and increase the number of to 8 or maybe 16 now what I’m going to do is that I’ll select some of these vertices some random vertices and make a Vortex scope now we studied about creating a Vex group in our previous chapter so click on this icon which will open the data properties editor and in the Vex group section click on this plus icon to add a new vertex group and click on assign this would create a group of all these vertices in this Vortex group now if I go to the object mode and if I click on the add modifier and after that if I go to dform and select display we see that the entire plane object object is displaced upwards and you can control this with the strength option here but this is not the real use of this modifier because you can use it to displace your vertices in a Vortex group as per a particular texture to see what it really means click on this Vortex group option and select this group so basically what it did is that it displays the group of vertices that we created and with the string tool you can change the displacement of these vertices now suppose I go to this texture tab here and if I create a new texture and let’s change its type to noise now you might be thinking that we have not covered textures yet we don’t know what texture is so you don’t need to worry about that because we’ll be covering textures completely in our upcoming chapters but for now let’s just see what happens on applying a texture and so now let’s go to the modify properties editor and if I now try to change the strength then you will notice that the vertices are getting displaced as per the texture we have applied let’s set this mid level to zero and now you can try testing this strength option for those of you who are new to this blender software and have not worked with textures yet it might be difficult to understand this display modifier but later on on when we will cover textures completely in this course then you will completely understand every concept of this display modifier properly and now is the time for our next modifier that is hook modifier and this one is a simple modifier so let’s press X to delete this and let’s add a new cube in our scene now tab into the edit mode and to understand what a hook modifier is we have to select one of these vertices and to apply this hook modifier there’s a special shortcut available press cr+ h and from this menu select hook to new object now if we go back to the object mode we notice that apart from this Cube there is this m empty object also created now this empty object does not have any volume it just exists in our scene and if I select this Cube then you can see that this hook modify has been applied to it and to see what it does select this empty object and if I try to move it then we notice that the vertex that we selected will also start displacing with it and all this is happening in the object mode and if I left click then my object will get deformed and that’s the use of the hook modifier the hook modifier allows you to manipulate or animate selected vertices of a mes while in the object mode the vertex with which this empty object was hooked will also move when you press G and try to move it and that is the complete use of hook modifier and the next one on our list is the leian deform modifier so press a and X to delete all now this Le modifier is a very interesting and a very useful modifier so let’s understand it by adding a cube in our scene tab into the edit mode and right click to apply subdivide and let’s increase the number of cuts to three or maybe let’s increase it to something like eight and now to see how the liation modifier works we need to connect hook to this corner vertex for this with this corner a Vex selected I’ll press cr+ h for the hook menu and I’ll select hook to new object now this vertex has a hook attached to it similarly I’ll do the same with this one also press crl plus h and select hook to new object and with this one also crl plus h and select hook to new object so I’ve done it with three of my corner vertices of this face now if you want to select any individual hook then you have to press crl plus h and go to select hook and select that particular hook for example if I select this hook then this one got selected similarly I press crl plus h again and I’ll select the second hook and cr+ H for the third hook also and here you can see in the modify section that there are three hook modifiers applied for the three individual vertices and now we’ll create a group of these three hooks by pressing contrl + G and then click on assign to new group and now if I go to the modify section and click on ADD modifier and in dform I’ll select lapian deform now I’ll scroll down and in the anchor weights we’ll select that group of hooks let’s tab into the object mode and now we’ll click on bind so let’s see what it does if I select this hook and press G to move it then I observe that the object is also getting transformed and similarly if I select this hook and try to move it then it also does the same thing that is the object is getting transformed here also and this is the use of the leian deform modifier so in this way you can use these hooks to deform the cube or any other object that you want to animate and that’s all in the laian deform modifier and now the next one that we’ll see is the lce modifier by using the lce modifier you can easily deform your object especially if it has a large number of vertices so press a and X to delete the setup and let’s add a sphere in our scene by pressing shift plus a and select UV sphere let’s move it in X Direction like this the reason for choosing this UV sphere is that this UV sphere has a high number of vertices which is a basic requirement of using the lattice modifier now to use this lce modifier we need to add a lattice in our scene so press shift plus a and here you can find the lce object so click on lattice and this is what a lattice looks like now we’ll select our UV sphere click on ADD modifier and in the dform select lattice now in this object section click on this eye dropper and select this lattice here now this lce has been assigned to this sphere so we’ll select this lattice and let’s move it in X Direction like this and let’s scale it up now with this lce selected if I have into the edit mode and now if I select one of its vertices from here and try to move it you will notice that the UV sphere will also show the Transformations and this is how the lattice modifier is used basically if you will notice all the deform modifiers will help you to change the shape or structure of your object or your mesh very easily like in this case with this lattice object you just need to select your vertices and move them around and you object will also transform and so that’s all in this lce modifier and the next modifier on our list is the mesh deform modifier so the mesh deform modifier deforms your mesh with a cage mesh and it is very similar to a lattice modifier but instead of being restricted to the regular grid layout of a lattice a cage can be modeled to fit around the mesh object being deformed and to see what it really means let’s go to the object View and press a and then next to delete all objects and now let’s add a suzan or the monkey model in our scene and to make a cage around it let’s add a cube tube let’s turn on the x-ray mode to see both the objects properly let’s tab into the edit mode with the cube selected and scale it up in X Direction so that it completely covers the monkey or the suzan model and let’s subdivide this Cube two to three times so that it would be easy to deform our monkey or the suzan model now select the suzan model go to add modifier and in the deform section select mesh deform now we need to add this Cube as the object here so click on this eye dropper and select this Cube and you have to click on bind it might take one or two seconds based on your PC and then it will show unbind here which means that both the objects are binded with each other and the mesh deform will work now so let’s select this Cube tab into the edit mode and select some of the vertices from the top face and now if I try to move them let’s see what happens so I’ll press G and try to move them and you can see that our suzan model is also deforming and this is what the mesh deform modifier does it allows you to create a cage around your object and then you can easily adddate your object shape or structure with the help of the vertices of this cage because whatever transformation you do to this cage or basically its vertices or edges the same Transformations will also apply to the suzan or the monkey model or whichever object you have added in your scene and now it’s the time to explore the next modifier that is the shrink wrap modifier as the name suggests the shrink wrap modifier takes a mesh and shrinks it down basically wrapping the mesh around another object and to practically see how it works let’s go to the object mode turn off the x-ray mode press a to select all and X to delete and let’s add a new UV sphere in our scene also We’ll add a plane move it upwards in the Z Direction enter the edit mode with this plane selected and let let’s scale it down and let’s apply subdivision two to three times and return to the object mode now to see the effect of Shing trap modifier properly we need to assign some colors to these objects first let’s go to the material preview mode with this plane selected go to the materials panel click on new and assign any random color to it so let’s assign it blue color now we’ll select this sphere and let’s also assign it a color so let’s assign it yellow color now to make it surface smooth we’ll right click and select shade smooth now select this plane go to the modifiers option click on ADD modifier and in default for select shrink wrap and we observe that nothing happens that’s because we have to choose our Target object on which This Plane would wrap around so click on this eye dropper and select this sphere and now you can see that the plane is wrapped around the sphere in a way that it’s not even properly visible to fix this we need to increase the offset a little bit so let’s change this offset to a very small value like 0.012 and now the plane is properly visible and you can see that the plane is now wrapped around the sphere and that’s how the shrink wrap modifier is used so you can basically use the shrink modifier whenever you want to wrap one object over another and now let’s explore the next modifier that is simple deform modifier so let’s return to the solid mode by pressing Zed and move your cursor towards solid press a and X to delete all now let’s add a cube in our scene tab into the edit mode and let’s scale it up in the Zed Direction and let’s apply subdivide increase the number of cuts to eight I have taken eight Cuts just randomly you can even increase the number to 10 or decrease it to six or anything now the modifier that we are going to use that is the simple deform modifier it basically takes the origin Point as its reference by default that is where this 3D cursor is located and to ensure that it’s applied properly we need to move this Cube upwards in the Z Direction like this now let’s come out of the edit mode now we’ll go to add modifier and in deform section click on simple deform here you can see that it has created a strange effect on our Cube since the twist option is selected here so it has twisted our cube in the X direction to see the effect properly we can change this angle from here and we can even change the axis from here let’s keep the axis to Z axis and let’s increase the angle like this so it will create this beautiful twist effect on our object so at 360° you can see that our Cube has completely twisted and this is how it looks let’s try the other options also like this Bend option so you can change the angle from here like this and even the axis from here so let’s set it to x-axis and if I decrease the angle then you can see that at zero our object look like this but if we increase the angle then our object will begin to bend and this is extremely useful if you want to animate your objects and want to show them like bending or twisting then this tool is very useful let’s try the taper effect let’s change the axis to Y and let’s increase this Factor so you can see how this is creating a tapering effect on our Cube similarly if I go to the stretch option and change the axis to zed axis and increase the factor then you can see that it is creating a beautiful stretch effect on a cube so if you want to animate your stuff and it involves twisting bending tapering or stretching then you can use this simple deform modifier and then you can do it in seconds and now let’s come to the next modifier that is the smooth modifier to understand it let’s delete it first and let’s add a monkey or the suzan model now what the smooth modify does is that it smoothens the mesh object by softening the angles between the adjacent faces and this even shrinks the size of the original object to see how it practically works with this selected object go to add modifier click on deform and in the deform section select smooth and if I zoom in you might notice that there’s no much visible effect on it but if I change the factor to zero you can see how it originally looked and now if I change it to one we can see that its size has shrinked and it face is much smoother now you can even increase the smoothness further by increasing this factor from here but if you try to increase it too much then your object will be destroyed and it won’t be helpful so keep the factor to around one or two to see the best results and now the next modifier on our list is the smooth corrective modifier now this modifier is mostly used to smooth the mesh during character creation process and so it requires the knowledge of character modeling as a result we won’t be covering it in this chapter right now and so let’s move to the next one that is the smooth laian modifier for that I’ll delete this suzan model now the smooth liation modifier is used to smooth a mesh which has become irregular after its vertices have been manipulated during detailed modeling and to understand this practically let’s add a plane in our scene enter the edit mode and subdivide it two to three times so that it gets more vertices now to understand the smooth Le modifier we have to make its surface irregular first so select any random vertex turn on proportional editing by pressing o and move this Vortex upwards and scroll up your mouse wheel to reduce the circle of infl Ence and we left click to finalize and now if I go back to the object mode you can see that the surface of this plane is very irregular now and to smoothen this surface we can use the smooth liation modifier so go to the modify properties editor click on ADD modifier and in the deform section select smooth liation now to remove this irregularity or basically smooth it you need to increase this Lambda factor from here and now you can see that our surface of this plane has become much more regular than before and if I further increase it then it becomes much more regular and this is the use of the Le smooth modifier in simple words you can understand it in this way that it helps to smooth an irregular surface of any mesh and now the next modifier on our list is the surface deform modifier and to see how it works let’s delete this and add a cube in our scene tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up in y direction like this and to increase the number of vertices we’ll subdivide it two to three times now return to the object mode and the surface deform modifier will require another object in your scene which will be used as a Target and any transformation that you will do to that object will also be seen on this object surface for example if I add a plane in my scene and rotate it in y direction by 90° tab into the edit mode and scale it up like this and let’s also scale it up in y direction and we should increase the number of vertices in this plane also so let’s subdivide it two to three times now let’s go back to the object mode and let’s apply the surface deform modifier to this Cube so I’ll select this Cube here go to add modifier and in deform category select surface deform now we have to set this plane as the target object so click on this ey dropper and select This Plane and to bind both the objects you have to click on this bind button now if I select this plane and tab into the edit mode and now if I randomly select some vertices and try to transform them like moving them in upward Direction like this then we notice that a cube is also getting transformed in the same way also if I try to rotate it then this Cube will also show the same Transformations similarly if I scale it up then also this cube is deforming and that’s the use of the surface deform modifier basically the surface def4 modifier is similar to the mesh def4 modifier that we previously discussed the only difference is that the controlling mesh that that is the plane in this case does not have to surround the object and this is the use of this modifier let’s go to the object mode now and the next one is very interesting and it’s the war modifier to understand it let’s delete all this press shift plus a to add a plane in our scene now let’s tab into the edit mode and to increase the number of vertices we’ll apply subdivide let’s increase the number of cuts to around 16 and increase its size like this now we’ll come out of the edit mode and to use the war modifier you need to add two empty objects in your scene for this press shift plus a to add object and in the empty select plain axis let’s duplicate it by using shift plus d and move it in Z Direction like this one of the empty objects should be at the bottom and the other one should be upwards in the Z Direction now let’s select this plane and apply the modifier so in dform category we’ll select the warp modifier now you can see that there are two options here one is object from and the other is object two so we’ll assign one of these empty objects to object from and the other one to object two so let’s click on this ey dropper and select this one that is the empty object as the object from and click on the ey dropper of this object two and we’ll select the other empty object and now you can see that something has happened here so basically the warp modifier allowed you to deform your mesh object in object mode by manipulating the target objects that is the empty objects that we have added in our scene to show what it means I’ll select this empty object and if I try to move it you will notice that our plain object is also deforming basically the working of this modify is such that it starts from the object that we have entered in object from that is the one at the 3D cursor and it will show the deformation till the object two that is the object that we have added in this object two section and you can even change the strength from here and this is the W modifier so selecting this empty object and moving it will deform it and if you select this plane and change the strength then also you can see the changes or the transformations in your object and now is the time for the last modifier of this chapter the wave modifier and it’s an amazing modifier and a very simple one to learn so let’s start with it so I’ll press a and X to delete all and let’s add a plane in our scene go to the edit mode and let’s subdivide it let’s keep the number of cuts to 16 and let’s scale it up also return to the object mode and now we can apply the wave modifier so click on ADD modifier in deform section select wave modifier and you can see that the object is now transformed but that’s not enough if you press on this play animation button then you can see that a plane is showing a wave animation and from the wave menu here you can even change the height of your wave like this let’s reduce it similarly you can also change the width of your waves and also the narrowness of your waves like this and also if you go to the time section here you can even change the speed of your waves for example example if I increase it to the maximum level then it will be very fast and if I reduce it to something near zero then you can see that the speed of our waves has reduced and that’s all in the wave modifier and we have now covered def modifiers in this chapter but before ending this chapter there’s something to tell you the purpose of creating these two chapters that is this chapter and the previous one is not that you will memorize each and every modifier blender but to make you understand the fundamentals and the working of each modifier but if you want to learn each and every modifier in blender which again is not really mandatory you will require a lot of practice for that and to start with you can add and select random objects in your blender scene and try applying different modifiers to see what happens and from the next chapter we’ll be starting with materials textures and [Music] nodes from this chapter we’ll be beginning our journey of exploring materials textures and nodes and all this would be covered in the upcoming 15 chapters of this course the reason for having so many chapters is to understand all aspects of materials textures and notes in blender and in this introductory video we’ll begin with these topics that will help us to understand fun fals of node components so let’s begin with it now by default blender opens in this layout workspace and blender gives you the option of a separate workspace for working on materials textur the notes and to access it you have to click here where it’s written shading workspace and from here you can change the material of your object but in this course we won’t be working in this way we’ll be having a better interface to work on materials and to create this you have to go back to the layout workspace now if I take my cursor over here then if I right click it will give me two options vertical split and horizontal split so I’ll click on horizontal split and now I can drag this line and I’ll take it to around half of the scene and I finalized it with a left Mouse button click now let’s adjust it a little bit and we’ll change this to the Shader editor and here we’ll see the output so click on this icon here and select Shader editor and here these blocks are known as notes or notes components in blender and basically by using these you will be making your materials in blender for example if I want to change the cubes color I’ll zoom in click on the base color and I can adjust the color of my Cube from here for example if I want to set it to Blue I’ll drag it to Blue but you won’t notice any change here and that’s because we are in the solid mode right now and to see the materials in blender you have two modes one is the material preview mode that you can access from here in which you can see how your material is looking in blender and the other one is the render view which is basically the fourth option from here and it basically shows you how your 3D object would look like when it is finally rendered now the way your final render would look depends on which render engine you’re using so blender basically has two main render engines to see what they are you have to click on this render properties icon here and from from here you can set the render engine now here you can see that there’s a list of three render engines the default one is the EV the second one is the workbench and it shows the same thing that you see in the solid mode so we won’t be using this because it won’t show any materials on our object and the third one is the Cycles now the Cycles Render engine is the most important render engine out of the three that’s because the quality of output in this render engine is the best as compared to the other two and due to this reason it even takes a lot of time to render even a single image in Cycles but that largely depends on the specifications of your PC if your PC is good enough to handle it it might take less time but if you are having a lowend PC then it might take some more time to render in Cycles but the final quality will be amazing but the other engine that is the EV it doesn’t take much time to render it hardly takes 4 to 5 Seconds to render but its quality is a bit low as compared to the cycle sender engine in this course currently we’ll be using the cycle sender engine while working on materials textures and notes and this is just an overview of the render engines we’ll be discussing about the render engines separately in some future chapter as well now the way the material on your object looks also depend upon the lighting of your scene a poor lighting can have a bad effect on how your material looks so right now we’ll be learning about the basics of lighting and there are two ways by which you can properly lighten your scene one is the three-point light and the other one is using hdris let’s see the three-point light system first as the name suggests in this system there are three lights one is the key light which is the main light the other one is the fill light which basically fills your scene with light and the third one is the back light let’s explore the key light first for this I’ll delete this default Light press X to delete now you can see that there are no lights in my scene so I’ll press shift plus a select light and I’ll add the area light let’s move it up in Z Direction and let’s scale It Up by pressing s and this light should be such that it faces the front of the cube for this I’ll move it in y direction bring it down in Z Direction like this and to make it Point towards the front face of the cube I’ll press R to rotate and X to rotate in X Direction and now I can rotate it like this and left click to finalize now if I go to the camera view by pressing zero on numpad there is still not much like light and you can change this from the object data properties here you can change the power of light from here so I’ll increase it and we’ll change the location and rotation of this light so that both the faces have proper lighting for this let’s zoom out press G andx to move it in X Direction and let’s rotate it in by Direction like this let’s come out of the camera view by pressing zero on numpad again and let’s try to adjust the lighting properly for this I’ll press 7 to go to the Top View Press G and adjust it like this now I’ll press R to rotate it and I want to rotate it only in X and Y Direction so I’ll press shift plus Zed so that the rot remain restricted in X and Y Direction only and let’s finalize it here let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero and now both the faces have a proper lighting we can further increase the power from here and maybe I should increase the power to something around 700 or maybe 550 and this one looks good and now we’ll add the second light in our scene that is the fill light for this press 7even to go to the top view with this light selected press shift plus d to duplicate and we’ll move it here let’s change its Rotation by pressing R and shift plus Z so that it doesn’t rotate in Z Direction and let’s finalize it here since it’s not the main so we’ll reduce its power to around 300 let’s go back to the camera view and let’s move this light a little bit in Z Direction like this and now let’s add the back light for this we’ll again go to the top view by pressing seven on numpad press shift plus d to duplicate it and move it at the location behind this Cube left click to finalize and now we’ll rotate it also so that the light Point towards the cube and not away from it so press R and shift plus Z and rotate it 180° I entered the number from the numpad and then pressed enter to rotate it 180° let’s move it here just behind the camera and the object and and its power should be very low like 100 or 50 wats because it won’t be visible and only slight effect will be visible while rendering so we’ll reduce it power to something around 100 and let’s go back to the camera view let’s bring this back light down in the Z Direction like this and now it’s done but you might feel that this lighting system is a bit complicated and the solution for this is using hdris which is the second method of lighting and for this we’ll select all these lights first let’s come out of the camera view with shift key holded I’ll select this light and this one also press X to delete them and now if I go to the camera view again you will see that there are no lights in our scene now to add an hdri in my scene I need to download it first and there are many websites to download it for free but there are four to five good ones and I’ll drop their links in the description for now I’ll be downloading an hdri from this poly heaven.com website and here you can find a large number of hdis for your blender projects for free and you can find a good variety also on this website for example if I go to this studio category here you can see that there are lot of hdris here which will basically lighten up your scene as if there was a studio around your object similarly there are hdris for Skies IND scenes artificial lights Etc which you can download and use for your blender files suppose I select this hdri and from here you can download it you can even change the resolution from here if you want 2K or 4K or 8K or 16k the higher the resolution the more power blender will use so let’s set it to 4K and let’s click on download now we’ll return back to blender and to add the hdri in your scene in the world properties click on this yellow dot against the color and select environment texture click on open and now you have to open that specific file that you have downloaded as the hdri so I’ve selected the file and I click on open image now you can see that the hdri is now added in my scene and it is creating this lighting effect and that’s what an hdri do it will automatically create a Balan lighting effect in your scene without the use of adding any lights in your scene similarly you can also try adding other hdris by downloading them from different websites and trying them in your scene now if I select this Cube you will notice that these will again appear here but right now let’s delete them by pressing X on our keyboard and now our object has no material the reason for deleting is that we’ll be creating a new material on our own and before adding any material we need to add a map to it and the map basically defines a pattern which the object material would show to understand it press shift plus a and you will see a menu here to add a map we’ll go to input and the most common one is the texture coordinate so I’ll select texture coordinate from this list and then you can left click to finalize its position now you can see here that there are seven different ways to map like generated normal UV Etc and each one is a different way to tell the material how should we map our pattern but we need to connect it with some kind of pattern for this I’ll press shift plus a go to texture and this is the list of all the textures in blender we’ll be exploring each one in detail later on this course but for now let’s select this magic texture and left click to finalize its position now always remember that you have to connect the dots of same color with each other for example any of these purple dots can be connected to this purple dot of vector since they are of same color so suppose I left click on this generated one and if I drag it near to the vector they will be connected but we won’t see any changes here because we need to add a Shader that we’ll put on the surface of this material so press shift plus a go to Shader and here you can find a list of of so many shaders but the most commonly used is the principled bsdf Shader so I’ll select this and let’s add it here let’s zoom out a little bit and if you want to navigate here then you can press your middle Mouse button and drag like this now we’ll connect the color from here to this base color in the principal bsdf and what it basically do is that it will give a color to this texture but you might be thinking why can’t we see any texture or any material here and the answer to this is that there’s no output option here for this press shift plus a go to output and we’ll add material output because we working on materials right now so I’ll select this and left click to finalize it now there are two main ways to connect the material with the colors and textures one is the surface and the other one is the volume in most of the cases you will be using this surface one so we’ll connect this bsdf with the surface and now you can see here that a cube has a basic texture and a color this one that is the magic texture helped to add a texture to our object and the principal bsdf added a base color to our object that is the white color and the output one generated this output for us and now it’s the time to learn how to apply materials to different objects for this let’s delete this Cube by pressing X and let’s add a new cube in our scene and to apply a material or a color to it we have to go to the shade editor click on new and we’ll change the base color from here and let’s set it to Red now let’s add a few more objects in our scene so I’ll press shift plus a and let’s add a UV sphere move it up in Z Direction and let’s create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and to change the color of this UV sphere we’ll again go to the Shader editor click on new and change the base color from here let’s change it color to Yellow now to apply the same yellow color to this Uvis spere also we’ll select this go to the material properties editor and click on this icon here you will see a list of all the materials that are assigned to the various objects in your scene so we’ll select this yellow color and this yellow color will get assigned to this UV sphere also now suppose I want to change the color of these spares to the red color of this Cube now one way is to select this UV sphere click on this icon and then select it from here but there’s a better method to do this and it’s called the link materials method for this we’ll select this sphere and with the shift key hold it select other UV sphere and at last we’ll select this Cube Now using the link materials tool the last selected objects color will apply to the others for this press c cr+ l and this link menu will appear and from here select lick materials and now you can see that the color of this Cube has been assigned to the UV spheres as well and that’s the use of the link materials tool and now our next topic is to explore the three common maps in blender so basically Maps tell us about where the material is to be placed on an object and we going to see the three most commonly used maps for this let’s delete this by pressing X and let’s add a new cube in our scene click on new for a new material so first we need to add an input node for this press shift plus a and in input select texture coordinate and left click to finalize and now we need to add a texture for this press shift plus a go to texture and let’s add a brick texture and left click to finalize let’s connect the color to the base color now you can see that even though the texture look good on the top it doesn’t look so nice on the sides on this side it’s not generating a complete brick texture and this side is completely black and the reason for this is that the brick texture supports only x and y axis and not the Zed axis and we can even change the appearance of this texture and to do this we have to change the par damers in this brick texture node for example if I set the offset to zero you will see that the texture looks like this and to see the difference that it made Let’s undo it so when the offset is 0.5 you can see that the brick texture is starting alternatively to understand what I mean let’s zoom in and now you can see that this brick face is not complete but the second one is complete similarly the third one is not complete at the beginning and the fourth one is complete that’s because the offset is set to 0.5 but if I set it to zero then you will notice two things one is that the faces are uniform now and the other thing is that the texture on this face has disappeared now let’s try changing some other parameters you can see here that the faces are very small and to increase the size of these faces go to the scale option and let’s set it to something like two and now you can see that the number of faces have reduced but the size has increased and another way to change the size of these brick faces is to change the value of brick width and row height from here for example if I set the brick width to one then this width is now equal to 1 M or 1 unit and if I change the row height to one also then this height here is now 1 M or 1 unit and because both the width and height are equal it now makes square faces now suppose I want nine squares on the top for this I’ll change the scale value to three changing the scale to three means that we now want three faces in both the X and Y directions and all these faces are square since the width and height here are the same now some of you might have noticed here that we have not connected this texture coordinate with the brick texture earlier we used to connect generated to Vector but now if I connect generated to Vector then you won’t notice any difference here and the reason is that we should not use generated in this case let me explain it properly there are two basic cases where you should not connect the socket of this generat to the socket of vector these little colored dots are called the sockets so what are the two cases when you should not use a generated socket the first one is that the object doesn’t show any pattern on the sides or basically any texture on the sides and the second thing is that if I try to scale this Cube suppose I press s and Y to scale it in y direction like this then you will notice that the faces of this brick texture are no more squared shape the texture is also scaling up and to fix this we have to use the object socket so left click on this object socket and connected to Vector now we see one of our problems is solved that is the faces are now uniform but still the second problem is not solved that is the side faces are still black and to solve this problem we have to use UV now UV is a map that tells how every side of your object should look in your scene and to access it we have to add a UV
editor in our scene for this take your cursor here and this double-headed Arrow will appear now right click and to split this area we have to select vertical split now we’ll drag a cursor here and left click to finalize and to convert this into a UV editor click on this icon and select UV editor but we can’t see anything here to fix this with your cursor hovering over the 3D view Port press tab to enter the edit mode and now you can see the faces here every Square on this UV map is a face of this Cube and now since we are using the UV editor we have to connect the UV socket to the vector so left click on the UV socket and drag it to the vector now the UV is connected to vector and it appears like this the texture is not looking good and to fix this we have to increase the scale value and now it looks something like this now let’s try to use this UV Editor to change this texture for this with a mouse hovering over the UV editor press a this will select all the vertices of the face in our UV editor and now if I try to rotate it by pressing R you will see that the texture is also rotating and that’s how you can change the texture of your object by using the UV editor and you can finalize the texture by clicking left Mouse button also you can select any of these vertices and if I press G to move them then you can see that the texture on this face is also transforming as per the movement of this Vortex so you can use this UV Editor to change this into anything that you like so you can try experimenting different things to create different types of texture by using this UV editor and also this UV editor solved a problem of not being able to see the texture on the sides now all the sides of a object has a visible texture on it and the UV editor is also used for applying image textures on your object and for those of you who don’t know what an image texture is basically we have an image on our system and we bring it to blender and apply it on our object then that image is stretched and it applies to all the faces of our object now let’s see how can you download some image textures online so if you go to google.com and search for texture images let’s go to the images option and here you can find a number of texture images suppose I select this one let’s visit this website and this website offers you many image textures for free so let’s click on this one and you can download it for free and now the image texture is downloaded so let’s return back to blender and to bring the image in blender we’ll press shift plus a here go to texture and from this list we have to select image texture and to add the image click on open now this window will appear and you have to choose your file from the required location and click on open image now you can see that even though the texture is added here but you can’t see it on your object because it is not connected to this principal bsdf and to connect them click on this color socket and we’ll join it to the base color select this one and with the shift key holder select this one let’s move them a little away now we’ll select this one and let’s sck it here now you can see that our object has this wood texture on it from the image that we applied here but we should also add an input here so we’ll bring the texture coordinate here and even though the UV is connected to this brick texture right now but if I click on this UV and connect it to Vector it will connect to the image texture also and now if I go to this UV editor and press a and try to rotate it or scale it then you will notice that the changes that I make here are also visible on the object here and so you can use this image texture to apply any image as a texture on your object and so that’s all in this chapter now there are two important things to tell you the first thing is that if you’re learning material textures and notes for the very first time then it might be possible that you might have doubts in some Concepts right now and the solution for this is to re-watch the video or maybe that specific part where you feel that you have some doubt because for most of the people it’s not possible to understand all such Concepts which are so complex at the first time and also you can write your doubts in the comment section and I’ll reply to [Music] them the first thing that we are going to do in this chapter is to explore different ways of adding color to our material but first let’s add a Shader editor here for this place your cursor here right click and select horizontal split we’ll drag this line and left click to finalize click on this icon here and select Shader editor now this is the default material assigned to our object but we’ll try something new this time so click on this principal bstf press X to delete it and let’s add a new one by pressing shift plus a go to Shader and let’s select emission Shader and we left click and place it here now to see the output let’s connect this emission to the surface let’s go to the render View and what this emission Shader does is that it will make your object emit light that means if I select this light and press X to delete it then we won’t need any external light in our scene but right now the render engine is set to Eevee by default so let’s go to the render properties and change the render engine to Cycles to see a better effect of this emission go to the World Properties by clicking on this globe here and by clicking on the color we can change the color of our scene to make it completely black left click here and bring this slider down now you can see that our scene is completely black and there are no lights but if I go to the camera view by pressing zero our object is still visible and that’s because it is emitting light with the use of emission Shader I can also change the color of this light from here suppose I select something like blue or green then it will emit light of that specific color but let’s set it to White right now and it looks very simple so let’s add some texture to it so with your cursor in the Shader editor press shift plus a go to texture and and let’s select magic texture let’s place it here now the magic texture has two connecting options the first one is color and the other one is f a which stands for Factor this FC that is the factor one is basically for the values and to be more particular it’s for the values that are between 0 and 1 there might be some exceptions but in most of the cases this Factor value is for values between 0 to one we’ll understand it later in this course but for now let’s connect this color to the emission color now if you want to change the texture of the colors you can do this by using this Distortion value for example if I set it to zero then the colors will disappear as it would mean that there is no Distortion and no colors in your object but if I take it to something like three then it will add many colors to our object basically a higher Distortion means more colors and a more complex texture assigned to your object and lesser Distortion means that there are less colors and a lesser complex structure is assigned to your object but there’s one problem with Distortion at a value of one it generates this texture along with these colors but if I change the value to around two the texture along with the colors is changed but it might be the case that you want the same texture but different colors in your object but changing the distortion would mean changing both the texture and the color so if I want this texture and some other colors in our object we have to use another node component which is called the color ramp for this I’ll press shift plus a go to converter and select color ramp let’s place it here let’s move the magic texture and place the color ramp here until now this node is not connected with any other node now this color ramp has a value of 0 to 1 so if I select this pointer here here it shows the position value of zero and if I select this pointer then it shows a position value of one so the color ramp has a value from 0 to 1 now I’ll connect the factor of this magic texture to the factor of color ramp and for the output I’ll take this color and connect it to the color of emission and now our object is black and white so the magic texture is creating this texture on this object and the color ramp will control which color should appear on this object the emission node will make your object emit light and the material output will help you to generate the output of this cube with the texture color and the emission now let’s try to add some colors to this Cube for this click on the first pointer then click on this black area and to view the colors drag this brightness slider upwards and now the colors are visible and let’s change the color to Blue and now you can see that there’s some blue color on our object let’s click on the second pointer click on this white area and let’s change the second color so if I set it to Red then you can see that our object has red and blue color that’s because one of the color selected is blue and the other one is red now suppose you want to add some more colors for this press on this plus icon here select this pointer and let’s change the color from here so let’s change it to green color now you can see that our object has blue color green color and red color let’s make this red color darker so I’ll click on this and drag this here now there are the these three colors on our object suppose you want more red color on your object than the other two colors for this left click on this pointer and drag it like this and now you can see that the amount of red color has increased similarly if you want more blue color so left click on this blue pointer and drag it like this now the blue color has increased on the texture of our object and this is how you can add various colors to your object which has a texture assigned to it and you can try different variations from here to give the texture of your object an exciting look and now that we have learned how to add colors to our material let’s also understand about the textures like when to use which type of texture and what happens on applying some specific kind of textures even though there will be a separate complete chapter on Textures alone but still let’s try to understand the basics of adding texture or some pattern on our material or the object right now so I’ll delete this color Ram by pressing X and let’s also delete this magic texture and let’s begin with the brick texture first so I’ll press shift plus a in the shade editor go to texture and select brick texture let’s place it here and right now you can see that our object doesn’t have any kind of texture or any pattern applied to it it is only emitting light because of this emission node so to apply this brick texture to this Cube we’ll connect this color socket of the brick texture to the color socket of emission so press left click and let’s connect it here and now you can see this brick texture on our Cube we even discussed about the basics of this brick texture in our last chapter and we also observed that although this brick texture is applied perfectly on the top but it’s not so perfect on the sides and we even fixed it by using the UV maps in blender but in this chapter let’s understand when to use this brick texture in blender so if your object has a lot of squares or rectangles with some edges around them then in most of the cases it’s good to use the brick texture for your object for example if you’re creating a tile wall then you can use this brick texture to create tiles on your faces and to make all these faces uniform we have to decrease the offset from here at offset value of zero all these faces will uniformly start from the same point and will end on the same point but if the offset is set to 0.5 then they look something like this they’re basically starting from alternate points one is complete and other one is not complete but let’s undo it so that we get uniform faces and right now these tiles or the faces are rectangular in shape but if you want them to be squared shape then you have to change the width and height from here if both the brick width and the row height are equal then the faces will be squared shaped so if I change the row height to 0.5 then all these faces will be squared shaped now now suppose we want to rotate this texture in a particular angle like for example 45° for this we need to add another node here and it’s the mapping node so I’ll press shift plus a go to vector and select mapping let’s place it here and let’s zoom out for a better View and if I connect this Vector to the vector of brick texture then my object will turn black and that’s because we have not added any input node here so to add an input node press shift plus a in the shade added select input and we’ll add texture coordinate let’s place it here and we’ll connect the default generated socket with the vector socket here so I’ll left click here and connect it to the vector and now you can see that the texture is visible so to rotate this texture by a specific angle we need to change the rotation values here suppose I want to change the rotation by 45° then I’ll go to this Z axis rotation and type 45 and press enter and you can now see that the texture is rotated by 45° in The Zed axis now suppose you want to change the thickness of these edges here for this you need to change the value of size right now it’s set to 0.02 suppose I increase it and set to 0.1 then you can see that the edges are thick now and if you want to make them smooth then you can change this motor smooth value right now it’s set at 0.1 but if I increase it to something like 0.5 then you can see that the smoothness has increased and suppose you want to remove all the edges completely for this you need to decrease the motor size to exact zero and now you can see that the edges have completely disappeared from our texture so that’s how you use the brick texture on your object now let’s try another texture that is the warai texture for this first select these three press X to delete them and we’ll add the war texture by pressing shift plus a going to texture and select War texture let’s add it here and to connect this node with the emission node left click on the color socket and connect it to the color socket of the emission and now you can see that it generates this colorful geometric pattern type of texture on our object and you can use these parameters to edit your texture so suppose you want more of these shapes on your texture for this you can increase the scale value right now it’s five but if you increase it to something like 20 then the texture changes to something like this and you may also notice that that the shape of all these patterns is very random like all of them are of the different shapes and that’s because the randomness value here is set to one but if I change this value to zero then you can see that all of them have the same size and all are square shaped now that’s because their Randomness has been reduced to zero one more thing to note here is that right now we are not exploring each texture in detail there will be a separate chapter where we’ll discuss everything about the textures and we’ll explore the common textures that we use but right now we just trying to see how do you add different patterns to your material and so basically by using different types of texture and adjusting the parameters from here you can add different types of patterns to your material and now that we have learned about the basics of adding patterns or basically texture to our object so now it’s the time to look at the structure of our material or in simpler words we’ll try to create some 3D effects on our material and in blender we can do that by creating bumps on our object by creating bumps on our object it will give our texture a 3D appearance and to do this first I’ll save this file and I’ll close this file and create a new blender file so that we can start from the beginning so here I have created a new blender file and we’ll add a Shader Editor to the top for this let’s place our cursor here right click and select horizontal split now we’ll drag this line here and press left Mouse but now click on this icon and select Shader editor now we have the Shader editor at the top and the 3D viewp put editor at the bottom now giving a texture to your object basically means creating fake Heights and bumps and that to without changing the geometry of the object and we’ll practically understand it by using a height map here but first let’s go to the render view now we need to add some texture to object first so I’ll press shift plus a go to texture and let’s add the noise texture so so I selected this and let’s place it here now before connecting them together there is one more thing to change that is we need to change the render engine to Cycles so go to the render properties and change the render engine from EV to cycles and now let’s connect this color socket to the base color and this texture appears on our object but as you can see here that this entire texture or this pattern is completely flat on the surface and to give it a 3d effect or basically to create bumps on it we need to add a bump node here for this press shift plus a go to vector and select bump let’s place it here now to connect this node we have to connect this purple colored normal socket with the normal socket of the principal bsdf so let’s connect them together and to connect the texture with it we’ll take this Factor socket and let’s connect it to the height and now you can see that it has created some sort of bumps on our object however if you’ll notice closely especially at the edges then these bumps are very flat they don’t look that realistic and this can be fixed by changing the parameters of this noise texture so if I try to increase the scale like this then you will observe that this texture looks a little better similarly if I increase the detail then it looks way too much realistic than before and to see some more changes let’s try to change this Distortion value here currently it’s set to zero but if I increase it to one then our object appears like this so basically by changing the scale detail and Distortion you can give your texture a better look so you can try experimenting with these values and see which one looks the best according to you now to change the strength and the color of these bumps you have to change these parameters in the bump node so suppose I decrease the distance from here and set it to zero then the object won’t show any bumps or any 3d effect that is because the distance is set to zero but if I slightly increase it to something like 0.1 then then you will notice slight bumps on your object and higher the distance more will be the bump size and you can even control the intensity of this black color of your bumps for this you have to change the strength value from here so now I have decreased it and now you can see that the black color has reduced so higher the strength more will be the black color of your Bump and if you lower it then the black color will reduce right now let’s set it to one and so that’s how you add bumps or basically give a 3D look to your object’s material and you can even change the roughness of your texture from this roughness parameter of your noise texture currently by default it say to 0.5 but if I reduce it to zero then you can see that all the roughness is gone and the texture has a very smooth appearance and also remember that lower the roughness higher will be the reflection on your surface which means that at zero roughness your object surface will have maximum reflection but suppose if I set the roughness to one then you can see that the roughness of this texture has significantly increased but for creating realistic renders in most of the cases you will be setting the roughness to somewhere around 0.5 only because at roughness of 0.5 you can see that the texture has a very realistic look on the object now to revise all the concepts that we have covered till now and also to understand some more concepts of texturing let’s try to make this simple looking brick wall texture in blender for this let’s first delete this Cube by pressing X1 keyboard and let’s add a new cube in our scene to add a material to it click on the new material button here now to add a brick texture to this Cube go to the Shader editor and press shift plus a now in the texture we have to select the brick texture let’s place it here and if I connect the color socket with the base color of the principal bstf you can see that this brick texture is generated here but it’s black and white in color currently we’ll be working on the texture on the top face of the cube only so let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad let’s zoom in and suppose you want to change the color of these bricks or these faces and the edges in between them for this let’s understand about a new node which is the mixed color node to add it here I will press shift plus a go to color and select mix color let’s place it here now this will allow you to change the color of these faces and edges in between so I’ll connect the factor socket of brick texture with the factor socket of the mix color node and to generate the output that is the color I’ll connect this result with the base color socket of the principal bstf but right now you will see nothing because we have to change the colors from here so let’s select this color a and change the color to Red so basically the color a represents these brick faces and the color B represents the edges in between them let’s try to change the color of these edges also so I’ll go to color B and let’s make them dark green color so I’ll bring this brightness slider down like this so that it looks realistic now this was one way of doing this but there’s another way which is more often used by people and that is to use the mix Shader this one was the mix color note and the one that we are going to use right now is the mix Shader so with this selected press X to delete it and by pressing shift plus a we’ll go to Shader and let’s add the mix Shader let’s place it here now what I’m going to do is that I’ll take this material output and let’s shift it here now we’ll directly connect this mix Shader with the output so click on this Shader socket and connect it to the surface to see the changes here we have to connect this bsdf socket with the first Shader socket here now to see the texture on a Surface we have to connect this brake texture with this mix Shader for this select this Factor socket and and connected to the factor socket of the mix Shader now you can see that the texture has appeared here and to change the color of these brick faces you have to click on the base color here and let’s change it to red color and this is how it looks now now suppose you also want to change the color of these edges here for this we have to create a duplicate of this principal bstf and connected to the mix Shader so left click to select this principal bsdf and to duplicate it we have to press shift plus d let’s place it down here and to connect both of them we have to connect the bstf with the Shader socket number two the first Shader socket is connected to this one and the second one is connected to this let’s click on the base color first change the color to white and to turn it into gray we have to bring down this brightness slider like this so let’s try to understand this in a better way we added a texture here that is the brick texture and connected it to the mix Shader then we needed colors on our texture so we added these two principal bsdf and also connected them to the mix Shader and for the output we use this material output node now if you look closely then it looks very simple and that’s because we have not added any 3D effects like bumps to our object so let’s try to do that first let’s place it here let’s bring it here and this one also now this one is for the red colored bricks and this one is for the edges Now to create bumps on it we have to press shift plus a go to vector and add bump let’s place it here and we’ll connect its normal to the normal of this principal bstf and let’s also try to add a wave texture so that it looks much more realistic so I’ll press shift plus a go to texture and let’s add this wave texture let’s see what kind of impact it creates I’ll connect the factor of this wave texture to the height to connect them together now you can see that some straight lines have appeared on our object and I can control them from the parameters here for example currently it scale value is five but if I increase it like this then the number of lines are also increasing also they look very straight but in real life the textures are not so perfect and for this you have this Distortion parameter so let’s try to change it we’ll increase it and you can now see that they’re no longer straight and to make it look a bit more realistic we can increase this detail from here currently it’s at two but let’s set it around 8 so that it could give it a much realistic look than before now let’s revise what all we have done here till now first we needed to add a brick texture so I added this brick texture and connected it to the mix Shader I used the mix Shader because I needed two different colors on this texture one was the red color and the other one was the gray color for the edges then to make the brick faces look more realistic I added this wave texture with this bump and connected it to this one because it was controlling the material of our brick face that is the red color similarly if I have to create some 3D effects on the edges then I have to do this using this principle bstf because it is giving the material of this dark gray color to the edges so now suppose you want to add some noise texture to your edges and to create a bump effect on these edges for this press shift plus a go to vector and add bump let’s place it here and connect the normal to the normal of the bstf let’s also add the noise texture by pressing shift plus a go to texture and add noise texture let’s place it here now connect the factor socket to the height socket of the bump and now it looks like this but you can see here that the edges look very smooth or basically very shiny which makes it look unreal to fix this we need to add some detail currently the detail parameter is set to two and it can go to maximum of 15 so let’s increase it to the maximum and now you can see that it looks way too much better than before it has added some detail and and roughness to it which makes it look realistic so that’s all in this chapter and yes if you have not understood how different textures work then you need not worry because in the upcoming chapters we are going to explore all the important Textures in complete detail currently we are only understanding how these node components are connected with each other and what change can you expect by either connecting them or by changing these [Music] parameters in this chapter we’ll be covering all these topics to understand the node components in blender so let’s begin with it so let’s first St a Shader editor so right click here select horizontal split and let’s split the area into two parts left click to finalize click on this icon and select Shader editor let’s go to the render view also and I’ll change the render engine to Cycles so whenever you’re working on a material you have to start with a map or basically an input node and so in this chapter first we’ll see how these Maps work by using a separate XYZ node for this we have to add an input node here so press shift plus a go to input and select texture coordinate and let’s place it here now these are the seven maps that are available in this texture coordinate node and now we have to add a separate XYZ node for this press shift plus a go to converter and from here you can add the separate xard node let’s place it here the reason for adding this is that we’ll be connecting this texture coordinate with the principal bsdf through this separate XYZ node and in this way we’ll see how we get different results by using different Maps here on our objects material so first let’s try this generated one and let’s connect it to the vector and now if I connect this x socket with the base color color you will notice some changes here now in most of the cases you should connect the sockets of same color together but it won’t give you any error if you connect different color sockets together also so right now I’ve connected this x socket with the base color and we get this result let’s see what does it mean but before that you need to understand one thing and it’s that the black color always stand for the value of zero and white color always stand for the value of one so now if I see this Cube then we notice that it changes its color in the X direction from black to white that’s because we use this x socket here so basically here in the beginning it has a value of zero and so it’s black colored and as it moves further in the X direction that is at this end it has a value of one and so it’s white colored similarly if I connect the Y socket to the base color you will notice the same with Y axis as well initially in the y- axis it is black colored and as you go forward in the y direction then it turns into white that is the value of one also if I use the Zed socket and connected to the base color then you can see that at the lowermost end it’s black colored and as you move upwards in the Z Direction ction it turns white that is from value of zero to value of one but this thing will change if I change this generated to object so I’ll select this object socket and connected to the vector now the object Map works in a slightly different way instead of going from 0 to 1 it works from Min -1 to 1 since the Z axis is selected here so at the lowermost point its value is minus1 at the middle it’s zero and at the top it’s one now always remember that if its value is minus one or basically anything less than zero then also it will appear as complet completely black only when you move from 0 to 1 you will notice the change of color from black to white so basically the generated map has the value from 0 to one and the object map has the value from minus1 to 1 and we can even verify this by using a math node so first let’s see what a math node does first I’ll select these and let’s move them here press shift plus a go to converter and add math node and let’s place it here so first let’s understand what this math node is actually blender allows you to use a math node in order to do some math mathematical operations on the values that are coming from input and it has many options available here so if I click on this drop- down then you can see that there’s so many functions here like add subtract so basically you can use these to perform a particular mathematical operation on any particular number or maybe two or three numbers as well for example if you want to add two or three numbers or basically the values then you can use this add function or similarly you can also use the subtract multiply and other things we’ll be exploring this in detail while covering the geometry nodes but currently let’s select the absolute function from here now for those of you who don’t know what absolute function is in mathematics it is a function which basically takes the value of a number as an input and if the number is negative then it converts it into a positive number and if it’s zero or positive then the value will remain same for example if I take minus5 and apply the absolute function on it then the output that it will give will be equal to 5 but if I apply this function on a positive number like six then it would return the same number as the output since it is positive so as I told you that when you’re using this object map with the Zed axis then at the lowermost point the value will be minus one in the middle it will be zero and at the top it will be one and since I applied this absolute node here so it took minus one as the input which was at the bottom and converted it to one which makes it look white now but at the middle the input value was zero and when the absolute function is applied over zero then the result would also be zero so it looks black also on the top the input value was one and after applying the ABS absolute function the value will still remain one since it is positive and in most of the cases you will be using either the generated one or the object one out of the seven Maps also sometimes you will be using UV when you have to do texture mapping on your object with the help of an image which we learned in our previous chapter but mostly you would be using generated map or the object map and now that we have covered the concept of these important Maps there’s one more thing to tell you it might be possible that you would be facing some difficulty in understanding the function of each of these nodes especially if you’re exploring these materials textures and notes for the very first time in blender and that’s completely fine because currently you should not focus on the complete functionality of each and every node because see there are over 100 nodes in blender and I’ll be covering all of these nodes in the chapters related to Geometry nodes in this course there we’ll be understanding each and every note in complete detail So currently your focus should be only on understanding what are the different options available to create different types of materials what happens on connecting different types of things together what results you can expect here hair and other similar things and with this we have established a solid foundation in node components of blender after understanding the concepts explained in these three chapters that is this one and the previous two you now have the Essential Knowledge that will be needed to build upon in the future chapters so that’s all in this chapter from the next chapter we’ll begin with the understanding of textures and we’ll understand these four Textures in complete [Music] detail currently in this chapter we’ll go through these four Textures in blender in complete detail so let’s begin with it first let’s add the Shader editor here for this right click here and select horizontal split and let’s divide it into two parts left click to finalize click on this icon here and select Shader editor now the first texture with which we’ll start is the brick texture for this go to the Shader editor and press shift plus a go to texture and select the brake texture let’s place it here now to connect this brake texture with the principal bstf take this color socket and connected to the base color of the principal bsdf let’s go to the render View and by default the EV render engine is turned on so I’ll go to render properties and select Cycles now you can see this brick wall texture here to see it properly let’s go to the top VI we pressing seven on the numpad and let’s zoom in so the first basic thing that you can make with this brick texture is this brick wall but you can also make a tile wall with the use of this brick texture for this we have to focus on two things the first one is that the brick width and the row height should be equal and it’s even better to set both of them at a value of one so I’ll select this brick width type one and press enter let’s also go to the row height type one and press enter enter so basically it changes the width and the height of our tiles in our texture but if you notice closely then it starts from alternate ends for example the first tile here is incomplete but the second one is complete similarly the third tile is also half and the fourth tile is complete and that’s because the offset here is set at 0.5 but if I change it to zero then you will notice that all the faces start from the same end that is all of them look uniform now but right now it looks very simple so suppose you want to rotate this texture by an angle of 45° and to do this you have to add a vector mapping node here for this press shift plus a go to vector and select mapping let’s place it here to connect this Vector mapping to The Brick texture take this Vector socket and connect it to the vector socket of the brick texture now both of them are connected but we need an input node here so press shift plus a go to input and select the texture coordinate let’s place it here and we’ll use the generated map so let’s connect it to the vector now this is the input which I connected to the mapping node because we want to transform this texture like rotating it or maybe scaling it then this break texture is providing this texture on our object we use this principal bstf for basically shading our object and the material output provides you this output that you are seeing in the 3D view Port now to rotate this texture in a particular angle let’s say 45° so you have to go to the rotation and since we have to rotate in Z Direction so I’ll go to zed type 45 and press enter this will rotate the texture by an angle of 45° now you might have noticed that this brick texture gives you two options of coloring the color one is set at white color and the color two is set at gray color and you can see these colors on your texture on this face as as well but how do you control the impact of these colors for this you have to use this bias parameter currently it’s set at zero but if I change it to its lowest value that is minus one then it will show only the color one on all the faces similarly if I set it to its maximum value that is positive 1 then it shows only color two on all the faces and at the default value of zero it displays both the colors on our texture now you can even change these colors from white and gray to some other colors for example if I go to the color one and change it to something like orange then it will show combination of both the colors that is the slight orange color and the gray color that is color two let’s select this color two also and let’s change it to something like blue or purple and now it appears like this so you can try a combination of different colors to see different types of color textures on your object now the next option here that you can see is the scale option and it helps you to change the size of these brick or tile faces currently it’s set at five but if I increase it then you can see that the number of faces or the tiles have increased and their size has reduced similarly if I decrease it like this then the number has reduced but size has increased and let’s set it to the the default value of five also you can change the size and color of these edges here or basically the motors by default it color set to Black which you can change from here so if I select it increase the brightness with the help of this brightness slider now you can see that the color has turned to something like gray similarly if I take it to Red then these edges will turn reddish brown in color also you can change this size from the motor size option here by default it’s set at 0.02 but if I increase it to something like 0.1 then you can see that the width or the size has increased to change it to the default value let’s press cr+ Z for R do now the texture on the top looks good but if you look at the sides then it’s not what we were expecting and to fix this go to this texture coordinate and instead of generated connect the UV map to the vector then go to the edit mode by pressing tab select the UV option from here and click on Cube projection let’s return back to the object mode and here you have the brick texture on all the faces of this Cube so that’s all in the brick texture and now the second texture on our list is the Checker texture for this I’ll add a new Cube but first let’s move it in y direction like this and left click to finalize the position now press shift plus a go to mesh and let’s add a cube now we need to add a material on this Cube so in the Shader editor click on the new material and to see how the second texture of this chapter that is the Checker texture works then in the Shader editor press shift plus a go to texture and select the Checker texture let’s place it here and to connect this texture with the principal bstf take the color socket and connect it to the base color of the principal bstf now you can see here that as the name suggests it creates this check texture on our Cube and in most of the cases you will be using this to create Maybe the kitchen tiles or a chest board or something similar and you can even change the color of these cubes here and in this texture every alternate Cube has the same color meaning that if this face one has a black color then the face next to it will have a different color but then the next face will again have the black color and the same happens with all the other faces and you can even change the color of these faces to change the colors go to this Checker texture click on the color one and from here you can change the color by default one of the colors is set to White and here in the color two you can see that the second color is by default the gray color let’s go to to the color one again and let’s change its color to Red now you can see here that the color of these alternate faces have changed from white to Red similarly if I go to the color two and if I increase the brightness from here let’s change it to Blue then your texture will appear like this now so you can add various colors as per your specified requirement in this texture and you can even change the size or the number of faces that should appear on this texture and for this you have to use this scale option if I increase this scale option then you will notice that the number of these faces on the texture will increase but the size will reduce similarly if I scale this down then the number number of faces will reduce but the size will increase individually by default the scale value is set at five so let’s change it to five and now this is all we have in the fundamentals of this Checker texture so moving ahead the third texture on our list is the gradient texture but before exploring that let’s move it in the y direction and left click to finalize the position now instead of adding a cube this time let’s add a UV sphere press shift plus a go to mesh and select UV sphere but here we need to improve the lighting so that the other part of the face is also visible so select this light here press shift plus d to create a duplicate and to move it only in the X and Y Direction press shift plus Z and now it movement will get restricted to only the X and Y Direction and so let’s place it here and left click to finalize you can position this lamp anywhere depending on the effect of lighting on your objects now let’s focus on this UV sphere so I’ll select this and we need to add a material here so press the new material button and now is the time to add the gradient texture for this press shift plus a go to texture and select the gradient texture let’s place it here now connect this color socket to the base color and you will notice some changes here so the gradient texture tells your object to transition between one color to the other and to be more specific than in this case between black and white color but if you closely notice then the colors applied are really not very perfect even if I applied the shade smooth then also the color is not perfectly showing the transition from black to white to fix this we need to add a color Ram so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram let’s place it here and with the help of these pointers you can change the extent of these black and white colors on your object and also its appearance suppose I take this first pointer that is the black one and if I move it like this then you will observe that the darkness is increasing on this side or basically the amount of black color is increasing on this side similarly if I take the second pointer that is the white one and I left click on it and if I drag it like this then you will notice the same with the white color as well now the black and the white color are clearly distinguishable in the texture of this UV sphere now let’s try to add some different colors to see the transition for this first select this first pointer here that is the black one let’s reduce its effect by dragging it like this and now to change its color click here to see the colors here we have to first increase the brightness with the help of this slider so I’ll increase the brightness and let’s change the color to Blue now I have assigned blue as the first color of this gradient texture so you can see that with the help of this gradient texture it shows a transition on this UV sphere from blue color to white color similarly if I take this second pointer here drag it in this direction and to change its color click here and let’s change the color to red and now you can see how amazing this looks with the help of the gradient texture your UV sphere is having a material which shows transition between blue color to red red color and similarly you can try this with other colors also and you can even do this with more than two colors to do this you have to click on this plus icon and now a third pointer is added at the middle so with this third pointer selected I’ll go to this color and let’s change it to yellow and now you can see that it’s showing a transition from blue color then in the middle it’s yellow and then to red color and this is how the gradient texture works you can even adjust these Colors by moving these pointers like this and it will increase or decrease the impact of those particular colors so you can use this to create some amazing gradient textures and blending also you can adjust the position or the rotation of these Colors by connecting this gradient texture with a mapping node for this press shift plus a go to vector and select mapping let’s place it here now I’ll take this Vector socket and connect it to the vector socket of the gradient texture but this is not the result that we were expecting and I have told you this reason every time I use this mapping node and that is to connect the mapping node with an input node for which I need to press shift plus a then in the input select the texture coordinate let’s place it here now connect the generated socket with the vector socket and the texture reappears and now you can use these location rotation and scale values to affect how these colors or the texture appears on your object for example if I try to change the rotation in the y direction and if I increase it like this then you will notice that the texture will also change also you can use this location to change the appearance of the texture for example if I change the location in the X Direction then we notice that this completely turns into red color similarly if I take it in negative of X Direction then we see that it completely turns to blue color but since we want the gradient texture to appear properly let’s change the location in X direction to zero and let’s also change the rotation in the y direction direction to zero and now it looks like this again and the last one that is the scale one is very useful in the gradient texture so if I take this x Direction scale and if I try to increase it then you will observe that the blue color has reduced if I scale it up in the X Direction and if I reduce it again then you can see that the blue color will slightly increase so you can use this scale option to adjust how your texture would look in most of the cases you will be using this scale option only to alter this gradient texture here and so this is all in the gradient texture now the fourth texture on our list is the magic texture so now we’ll add a new cube in our scene press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube let’s move it in y direction and let’s place it here let’s give it a material by clicking on the new button here and to apply the magic texture press shift Plus in the Shader editor go to the texture and select the magic texture let’s place it here now this magic texture is used to create some repetitive patterns for example if you are making a wallpaper or maybe texture for some fabric in all these cases you will require a pattern which is repeating itself many times and so you should use the magic texture in these cases now to see its effect on our Cube let’s take this color socket of the magic texture and connect it to the base color of the principal bstf and here you can see that the magic texture is applied and it gives a random pattern of colors to our object’s material and you can alter these colors and the patterns with the help of these parameters like the depth scale and the Distortion for example if I change the scale value then it appears like this and I can even change the depth value to get more variations for example by default it is set at two but if I change it to something like four then we can see that we get variations in the color earlier it was blue and green but now you can see that it’s mainly pink and yellow colored so you can get some Variations by changing the depth value also if I change it to three then you will get these colors for now let’s keep it to the default value of two now you might think that it looks very simple like there’s no complexity in it and to fix this blender gives you the option of this Distortion value by changing this Distortion value you can basically Blend or mix these patterns more and more which will give it a complex look by default it is set at a value of one but if I increase it then you can observe that the texture is no more simple so you can set this Distortion level as per the level of complexity that you want in your objects pattern or basically the text now one important use of this magic texture is to create fabric textures and to do this basically you have to set the scale at a very high value and reduce the Distortion so let’s try to do this and before that I need to add an input node also so I’ll press shift plus a go to input and select the texture coordinate let’s place it here now I’ll take this object socket and connect it to the vector I’ll decrease the Distortion to its default value of one and it is appearing like this right now to convert it into a fabric like texture we have to increase its scale value to a very high level currently it’s set at 11 but if I increase it to something like 60 and if I zoom in now then you can see that it looks a bit like some fabric or some clothes and to see its effect more properly we can add a bump Vector node in the Shader editor so press shift plus a go to vector and select bump let’s place it here now to connect this bump node with the magic texture I’ll take this Factor socket and connect it to the height socket here now I’ll take this normal socket and connect it to the normal socket of the principal bstf and now you can see that it looks way too more realistic like it might take some time to render but after rendering you can see that it very much looks like a texture of a fabric now you can even combine different types of textures together to create some stunning materials for example let’s try to make this tablecloth by combining the magic texture with the Checker texture that we learned in this chapter so with this Cube selected I’ll go to the Shader editor and let’s add a checker texture for this press shift plus a go to the texture and select the Checker texture let’s place it here now see the reason for choosing the Checker texture is that it will create checks on our Cube like we have on this Cube here so you can understand it like the Checker texture will give the color and this magic texture will make it look like a real fabric so I need to connect the Checker texture to the principal bstf using this color socket so I’ll take this color socket and connected to the base color of the principal bstf now here is a black and white Checker texture combined with a fabric like texture which is due to this magic texture we can even change the color of these squares to give it a more realistic look so I’ll select this color two and let’s set it to red color let’s also increase the brightness from here and it looks like this now and now it looks like real clothe fabric so this is all in the magic texture and also so this brings us to the end of this chapter today we discussed about the fundamentals of the four important Textures in blender that is the brick texture the Checker texture the gradient texture and in the end we explored the magic texture and even combined it with the Checker texture to get this [Music] result in this chapter we’ll be exploring the fundamentals of these four textures so let’s begin with it for working on the materials I would need a Shader editor so I’ll take my cursor over here right click and select horizontal split I’ll drag this line and place it here and left click to finalize now to convert the upper area into the Shader editor click on this icon and select the Sha editor now the first texture that we’ll explore today is the noise texture but for exploring the noise texture we’ll not use this Cube so I’ll press X to delete it and let’s add a monkey or the suzan model so I’ll go to mesh and select the monkey model now to give it a new material I’ll go to the Shader editor and click on the new button Also let’s change this to render preview by clicking on this icon and by default the render is set to Eevee so I’ll go to the render properties and change it to Cycles but I see that there’s not enough Lighting in my scene so I’ll zoom out select this Lam let’s create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus p and I need to move it only in the X and Y Direction not in the Z direction for this press shift plus Z and now it won’t change its position in the Z Direction Let’s place it here in front of the suzan model and left click to finalize now let’s zoom in to seat properly so before understanding the noise texture first let’s give it a simple color and try to change the parameters in the principal bstf so I’ll go to the base color and let’s give it a dark blue color so now it looks very simple and to make it look better one thing that we can do is to select this monkey of the suzan model right click and select shade smooth now it surface is smooth and here you can see that the principal bstf gives you the option to adjust the metallic strength or the roughness of your model by default the metallic strength is set at zero and the roughness is set at 0.5 now if I try to reduce this roughness and take it to zero then all the roughness is gone and the object is very smooth and shiny now also suppose you want your surface to be a little metallic so you can go to this metallic parameter and increase it and now you will notice that the surface of your object now has a slightly metallic look but I think that to make it look realistic the roughness should not be zero we should increase it a little bit so let’s keep it to a value of somewhere around 0.2 and let’s also reduce the metallic strength so let’s keep it to somewhere near 0.1 and now it looks like this the reason for doing all this before discussing the noise texture is that it would help us to see the effect of the noise texture properly on the this material so to add the noise texture we have to press shift plus save go to the texture and select the noise texture let’s place it here now you can see here that there are two sockets for the output the factor socket and the color socket in nice texture in most of the cases you will be using this Factor socket to connect the nodes while using the noise texture but also in some cases you will be using this color socket let’s first connect this color socket to the base color of the principle bsdf and now we see some texture on our object it looks like a gradient of Many Colors and it basically depends on the values in these parameters of the noise texture for example the first parameter here is the scale so if I increase the scale then we observe that it basically increase the noise created on our object or basically the noise created on this texture and the next option here is the detail option by default it is set at two but if I decrease it then simply there is less detail on the texture which means that the colors are not blending with each other and the colors are more like patches on our object but if I increase the detail from here then you will notice that the colors are blending with each other other and the object texture now has a very realistic and a detailed look so by using the scale and the detail you can adjust how your texture would look like on your object on the basis of its size or the blending and the next parameter is the roughness so as the name suggests the roughness parameter defines how rough your object’s texture would look by default it is set at 0.5 but if I increase it to its maximum value of 1 and if I zoom in then we see that the colors are completely Blended and the object’s material looks something like a marble or some Stone and also there is more tailing in the noise texture but suppose I take this roughness value and reduce it to its minimum value of zero then now all the roughness is gone and the object looks very smooth and shiny and you can see that all the colors are very much visible now and it has very low detailing also so adjusting the roughness creates a lot of impact on how your material would look like but to create realistic renders in most of the cases you will be using a roughness value of approximately 0.5 or 0.7 something near these values so let’s keep it to 0.5 only and also we have this Distortion value here by default it is set at zero and let’s see what happens if I increase it so I’ll slightly increase it and if I zoom into seats effect then you will notice that the texture now has some band-like patterns which were not present before so more the Distortion more unnatural your object’s texture would look for example when the Distortion was Zero then see it gives a very natural look like the colors are blending with each other and it looks kind of realistic but as you increase it it seems as if the texture colors are creating a pulling effect and forming these band or ring like structures which really gives it a very artificial look and while using this noise texture mostly you will be setting the Distortion to the default value that is zero so these are all the options and results when you connect your noise texture with the principal bstf through this color socket but as we discussed earlier you can also use this factor to connect it to the principal bstf now suppose you want to cut this node or basically the connection and to do this you can hold the control button and now if you right click and drag it like this then this knife will appear and if I release it then the node connection is no longer there and you can use this to break any kind of node connection now one thing to notice here which is not connected to this noise texture or the materials is that the structure of this suzan model is not very perfect like if I zoom in you can easily see the imperfection in the structure of eyes and the ears and to fix this you have to use a modifier which is the subdivision modifier if you remember we covered all the generate and defa modifiers in our previous chapters and we discussed this subdivision modifier in detail there so to apply it I’ll go to the modifier section click on ADD modifier and in the generate category I’ll select subdivision surface and now our suzan or the monkey model looks perfect so I’ll zoom out and let’s come back to the noise texture now you can use this Factor socket in the noise texture to connect it to anything like roughness or the displacement or a color ramp anything so first let’s see what happens if I connect this Factor socket to the roughness socket of the principal bsdf and we notice some changes here and to see the changes properly let’s Undo It by pressing control+ Z now now before connecting the noise texture with the roughness of the principal psdf our object look like this it’s very smooth shiny and highly unrealistic like mostly in real life you won’t see objects that are too much shiny or smooth but if I redo by pressing Control Plus shift plus Z then the roughness is fixed now or basically the object is no more unrealistically smooth or shiny it now has a balanced material on its surface also if you notice closely by zooming in then we can see that it has also added a little bit noise on the surface to see it properly we can use this scale option and if I increase the scale then now you can see it properly so the noise texture has added noise to the object surface giving it a very realistic look so you can use this noise texture by connecting it to the roughness if you want your object to have some noise on the surface and to give it a very realistic look and in this way your object material won’t be too much shiny or too much smooth making it unrealistic and with the help of this texture you can also create a texture with noise or basically these patches of different colors at different locations to see how this works we need to add a color ramp here so I’ll press shift plus a go to the converter and select color ramp let’s place it here now I’ll select these two left click to move them and release to finalize the position now to connect this color ramp with the noise texture I’ll take this Factor socket and connect it to the factor socket of the color Ram now to break the node connection between the noise texture and the principal bsdf hold down the control key and if I click the right Mouse button and drag it and now if I release it then we no longer have the connection now to connect this color ramp with the principal bsdf I’ll take this color socket and connect it to the base color of the principal bsdf and here is our texture you can notice these black patches or the noise on a suzan Model the reason why it appears like black and white is that in this color ramp there are two pointers one is black and the other one’s white and we can even adjust these colors so I’ll click here and let’s change the first color by increasing the brightness and let’s change it to light blue similarly I’ll select the second pointer that is the white one and to change its color I’ll click here and let’s change the color to Yellow now you can see that this suzan model has yellow color on its surface and some blue patches so whenever you’re modeling something which requires a texture with a lot of noise and patches of different colors like this then you can use this noise section connected to the color RAM and it will give you an output like this now one of the best uses of this noise texture which is also my personal favorite is using noise texture to add emission light to our model for this we have to open this emission drop down and we have to connect our noise texture with this emission color through this color Ram so I’ll take this color socket and connect it to the color socket of the emission and also I need to break the node connection of the color ramp with the base color so I’ll hold the control button and right click and drag like this but we can’t see any change here that’s because first we have to increase the emission strength from here by default it is set at zero but I’ll increase it to 0.8 and now to change the colors I’ll select the first pointer and click here now I need to make the first pointer very dark so I’ll take this brightness slider and decrease it all the way down and for the second pointer I’ll move it like this and also the first pointer let’s move it like this and now you see some texture appearing on your object even though it’s not perfect but you can see that the base color of your model is blue and it has some noise on it which is yellow colored and is emitting light to see this light properly you can increase the strength to a higher value like
five or six and let’s also reduce the scale from here currently it’s set at 54 but let’s lower it down to a value like 20 or maybe 25 let’s also increase the roughness this will give it a more realistic look and let’s also increase the detail so I’ve set the detail to 8.3 and to adjust this yellow color try to adjust these pointers at the position where they look the best if I take this black pointer and move it towards the yellow one then the area of this yellow noise or basically the emission will reduce and you can also change the color of this emission we have set it to Yellow but if I click on it and change it to Red then it looks like this so you can use the noise texture connected with the color RAM and then connect it to the emission to create textures like this and now it’s the time for the second texture which is the musk grave texture so let’s move it in the X Direction and let’s place it here now to understand the musk grave texture let’s add a UV sphere in our scene press shift plus a go to mesh and select UV sphere to give it a material click on the new button so just like every other texture if I go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to texture and search for the musk grave texture then I see that there is no such texture present here and that’s because previously in blender there used to be a separate texture which was known as the musk texture but when blender released this 4.1 version it removed the the mus grave texture from its software but still we can use it by altering the noise texture let’s see how it happens so I’ll press shift plus a go to texture and let’s add the noise texture let’s place it here and before applying the textures let’s first right click and shade smooth now we have to remove this principle bstf because it’s not required in the musk texture so with this selected I’ll press X to delete now take this Factor socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output now you can slightly see these patches here on this object but see this is not how the Musk texture actually looks and to see the real Musgrave texture go to this noise texture and uncheck this normalized box and this is the mus grave texture you won’t be using this texture very often but still it’s good to learn it because might be in some case you would need to add this musg grave texture and so it’s good to understand it now you can also alter its appearance from the roughness detail and the scale values here so if I reduce the roughness from here and let’s also reduce the detail from 2 to one and now it looks like this so you can adjust these parameters as per your requirement and also you can make some pretty equal textures like this one for this you have to take this roughness value to its maximum level and also increase the detail to something around 16 and now it has a very realistic texture so whenever you feel the need of adding a musk grave texture just add this noise texture connect it to the material output uncheck the normaliz box and change the parameters from here now it’s time for the third texture of this chapter that is the warai texture so I’ll move it in the X Direction like this and left click to finalize so let’s add a cube in our scene by going to mesh and selecting the cube to give it a new material in the shade of editor click on the new button now press shift plus a go to texture and select the warai texture let’s place it here now take this color socket and connect it to the base color of the principal pstf so the Warner texture creates this colorful pattern on an object but this is the simplest thing that you can do with this Warner texture and you can see here that there are three different ways to connect Warner texture with other nodes so suppose I take the distance and connect it to the base color socket then I get this very faint gradient as a texture on my object but yes you can adjust the scale from here so if I increase it then it looks like this and also another important parameter is the randomness so if I take it to zero then the pattern has no Randomness it is completely uniform it’s just repeating itself in a single line but if I increase it to its maximum value then now it is completely random similarly if I again connect the color to the base color then you can alter this pattern by using this scale option so if I increase it then it looks like this and similar is the case with Randomness also if I take it to zero then there is no Randomness just that there are some square faces with different colors in a straight line repeating it self and if I increase the randomness to the maximum then the pattern has various faces of different shapes and colors and similarly if I connect the position to the base color then we get this beautiful gradient light texture on our object and you can also alter this with the help of this scale option so if I reduce the scale then the texture would look like this and if I increase it to a very high number then this gradient would look very smooth so you can use these three different outputs as per the requirement while using the waro texture so you can use this waro texture whenever you want to create a gradient texture like this or maybe a colorful pattern with different shapes like this so in these cases you can use the Warner texture to create your object’s material and so this is all in the fundamentals of this Warner texture and now let’s move to the fourth texture of this chapter which is the wave texture now the wave texture node adds procedural bands or ring with noise Distortion to understand it practically let’s add a new Cube by pressing shift plus a go to mesh and select a cube let’s move it in X Direction like this and left click to finalize now let’s give it a material by going to the Shader editor and clicking on this new button here now to add the wave texture press shift plus a go to the texture and select the wave texture let’s place it here now if I connect this color socket to the base color then we observe that some bands are generated on our object now let’s look at some options here the first one is the bands and the Rings suppose I select the Rings I can’t see much difference here to see a wave texture of rings on all the faces go to this second option and change the Rings direction to spherical now here we have spherical rings as texture that are radiating like this from here and you can also use these values like the scale value to increase or decrease the scale and also you can use this Distortion value to make the pattern irregular so if I increase it then the Rings would appear like this also to make it look a bit more realistic you can increase the detail from here so these are the three main options available in the wave texture now let’s change the pattern to the bands again and here in the band Direction you have the option of diagonal so previously the texture was running straight like in the X Direction but now the texture is applied diagonally on the object also you can go to the wave profile here and change it to saw and now the texture appears like this similarly if I go to the triangle profile then the texture looks like this so it depends which one to select based on your requirement right now let’s set it to the default sign and suppose you want to rotate this texture so for this I’ll go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to vector and add the mapping node let’s place it here and connect the vector to the vector of wave texture but as I even told you in the previous chapters that you need to add an input node here so I’ll press shift plus a go to input and select the texture coordinate let’s place it here let’s connect the generated map to the vector like this and here we have the texture now suppose I want to rotate the texture in a particular angle let’s say 45° in Z AIS so I’ll go to the rotation in Zed axis type 45 and press enter this will rotate the texture by an angle of 45° in The Zed Direction similarly you can also use the rotation in other axis and other angles to change how your texture would look even though you can also use the scale values here but it’s better to use the scale values in the wave texture and so this is all in the fundamentals of this wave texture and now we have covered all the four Textures in this chapter and let’s summarize them the first one was the noise texture where we connected this noise texture with a color Ram then we connected it to the base color roughness and in the end we also connected it to the emission to create some cool effects the second one was the mus grave texture but because it no longer exists in blender 4.1 we used the noise texture to create this Musgrave texture and yes the special thing in this was we deleted the principal bsdf and directly connected the noise texture to the material output and also remember to turn off the normaliz in order to get the this Musgrave texture then the third texture was the warai texture where we got this colorful pattern of different shapes and also a gradient when we connected this position to the base color like this and the fourth one was the wave texture which gives us two options the first one is the bands and the second one is the Rings we have selected the bands right now and if I select the Rings then it looks like this and to rotate this we added this mapping node and connected it to the texture coordinate and the wave texture so that’s all in this chapter [Music] so in this chapter we’ll be discussing about how do we add images like these as textures on our object so in order to give this Cube any type of texture we first need to add a Shader editor for this I’ll take my cursor over here right click and I’ll select the horizontal split I’ll drag this line to the center and left click now to convert this into a Shader editor click on this icon here and select the Shader editor now the next thing to do is that we’ll go to the render View and since the blender has EV render engine turned on by default I I’ll go to the render properties and switch it to cycles and now we need to get some image textures for our object so for this I have opened a browser and see there are many websites which offer you free image textures for blender and I’ll drop the links in the description currently the one that we are going to use is ambient c.com so I’ll search for it and this is the ambient c.com website and the best part about this website is that you will get lots of free materials textures and hdis from here and that to under the creative common license for those of you you who don’t know what a creative common license is it basically means that you can freely use it for commercial purposes without the need of paying any fees or giving any credits to anyone so this one is a good website I’ll drop the link of this website in the description and suppose you want to get a brick texture for our object for this let’s click on this explore all assets and here you can find lots of textures like this one is a brick texture this one is a wood texture this one is a ground texture with slight patches of grass this one is a marble texture so you can get any texture from here and even the hdri is like these and to search for any type of texture you can do that here so suppose I type brick and press enter then it will show me all the brick textures that are available on this website so we’ll select this one for our object so I’ll click on this and here you can see that there are so many options to download it and all these depend on the file type and its resolution the 16k is the highest and also the PNG will take more sizes compared to the jpg so if you want the best quality then you should go for 16k and currently I’ll be downloading the 8K file and and you can download any of these either the jpg or the PNG for now let’s download the 8K PNG file so I’ll click on it now I have downloaded this here and since it is a zip folder so before using this in my blender file I need to extract it first so I’ll click on extract all and click on extract and now this folder is created and if I open it and now it has all the files and the images for the texture like the roughness displacement and all the other files and now let’s see how to import them or add them in our blender project so we are back on blender and to apply that image texture to this object go to the shade editor press shift plus a go to texture and select the image texture let’s place it here and to open that image texture click on the open Button now you have to browse and open that particular folder where the texture is present and from all these images you have to select the image which ends with color.png or if you downloaded some other texture then it might end with c.png or the JPG file so I’ll select this and click on open image and to see the changes here we need to connect this image texture to the principal bstf so let’s take this color socket left click and connect it to the base color of the principal bstf and here is the brick texture applied on our object but it doesn’t look very impressive and to fix this we’ll go to the Shader editor and we have to add an input node so press shift plus a go to input and select the texture coordinate let’s place it here and we have to connect this to the image texture so I’ll take this object socket and connect it to the vector socket now you can see that the texture looks good on the top it kind of looks perfect here but if you look at the sides then it doesn’t look so nice because this is not the texture that we were expecting to be applied on the side we expected it to be same as that on the top face but you can easily fix this by going to the image texture and here in the second drop down menu you can set the image projection by default it is set at flat and that’s where it appears like this but if I change the image projection from Flat to box then the brick texture is applied perfectly but there’s also one more way to do this and in fact it is better than this one which is to use UV maps for this let’s go to the projection method and let’s change it to Flat go to the texture coordinate I’ll take this UV socket and connect it to the vector socket now even though the texture appears on all the faces properly but its scale is not correct which means we need to adjust it by going to the UV map for this we need to add UV editor in our scene so I’ll take my cursor over here right click select vertical split drag this line over here and left click to change this into the UV editor click on this icon and select the UV editor now in this 3D view port with this object selected I’ll enter the edit mode by pressing Tab and here if I zoom out in the UV editor then we have this UV map here so to adjust it I’ll press a to select all in the UV editor and now I can press s to scale it and you will notice the changes in your 3D view editor also so let’s scale it a bit more left click let’s also adjust it by pressing G and let’s take it down like this and left click to finalize and we can even fit this entire image in this face so let’s scale it up again left click and press G to move it like this and now it looks perfect let’s come out of the edit mode by pressing Tab Key in the 3D view editor and now we can close this UV editor so with my cursor over here I’ll right click and select join areas now I’ll take this pointer over here and left click to see the texture properly let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad now if you see this image closely we’ll notice that it’s completely flat and to fix this we need to add some PBR images now the PBR images are these images that came in the zip folder that we downloaded these PBR images will Define the roughness or the displacement and various other things which will give this texture a completely different look so the first one that we’re going to see is the normal and to add it here I’ll select this image texture and create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and let’s move it here but this image texture has this color file added and we need to add the image of the normal map for this click on this icon to open the image then you have to go to that particular folder and here in this folder we have two normal files one is normal GL and the other is normal DX so you can add any of the two it won’t make much difference for now let’s add the normal GL and click on open image now in this node with the normal image go to the color space and change to non color the reason for doing this is that the normal map does not have any color it only creates a bump effect on our object it does not give any color to our object so that’s why we have to change the color space to non-color but if you look at the previous image texture which was the color image the color space was set to srgb because this image had the color which got assigned as the texture on our object now we need to connect this normal to the principal bsdf through this normal socket but for this we need to add a normal map in the Shader editor for this I’ll press shift Plus say go to vector and select the normal map let’s place it here take this color socket and connect it to the color socket of the normal map now I can take this normal and connected to the normal of the principal bsdf let’s zoom out for a better view let’s move this slightly but we don’t see any changes here for this first I’ll take the UV of the input node and connect it to the vector and also you have this option of strength here so if I increase the strength you’ll begin to notice some changes in the image texture you will notice that higher the strength more realistic your object texture would look now this is because the normal mapping here adds a 3d effect to our image texture and that’s where it look much more realistic than before and now the next thing that we can add here is the roughness for this I’ll select one of the image textures and create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and let’s place it here to give it the roughness image I’ll click on the open image select this roughness PNG and click on open image also I need to change the color space from srgb to the non-color now we can connect the roughness to the principal bstf by taking this color socket here and connecting it to the roughness of the mle psdf you’ll notice some changes here but first let’s also connect the UV of input node to the vector here and now you can see that some roughness is added to our image texture you might not see a significant change in the quality and that’s because roughness basically depends on the lighting of your system and now the next one that we are going to add is the displacement for this I’ll select one of the image textures and create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and let’s place it here now I’ll go to open image and select the displacement. PNG and click on open image now we need to connect this displacement image to the normal of the principal bsdf to see its effect but for this we need to add a bump node here so I’ll press shift plus a go to vector and select bump let’s place it here now I’ll take this color socket and connect it to the height and right now the normal socket of the principal bstf is connected to this normal image but we want to connect the displacement with the principal bsdf through the normal for this I’ll take the normal socket of the normal map and connect it here in the bump node then I’ll break this connection between the normal of the normal map and the normal of the principal bstf by holding the control key dragging right Mouse like this and now I’ll take the normal of the bump node and connect it to the normal of the principal bsdf now you notice some changes here but before observing the changes let’s go to the texture coordinate that is the input node take this UV and connect it to the vector of the displacement also change the color space of the displacement to the non-color and now we see here that a lot of detail is added to this texture you can notice slight cracks shadows and a lot of detailing and to adjust this 3D or the bump effect added you have to go to the bump node and here you have the option of the strength so if I reduce the strength the effect will get reduced so let’s keep it to a value of somewhere around 0.5 and now it looks like this so all these nodes here basically give your texture a very realistic look previously it looked like this and right now you can see that it has changed a lot and that’s the use of all these PBR images and now we have to move to the last one that is the ambient occlusion and after understanding this one we’ll revise all of them one more time to get a better understanding so to add the ambient occlusion I’ll select one of the image textures and we need to create a duplicate of it so I’ll press shift Plus B let’s place it here go to open image and we’ll select the ambient occlusion click on open image again now this ambient occlusion basically adds fake Shadow to your object texture to see how it works we first need to change the color space to the non-color and now we need to add a mixed color node here for this I’ll press shift plus here go to color and select the mixed color let’s place it here now the ambient occlusion will work with this color. PNG node which assigns color to your object which means that we need to break the node connection from here take this color socket and connect it to the color B of the mixed color then take this color socket and connect it to the factor and to connect this entire note system to the principal BF I’ll take this result socket and connect it to the base color we don’t notice any change here to see the changes here first let’s take this UV and connect it to the vector now to see some colored Shadows here you have to go to the color a and suppose I change this to blue color you will notice that some blue Shadows are added here and this is what the ambient occlusion does as I told you it adds fake Shadows to your object’s texture and if you select a particular color from here then the shadow of that particular color will appear on the object texture similarly if I go to the color a again and change it to green color then you’ll notice the green lighting and shadows like this so it’s a very powerful image map which you can use if you want to give some colored Shadows to your object texture and now it’s the time to revise all the images or the image maps that we have covered in this chapter so the first one that we started with was this color.png it basically gave this simple brick texture to our object but since it looked flat we had to add these other PBR images to our texture so first we added this normal which gave it a 3D and a realistic look then we added this roughness which gave the texture some kind of roughness and then we added this displacement which gave the texture this 3d effect or this bump effect that you are seeing and then the last one that we discussed was this ambient occlusion which provided these fake colored Shadows to our object texture and so this is all in this [Music] chapter so to understand about the working of Vortex paint let’s first first delete this Cube by pressing X and we’ll add a suzan or the monkey model in our scene so let’s select the monkey model now here we have the suzan or the monkey model but right now if we go to the edit mode then we can see that the number of vertices of the suzan model are very less for this we’ll add a modifier by going to the object mode then to the modifier properties and we’ll add the subdivision surface modifier click on ADD modifier go to generate and select the subdivision surface let’s increase the levels viewport to three and now it looks very smooth also if I apply this modifier by clicking on this drop- down menu and apply and now if I go to the the edit mode you can see that the suzan model now has a high number of vertices so let’s go back to the object mode now and to use the vertex paint you have to go to the vertex paint mode for this you have to click here where it’s written object mode and then select the vertex paint now before understanding how to use this vertex paint there’s one more important thing to show you so I’ll go to the object data Properties by clicking on this green icon here and here you have an option of the color attributes so if I click on it you have something here which is named as attribute and all the data that you change in this Vortex paint mode is saved here in the attribute now now coming back to the vertex paint let’s first see how we can use this vertex paint to add some smudge or some dirt to our object for this I’ll go to this paint option here and here you have an option of the dirty vertex colors so if I select it and now you’ll notice that your object has become a little dark or basically some dirt has been added to it but you can see here that this monkey has dirt only on some faces and suppose you require the dirt or this Darkness on the complete monkey or the suzan model so for this you have to go to this drop- down menu of dirty vertex colors and here you have an option of normalize so if I uncheck this you will notice that now this dirt or the darkness is spread all over the monkey head but if I go back to the object mode we can’t see the smudge or the dirt effect on it in fact even if I go to the render View and we need to add some lights in our scene so I’ll select this light here and create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and let’s move it in the y direction and let’s also move it in the X Direction like this and now you can see here that it does not show the changes that we did in the vortex paint and that’s because we have not assigned any particular material to it to give it a new material we have to add a Shader editor here so I’ll take my cursor over here right click and select horizontal split let’s divide the area into two parts and left click now to change this into the Shader editor I’ll click on this icon here and select the Shader editor now to give a new material to it I’ll select this and click on new and here you have the default material assigned to the suzan or the monkey model but as I already told you all the changes that we did in the vortex paint mode are saved here in the attribute and so we need to connect this material of the suzan or the monkey model to this attribute to see the changes here and to do this you have to go to the shade editor press shift plus a and in the input you have this attribute so I’ll select this and let’s place it here and now before connecting them together we first need to change the render engine by default it is set to Eevee but we’ll go to the render properties here and change it to cycles and now to connect them together I’ll take this Factor socket and connect it to the base color and here you see that it has completely turned to Black color that’s because we have to assign the specific attribute that we had in this object data properties to this attribute node to do this you have to go to this name option here and type attribute and press enter and here you can see that you have your suan or the monkey model with the smudge or the dirt effect added to it but in most of the cases you will be using this Vortex paint to change the color or paint some specific part of your object for example if I change the object mode to the vortex paint and now suppose I want to paint the color of these eyes so for this I’ll first go to the solid view here and right now you can see that it’s showing the dirt added to it whose data we have stored in this attribute and to remove this I have to click on this minus icon here and here we have our default suzan model so to paint these eyes I need to add a new color attribute here I’ll click on the plus icon here and here we have the option to change its name so I’ll change its name to eyes and this color would define the color of your suzan model so I’ll change it to white color by clicking on it and increasing the brightness with the help of this brightness slider and then I’ll click on okay now to set the color that we want you have to click on this white color here and let’s change it to red color and now I can zoom in and if I left click and drag my cursor like this then you can see that the eyes of this monkey model are being colored red similarly I’ll go to the other eye click left Mouse button and drag it like this and the color of this eye will also change so now our monkey model looks like this let’s also change the color of this nose to red color so I left click here and drag it like this and now this is our suzan or the monkey model and now if I go to the render view you can see that our model is completely black that’s because in the Shader editor we still have that old attribute connected with the principal bsdf but since we have deleted it so it has turned to Black color so to change the name I’ll click here and type eyes and remember that it is case sensitive which means that you have to take care of the capital and the small letters so now I’ll press enter but here you can see that the eyes are not red colored they are colored separately but still they are not red colored like we painted in the vortex paint to fix this go to the shade editor press shift plus a and we’ll add a mixed color node so I’ll go to color and select the mix color let’s place it here and now I have to connect this attribute to the mix color but before that I need to break this node connection so I’ll hold the control key click right Mouse button and drag it like this now I’ll take this color socket and connect it to the color B then I’ll take this result socket and connect it to the base color and now you can see that the red color of the eyes and the nose have appeared on this suzan or the monkey model and you can even change the color of the remaining monkey model with the help of this color a so if I select this and change it to light blue colored then you can see here that the part of the model except for the one which we painted is now light blue colored so you can use the vertex paint option whenever you want to paint color on the surface of your object and one more important thing to remember is that while using the vertex paint you are not changing the color of these vertices in fact you are applying a mask on it to understand it you can see this image where the selected object has the same default color of the material but we have added this colored mask over it with the help of Vortex paint and now let’s also try it with some other part of this object let’s say the head of this monkey model so I’ll go to the solid view again and I’ll add a new color attribute for it so I’ll press on this plus icon and I’ll change the name to head and the color is set to white color so I’ll click on okay so the color of the eyes is stored in the ice color attribute and now whatever new changes that we’ll make will get stored in this head attribute so I’ve selected the head attribute now and I’ll change the color from here let’s change it to green color let’s adjust the view properly and now if I left click and drag my cursor like this then the green color is being applied over the head of the monkey model so the eyes attribute here has the data of the red colored eyes and nose and the head attribute has the data of this green colored head now if I go to the render view again and let’s change this to object mode we can see that the green color of the head has not appeared here and that’s because we have not added the head attribute in this Shader editor for this I’ll select this attribute and create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus b and let’s place it here now I’ll change the name by clicking on the name option and I’ll type head and press enter to confirm and to connect this to the remaining node system I need to create a duplicate of this mix color also so I’ll select this and we’ll create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d let’s place it here and we need to adjust it so I’ll take these two and left click to move them take this mix color and let’s place it here now to connect this head attribute to the remaining note system I’ll take this color socket and connect it to the color B of this mix color now to get the data of both the eyes and the head I’ll take this result socket and connect it to the color a of the mix color now I’ll break the connection between the older mix color and the principal BS TF by holding the control key clicking right Mouse button and dragging like this now I’ll take this result socket and connect it to the base color and here you can see that the data of both the attributes is now applied on the suzan model and suppose you want to change the strength of these colors for this you can increase the value of this Factor here this one will help you to control the strength of this green color and this one will help you to control the strength of this red color so if I increase the factor from here you will see that the red color has increased and if I change it to its default value and go to the other one and if I increase its Factor value you will see that the strength of the green color has increased but right now I’ll be setting them to the default value of 0.5 so this was all in the vortex paint even though you’ll be using this Vortex paint option in very rare situations like modeling some character or painting something specific on a particular object but still it was important to understand it and this brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter so in this chapter we’ll be learning about a very useful node in blender which is called the object info node and the first question before starting anything is what exactly is the use of this object info node so the object info node is used to add different colors to different objects while you’re still using the same material and to understand it practically we’ll open our blender file and let’s delete this default Cube by pressing X now let’s press shift plus a go to mesh and let’s add a UI sphere and now to give it some material I need to add a Shader editor in my scene for this I’ll take my cursor over here right click and select horizontal split now I’ll take this line in the middle and left click to split the area into two parts to convert this upper area into the Shader editor click on this icon here and select the Shader editor now to give it a new material click on this new button and here you have the default material applied to the UV sphere now let’s go to the render View and by default the render engine is Eevee so I’ll go to the render properties and change it to Cycles now if I go to the material and click on the base color to change its color we can set the color of this object from here so I’ll change it to red color right now and now if I create some duplicate of this UV sphere by clicking shift plus p and moving it in y direction and left click to finalize similarly I’ll create two or three more duplicates by pressing shift plus d moving mov in y direction like this and let’s create two more this side also shift plus d again and moving in y direction and now the last one shift plus d and let’s move it in y direction again so now we have five duplicates of this U spere which have the same material that is the material with the name material. 001 so all of them assign the same material and so they showing the same red color but suppose you want all these uis speres to have the same material but different colors meaning that the metallic the roughness and all the other things should be same but only the color should be different and for this you can use the object info node so to add the object info node I’ll go to the shade editor press shift plus a go to input and select the object info let’s place it here and here you can see that this object info node has six options of output and in this chapter we’ll be covering these two options because they are the most commonly used and currently we’ll be starting with this random output option so this random output option basically assigns random colors to your object like one of them will be blue colored one of them will be yellow colored and all of them will still have the same material that is the material1 see the material is identified not only by its color but also by its metallic nature or the roughness and all the other things like emission also for example if I increase the metallic nature you will notice that all these UV spheres now look very shiny and have a metallic surface but to give them different colors I’ll be using this object info node and to set those different colors I’ll be using a color Ram so I’ll press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram let’s place it here now I’ll take this object info note and move it here and since there are five different hu spheres we have to create five different colors but currently there are only two pointers by default in the color ramp one is this black colored and the second one is this white colored to add new pointers click on this plus icon here now there are three pointers and I’ll add two more and now we have five pointers and I’ll change their position so that they look equally placed away from each other so I’ll place this one here and I’ll take this third pointer and adjust it in the middle and you can even change the position from this POS option which stands for the position so if I select this and to place it in the middle I’ll type 0.5 and now it’s in the middle similarly I’ll also select this one and I’ll set the position at 0.75 now I’ll select the second pointer here and change its position to 0.25 now they’re perfectly placed away from each other at equal distances and to set different colors I’ll select the first pointer here click on this black area to change the color and we’ll increase the brightness with the help of this brightness slider now suppose I set the first color to blue color and to see the changes here I’ll go to the object info take this random socket and connect it to the factor and in the color Ram go to the color socket and connect it to the base color it appears like this because one of the pointers is blue colored while the others are either gray or white colored but let’s first set different colors on each pointer so I’ll select the second pointer here go to the color menu increase the brightness and let’s change this color to green color similarly I’ll select the third pointer and let’s also change its color by going here and I’ll increase its brightness again and let’s change it to red color similarly with the fourth pointer and I’ll change its color to Yellow so I’ll take this to the yellow color similarly with the last one I’ll go to this color option and let’s change it to pink color now it appears like this because the colors at different pointers in the color Ram are not constant they are blending with each other and to make them constant click on this drop down menu where it is written linear and select the constant and now you can see here that these UV spares are having different colors except for these two UV spares which are having blue color and that’s because we have selected the random output here which means that it will randomly assign these colors to any UV spheres and in any number meaning that the UV spheres will have random colors and some of them might have some common color as well and you can even adjust these Colors by moving these pointers in different directions like when I just move this last pointer then the color of this UV sphere changed from yellow to Pink and that’s how the random output for this object info node works now the second output socket that we’ll discuss here is this object index socket so if I take this and connect it to the factor I see that all of these UV spheres now have the blue color assigned to them and that’s because we have to assign each UV sphere a separate object index number manually in blender for this you have to go to the object properties here then you have to click on the relations and here you have an option of pass index now the pass index means the same as object index so different objects can have different pass index values and based on these values they will be assigned different colors here so suppose I take the first one and change the pass index value to one then I see a color change here but we’ll observe it later on first I’ll select the second one and let’s change the value to two similarly the third one and let’s change the value to three again fourth one we’ll assign the value four and fifth one we’ll assign the value of five now all of them are having the same color that is the pink color and the reason for this is that the object info transfers the value to the color ramp in between 0o and one only but right now we have set value in the pass index or the the object index which is greater than one so it is restricting all the values to a value of one meaning that the object info is sending the output that all of these UV spheres have the object index value of one and not the respective values and since the color ramp also works from 0 to 1 where we have assigned the blue color to zero and it gradually increases here and at the position of one we have this pink color and as a result all these UV spheres now have the pink color assigned to fix this we need to add a new node here which is the math node so basically I’ll use the math node to change the output that is generating from the object info node and to see how this works I’ll press shift plus a go to converter and select the math now I’ll place it in between both these nodes and left click to finalize and now they connected together since I need to reduce their value from numbers like 1 2 3 4 5 to a value between 0 to 1 I need to divide them so I’ll go to this drop down menu and here you have lots of functions that we’ll discuss in this course in the future chapters but right now we’ll select the divide and in the value option you have to enter the number of UV spheres in your scene since we have five objects so I’ll enter five and press enter and here you see that you have objects with five different colors with the same material assigned to them and this is the use of this object index socket in the object info node so whenever you are modeling something where you have a large number of objects which need to have material with same roughness or the same metallic nature or basically the same material but you want them to have different colors then you can use this object info node to assign them some random colors so this was all in the object info node although this was a very short chapter but it’s one of those powerful tools which you must know while learning blender and so this brings us to the end of this chapter [Music] till now in this course we have understood about the blender interface all the modeling Tools in blender and we even discussed about all the modifiers in complete detail and in the recent chapters we explored the note components tried to create some textures and even understood about the working of some node systems and now we are ready to create our own materials with all this knowledge and so in this chapter we’ll begin with understanding the basic shaders and we’ll be creating these materials in blender now before starting with the creation of our materials there’s important thing to discuss with you which is also the first topic of our chapter and it is the node Wrangler add-on so the node Wrangler provides various tools that will help you to work with nodes quickly and efficiently but to use it we have to enable it from the blender preferences so click on the edit menu on the top and select the preferences now here in the blender preferences you have so many options but we’ll select the add-ons and we have to search for the node Wrangler so I’ll go to the search bar and type node and here on the third number you have the node Wrangler add-on to enable it you have to check this option and now the node Wrangler add-on is enabled so I’ll close this blender preferences now and now to see how exactly this node Wrangler add-on helps us we have to give it a material and for this we need to add a Shader editor here so I’ll take my cursor over here right click and select horizontal split let’s take our cursor over here and left click to split the area now to change this into the Shader editor click on this icon and select the Shader editor now we have the default material assigned to our Cube for example if I want to add some image texture to my Cube then one way to do this is to go to to the shade editor press shift plus a then you can go to the texture to add the image texture and suppose you want to rotate or scale your texture then you would need a vector mapping and also you would have to add an input node which is a texture coordinate but you don’t have to do all this if you have the node triangular turned on which means that if I select the principal bstf alone and press cr+ T then it would generate all the notes that are required for image texture so instead of adding each one separately you can use this shortcut of control+ P to add the entire node system for image texture and this is one of the US es of the node dangler add-on now before making our first basic Shader we need to do some changes the first thing is that we’ll delete this default Cube by pressing X on the keyboard and let’s add a UV sphere so in the add menu and in the mesh I’ll select the UV sphere let’s move it upwards in the Z Direction like this and left click to finalize right click and apply the shades smoth and now we need to add a plane below the UV sphere which will basically become the base so I’ll press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane to adjust it I’ll tab into the edit mode now we’ll go to the top Q by pressing seven on the numpad and we should scale this up in the y direction for this press s and then Y and scale it up like this left click to finalize let’s also scale it up in the X Direction by pressing s and then X and scale it up like this and left click to finalize and now our scene looks like this but we would also need a face at the background and for this I’ll go to the edge select mode by pressing two then I’ll select this Edge and to make a face at the background we need to extrude it up in the Z Direction so I’ll press e and z to move it up in the Z Direction and left click to finalize now it looks like this to make it look realistic we should change the angle here to something like a curved angle for this we’ll use the bevel tool on this Edge so with this Edge selected Press ctrl+ B move the cursor slightly away and to increase the number of segments you can use your scroll wheel so let’s add some more segments and left click to finalize and now it has a perfectly curved angle and now we can come out of the edit mode by pressing the T key again so if I go to the camera view by pressing the zero on the numpad it seems that we have toed adjust our camera position to do this press n to open the properties toolbar click on The View option and select the lock camera to view we learned about using this in our previous chapters so if you haven’t watched them yet you can check the link in the pin comment now to move my camera view I’ll hold down the middle Mouse button and if I drag it then the position of this camera would change so I’ll keep it here to move it upwards I’ll hold the shift key and the middle Mouse button and move it up like this now I’ll adjust it in such a way that we have the scene of this UV sphere with the base and the background in front of the camera view so this view looks perfect and I’ll finalize it so I’ll uncheck the lock camera to view option and to make it perfectly align with the object and the entire scene click on this item option here then select the camera you can select the camera from the scene collection here also and here you can see that you have the location and rotation of this camera so here the location in the X direction is very near to zero and to make it perfectly aligned with the object and the scene I’ll set it to exact zero now I can use the location in the y- AIS so I’ll adjust it here similarly you can use the location in The Zed axis to move upwards or downwards so I’ll set it here now in the rotation part the rotation in the x is set to 75 but to make it perfectly aligned we’ll change it to 90° and press enter now we’ll change the location in the Z AIS with this option and I’ll reduce it and I’ll finalize this one now here the rotation in the y direction is very very close to zero so I’ll change it to zero and press enter also in the Zed axis the rotation is very close to zero so I click on it and enter the zero value so the main main thing here is to keep the rotation value at either 90° or 0° and then you can adjust the location of your camera using the Y and the Z axis like this so here I have finalized this position of my camera now to prevent your camera from being accidentally moved or rotated at some angle you can lock these values here to do this click on this lock icon here and now the location of xaxis is locked at 0 m I’ll also do this with the other parameters like the location in all other axis and also the rotation so now with the camera selected if I press G and try to move it you will notice that nothing happens that’s because we have locked the editing of the location of our camera so basically the camera is now locked in our scene similarly I’ll also select this UV sphere and we lock its transformation from here as well so we’ll click on this lock icon to lock the editing of the location similarly for the rotation also and for the scale value as well also we’ll select the plane at the back and we’ll also lock its transformation and yes to apply lock on all these values together you can press the left Mouse button and drag your mouse like this now all the transformations are locked for all our objects except the light in our scene and if you look closely then you will see these straight lines at the back which are appearing on this plain object to fix this with the plane selected click right Mouse button and select shade Smooth by angle and now it appears smooth and now we can go to the render view to see how it looks so I’ll click on this icon here and here we have the rendered view of our object but currently it’s showing only the scene lights and that’s why it appears like this but blender also have some default hdris which you can access by clicking on this drop down menu and unchecking the scene World option and to change the hdri you need to click here and here you have different type of hdis and to know about each hdri you can simply clip your cursor over it and it will display you the name of that hdri this one is named night. exr meaning that if I apply it then it will give me a lighting setup that you would expect to see if you kept your object somewhere outside during the night time similarly there are others also like this one is the interior Studio lighting this one is the forest lighting currently I think that we should work with the interior lighting setup so I’ll select the fourth one and this one looks perfect for our seam and now is the time to adjust the lighting so if I zoom out and select the lamp here with a left Mouse button click I can move it by pressing the G key and you will see the influence of this light on your object and the surroundings as well so I think that we should place it here so I left click to finalize its position and to get a better view of its location you can go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and now if I’ll move it then the light would move only in the X and Y axis so we’ll keep it here in front of the UV sphere and left click to finalize the position and to add some more lights I’ll create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and I’ll place it here left click to finalize the position and let’s go back to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad I’ll zoom in to adjust the view and we can even change the color of these lights for example if I select the light here by left clicking on it and if I click on this green light icon here I have the properties that I can change for this light so if I go to the color option and change it to something like pink you will notice the reflection of some pink light on this side of the UV sphere and right now the render engine is set to Eevee by default to change it to Cycles go to the render properties here click on EV and from this top down menu you can choose the Cycles Render engine and for a better rendering do make sure that this D noisy option is turned on in the viewport as well as in the render and now we’ll give a simple material to this background so I’ll select this plain background go to the Shad editor and click on new material and I think that the color of this background should be a little dark so I’ll go to the base color and let’s turn this into gray color for this I’ll take this brightness slider and bring it down like this this much looks perfect and also you have various options like metallic strength and roughness so we’ll increase the roughness to around 0.9 so that the surface of the background is completely rough and right now you can see that the area which is outside the camera region is also being showed to us in the viewport and it’s always better to hide this area and the biggest advantage of doing this is that you would be saving some of your rent time while being in this 3D viewport and to do this you have to select your camera click on this camera icon to edit the properties go to the viewport display option here you have an option of passive part out and if I increase it to one then now we’ll see only the area that we have to render and not the surroundings also one more thing that we need to do is to select this UV sphere and if I tap to the edit mode and press one for the vortex select mode then you can see that the number of vertices on this UV sphere are very small in number and to make better models with nice shaders and materials you should have a model with high number of vertices for this I’ll go back to the object mode and we’ll apply the subdivision modifier over it so I’ll go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate we can find the subdivision surface and you can even save this as your default startup file meaning that whenever you will open blender you will have your Shader editor here and a 3D viewport here with this UV sphere and a background at the back along with the entire lighting system that we having right now basically everything that you can see in your blender file right right now will be added to your new file by default whenever you open blender and for all our upcoming chapters related to materials textures and notes we’ll be starting with this layout or the interface only so to save this as the startup file click on the file option at the top go to defaults and here you have the option of save startup file so I’ll click on it and then it will ask for a confirmation to save the startup file so I’ll click on it again and now the startup file is saved it might have asked you to save or to name your file if you didn’t save your file before so now whenever you you open a new file in blender you will see this layout by default in your blender scene and now the next topic for today’s chapter is creating a material Library so with this UV sphere selected I’ll go to the shade editor and click on new material now we have the default material applied to our UV sphere and now let’s explore the various options in the principal bsdf the first option that you have here is the metallic strength so if I increase it to its maximum value of one you will see that the object’s material now has a very highly metallic look meaning that its surface is now very shiny and reflecting and the second option here is the roughness so if I reduce the roughness to its minimum value of zero you will see that the object surface of the material is now highly smooth that’s because we have reduced the roughness to zero so basically metallic strength would control how shiny and reflecting your object surface is and the roughness would control how smooth your object looks lower the roughness more smooth the object will be and higher the roughness value lesser will be the smoothness of the object surface and you can see here that it no longer even looks like a metal it simply looks like a rough ball with no smoothness at all and to make this material look like a realistic metal you should keep the roughness to somewhere around 0.3 or 0.4 so let’s keep it to a value of 0.35 and now it looks like a realistic metal and always remember that if your PC is not too fast then regularly save your file by pressing cr+ s so that you don’t lose your work due to some crash or any other error because right now we are in the render View and moreover we have turned on the cycle surrender engine and the cycle surrender engine uses more power and memory to create the renders but one thing that you can change if you’re having a lowend PC is the sample number basically when I change my view you can see some sample numbers here basically a high number of samples means a better quality but with slower render times and so it also takes more memory and power so if you’re having a low end PC and you want to reduce the number of samples go to the render properties here and from here you can decrease the number of samples in the 3D view Port so you can keep it to a lower number like 128 or anything like even 100 or 50 would work fine but these are the number of samples that you will see while you are in the 3D viewport only but when you finally render your image it will still have a high number of samples and to reduce those samples you can go to the render option here and here you have the option of Maximum samples by default it is set to 496 but you can lower it to a value near 100 or 200 if you’re working on some simple projects and right now I’ll be keeping them to the default value and now coming back to the materials we’ll try to create the Chrome material in blender so first I’ll change the name of this material by clicking here and I’ll type Chrome now to make the Chrome material I have to reduce the roughness to a very low value but it should not be zero because that would make it unrealistic so let’s reduce it to a value of something like 0.05 and now it looks like this and now I can save this material by creating a material library in blender and in order to do this you have to go to the edit option click on preferences and now from this list you have to select the file paths and here you have an option of asset libraries and this is where you will be sa saving all the materials that you create so that you can use it even in some other blender files and here you can set the path of that file so if I click on this folder icon here then you can browse all your files and folders here and select a particular location where you can create a folder to save all the materials now when you have selected that location and you want to create a new folder click on this icon and I’ll change the name to materials and press enter now click on accept and again click on accept now you will have the New Path assigned to your asset libraries and if I close this and if you want to save the material in that folder go to this file option click on save as browse that particular location where the folder is saved and I’ll open the materials folder and from here I can change the name of this file and I’ll name it material 1 m81 and click on save as now we have saved the file at that location but to save this chrome material in our asset Library we have to go to this scene collection here click on the drop- down then you will see that there are two options one is sphere and other is modifiers and if I select the spere option and click on this drop drop down here you have the Chrome material saved so if I click on it and then right click here you have an option of Mark as asset so if I select this you will see this icon of a stack of books appearing along the material name which means that this material is now saved in our asset library and to check this we’ll change this Shader editor into the asset browser to do this click on this icon here and here in the data you have the option of asset browser so if I select this you will see some default assets added to your asset library and one of them is this scrome home material that we just saved so whenever you are working on a blender file and you want your object to have this specific material then you can simply open this asset browser select this chrome material and by left clicking on it and dragging like this you can assign it to your object right now our UV sare was already having this material so you can’t see the changes but if I left click and drag it to the background then you can see that the background material has also changed to the Chrome material for now I’ll press crl plus Z to undo and this is how you use the asset library in blender it’s a really very useful thing if you work on big projects and you want the same materials or some same Assets in more than one scene and to see only those assets or materials that you have yourself added to the asset Library click on this drop down menu where it’s written all and select the user Library here you will see only those assets and materials which you created on your own and saved them in the asset browser right now we have saved only the Chrome material so it’s showing the Chrome material here and now the next topic for today’s chapter is creating some more metallic material just now we created this chrome material and now we’ll be learning about creation of some more metallic materials for this I’ll change this into the shade editor Again by clicking on this icon and select the Shader editor now this UV sphere has this chrome material assigned to it but to create more materials I will have to create a duplicate of this UV sphere so I’ll select this press shift plus d and right click to cancel the movement now you can see here in the scene collection that you have this spere and this is the duplicate that is created for now I will hide this previous spere by clicking on this I icon and here we have the duplicate UV sphere in our scene to give it a new material we first have to remove the existing Chrome material to do this click on this cross icon and now click on the new material and here in the principal bsdf if I increase the metallic strength to its maximum value of one and reduce the roughness slightly then you can see here that the object surface has a material which is similar to that of a stainless steel and here you have some more options like the subsurface transmission specular so if I select the specular here you will find the anisotropic option and if I increase it to its maximum value of one you will notice some changes here it is basically stretching the highlights or the reflections on your object surface or we can also say that it is adding a brush effect on the surface of the object you might have seen a brushed aluminium surface and this material surface looks very much similar to it and here you have this anisotropic rotation option so if I change this you will notice that this anisotropic effect is now being rotated on the object surface so if I finalize it here you can see that this pink highlight here are due to the pink light that we added in our scene and these white highlights are due to the Reflection from the white light that we added in this direction also right now the surface is slightly more reflecting and smooth and to reduce this I’ll go to the roughness and increase it let’s keep it to a
value of something around 0.25 and now it kind of looks like a brushed metal or brushed aluminium so now we can save this material also in the asset library for this I’ll go to the Shader editor then we’ll change the name from here and let’s rename it to brushed aluminium and now if I go go to the scene collection and click on the drop- down menu of the selected UV spere and then if I click here then we can find the brushed aluminium in this list and if I select it and right click we have this option of Mark as asset so I’ll click on it and now this brushed aluminium material is saved in our asset library to view the asset browser click on this icon and from this list you can select the asset browser now here the user library is selected and you can see that we now have two different materials in our asset library or the material Library one of them is the Chrome metal and the other one is the brushed aluminum so if I take this chrome material left click and drag it on my UV sphere then the UV sphere will get assigned the Chrome metal similarly if I left click on the brush aluminium and drag it on the UV sphere it will get assigned the material of the brush aluminium and now to create another material I’ll turn this into the shade editor Again by clicking on this icon and selecting the Shader editor now I’ll select this UV sphere and we’ll create a duplicate of it and right click to restrict the movement now we’ll go to the scene collection this is the hidden sphere which we use for creating the Chrome material and to hide these things you can click on this drop down arrow similarly this is the second UV sphere which we use for creating the brushed aluminium material and we’ll hike this one also so I’ll click on this I and to collapse this I’ll click on this drop down arrow now this third sphere that is the sphere. 002 will be used to create the third material of this chapter for this first I’ll remove this material from it by clicking on this cross icon and we’ll give it a new material and again we’ll be creating a different type of metal so we’ll take the metallic strength to its maximum value of one and by default the color of our metal is white and to change this I’ll go to the base color and this time I’ll change it to gray color so for this I’ll use this brightness slider and bring it down and this much looks good so I’ll finalize it and to give it a better look I’ll reduce the roughness from here and now it looks perfect and finally it looks like a dark metal also if you want to make it even more darker you can go to the base color and further reduce the brightness from here but I think that I should keep it somewhere in the middle of the brightness slider and this much looks good and now let’s rename this material and I’ll name it as dark gray and press enter and now to save this material in the asset Library go to the scene collection click on this drop- down arrow then click here on the drop- down arrow and here you have the material of the dark gray metal I think that we should change the name to dark gray metal instead of dark gray so one way is to go over here left click and then change the name but you can also do it in the scene collection here for this I’ll double click and now you can edit the name from here so I’ll type metal and press enter to confirm now to save this material in the asset library right click and select the mark As asset and to view the asset browser here click on this icon and select the asset browser and it’s showing only these two materials because it is not refreshed and to refresh the browser click on this refresh icon and now you can see that you have all the three materials in your asset Library this one is the dark gray metal this one is the brushed aluminium and this one is the Chrome metal and now we’ll be creating another material which is the gold metal to do this I’ll go back to the Shad editor and now we have to create a duplicate of this UV sphere so I’ll select it shift d to create duplicate right click to cancel the movement and to hide the previous UV sphere I’ll go to the scene collection and click on this I and let’s collapse this by clicking on this drop- down arrow button and to give it a new material I’ll first remove the existing material and click on the new button here now the gold metal is very metallic and shiny as a result I’ll take the metallic value to the maximum value of one and to make it shiny I have to reduce the roughness to a very low value currently it’s set at 0.5 but let’s reduce it to a value of somewhere around 0.1 now to set the gold color one way is to go to the base color and change it to something like yellow or orange and it might even work in most of the cases but if you are very specific about the gold material then you can see that you have some options here this one is the RGB where you can influence the color by adjusting the red color and the green color similarly the blue color so by increasing or decreasing these values you can create different types of colors then the second one is the HSV which is the default one and the third one is the HX which uses the hexadecimal values to set your colors so every color has an HX value assigned to it and to know the heex value of gold you can search it up on Google and when I searched for it it showed me this value D4 af37 so I’ll type it here D4 af37 and press enter and now this material has the perfect gold color in fact you can use this for any kind of material or any kind of metal that you are making in blender you just type the metal name on Google and add H EX in front of it and then you will get the color code or the hexadecimal value of that particular color or the metal and now let’s change the name of this material to Gold so I’ll type gold and press enter now to save this in the asset of the material Library I’ll go to the scene collection again click on this drop down arrow then click here and here here you have the gold material so after selecting it if I right click and go to the mark As asset option then this gold material is now saved in the asset library to view the asset browser here click on this icon and select the asset browser now we’ll refresh it and here we have all the four materials that we have made till now the first material that we created in this chapter was this chrome metal the second one was this brushed aluminium the third one that we created was this dark gray metal and the fourth metal that we created just now was this gold metal and now it’s the time to move to the last topic for this chapter which is creating gloss based materials so now we’ll change this to the Shader editor again click on this icon and select the Shader editor now I’ll select this UV sphere and we’ll create a duplicate of it to create the glossy material so I’ll press shift plus b and then right click then I’ll go to the scene collection here and I’ll hide the UV sphere which was used to create the gold material and let’s also collapse this by clicking on this down arrow and this one also Now to create the glossy material on this UV sphere first I need to remove this gold material so click on this cross icon and to give it a new material click on the new button and now we have the default material assigned to UV spere now the most important thing while creating glossy materials is that the roughness of this material is completely zero so let’s go to the Shader editor and in the principal bsdf I’ll reduce the roughness to zero and now if you look at the UV sphere its surface is very shiny and that’s a characteristic of glossy materials and to change its color I’ll go to the base color and let’s change this to blue color and now it looks like this and it’s not necessary that you have to give only blue color to it you can assign any color of your choice to this material now one of the most important things to notice here is that the surface of this UV sphere is very reflecting and the reason for this is that I’ve reduced the roughness to zero however this reflecting nature is different from that of a metal suppose I go to the metallic property and increase it to its maximum value you can see here that this material is also reflecting but it’s different from a glossy materials it’s showing the complete reflection on the surface but if I reduce the value to create a glossy material then you will still notice some Reflections and some lights but you can’t completely see them on the surface and that’s what make glossy based materials different from metals and now this blue glossy material looks ready and you can even try different colors from here right now it’s set to a blue color but you can even create different materials by changing the colors from here like right now it looks like a blend of yellow and red color and if I change it to green color it looks like this so you can make any number of materials with the same properties of roughness metallic and other things and just simply by changing the colors so for this one I’ll set the color to green and now we can save this in our asset library for this I’ll go to the scene collection click on this Arrow then click here and here is our material so I’ll double click on it to change the name and we’ll rename it as glossy green and press enter to rename now to save this in our asset Library we have to right click and select Mark as asset and now let’s view it in our asset browser so I’ll click on this icon go to asset browser and I’ll refresh by clicking on this icon and here we have the glossy green material so now we have added these five materials in our asset or the materials library and now to manipulate the looks of your glossy material you can use the roughness of the principle bsdf so let’s try to create a new material which will also be glossy but with a different roughness for this click on this icon and select the Shader editor now I have to create a new duplicate so I’ll select this press shift plus d and right click now in the scene collection if I scroll down here we have the new sphere let’s also collapse this by clicking on this icon and I’ll hide the previous UV sphere so on this UV sphere we have this glossy green material applied and instead of creating a new material again and doing all these settings we can even create a duplicate of it and do the changes on that material and to do this click on this icon here which is the new material icon and now you can see here that the name of this material is glossy green1 which means that it has created a duplicate of the previous material and now if I go to the roughness and increase it slightly you will notice that the look of your material has changed it’s still looks like a glossy material but the reflections or the highlights on the surface have now reduced and at a roughness value of approximately 0.23 or 0.24 it appears like a painted glossy surface I think that we should round off the roughness to 0.25 for a better look and now it looks perfect so I’ll change its name from here let’s remove this 001 at the end and I’ll type painted and press enter to finalize now this is the glossy green painted material and we’ll save this in the material library for this go to the scene collection click on this Arrow then click here and here you have the glossy green painted material so I’ll click on it right click and then Mark as asset to open the asset browser click on this icon and select the asset browser and if I refresh so one of these materials is the glossy green and the other one is the glossy green painted so this brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter in the previous chapter we begin with the Practical usage of materials textures and nodes in blender and and we even begin the creation of some realistic materials in blender and in this chapter we’ll take a step ahead and we’ll be creating some more materials like the clear coat Shader glass Shader the candle emission Shader a simple cloth Shader and a lot more so let’s begin with it here we have this layout as the default because in the previous chapter that is the chapter number 21 we created this layout for creation of materials and made it the default layout which will always appear whenever we open a new file and the first topic for today’s chapter is creating a simple clear coat Shader so the first thing is what exactly is clear coat Shader clear coat means a transparent and a glossy layer of paint which is applied over a surface and this coating provides hardness and resistance to various chemicals and we’ll be making this clear coat Shader in blender so first let’s turn on the render view by clicking on this icon and to check the render engine click on this icon and here it is set as Cycles Render engine so to create a new material we go to the shade editor click on the new button and here we have the default principal bsdf applied to the UV spere now the clear coat material show a lot of reflection on its surface and we explored in the previous chapter that the reflection or the highlights on the surface are controlled with this roughness value so if I need to increase the reflections I will have to reduce this roughness value from here and here you can see that our UV sphere is showing some reflections of these lights and to view it properly let’s change the base color by clicking here and we should change it to a dark color so I think we should change it to purple this one looks good and now these highlights or the reflections are clearly visible on the surface and if you want to increase the reflections even more then you can reduce the roughness value to exact zero and now the surface is 100% reflecting all the light that is falling on it let’s also go to the base color and to make it darker we can use this brightness slider from here so if I reduce this you can see here that the uis sphere is now colored as dark purple the reason for doing this is that the reflections are more clearly visible on a dark colored object as compared to light colors like white or yellow so we needed a dark color here and we used the dark purple color on the surface and now to make it look like a clear coat or a painted surface go down in the principal bstf and here you have the option of coat so if I select this then here you have the option of weight and this basically controls the intensity of the clear coat or the paint that will be applied to your object so if I increase it to its maximum value of one it will basically add a layer of paint or a coating on your object surface and suppose you want to make the Surface look like it has been recently painted meaning that the surface should be a little wet the paint should be visible on it and to do this we have to use a texture which is the noise texture along with a bump node for this go to the Shader editor press shift plus a and in the texture select the noise texture let’s place it here and to add the bump node press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump let’s place it here now now to connect them together take this Factor socket and connect it to the height and take this normal socket and connect it to the normal here and now the surface looks as if it has been recently painted but right now it looks unrealistic because the strength of this bump node is very high and if I reduce this you will notice that it now looks realistic it looks as if a purple colored paint is applied on this UV sphere and this is the clear code material or the clear code Shader and now it’s the time to save this clear code Shader in our asset or the material library that we created in the last chapter and for this we need to save this file first so I’ll press crl + S and we’ll have to save this file in the same folder where we saved our last file because only then it will save our materials in the material Library so I’ll save this with the name M82 do blend and and I’ll click on Save blender file now to save this material first let’s rename it from here and I’ll rename it as clear Cod and press enter now we’ll go to the scene collection click on this drop- down arrow then click here and here you will find the clear coat material so I’ll select this right click and now you will find the option of Mark as asset and if I select this then this clear coat Shader or the clear coat material will now be saved in the asset or the material library and we can even view it in this blender file for this click on this icon and here you have the option of the assess browser this will show you all the ass sets that are saved in your blender file including the default ones and also the ones that you created on your own to view only those materials that we created go to this drop down menu and select the user library now these are all the materials that we have created so far in this course in this chapter we created this clear quat material and all the others were created in the chapter number 21 so now this material is saved in the asset library and now we’ll be creating some more materials to add here and the next topic for this chapter is creating a simple class Shader for this I’ll change this P to the Shader editor click on this icon and select the Shader editor so to create a glass material we first need to remove this material that is applied on the UV sphere so I’ll select this and we’ll create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and right click now in the scene collection I’ll select the previous UV sphere and we’ll hide it by clicking on this I let’s collapse this menu by clicking on this drop down arrow then I’ll select this UV sphere and to remove this material click on this cross icon the reason for creating a duplicate was that we wanted to have both the materials in our blender file the clear coat Shader that we just made which is now saved in this hidden sphere and also the glass Shader that we are creating right now so to begin with we’ll go to the shade editor click on this new button and here we have the default material applied to this UV sphere now the most basic characteristic that sets the glass Shader apart from all the other materials is the transmission so in the principal bsdf if I select the transmission we have this weight option here and if I increase it to its maximum value you can see here that the object looks like this right now it does not look like a real glass because it has a lot of roughness on its surface and as a result we can’t see through the glass right now to fix this go to the roughness option here and reduce it to zero so now you can see through this UV Sphere for example if I select this plain background and change its color from the principal bstf like if I change it to blue color you can clearly see the blue background through the UV sphere but right now I’ll Undo It by pressing cr+ Z and so our glass Shader is now ready but if you want to give it a more realistic look then instead of keeping the roughness value to exact zero you can slightly increase it to a very low value like 0.01 or 0.02 something near it and this will add a slight roughness to your object which will give it a realistic look and one more important thing to note here is that we are right now in the cycle surender engine and with this node system you will get a glass Shader like this only in the cycle surrender engine and not in the EV so do ensure that you have selected the Cycles in the render properties and now to save this material I’ll go to the shade editor click here to rename and I’ll type glass press enter to confirm now go to the scene collection and with this sphere selected click on this drop down menu then click here and here you have the glass material saved so I’ll select this right click and select the mark As asset option now this asset is saved in our material or the asset library to open the asset browser click on this icon and go to the asset browser and here we have the glass material saved and to see how it will look on a different object I’ll select this UV sphere and press h to hide it and let’s add a suzan or the monkey model by pressing shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey let’s move it upwards by pressing G and then Z to move it in Z Direction and left click to fin life before applying the material I’ll right click and shade smooth and let’s also apply a subdivision modifier by going to the modifier properties then add modifier and select generate here you will find the subdivision surface modifier and now if I select this glass material left click drag it and place it on the suzan model then now this model is having the glass material on its surface so whenever you’re working on a project where you need a glass material to be applied on any object you can simply go to the material Library select this glass Shader and apply on that object and now the third topic of our chapter is to create the model of a candle and give it some material and to begin with it I’ll delete the suzan model by pressing X let’s also bring the Shad editor here by clicking on this icon and selecting the Shader editor and now to begin with the actual modeling I need to add a cube in my scene so I’ll press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube so here we have the cube added in the scene and this will be the base on the candle will be placed but I think that we need to move it down by pressing G and then Zed and left click to finalize the position and to get a better view let’s also move it in the y direction towards the camera so I’ll press G and then Y and let’s bring it forward in the Y Direction Let’s also bring it slightly upwards by pressing G and z and this looks perfect now and to give it some material I’ll go to the shade editor click on this new button and let’s change the base color from here and let’s change it to yellow color and now our base for the candle looks perfect now to place the candle on the top of this base we first need to place our 3D cursor here to do this hold on the shift key and right click at the top of the base and now we have the 3D cursor placed on the top of the cube Now to create the candle we’ll be using a cylinder so I’ll press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder now let’s tab into the edit mode and we need to scale it down so I’ll press s and let’s scale it down like this and left click to finalize let’s also move it upwards in the Z Direction now we need to scale it up in the Z direction also and this much looks perfect so I left click to finalize so so the model of our candle looks like this right now but I think that we need to scale it down in the X and Y directions for this I’ll press s and because we only need to scale down in X and Y directions and not in the Zed Direction so I’ll press shift and Zed and now I can scale down in the X and Y Direction simultanously now it looks perfect so I left click to finalize and I’ll go back to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s move it downwards by pressing G and then Z and it looks like this now and now to make it look like a real candle we need to go to the face select mode by pressing and also I think that we should go to the solid mode instead of the render view since we are modeling this candle right now so click on this icon to go back to the solid mode and now to model the candle select this top face press I to insert and let’s insert the face this much and left click to finalize and if you want to change the size of this face you can press s to scale it up or scale it down but I think that this much should work so I left click to finalize it and what I’m going to do with this face is that I’ll extrude it in the Z Direction let’s move it downwards and left click to finalize now I insert this face again by pressing I and left click to finalize and the reason for doing all this is that we want to make the wick of the candle and to do that we now have to extrude this phase so press e and let’s move it upwards in the Z Direction and left click to finalize now we’ll scale this down like this now let’s insert it one more time by pressing I and taking the cursor towards the candle now we’ll be making this very small because this is going to be the base of the candle swick so I think this much should be fine so I left click to finalize this and now to make the wick we need to extrude this pH for this press e and move it upwards and left click to finalize but one problem with this is that the wick is completely straight but in reality it does not look like this because it is slightly bending or slightly curved and to make it appear slightly bending we’ll first move this down by pressing G and then Zed like this and left click to finalize now we’ll rotate this pH by pressing R and let’s rotate it a little bit like this and left click to finalize now we’ll extrude again and left click now you can see here that the wick of the candle is now being bent like this similarly we’ll again extrude it two to three times by first rotating it a little bit left clicking and then pressing e to extrude it and left click again now this looks good to make it look better I’ll scale down this pH by pressing s and let’s scale it down like this and left click to finalize and now our candle looks like this we’ll go back to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad now you might have noticed that in real life the melted wax of the candle looks like this and to create this thing in our candle model we need to view the top face of this candle model and with the face select mode enabled we’ll select some random faces from here so with the shift key holded I’ll select some random faces like this but here you can see that the tip of the candle wick is also selected and we do not need that so to deselect it hold down the control key and left click and drag like this now the face at the tip of the candle wick is now deselected so we’ll continue with selecting the random faces here so you can select any random faces that you wish it’s not mandatory to select only those which I’m selecting in my seen right now and now with these faces selected press G and then Zed to move them downwards like this and left click to finalize let’s go back to the camera view by pressing zero and now the model of the candle looks like this to make it look realistic we’ll return back to the object mode and we’ll apply some modifiers we’ll be applying two modifiers the first one is the bevel modifier and the second one is the subdivision modifier so in the modify properties click on ADD modifier then go to generate and select the bevel then again go to the add modifier and in the generate you will find the subdivision surface let’s increase the level view port to two or maybe three and you can also make it more realistic by going to the bevel and increasing the number of segments by default it is set at one but let’s change it to a higher number like three and now it looks like this so if I go to the camera view again then the candle model looks perfect now and now to make the flame of this candle we’ll be adding a UV sphere at this point so let’s first place our 3D cursor here at the tip of the candle wick for this first I’ll zoom in and then hold the shift key and right click here now to add the UV sphere press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere tab into the edit mode and we should scale it down like this let’s zoom in to get a better View and we would be making a simple flame out of this UV sphere it wouldn’t be very complex but it would be kind of cartoonish and would look very simple and then we’ll be applying our material over it so for this we need to turn on the vertex select mode by pressing one and now to make it shape look like that of a flame we have to select the vortex at the top of the UV sphere so we’ll select this Vortex here and and then turn on the proportional editing from here or you can even use the shortcut which is O and now we’ll move it upwards by pressing G and to see the circle of influence of the proportional editing tool you have to scroll up your middle Mouse wheel or the scroll wheel and here you can see that we have the circle of influence and now if I move it in the Z Direction by pressing the Z key and moving it upwards like this you can see that it now looks like a little droplet or like a flame so we’ll finalize it now with a left Mouse button click let’s go to the camera view Again by pressing zero on the numpad and now it looks like this now we’ll turn off the proportion editing tool press G and then Zed and let’s move it in upwards Direction like this let’s return back to the object mode now and we should now check whether the candle flame is properly placed on the tip of the wick or not from the camera view or the front view it appears perfect let’s also go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and it looks like this from this view I think that we should move it in y direction by pressing G and then Y and let’s move it like this and left click to finalize let’s also go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and it looks fine from this angle so we’ll go back to the camera view now by pressing zero on the numpad now to make it look smooth right click and select shade smooth and now the modeling of the candle is complete and so we should move to applying the materials now so we’ll go to the render View and currently we have enabled the cycle sender engine so with this flame selected go to the shade editor and press new to give it a default material we’ll change the color of this flame from here let’s set it to yellowish and we should zoom in to view it properly right now it looks kind of orange in color but I think that we should keep the color to Yellow so I’ll again go to the base color and let’s keep it to Yellow now since the candle flame should look like burning or basically emitting light so we have to go to emission here and we need to set the same yellow color to the emission color also and to do this you can basically left click and drag this color and now to drop the color in the emission color simply release the left Mouse button click and now both the base color and the emission color is same to see the emission effect here we need to increase the strength so let’s increase it to a very high value like 40 and to see how it actually looks we need to turn off all the lights in our scene so we’ll go to the scene collection and we have these two lights in our scene right now so we’ll click on this I button and similarly for this one and now there are no lights in our scene and all the brightness is because of this candle flame but yes right now we have a default hdri added in blender which is also contributing to the light in our scene and to disable it click on this drop down here and here you have the option to control its strength so we’ll reduce it to zero or maybe to a slightly higher value like 0.1 or I think that we should lower it down to 0.05 and now it looks like this now most of the light in our scene or to be more precise more than 95% of the light in our seen is coming from the flame of this candle now the candle flame looks perfect but another thing to consider is the material of the wick of the candle we’ll go to the shade editor click on the new button and here you have the default material applied to this candle now we have to go to the base color and change it to complete Black to view it properly let’s try to change the angle because earlier the background was also black so the candle was not visible properly but now from this angle we can clearly distinguish between the candle and the background the next thing to do is that we have to increase the roughness value to its maximum so we’ll increase it to one and we’ll be using this material not for the candle but only for the wick of the candle but because both the candle and the wick are part of the same object both are having this black color to fix this tab into the edit mode and we have to go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad I think that for editing we should increase the strength of the hdri so that all the things are clearly visible so we’ll go to this drop down menu here and let’s increase the strength to something like 0.5 and now we have a better Lighting in our scene so let’s zoom in and now what we are going to do is that we’ll be selecting only the wax part of the candle or basically the main body of the candle and we’ll assign it a different material to do this first enable the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Zed take your mouse cursor over here left click and drag it and if I release the left Mouse button click then the entire candle body except for the wick is now selected and to give it a different material we’ll go to the materials properties click on this plus icon and then click on this assign button now if I go to the object mode you can see here that the candle body is having the white color but the candle wick here is having a slight dark color let’s go back to the camera view now by pressing zero on the numpad and now our candle looks like this now to create the wax material of this candle I’ll select this body and in the Shader editor click on this new material button let’s go to the base color and change it to slight yellow and this looks fine now one of the most important characteristics of the wax material is that it allows some light to pass through its surface that is it shows slight patches on its surface where light is being passed you can see this image of a real candle and how it is allowing some light to pass through it and to create an effect like this in blender you have to go to the principal bstf and here you have the option of subsurface so I’ll select this and to see its effect you have to increase the weight from here so let’s try to increase it and now if I zoom in you will notice that there are some slight red patches here it might not be properly visible from this angle so let’s try to change the angle let’s zoom in a little bit and now if You observe closely then you can see that there are some slight red patches here which are due to this subsurface and now it looks like a real wax material with this the model of a candle is now ready and while creating this candle we basically made three different materials one was this flame material the second one was this Wick material and the third one was this wax material so we’ll now save all of them in the material or the asset Library so first with this wax selected let’s go to the shade editor and from here we’ll change its name let’s change the name to wax now let’s go to the flame material so I’ve selected this flame go to the Shader editor let’s rename it from here and I’ll type flame and press enter to confirm to do the same with the wick material click on this candle object and here in the material properties tab we have two materials one is the material. 003 which is the wick material and the other one is the wax material so we’ll select this black material which is the wick material go to the share editor and let’s rename it to Wick press enter to confirm now to save these materials in the material Library go to the scene collection click on the drop- down arrow of the cylinder then click here and here you have two materials the Vic and the wax material which are assigned to this candle object so I’ll select this Vic material right click and Mark as a set similarly I’ll go to the wax material right click and Mark as a set now for the flame material left click on this flame go to the scene collection and we’ll scroll down click on this drop down arrow and then click here and here you have the flame material so I’ll select this right click and click on Mark as a set now to view the asset library or the material Library here click on this icon and go to asset browser this one is the flame material this one is the wax material and this one is the wick material so we have now saved all these materials in the material library and now it is the time to move to the next topic of this chapter which is creating a simple cloth Shader and for this we’ll save this file and open a new blender file so I’ve created a new blender file here with this layout which we saved as the default layout in the chapter number 21 for all the files and to create the objects for the cloth Shader we basically have to delete all this setup for this press a and X to delete all and now we’ll be adding an icosphere in our scene so I’ll press shift plus a go to mesh and select the icosphere the icosphere is different from the UV sphere because of its structure you can see these pointing vertices at the surface of the icosphere whereas if I add a UV sphere by going to the add menu and in mesh if I select the uis spere and move it in X Direction then you can notice the difference between the two so in in this case we’ll require an icosphere and not the UV sphere so with this selected I’ll press X to delete it let’s select this icosphere now this iOS spere will be used to place our cloth object and to create the clothe object press shift plus a go to mes and add a plane to increase its size let’s tab into the edit mode and press s to increase the size I think around this much size should work fine so I left click to finalize it go back to the object mode and let’s move it upwards by pressing G and then Zed and now we need to subdivide this plane for this right click and subdivide and to increase the number of cuts click on the subdivide menu and we’ll change the number of cuts to somewhere around 50 and let’s get back to the object mode now to make it look like a real clothe we’ll be applying some simulation to it currently in this course we have not understood simulations but it’s basically used for creating stuff like clothes water fire and all the other similar things and to apply these simulations go to the properties editor and here you have this icon of the physics properties here you will find all the simulations that you can apply to your object now there are two objects in our scene This Plane would act as a clothe and it will fall on this icosphere as a result this icosphere would act like a collision object so I’ll select this icosphere go to the physics properties and apply the Collision we’ll be learning all these physics Properties or the simulations in the future chapters of this course as well but right now let’s look at the Collision so here we have applied the Collision physics to this icosphere meaning that it will now become a colliding object and we’ll see its effect later on now I’ll select this plane and to make it the cloth go to the physics properties and select the cloth and right now we’ll keep the default values that are present here we won’t be changing anything first we’ll look at the impact that these default settings would make in our scene but before moving further let’s first save this file so I’ll press crl + S and we’ll save this in the same folder where I saved the previous two files so let’s change the name from here and let’s keep it clo Shader press enter and click on the save blender file now this file is saved and to see how this cloth physics will work go to this animation timeline that is present here and press this button to play the animation or else you can simply press the space bar to view the animation so I’ll press the space bar and this is how the cloth simulation is working this plain object has now turned into a clothes which fell on the icosphere and we created this simple animation from it and to make the Collision look better and more realistic go to the physics properties here and we’ll scroll down and here we have an option of collisions so I’ll select this and if I scroll down again you will find an option of self collisions and if I turn this on and go back to the frame zero by left clicking here and dragging it on the frame zero and now if I play it you will notice that now the cloth and the Collision looks much more realistic than before so the only thing that you should do right now in this physics properties is to turn on the self collisions although everything looks perfect right now but if you look at its geometry the cloth material looks very rough and to fix this simply right click and select shade smooth and now it looks like a real clothe material and to fix these pointing vertices or the edges simply go to the modifier properties here this cloth modifier is appearing because we have applied the cloth simulation to our object but if I go to the add modifier then in the generate I’ll find the subdivision surface so I’ll apply it and now that roughness is completely gone and our cloth objects look perfect now if you want to give it even more realistic look you can simply increase the levels viewport in the subdivision menu right now it is set to one but let’s increase it to two and now the subdivision has increased in the clothe object which makes it look better now everything in this clothe object is perfect right now except for the thickness if you look closely you will notice that our clothe object has no thickness it simply looks like a paper and to give it some thickness we have to apply the solidify modifier so I’ll go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate you will find the solidify modifier and now you can see that some thickness is visible on a cloth material and now our clothe object looks perfect and so it’s the time to give it some material but before that we need to get the lighting set up first for this I’ll press crol + S to save all the changes and now I’ll be opening the same file where we created the candle for for this press crl + O select that file and click on open and here we have the file where we made this candle now I’ll select this candle and with shift key hold it I’ll select this flame press h to hide them now to bring the clothe object and the icosphere in this scene we need to import them but before that let’s place this 3D cursor at the center by pressing shift plus C and now it’s at the world origin to import the clothe material click on this file option and we’ll go to aent always remember that whenever you have to add any object from another blender file you choose the append option whereas if you want to add a 3D model which is downloaded from some website or basically it is not in a blender file but it’s simply a model then you have to use the import option but right now we have the file saved on our system so I use the append option and here we have the close Shader file so I’ll select this click on append button and in this list we’ll go to the collection then I’ll select this collection and click on append we studied about adding different objects from other blender files as well as the 3D models from some external websites in this chapter of this course but currently let’s go to the camera viewer pressing zero on the numpad let’s zoom out now we need to move the camera so that we can view everything properly so I’ll select the camera from the scene collection let’s scroll up and here we have the camera in the chapter number 21 we locked its position but right now we need to change it so I’ll unlock it from here similarly with the rotation also I’ll unlock them and now I can change the position of our camera for this go to the view option and select lock to camera view now if I zoom out the camera view will also change let’s select this Cube here and press X to delete let’s also select this icosphere and with the shift key holded I’ll select this plane and let’s move them upwards by pressing G and then Zed like this and left click to finalize now to get a proper view from the camera we’ll select the camera from the scene collection and to move it I’ll click on this item and from here you can change the location and the rotation of your camera so let’s increase it in the Zed direction to move it upwards now I’ll reduce the rotation in the X Direction Let’s again move it upwards in The Zed AIS and now it looks perfect let’s also turn off the lock camera to view for this go to the view and turn off the lock camera to view now let us zoom in and this is the icosphere object which has the Collision physics applied to it and this is the clothe object now to give it some material first I’ll play the animation by pressing the space bar and press the space bar again to stop it it looks perfect like this and I think that we should move the cloth and the icosphere upwards so that it is completely visible for this with the shift key holded go to the scene collection and select the icosphere now before changing their position there’s one more important thing to do which is to go to the timeline and take the pointer back to the frame one and now to move them together press G and then Z and let’s place them here and now if I play the animation by pressing the space bar we can now see the complete clothe object in our scene now moving to the materials part first let’s turn on the render view by clicking on this icon now to get a better Lighting in my scene I’ll unhide those two lights which we hided while creating the candle for this go to the scene collection and here we have the two lights to unhide them click here similarly with this one also and now we have a proper Lighting in our scene and now to give it some material we’ll first change this to the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader the editor click on this new material button and here we have the default material applied to it so I’ll select this clothe material and we’ll do some changes in the material to see how it looks in our scene so the most basic thing for our cloth is its base color so I’ll go to the principal bstf click on the base color and we can change the color of the clothes from here you can choose any color that you would like to see on your object but in this case I’ll be going for the red color so I’ll select the red color here and a cloth object looks like this now I think that the strength of these lights is very high in our scene so first I’ll select this light go to the object data Properties by clicking here and from the power I can control the strength of this light right now it is set at 1,000 but I think that we should reduce it to 200 wat and press enter similarly with this one also I’ll select this go to the power option and change it to a lower value like 200 and now it looks perfect the red color of our clothes is now clearly visible now as you must have observed almost all the clothes have a rough surface but right now this cloth object looks very smooth so we’ll go to the roughness and increase it to the maximum value that is one or to make it realistic we’ll reduce it to a slightly lower value like 0.95 and press enter to confirm and now it looks like this this will give some roughness to our clothe object and to give it some texture we’ll go to the shade editor press shift plus a go to texture and let’s add a magic texture I’ll place it here and then we’ll add a bump node here so I’ll press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump let’s place it here now select this Factor socket of the magic texture and connect it to the height socket then take this normal socket of the bump node and connect it to the normal of the principal vstf and now you will notice some patterns on your object’s material so if I zoom in to view it properly it appears like this but in real life no cloth has a pattern like this so to adjust this pattern you will go to the magic texture and increase the value of the scale by default it is set to five but let’s increase it to a very high number like 50 and now you get this realistic looking pattern on your object’s material to make it look even more realistic you can further increase the scale so let’s increase it to around 60 and now it looks like this now if I zoom in to view it closely you will will observe that it really looks like a real cloth fabric it has a pretty decent texture on its surface and you can even control the strength of this pattern or this effect from the bump node here so here you have the option of controlling the strength so you can play with different options here try to change the values and you will end up making some different and some new patterns for your clothe object also we’ll try to add a noise texture which will give a slight roughness and realistic look to the clothe material so I’ll press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it here now I’ll take this Factor value and connect it to the height of the bump then I’ll change the scale to a very high value like 50 also I’ll increase the detailing from here to give it a realistic look right now it is set to a value of two but if I increase it to a higher value like 16 and it looks like this now but I think that we should increase the scale even more because right now it’s not looking realistic like in real life you won’t see a material like this so let’s increase the scale to see the changes so I’ll go to the scale option in the noise texture and let’s scale it up to a very high value like 300 or 400 and then press enter and now this is what our material looks like it has a High roughness on its surface which is giving it a very realistic look and all this is because of this noise texture so this Moise texture provided it a very rough look and earlier when we use the magic texture then it give it a specific pattern also I can connect both of them together to see the effect of both the textures on my clothing object for this I’ll select the magic texture and let’s place it here and to connect them together we’ll use the mix node for this press shift plus a and in the color you will find the mix color let’s place it here now take this Factor socket of the noise texture and connect it to the B then take the color socket of the magic texture and connect it to a now to connect the mix node with the rest of the node system we’ll take the result socket and connect it to the height socket of the bump node and now you will notice that our object’s material would show a combination of both these textures that is it will have a realistic looking roughness due to the noise texture and this pattern because of the magic texture and so we have created this simple clothing Shader in our scene let’s also save this material in the material or the asset library that we created for this go to the Shad editor let’s rename it from here and let’s keep its name as red fabric so I’ll enter the name and press enter to confirm then go to the scene collection click on this Arrow then click here and here you will find the red fabric material so I’ll select this then right click and go to the mark As asset option to view the asset browser click on this icon and select the asset browser and here we have the red fabric material saved in our library so till now in these two chapters that is this one and the previous one we created these 12 materials and even saved them here so that we can use them whenever we are done with the modeling of any object and we need to apply some material to it and this also brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter in the previous two chapters that is chapter number 21 and 22 we discussed about basic shaders we also learned to create a material library and made a lot of basic materials in blender and from this chapter we’ll be taking a step further as we’ll begin understanding the procedural shaders here we’ll be working more on the textures and combining different types of notes together to get different types of results so let’s begin with it we have this default layout applied to the blender where we have this Shader editor on the top 3D view port at the bottom and a simple setup of a UV sphere and some lighting if you also want to set up the same as the default for your blender file then you should check out the chapter number 21 of this series where we discussed about all this in detail but right now let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad so the first topic of today’s chapter is Shader nodes to understand it if I go to the Shader editor and press shift plus a here you will find a category of nodes which is the Shader and within this category there are a lot of Shader nodes here and in this chapter we’ll be understanding the functioning of each one in detail and for this we’ll turn on the render view first and I have enabled the cycle sender engine by default now I won’t be using this UV sphere right now so I’ll press X to delete it and let’s add the suzan or the monkey model for this press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey model let’s move it up in the Z Direction by pressing G and then Z and let’s place it here to give it a better look and to make it realistic we’ll be doing two things one is to right click and shade smooth and the other thing is go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and select the gener rate from here we’ll be applying the subdivision surface modifier let’s also increase the levels view port to a higher number like three and now it looks perfect now to give it some material I’ll go to the Shader editor and click on the new button here we have the principal bsdf applied to this monkey object in fact the principal bstf is the most commonly used Shader node in blender even in the basic shaders chapter most of the things that we did were related to principal bstf like changing the color the metallic property from here the roughness and in fact it is a combination of many different Shader notes because if I go to shift plus a and then Shader we find nodes like emission refraction subsurface scattering glass bsdf glossy bsdf translucent bsdf sheen and transparent bsdf and all these are combined and put together in the principal bsdf only for example if I go down I’ll find this emission option and it is the same as the separate emission node that we just saw in the Shader menu similarly the sheen transmission subsurface scattering all of these can be accessed separately by using their respective Shader nodes but blender finds them together in the principal bsdf and this makes the principal bsdf the most important and the most useful Shader node in blender now the next node that we’ll explore is the diffuse bsdf node for this go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to Shader and select the diffuse bsdf let’s place it here now to break the connection between the principal bsdf and the material output hold down the control button right click and drag your cursor like this and now the principal bsdf is removed from a monkey object now I’ll take the socket of the diffused bsdf and connect it to the surface socket of the material output right now it looks the same as what we saw when principal bsdf was connected but here you have the option of the color and if I click on it and change it to blue color then simply the color of the object changes and this is the basic use of the diffus bsdf it does nothing except for giving you the option to change the color of your object and as I already told you a lot of Shader nodes are combined together in the principal bsdf only so even if you have not added this diffuse bsdf you can use the principal bsdf and change the color of your object from the base color option now now the next one on our list is the subsurface cattering so I’ll go to the Shader editor press shift plus a and in the Shader here we have the subsurface cattering so I’ll select this and let’s place it here now this subsurface scattering works in the same way as the subsurface option in the principal bsdf we learned about the subsurface scattering in the chapter number 22 of this course where we modeled this candle and created it material with the help of subsurface scattering but to explain it in simple words it is basically a process or a mechanism in which the light passes through or penetrates the surface of some translucent object and it is scattered by interacting with the material to explain it with the help of an example you might have observed that when you keep your hand in front of some light source it looks like this basically the light tries to pass through your hand which is the translucent object in this case and as a result it looks like this and to see its effect here I’ll take this socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output right now we can’t see any effect here and that’s because of two reasons one of them is that the scale value is very less so if I increase it to a value of one we see some lights scattering around the eyes of this monkey object and it is appearing like this because we have added only two lights in our scene one of them is this white light and the other one is this pink light to understand it more deeply I’ll select this light let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and let’s zoom out and I’ll create a duplicate of this light by pressing shift plus d and let’s place it behind the monkey of the suzan model left click to finalize here in the object data properties we can change the color and the intensity of this light so let’s go to the color and I’ll change it to red color let’s also increase the power right now it is set at 1,000 wat but let’s increase it to 5,000 wat now I’ll go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and to see the effect of the subsurface cing I’ll move the light behind the monkey model so with that light selected I’ll press G to move it and if I take it close to the ears of this monkey model you will observe that the model is now acting as a translucent object which is showing the subs scattering effect if you look at the other ear it does not appear to pass any light through it right now but this ear is allowing the light to penetrate through its surface and show the subsurface scattering effect and that’s because we have the subsurface cattering applied to this monkey object in fact to see this effect on the rest of the object apart from this ear you can go to the subsurface cattering and increase the scale from here right now it is set at 1 but if I take it to five then you will begin to see this effect on other parts of this object as well the effect will surely be visible more on this ear because the light is close to it and lesser on the other side and this is the subsurface scattering node but instead of using this node separately you can simply go to the principal bstf and in the subsurface option you can change all these settings which are the same as the settings in this node now the next one that we going to discover is the glossy bsdf so press shift plus a go to Shader and select the glossy bsdf let’s place it here take this socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output so this glossy bsdf is a simple node which is used to control the reflections on your object surface so if I go to the roughness option here and reduce it to zero you will notice that the object surface is now reflecting all the light that is falling on it and if I take the roughness to its maximum value of one it won’t reflect any light that is falling on it and this is the use of the glossy bstf just like the other two nodes this one can also be controlled from the principal bstf because here you have the option of roughness and if you increase or decrease it you will see the same effect which you expect while using the glossy bstf now the next one is the anisotropic bstf earlier in the previous version of blender the anisotropic bstf used to be a separate node but now you can control the inotropy from the glossy bstf also so here you have the option of the inotropy and if I increase it to a higher value like two or three you will notice some changes here so this anisotropy basically creates a brushed effect on your object’s material we learned about this one also in detail in the chapter number 21 of this series where we created this brushed aluminium material let’s return back to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad now before going further I’ll delete the light at the back that we created so I’ll go to the scene collection and select this light. 002 and press X to delete it then I’ll select this monkey model again and now the next one that we’ll discover is the refraction bsdf so press shift plus a go to the Shader and select the refraction bsdf let’s place it here take this bsdf socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output and now we notice some changes on the material of a monkey model now for those of you who don’t know what refraction is it means bending of light in simple words and if I try to change the view you will notice that our monkey object has a material which looks similar to a glass also in the refraction bsdf we have some more options here you have the roughness option which is currently set to zero and that’s why it looks like this but if I increase the roughness to a higher value like 0.4 it looks like this so whenever you want to create a material whose surface is refracting you can add the refraction BDF and change the settings from here now moving to the next node We’ll add the translucent bstf so press shift plus a go to Shader and select the translucent bsdf let’s place it here now take the socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output and to see the effect properly we need to reduce the lighting in our scene so I’ll select this lamp and here in the object properties let’s reduce the power to a lower value like 100 wat similarly with this one also I’ll select this go to the power option and change it to 100 wats now I’ll go to the camera view to see how the object looks so this monkey object now has the translucent bsdf applied to it you must have studied about the difference between transparent and translucent objects in your school basically the transparent objects allow all the light to pass through them and one example of the transparent objects is glass then on the second number there are translucent objects which allow only some light to pass through them and an example of the translucent objects is a stained glass and the third type is opaque objects which are simply those objects object which do not allow any light to pass through them for example a wooden table or a wooden chair so coming back to the translucent bsdf it makes your object looks translucent and to explain it in detail how it works I’ll go to the top queue by pressing seven on the numpad then zoom out and we’ll add some light at the back of the monkey model so I’ll select this light here press shift plus d and move it here left click to finalize the position go to the object data properties and let’s increase the power to a higher value like 1500 wats press enter to confirm then go to the color option and let’s change it to blue color now let let’s return back to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and now if you will look closely on the monkey model you will notice that this monkey model is allowing some blue light to pass through its surface although you won’t see the same effect as you would see when the light passes through a glass but still it is passing light through it because of the translucent bsdf node and now the next one that we’ll see is the emission node but before that let’s remove the light from the back go to the scene collection select this light. 02 and press X to delete it now to add the emission node go to the Shader editor press shift plus a and in the Shader you will find this emission Shader select this place it here now take this emission socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output and to see some changes we need to reduce the lighting in our scene for this go to the scene collection and here we have two lights in our scene we’ll hide them for now by clicking on this I button similarly with this one also also we have added a default hdri in our scene and to disable it or reduce its strength click on this drop- down arrow and you can reduce the strength from here so we’ll reduce it to a very low value like 0.1 and now you can see that even with almost no Lighting in our scene this monkey or the suzan model is emitting light which is because of the emission Shader this emission Shader allows your object to emit light of any color and any strength suppose you want to increase the
strength then you can simply go to the strength option here and increase it to a higher value like five or six and now the intensity of light has increased similarly if you want to change the color of this light you can click on this color option and if I select the yellow color the color of the light will change to yellow and now the next one is the transparent bstf but before exploring that let’s bring back the lighting in our scene so I will unhide these two lights also I will click on this drop down arrow and increase the strength of the hdri to its previous value of one and now we have enough Lighting in our scene now to add the transparent bsdf go to the Shader editor press shift plus a and in the Shader you will have this option of transparent bsdf let’s place it here take this pstf socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output the object will disappear and that’s because we have used the transparent bsdf now there is one way to see your object here which is to change the color so if I click on this color and change the color to blue or any other color then you will be able to see your monkey or the suzan model or else there’s one more way to view it when it gets transparent so I’ll press contrl plus Z to undo it and now it is again transparent go to the color option and reduce the brightness with the help of this brightness slider so if I reduce this slightly the monkey model again reappears in our scene so whenever you want to make your object transparent you can simply add this transparent bsdf and connect it to the material output and now moving ahead the next one on our list is the glass bstf for this press shift plus a go to Shader and select the glass bstf let’s place it here now I’ll take this bstf socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output and now the material of this funky model changes to Glass and this will simply make your object’s material look like a real glass you can even change the color of this glass from here so suppose I take it to green color then it looks like this and similarly for all the other colors so whenever you want to create any glass and even apply some color to it you can use this glass bsdf and now the next one is the sheen bsdf so I’ll press shift plus a go to Shader and select the sheen BS SDF let’s place it here now I’ll take the socket and connect it to the surface socket of the material output and we see some changes here one important thing to note here is that in the previous versions of blender the sheen bstf was also known as The Velvet bstf now you must have seen a velvet cloth or a velvet material it is a kind of fabric which gives a very soft feel and in blender this velvet pstf is used to add some reflection to your material especially when you’re working with clothe objects so whenever you want to create a velvet material for your clothe in blender you you can use this Sheen bsdf you can even control the sheen from the principal bsdf if I go down you have this option of Sheen and if I select this you will get all these settings that were available in the Sheen bsdf and now the next one is the tun bsdf to add it go to the Shader editor press shift plus a and in the Shader you will find the tun bsdf let’s place it here take this bsdf socket and connect it here now this tune bsdf is used to create glossy materials or diffused materials with some cartoon light effects in most of the cases you won’t be using this shad and node in blender but if you’re making cartoon type of Animation then you might use this tun bstf and to view its effect I’ll change the angle and now with the help of this T bstf you can control the highlights or these Reflections that are falling on your object and this would also change the look of your object to do this go to the tune bsdf and with the help of this size option you can control these highlights so if I reduce the size you will see that the highlights have reduced similarly if I increase it you will notice that these pink highlights have increased also you can use the smooth option to adjust the look of your object and if I click here you will find two modes to use this tune bsdf one is the diffuse mode and the other one is the glossy now what this glossy mode does is that it will make your object look like a metallic object but with a tune effect to notice the changes properly we’ll go to the size and reduce it to a much lower value like 0.2 or 0.3 and now you can observe that the material of this monkey model is giving a metallic look and the reflections or the highlights on its surface due to these lights are very much different from the regular highlights and all this is due to the tune bstf now let’s return back to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and now we’ll look at some volume shaders in blender and we have three volume shaders the first one is the principal volume the second one is the volume absorption and the third one is the volume scatter to add the first one which is the principal volume press shift plus a go to the Shader and select the principal volume let’s place it here let’s also move this material output and place it here now to break this note connection of the surface socket hold down the control button right click and drag like this now take this volume socket and connect it to the volume socket of the material output and we see some changes here so the principal volume is basically used to create a smokey or a fog effect like this applying this principal bstf fter your object into smoke or fog you can even change the color of this fog from here you have this color option and if I select this and change it to red color then the color of this smoke or the fog will change to red and you can even control the density of this fog from here so if I increase the density it will appear like this this will result in a highly dense fog or smoke of the same shape as the monkey object similarly if I reduce it to a very low value like 0 .4 then the density would be reduced now let’s move to the next one which is the volume scatter for this go to the Shader editor press shift plus a and in the Shader you will find the volume scatter at the end let’s place it here take this volume socket and connect it to the volume socket of the material output now this one is similar to the principal volume it will also create a smoke or fog like effect on the suzan or the monkey model and you can control the density from here change the colors from here so there’s not much difference between the two and now the next one is the volume absorption to add it press shift plus a go to Shader and select the volume absorption let’s place it here take this volume socket and connect it to the volume socket of the material output now the volume absorption node allows the light to be absorbed as it passes through the volume and just like the other two you can control the density from here if I increase the density it will turn darker and even the color from here so if I change it to blue color it will appear like this and if I change it to red color it appears like this and this is all we have in the Shader node and now we’ll understand everything that we have learned till now in this chapter with the help of an example and this is also the next topic of this chapter which is creating a procedural car paint Shader so I’ve opened up a new blender file with the same default layout and this time we’ll be working with the second render engine which is the EV render engine so go to the render properties and from here you can change the render engine till now we have used Cycles but for this topic we’ll see how the EV render engine would work so I’ve selected this and let’s go to the render view now the main difference between the EV and the Cycles sender engine is that EV takes very less time to render your images and animations and that’s because it does not consider does so much detailing which the cycles does and that’s why the cycle cylinder engine takes a lot of time to render and now to give it some material I’ll go to the Shader editor and click on this new material button here we have the default principle bstf applied to the UV sphere and I’ll change its name from here let’s name it as simple car paint so I named it as simple car paint and let’s change the base color from here I think that we should change it to red color and to make it dark we’ll use this brightness slider so let’s bring it down and this much looks perfect now to make it surface reflecting we have to reduce the roughness from here so we’ll reduce to its minimum value of zero and it looks like this and now the surface is reflecting all the lights that are falling on it now you must have noticed that there is usually a layer of paint on the car or basically a coating which you can create here with the help of clear coat for this go down in the principal bstf select this coat option and we can increase the clear coat from here right now it is set at zero but if I increase it to one we have this additional layer or coating of paint or reflection on an object’s material and if you look closely at the reflections or the highlights of these lights falling on it all of them can be controlled with the help of this clear coat reflection if I increase it you will notice that the reflecting area of these highlights have increased similarly to reduce it I’ll reduce the roughness from here and now it appears like this so to make it look realistic we should be having some more highlights or the reflections of these lights on our object so we’ll increase the roughness slightly let’s keep it to a value of 0.1 and this looks perfect now the next thing that we will be doing is to make it look more metallic but if I go to the metallic strength here and try to increase it you will notice that the reflections will pick up a lot of color from the background which we don’t want for our material and to fix this I’ll reduce the metallic strength from here and blender gives you the option of specular so if I go to the IR level in specular and try to increase it you can see the changes in the material of this UV sphere but one thing special about this iur level which is not present in other parameters is that even though it appears like it’s maximum value is one but you can even go beyond one by clicking on it and entering a number for example if I type 2.5 then it would take that value and present the changes here I think that a value of around 2.5 or two would give it a nice metallic look and that to without too much colors from the background and here you have an option of specular tint and if I select this and apply any color you will notice some slight effect of that particular color appearing on your object and in this case I think that I should choose the base color which is the red color and now it looks perfect and now to give it some texture We’ll add a noise texture here so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it here now one way to connect it with the noes system is that you can take this Factor socket and connect it to the nodes but a better way is to use the shortcut which is to select this noise texture press contrl plus shift and then if I left click on it it will directly get connected to the material output but this thing will only work if the no dangler add-on is turned on we learned about this in the chapter number 21 and to check if that no dangler add-on is turned on in your blender or not you can go to the edit option here and select the preferences and here in the add-ons you will find a list of all the add-ons in blender so I’ll go to the search bar and type node and here you will find the node dangler turned on if it is not turned on you can check the box here and then the node Wrangler add-on will be enabled so I’ll close it now and now if you notice here we no longer have the base color that be applied in the principal bsdf that’s because the noise texture directly connected to the material output and it is no way connected to the principal bsdf but we’ll connect it later on because right now we’ll work on the texture part so we’ll be creating some spots on a material and to do this we have to increase the scale from here let’s increase it to a very high number like 200 or 300 and now if I zoom in it looks like we need to adjust the amount of black color and the way how this texture would look for this we’ll add a color ramp here so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it here and now it is connected to the noise texture and the material output to create the spots on our material click here and change the interpolation to constant it appears like this because now the colors won’t blend with each other because constant is selected either it will be black or it will be white based on the position of these pointers so if I take the second pointer which is the white and move it like this you will begin to see some white spots here but suppose I want the background to be white and the spots to be black for this you have to take this pointer and move it close to the black pointer and now you will begin to notice that the base color now looks White and the spots on it are black color to change the size and the look of these spots you can select the white pointer again and move it like this if I take it very close to it you will hardly see any spots on the surface so I will adjust it like this and now it looks perfect to increase the detailing on these spots you can simply go to the noise texture and change the detailing from here so if I increase the detailing it would look like this and you can even change the looks from the roughness value here like if I reduce it the roughness would reduce and if I increase it it would look like this so you can change these values to arrive at a texture which you think would look the best for your car paint material I think that this looks perfect so I’ll finalize this one and now to give some color to this we have to use the mixed color node for this I’ll select these two let’s move them here and now press shift plus a go to color and select the mixed color and if I place it here it will get connected between the color RAM and the material output and to see the colors here you have to take this color socket and instead of connecting it to the color a connect it to the factor to break this node connection between the color and the color a I zoom in hold down the control key right click and drag like this now we’ll also be using the principal bstf because it is carrying the material in like the specular the roughness and other things so I’ll select this and if I drop it here it’ll directly get connected with the mix and the material output and for the color part take the color B and change it to that color that you want as your base material in this case we want the red color to be the base material so I’ll take it to red color and now we have red color as the base material and some gray spots on it these gray spots are due to the color a and suppose I want green color on it or maybe blue color and I can increase the brightness from here now you will notice that the base color is red and the color of these spots are blue which is the color a now it’s not necessary that you have to select only these colors or the exact scale value or the detail values here you can try to change these values and get different results each and every time so try to play with these values try to create different materials by changing these colors and you will end up in learning in a much better way in simple words use the texture and the parameters here to change the look of your texture use the color ramp and these pointers to change the size and the color of these spots on your material change the base color from the color B and change the color of the spots from the color a then you can manipulate how your material would look like from the principal bstf like the metallic nature of the material the roughness of the material adding effect of any color from The Tint option here so you can do all this and create any material that you want but right now I think that I should finalize this and we’ll save this one in the material library that we created in the chapter number 21 for this first I need to save this file so press cr+ s and I will save it at the same location where I Sav my other files like cloth Shader file and material one and material 2 files so I’ll change its name to material 3 mat3 and press enter now to save this material go to the scene collection click on this drop down arrow then click here and here you will find the simple car paint material so I’ll select this right click and here you have the option of Mark as ass set now this simple carpaint material is saved in our material library and to view it here click on this icon and go to the asset browser to view only those materials that we ourselves created click here and select the user Library here you will find all those materials that we have created till now and this one is the simple carpa material and also this brings us to the end of this chapter [Music] in the previous chapter that is chapter number 23 we discussed about the procedural shaders in complete detail and we even created a simple car paint Shader and in this chapter we’ll go deeper into the procedural shaders by creating a sand Shader in blender and by understanding and revising all the procedural shaders that we have covered till now so let’s begin with it now I have opened up the default blender file and my screen layout looks like this because we made it the default layout for understanding the shaders in the chapter number 21 of this course we placed This Plane this UV sphere and some lighting in our scene and made it the default dayout so if you also want to set the scene in this way you can check the link of the chapter number 21 and all the remaining chapters of this course from the Pint comment but for now I’ll go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and we’ll be making a basic sand Shader so I’ll delete this UV sphere by pressing X and we’ll add a monkey or the suzan model so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey model let’s move it upwards by pressing G and then Zed and place it here let’s apply the shad Smooth by right click and selecting shade smooth and to make it look perfect and realistic we have to apply the subdivision surface modifier now one way to apply the subdivision modifier is to go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate you will find the subdivision surface but there’s a shortcut available in blender using which you can directly apply the subdivision surface modifier to your object and that is to press control and then press any number for example if I press control+ 3 then it will apply the subdivision modifier and here in the levels viewport the number of subdivisions will be three similarly if I would have pressed contr + 2 then the level C port number would have been two instead of three so you can use this shortcut to apply the subdivision surface modifier directly to your object and now to give it some material we’ll go to the Shader editor press on this new button and here the default material is applied to the monkey object let’s also go to the render view by clicking on this icon and by default we have the cycle trender engine turned on and you can check it from the render properties option here here we have the cycle trender engine and to get a better view of this monkey object I’ll rotate it in the Zed axis so press R and then Zed and let’s rotate it like this and left click to finalize since right now we’ll be making the sand Shader so I’ll change the name of this material by clicking here and typing sand and now the material is renamed to sand now to give it some texture we’ll go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to texture and we’ll add the noise texture let’s place it here and to add an input node press shift plus a go to input and select the texture coordinate and I’ll place it here to connect them together I’ll use this object socket and connect it to the vector socket here now to connect this noise texture to the output one way is to left click on the factor socket and then connect it but the better way is to hold Control Plus shift and then if I left click on the noise texture it directly gets connected to the material output but to use this shortcut do ensure that the node triangular add-on is turned on we learned about the node triangular add-on in the chapter number 21 of this course now if I look closely at the texture it doesn’t actually look like a sand texture and to make some changes here we’ll go to the noise texture and let’s try to change the scale option right now the scale is set at a very small value and we’ll be increasing it to a very high number like 500 and now if I zoom in you will see that it has this grein like texture on it which is similar to that of sand in fact you can add different layers of noise texture on this material to do this with this noise texture selected press shift plus 3 to create a duplicate and let’s place it here I’ll zoom out this second noise texture will act as a second layer of texture for this material and I’ll be reducing the scale value for the second layer of texture so that it looks different from the first layer so I’ll go to the scale value and let us reduce it to a slightly lower number like 250 and let’s also create one more layer of texture by again pressing shift plus d and placing the noise texture here let’s also change the scale of this texture and I think that we should keep it to somewhere around 100 or 150 right now these two textures that is the second layer and the third layer textures won’t be visible on the object’s material and that’s because they are not connected to the material output currently only the first noise texture is connected to the material output now to connect all these texture together select one of the textures press control and shift and if I right click and drag like this I can mix two textures together so if I release these two textures will now be connected to the mix node here which will be connected to the material output and now we have two layers of texture on our object but we need to do some changes here so I’ll go to this option of mix and change it to multiply and now we have some sort of rough green light texture you can change the weight looks with the help of this Factor value so if I increase it we get a much better texture so I will keep it to a value of one and to connect the third layer of noise texture left click on this node press control and shift and with right Mouse button click and dragging like this I can connect both of them together to this mix node just like I change this to multiply I’ll select this one also and change this option of mix to multiply and we can also control the factor value here so if I increase it we’ll get a texture like this let’s zoom out to get a better view but even right now it does not have a realistic looking grainy texture that’s because the texture is not having any 3d effect on the objects material and to get the 3d effect we use the bump node so I’ll go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump let’s place it here I’ll take this material output and place it here similarly this principal bstf and I’ll place it here now now to connect the bump node to the rest of the node system we have to take this result socket of the multiply node and connect it to the height of the bump node then for the output of the bump node take this normal socket and connect it to the normal of the principal bstf and to connect the principal bstf with the material output simply take this bstf socket and connected to the surface and now we are having this white color on the object’s material because of the base color of the principal bsdf and this rough grainy texture is because of the combination of these noise Textures in the Shader editor now to look at the texture properly I’ll zoom in and now we can see how this texture actually looks now it’s not compulsory to set the factor value here at exact one you can change the value at any number like 0.5 but then you will get a different result here you might not notice the exact changes but if you’re very precise about the texture quality and about the scale of the noise texture then you can use this Factor value from here right now this one looks good so I’ve set the factor value of this multiply node to 0.5 now one more thing to note here is that these three noise textures can also be used to give a detailed rough look to your object’s material and for this I’ll take this result socket and connected to the roughness of the principal bsdf and now the roughness will consider that value that it will get from these three noise textures also it’s not necessary to take only this multiply node for the roughness you can select this one also so if I take the result socket of this multiply node and connect it to the roughness the other one will get disconnected and you will get a roughness based on the combination of these two noise textures and now to give this sand some color we’ll go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to color and select the mixed color I’ll place it here and also do remember to save your file so that you don’t lose any work due to any error or some crash and now moving to the color part we have to choose two different colors that will combine together to make the sand color so I searched on Google which two colors should I mix to make the sand color and there I found that these are the two colors which we should combine to make the beach sand color one is the cadmium yellow medium and the other one dioxazine purple and so I searched for the HX code of cadmium yellow medium on Google and it showed me this code which is FDD a0d so we’ll go to the color a and in the HX I’ll enter FDD a0d and press enter to confirm we can’t see any changes here because this mix color node is not connected to the output right now we’ll do that stuff later but for the color B which is the dioxine purple the HX code is this 5c3 a93 so we’ll go to the color B and in the HX I’ll enter 5c 3A 93 and press enter to confirm now to see the changes here take this result socket and connect it to the base color of the principal bsdf and now the color of this monkey object looks like the beat sand color and don’t worry if you’re not seeing the same results of textures that are being shown here because blender takes some time to render these samples and only after the completion of a particular number of samples you begin to see the texture properly and if I change anything here it restarts the sample count and that’s why the object texture look different initially even if I zoom out you will see here that the sample count will restart from one and slowly it will render and it might take a few seconds or even 1 or 2 minutes based on the specifications of your your PC but right now the texture is clearly visible on the object’s material and also I think that we should change the lighting here we have added two lights in our scene this one is the white light and this one is the pink light but I’ll select this light and to change its color go to the object data properties here which is the bulb icon in case of this lamp go to the color option and let’s change it to white color to make it look perfect white you can go to the HSV option here change this value to exact one and this one to exact zero and now we have the perfect white light in our scene let’s go back to the camera view by pressing zero on the Lum pad select this monkey model and here we have all the nodes in the Shader editor and now we’ll be moving to the next topic of this chapter which is understanding the sky texture in blender for this Alpa zoom out and we have to delete this plain background from the scene so I’ll select this press X to delete it and we’ll be adding a new plane so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode and press s to scale it up let’s scale it up even more and this much should work fine so I left leg to finalize this and now we have this monkey model with a sand Shader and a simple plane in our scene let’s come out of the edit mode by pressing the Tab Key now the sky texture is basically used to add a procedural Sky texture in your scene and the special thing about this texture is that it is not applied to any object instead it is applied to the environment around the scene as a result I’ll go to the Shader editor and to add the sky texture here first we need to click on this option and change the Shader type from object to world so I’ll change it to world and here you have a background node which controls the color and its strength which you see around your 3D viewport now to add the sky texture press shift plus a go to texture and select this Sky texture let’s place it here now to connect the sky texture we’ll take this color socket and connect it to the color socket of the background but we do not see any changes here and that’s because we have added a default blender hdri and to disable it click on this drop down arrow and turn on the scene world and now we see this Sky texture or basically this environment applied in our scene and to adjust how it looks we can change the parameters from here the first thing that I’ll do is to reduce its strength from here so we’ll reduce it to a lower value like 0.1 and now we can clearly see the sky texture around the 3D view Port suppose you want to change the size rotation and position of Sun so you can try to change these values if you want to increase the intensity you can go to the sun intensity value and try to increase it right now I have set it to very high value that’s why it appearing like this but if I reduce it to its default value of one it would appear like this similarly you can go to the sun elevation option and try to change the angle of sun from the Horizon also you can rotate the sun with the help of the sun rotation option basically this will impact the shadows in your scene and the lighting of different objects then you have this option of altitude which will Define the position of the source of Light which is the Sun from the sea level which means the base so if I increase it to a very high value then the altitude of sun will increase similarly if you want to change the color of this environment you can go to these values of air dust and ozone if I take the air value and increase it the environment will get more of yellow or orange look but if I reduce it to its default value and try to increase the dust then it appears like this and if I change it to one and try to change the ozone value this will change the the environment or the sky to blue color but there are some specific parameters that you can use if you want a perfect environment for your scene for example we’ll set the sun size to five Sun intensity will be set to the default value of 1 now we’ll set the sun elevation to somewhere around 100° Sun rotation to 90° and we’ll set the altitude to a value of around 5,000 to 6,000 M and now we have a blue sky background or the environment in our scene we’ll set the air and the dust values to the default one and ozone to a value of 10 and now we have a perfect Sky texture applied to the background so whenever you want a sky texture as the environment you can simply add the sky texture with this world selected as the Shader type set these parameters and connected to the background set the strength to 0.1 and you will end up making this simple looking Sky texture and this brings us to the end of this chapter and also to the part of materials textures and notes because from the next chapter we’ll be starting with another exciting topic of blender which is scene lighting and cameras but before that we need to do one more thing actually in the chapter number 21 of this course we made this layout as the default layout of blender to work on the shaders and materials part but now this layout is no longer required as the default layout and to get back the older layout which is the default blender layout you have to go to the file option here then select the defaults and here you have the option of the load factory settings so I’ll select this load factory settings click again to confirm and here we have the default blender layout now if I again go to the file option here in the defaults we have this save startup file so we’ll select this and click on the confirmation so from now on on whenever I’ll open blender this default blender layout would appear and not the one that we created for the purpose of understanding shading in [Music] blender now in this chapter we’ll be understanding about the lighting in blender the functioning of cameras in blender and so here we have this default file open in blender and the first topic for this chapter is understanding about lighting so here we have this default Point light object in blender and to see its effect we have to go to the material preview mode or to the the render preview mode right now we’ll select the material preview mode if I try to move it by pressing G and move around like this you won’t notice any difference on the cube like there are no Reflections no shadows and this is because the scene light and the scene world are not activated and to fix this click on this drop- down arrow and here you have the option of scene lights and the scene World we’ll turn on both of them and now if I go back to the 3D view port with this light selected press G and if I move around like this you will notice the reflections appearing on your default Cube object and for now I’ll fix its position here so left to finalize now we can even change the color or the type of this light and to do this we have to go to the object data properties so with this light selected click on this bulb or the light icon which is the object data properties and here you have the four types of Lights the first one is the point light the second one is the sunlight the third one is the spotl and the fourth one is the area light we’ll see the effect of each one but right now let’s select the point light and here we have this option of color so using this you can change the color of your light and then you have this power option which is basically used to increase or decrease inre the intensity of light now to see the effect of different lights I’ll remove this default Cube from the scene by pressing X and we’ll add a suzan or the monkey model so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey model let’s move it upwards by pressing G and then Z place it here and let’s rotate it in the Z AIS by 90° so press R then Zed and press 90 then enter to confirm we’ll also be adding a plane below this monkey model so that we can see the Shadows properly so press shift plus a go to mesh and add the plane tab into the edit mode and let’s scale It Up by pressing s and left click to finalize let’s get back to the object mode now I’ll select this light and to see the difference between the four types of Lights we have to place this light exactly at the top of the monkey model for this we’ll try to adjust this lights position from different views first we’ll go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad it’s appearing like a side view because we have rotated this monkey model by 90° and now to move it we first look at this axis since it is colored as red so it is x-axis and you can even confirm it from here the red one is the X the green one is the Y and the blue is the Zed So currently we’ll move it in X Direction so press G and x and we’ll move it like this left click to finalize then for the side view we’ll press three and we’ll move it in y direction so press G and Y and let’s move it here let’s go to the top view by pressing zero on the numpad and here we have this lamp perfectly placed in the middle now if I try to change the angle you will notice that this light is falling only on the head of the suzan or the monkey model and as a result only the Reflection of its head part is visible on this plane we can’t see the the face of the monkey model because light is not able to reflect on it and this is how the point light works basically this point light is an only directional Point light source and to view the face of the monkey we’ll move it by pressing G and then X and let’s move it here and left click to finalize now we can clearly see that the face of the monkey is now visible and also the position of the Shadow has now moved the lighting in blender Works in a very similar way to the lighting in real world if you move a light in real world you will also notice a change in the reflections and change in Shadows and the same is true for blender also also to change the color of this light you can go to the object data properties click on this color option and from here you can change the color of your light by default it is set to white but suppose you want your light to be yellow colored so you can change it to yellow color from this color wheel and the color of this light would change to Yellow also if you think that the intensity of this light is too high then you can go to the power option here and reduce it to a lower value like 300 400 and then the intensity of the power of this light would reduce but right now we’ll change it to its previous value of 1,000 wat so I’ll go to the power value and change it to 1,000 wat now the second type of light is the Sun so if I select this you will notice that now our scene has a lot of lighting and that’s because the strength of the light is too high for the sun type of light usually the strength of the sunlight is kept between a value of 0 to 10 for a perfect lighting but right now it is set to 1,000 and that’s why it appears like this so I’ll go to the strength option and let’s change it to a value between 0 to 10 I’ll change it to six and now the lighting looks perfect now the main difference between the point and the sunlight is that you have this line originating from from the light source and this line basically defines the angle at which this light would fall and to change this angle simply click R and move your cursor you will notice that as you rotate it the influence of light on the objects in the scene would change and to move it even more accurately you can press X to rotate it only in the X Direction similarly y to rotate it only in the y direction and Zed to rotate it only in The Zed Direction now the angle that you want to finaly would depend on what exact objects you’re having in your scene at what angle the lighting looks perfect right now I feel that lighting at this angle looks perfect so I left click to finalize it and now moving to the next type we have the spot type of light so I’ll select this and to see the light properly we need to increase the power from here so we’ll set it to a higher value like 1,000 wat and now we see some light in our scene as the name suggests the spotlight is basically a directional cone light source to explore it properly let’s press G and then Z to move it upwards now this one also works similar to the sunlight because you can rotate it by pressing R and moving around your cursor like this and also you can rotate it in specific axis like the x-axis or the Y AIS or the Zed axis by pressing the respective shortcut keys but to make it look perfect we’ll first have to scale this down so I’ll press s and let’s scale it down like this scaling it down won’t impact the reflection or the intensity of light in any way now to move this light simply press G and now you can move this light let’s place it here now suppose we want to rotate this light in such a way that we will be able to clearly see the monkey face for this with the light selected press R and first let’s try it in x-axis so press X and try to move your cursor we see that by rotating it in x-axis we got a perfect lighting for our scene so we’ll finalize this by left Mouse button click and this is how the spotlight works you can also change the color of this light from here suppose you want red color or blue color or any other color then you can change the color of the light from here let’s keep it to light blue color and now let’s move to the fourth type of Light which is the area light so I’ll select the area light from here let’s zoom out now this area light is basically a directional area light source and by default it is rectangle in shape but you can’t see any rectangle shape light here and that is because it is very small inight to see it in our scene we have to scale it up so press s and move your cursor away and you will begin to see a rectangle near the source of light now if you remember I told you that in the spotlight type even if you increase the skill it won’t affect your object’s Reflections or its Shadows but this is not true in case of area light if I scale it up by a very high number for example I press s and to scale it by 10 times I press 1 Z or maybe 100 times by pressing another zero then you will notice that the lighting would reduce to cancel this I’ll right click and you can understand in this way that more the size of the area light lesser will be the lighting on your object and the reason behind this is very simple when you scale up the area light the same light intensity is now spread over a larger surface area this results in the scene receiving the same amount of Total light but spread out in such a way that it appears to be dimmer and just like you could rotate the light in case of sun and Spotlight you can even do the same in the area light for this press R and move your cursor to rotate the light also just like every other light you can change the color from here you can change it to any color that you like and you will see that particular color as the color of the light in your scene so these are all the four types of Lights in blender you can even add some more lights by pressing shift plus a and here you have the option of light so you can select the type of light from here so suppose I add the point light it will get added at the location of the 3D cursor and to move it upwards press G and Z let’s move it upwards and whenever a new light is added by default its color is white and the power is 10 wat and this is all in the lighting in blender see there is one more important thing to remember the best type and the placement of light depend on the scene you are creating so whenever you’re working on a project you need to experiment with different types of lights and their parameters like the color the power the size of the light to find what would work the best for your project and it always takes a lot of practice and time to create realistic Lighting in blender and now we are moving to the next topic of this chapter which is understanding the cameras in blender so by default we have this camera in our scene to enter the camera view press zero on the numpad and suppose you want to change the position of this camera for this one option is to press G and move your camera like this and press R to rotate it like this but a better way is to use the lock camera to view option and to enable it press n Go to The View option here and here you have the lock camera to view option so I’ll turn this on and now if I try to move my scene the camera will also move along with it suppose I finalize the location and the rotation here and come out of the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad we’ll notice that the position of this camera has changed previously it was located over here but now its position has changed to this point also you can add multiple cameras to your scene and you would be doing this when you’re working on big projects where you need to render animations or your scene from different angles and for this we have to press shift plus a to add the camera here you have the camera option so I’ll select this and the new camera is added at the position where the 3D cursor is located to change its position I will press G and then Z to move it upwards and suppose I want to enter the camera view of this newly added camera but if I use my previous method that is to press zero on the numpad we will see the camera view of the default camera let’s press zero to come out of the camera view and to enter the camera view of the second camera we have to use the shortcut which is to hold the control button and press zero and now this is the camera view of the second camera that we added in our scene here the lock camera to view is enabled and so if I try to move around the scene by holding the middle Mouse button and dragging my cursor like this and then if I scroll down we can see here that we now have a different view of the scene so in simple words if you have to come out of the camera view you have to press zero on the numpad and right now if I press zero on the numpad you will enter the same camera view that’s because in the same collection we have this camera. 001 selected but if I come out of the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad again and go to the same collection select the default camera and now if I press control and zero on the numpad we’ll enter the camera view of the default camera this might be confusing if you’re learning it for the first time but in reality it’s very simple you just have to come out of the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad select the specific camera whose camera view you want to see suppose I select the camera. 001 and now to enter the camera view press control plus 0 in the numpad and this is how you can work with multiple cameras together now if you come to the object data properties you will find some camera settings here but the most important ones are the type of camera and the focal length for now I’ll select the default camera and here in the object data properties if I select the type we have three types here by default it is set to perspective but if I change it to orthographic you will observe that the camera changes let’s enter the camera view to see the changes so I’ll press control+ 0 on the numpad and here we see that instead of getting a 3D view or a perspective view of the 3D viewport and the object we are getting an AOG graic view we learned about the difference between the perspective and the orthographic view in this chapter of the series but coming back to the lens type in most of the cases or maybe even more than 99% of the cases you will be using the perspective type only so I’ll change the lens type to the perspective and we again have this 3D or a perspective look of the 3D view Port then you have this focal length option and by using this option you can change the focal length of your camera lens by default it is set to 50 but if I increase it the focal length of the camera will increase and if I reduce it the focal length of the camera would reduce let’s get back to the default value to view its effect properly I’ll come out of the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and if I try to increase the focal length you will notice that our camera is basically being stretched up like this this is because the focal length of the camera has changed in the real world different lenses of cameras have different focal length and any change in the focal length of the camera also changes the result or the output it produces for example if I go to the camera view by pressing control+ 0 we observe that we are getting a zoomed in output because we have increased the focal length but but if I reduce it we get a zoomed out result in reality the concept of focal length is a bit complex to understand but to understand it simply you just need to remember that to make it look like a real camera view you have to set your focal length somewhere between 35 mm and 50 mm by default blender sets it to 50 mm so I’ll change the focal length again to 50 mm and also this brings us to the end of this chapter in this chapter we learned about the four types of Lights in blender try to rotate and change the position of these lights also explore the color and the power options here then we move to the next topic which were the cameras we understood about changing the position of camera by enabling the lock camera to view then we disc discovered about multiple cameras in blender and also about how you can switch between the two [Music] cameras so to begin with let’s first understand what exactly is animation and the answer to this is simple animation is nothing but an illusion it is an illusion of motion there are several images which are compiled into a video clip or sequence and that how an animation is made here each and every image is said to be a frame in an animation sequence so basically if you’re making an animation in blender you will be making several frames and then blender will compile them to form an animation now coming to the animation in blender we basically have to focus on two areas one is this 3D view editor where you will be having all your objects and the other one will be this timeline editor where we will be animating our frames now the best way to understand about animation is to practically create a basic anim animation seen in blender so suppose I want to create this animation where this Cube simply scales up and then scales down so to make this simple animation with this Cube selected we have to insert a key frame here inserting a key frame means that we’ll be telling the timeline editor that at frame number one our object would look like this that is it won’t be scaled up but it would just be a simple Cube but before that there’s one more important thing to note here and this is related to the frames since I already told you that frames are the images which form the animation but one question that may come in your mind is that how many frames are there in one second of animation and the answer to this question can vary because an animation can be made at 24 FPS meaning frames per second or even 30 FPS or even 60 FPS or more an animation of 24 FPS would mean that each second of the video or the animation will show 24 still images similarly an animation of 30 frame per second would mean that each second of the animation will show 30 images so it totally depends upon on you that how much frames per second you need for your animation but if you are a beginner then I will suggest you to go for 24 or 30 frames per second let’s suppose you choose 24 frames per second and you want to create an animation of 5 Seconds this would mean that your animation will have a total of 24 * 5 meaning 120 frames so here at the frame number one I need the object to be at the default location with the default rotation and scale applied to it and to make this the frame one we have to insert a key frame here the shortcut to insert the key frame is to press I and now a key frame is inserted here to view it properly I’ll expand the timeline editor take the mouse cursor here and left click and drag like this here you can see a yellow dot which means that a key frame is inserted at the frame number one carrying the information that this cube is located at a particular location having a particular rotation and also some scale to view all this information mathematically you can go to the object properties here and here you can see that the location in all the three axes is 0 m the rotation of this cube in all the three axes is 0° and the scale is 1 we decided that the animation would be 5 Seconds long and having 120 frames but right now in the timeline editor we can see that there are frames from the frame 1 to the frame 250 and to restrict it to 120 frames here you have the option of the starting frame and the ending frame the starting frame is set to one but we’ll change the ending frame to 120 and press enter now only the area between frame 1 and frame 120 is highlighted now to make that animation of the cube scale up we have to select a frame here let’s suppose the frame number 40 so I left click here and now the frame number 40 is selected and if I make any changes to this Cube and insert a key frame at the frame number 40 we’ll get a small animation starting from frame number one to the frame number 40 let’s try to do this so to scale it up in the Y Direction press s and Y and move your cursor away and left click to finalize now to insert a key frame at the frame number 40 press I and now we have a key frame here this key frame is carrying the information that at the frame number 40 this Cube will be scaled up like this in the Y AIS now to check this animation between the frame number one to frame number 40 we have to take this pointer to the frame number one so you can either left click like this or else you can also left click and drag like this so we’ll take it to the frame number one and to play the animation press the space bar press space bar to stop the animation and so this was a basic example about how animations are made in blender similarly I can create an animation after the frame number 40 so suppose I take this timeline to the frame number 80 and here I decide that the animation should be like it is scaling up in Z Direction so for this I will press s and then Zed and scale it up like this now to insert a key frame press I and here in the timeline editor we have a key frame inserted at the frame number 80 so if I again take this to the frame number one and play the animation you will see that it first scales up in the y axis and then in the Zed axis and now suppose I want that at the frame number 120 which is the last frame the object should return back to its default state so one way to do this is to go to the object properties here and change the value of scale back to one in all the three axes but a better way is to go to the timeline editor left click on this key frame at the frame number zero now the other two are no more yellow colored that’s because they’re unselected now we’ll create a duplicate of this key frame at the frame number zero and place it at the frame number 120 for this press shift plus d and remember that while doing this your mouse cursor should be in the timeline editor and not in the 3D view Port otherwise it will create a duplicate of the cube in your 3D view port instead of this key frame and now we’ll drag it like this and place it at the frame number 120 left click to finalize and now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation then it first scales up in the Y AIS then in Zed axis and finally it scales down to its original scale value of one and also apart from scaling you can create an animation of an object moving in a particular Axis or rotating for example if I had a UV sphere by pressing shift plus a going to mesh and selecting the UV sphere placing it in y direction by pressing G and then Y and let’s place it here now one thing to note here is that the key frames for previously present here are no longer visible in the timeline editor and that’s because they were assigned only to the cube not to this UV sphere or any other object in the scene so suppose I want to make an animation of this UV sphere in which it is changing its location from one point to another for this we’ll go to the frame number one you can also change the position of your frame from here which is the current frame value suppose I type 20 then the current frame will be set to 20 but right now since we want to place this pointer at the frame number one so we’ll type one and press enter now at the frame number one we’ll move it up in the Z Direction like this let’s zoom out and to insert a key frame at this position press I and here we have the key frame inserted and now if I go to any frame like frame number 60 which is exactly in the middle of frame 1 and frame 120 and move it in y direction like this and if I now insert a key frame by pressing I then here we have another key frame inserted at the frame number 60 now we’ll go to the last frame which is frame number 120 and I’ll create a duplicate of the frame number zero by pressing shift plus d and placing it at the frame number 120 and now now if I play the animation by pressing the space bar you will notice that both the objects are now animated the cube scaled up in the Y and the Zed AIS and then scale down and similarly this UV sphere changed its location from its current position to a new position in the y- axis and then return back to its original position and this is how the animation Works in blender now you can even animate the colors or basically the materials of your object and to show how it works I’ll delete these objects in my scene so with the UV sphere selected hold down the shift button and select this Cube press X to delete them and let’s add the suzan or the monkey model so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey model to make it smooth right click and select the shade smooth and to fix its geometry go to the modify properties and we’ll apply the subdivision surface modifier so click on ADD modifier go to generate and here you will find the subdivision surface so I’ll select this let’s increase the levels view port to higher value like three or four and now to create an animation including the materials or the colors we first have to give some material to this monkey object so I’ll go to the m material properties here and click on the new material now here we have the default material applied to this monkey object you can also open a Shader Editor to set up a new material for this monkey object as we discussed in the chapter number 21 to 24 but right now we’ll be assigning the material from here in the material properties editor only and before assigning any color to it let’s first turn on the material preview mode you can even turn on the render preview from the fourth icon here but right now I will be working on the material preview mode only now if I go to the base color and assign it any random color for example blue color then this object will be having blue color as its material and that to for all the frames here for example if I drag this timeline editor and release it anywhere in the timeline editor we’ll notice that our monkey object is having the same blue material and that is because we have not yet assigned any key frames here only when I will assign some key frames then that particular frame will carry a specific information about the material and then we will be able to see the animation for example if I go back to the frame one and if I want that this monkey object should have blue color at the frame one so I’ll go to the material properties here and here you have a small dot which is basically used to set up key frames so if I left click on it you will notice that the circles turns into this shape and here in the timeline editor we have this first key frame inserted at the frame number one and now suppose I take it to the frame number 120 and at this Frame suppose I want the color of this object to be red so I’ll go back to the material properties select the base color and change it to red color to insert a key frame here click on this icon against the base color and now a key frame is inserted at the frame number 120 now if I place the cursor over frame number one and play the animation you will notice that the color of the object slowly changes from Blue to red color and this is how you animate colors or materials in blender you can do the same with other properties as well like the metallic strength roughness or even the emission so basically any parameter that has this small dot against its name can be animated just by inserting two key frames at different places and then the animation will be created for example if you have have to animate the roughness then go to the timeline editor take this to the frame number one and we’ll assign the default value of roughness which is 0.5 to this Frame so at this value click on this small icon to insert a key frame and now the key frame that you are seeing here is carrying two informations one is about the base color which is blue and other is about the roughness which is 0.5 and now we’ll go to the frame number 120 and suppose at this Frame I want the roughness to be exact zero to insert the key frame I will click on this icon and now this last frame that is frame number 120 is also carrying two informations one is about the base color which is red and the other one is about the roughness which is zero to see the animation we’ll take this pointer to the frame number one and press the space bar now you will notice two things one is the color change from Blue to red and the other thing is the change in roughness from 0.5 to 0 initially at the frame number one our object was blue colored and having high roughness but at the last frame it is red colored and having a reflecting surface with no roughness and now to revise all the concepts that we have covered in this chapter so far we’ll be making this simple Loop animation in blender so to begin with it I’ll first delete this monkey object so press X to delete now if you look closely at this animation you will notice that we first need to make this base and the hollow spaces where these balls will fall and for creating this base the best object to start with will be a cylinder because we’ll scale it down to form a dis- like structure so let’s come back to blender and to add the cylinder press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder now tab into the edit mode and let’s scale it down in the Z Direction by pressing s s and then Zed and scale it down like this left click to finalize and get back to the object mode by pressing the Tab Key now to make the hollow spaces we’ll be using the Boolean modifier we learned about this modifier in this chapter of this course now since we need to make hollow circular shapes like this we’ll be adding cylinders and then apply the Boolean modifier so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down let’s scale it down further let’s move it slightly upwards by pressing G and then Zed and left click to finalize to view the size properly we’ll go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and I think that we should scale it down further so I’ll press s and scale it down like this left click to finalize and let’s move it upwards in the y direction to place it here but right now we need four such cylinders so let’s come out of the edit mode press shift plus 3 to create duplicate move it down in the y direction and after placing it in the middle left click to finalize its position now let’s move it in next Direction by pressing G and then X and let’s place it here left click to finalize let’s try to change the angle and here we have two cylinders added here now to create two more duplicates I will select both of them together and then create a duplicate so with this one selected hold on the shift button and left click to select the other cylinder go back to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad now press shift plus d and place the duplicates here and left click to finalize let’s change the angle and now we have four different cylinders to create the hollow space we need to see the depth of these cylinders inside this base so we’ll turn on the x-ray mode for this but before that we need to enter the solid mode because the x-ray mode cannot be accessed from the material preview mode so I’ll go to the solid mode press alt plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode mode to view the depth properly we’ll go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and to create the hollow space we need these
cylinders to have more depth inside this base so I’ll select all four of them by dragging like this and now if I release all the four cylinders will get selected and I’ll move them down in the Zed axis by pressing G and then Z and let’s place them here and left click to finalize now I’ll turn off the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z and to create the hollow spaces we’ll use the boan modifier so I’ll select this base go to the modifier properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate you will find this Bo I modifier now I have to add all these four cylinders in this object option here and for this I would need to create four duplicates of this Boolean modifier but a better way is to take all these four cylinders and join them together into a single object for this I’ll select one of them and with the shift key holded I’ll select the other three to join them together press crl + J and now they’re converted into a single object with the name as cylinder. 002 let’s select the base again go to the object click on this eye dropper place it on one of the cylinders and left click now in the object option we have the cylinder do to assigned to apply this modifier press cr+ a and now to view the hollow space select this group of cylinders and press X to delete them here we have these Hollow spaces created in our base now to give it a better and a realistic look we’ll apply the bevel modifier so go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate you will find the bevel modifier so I’ll select this let’s change the number of segments to a higher value like three or maybe four and now it looks perfect now to make the balls we’ll go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad then we’ll place the 3D cursor over here by pressing shift sh and right click and we’ll add a UV sphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere tab into the edit mode and scale it down left click to finalize let’s view it from a different angle I think that we should move it upwards in The Zed axis so press G and then Z to move it upwards and left click to finalize now we’ll need three more UV spheres so I’ll again go to the top view come out of the edit mode and I’ll create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and move it in the Y Direction Let’s place it here and left click to finalize now again press shift plus d and place this duplicate over here and left click to finalize now we’ll create one more duplicate and place it here so press shift plus d and press X to move it in X Direction and place it here left click to finalize and now we have this base and these four UV spheres or these balls added in our scene to make them look realistic I will select all four of them by holding the shift button and left click to select each one of them now we’ll make them Smooth by right Mouse button and applying the shade smooth and now to make this rotating rod with its tiny stand we need to place our 3D cursor over here so press shift plus C now here we have the 3D cursor reloc ated at the world origin so to make the stand of the rod we’ll add a cylinder here so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder tab into the edit mode press s to scale it down and left click to finalize now I’ll zoom in and to view it here I need to move it upwards in the Z Direction so I will press G and then Z to move it up and left click to fin Li I think that we should scale it down even further so I will press s and move my cursor towards it and left click to fin Li and to move it slightly upwards I will press G and z and move it like this left click to finalize and now we have this stand ready so I will come out of the edit mode and to make the rotating Rod I will add another cylinder in my scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cylinder to scale it down we’ll go to the edit mode and press s left click to finalize now we should scale it up in the Zed axis so press s and Zed and scale it up like this now to adjust the size of the rod properly I will again press s to scale it and scale it down like this let’s move it upwards by pressing G and then Z and place it here now we need to rotate it in the x or the Y AIS both of them will work because if I press R and x and rotate it like this then it is perfectly aligned but if I right click and then press R and Y to rotate it in the y axis and then move my cursor like this then also it will get perfectly aligned so you can choose any of the two axes either the x-axis or the y axis for now I’ll be choosing the x-axis so press R and x and I need to rotate it by exact 90° so I will type 90 and press enter let’s bring it down by pressing G and then Z and place it over here to make the rod thinner I will scale it down again and to make it long I will scale it up in the y- axis so let’s scale it up like this and left click to finalize now I’ll go to the front view by pressing pun on the numpad let’s zoom in I think that we should move the rod slightly downwards so I will press G and Zed to move it down in the Zed axis and let’s place it here and left click to finalize now we have all the objects ready in our scene let’s come out of the edit mode we have this base all the four balls this Rod which will be rotating and this Rod stand Now to create the animation there is one important thing to keep in mind if you carefully notice here you will observe that the base and the rod are rotating in opposite directions and to create an animation like this we first have to rotate this rod in the Z Direction by 45° the reason for doing this is that now the animation will start with the rod being in this position previously if I press contr + it to undo it was placed like this and with this position of Rod it would not have been possible to move the balls up and down because otherwise the ball would collide with this rod and that is why we rotated it by 45° to get that rotation back press contrl plus shift plus Z and here we have the rotated Rod to insert a key frame press I and here at the frame one we have this key frame inserted now I’ll go to the frame 120 and since we are creating a loop animation we want this Rod to rotate completely and return back to its original position at the last frame so that the rotation would be same as that at the frame number one for this we have to rotate this by 180° so press R and then z type 180 and press enter to insert the key frame press I and now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation you will observe that this Rod would rotate in The Zed axis by an angle of 180° but its rotation is very slow and to fix this we’ll reduce the number of frames here instead of having 120 frames we’ll be keeping a total of 60 frames to do this go to this end option and change it to 60 now to move this key frame to the 60th frame select it with a left Mouse button click and you can simply move it just like you move any other object in your 3D viewport go to the timeline editor and press G to move it so I will place it at the frame number 60 and left click to finalize now if I go back to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that the rod rotated by 180° and this time it was faster than the previous one now we need to rotate this base in the direction opposite to that of this Rod so I will we select this go to the frame number one press I to insert the key frame then we’ll go to the frame number 60 and to rotate it press R and z and to rotate it in the opposite direction I will type minus 180 this time press enter to confirm and press I to insert the key frame now if I go back to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that the base and the rod moved in directions opposite to each other and now we’ll move forward and we’ll be animating these balls so we’ll go to the frame number one and I’ll select this ball and with the Shifty hold it this ball now initially at the frame number one all these balls will will not be inside this hollow space we will be moving these two balls slightly upwards and the other two will remain in the hollow space to do this press G and z and let’s move it upwards by a small value like 0.2 M so I type 0.2 and press enter to insert the key frame here press I and here we have the key frame inserted now the position of these UV spheres will be the same on the frame number one and the last frame so we’ll go to the frame number 60 and with this key frame selected press shift plus d and move it to the frame number 60 now if I go to the frame number one and instead of playing the animation this time we’ll be dragging a pointer like this to check at which frame we need to animate these balls so we’ll check for the frame where these balls are just above the hollow space and at frame around 30 it looks perfect but to confirm we’ll go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and these two balls are selected here so at frame number 31 it looks like this and if I go to the frame number 30 it looks like this so I think that we should keep it to frame number 31 since it will be exactly in the middle so I will press I to insert the key frame here then if I move forward we notice that the next frame where these two intersect or appear together will be somewhere near the last frame and we already have a key frame inserted here let’s change the angle and now to show the motion of the balls moving upwards and downwards we again have to go to the frame number one and we’ll drag this pointer to somewhere in the middle of the first key frame and the second key frame so we’ll take it to somewhere near 15 or 16 and at this position we’ll move them upwards because the animation will be like the rod and the base are rotating and the ball first moves up and then comes down so with both the balls selected press G and Zed and let’s move them upwards by a value of somewhere around 1 so I typed one and pressed enter press I to insert the key frame and now let’s check how it looks so I’ll go to the frame number one press space bar to play the animation one thing that we noted here is that the animation was a little bit quick as soon as it reached the top or basically its maximum height instantly on the next frame it begin to go downwards but in reality if a ball is thrown upwards it remains at its maximum height for a fraction of second and to fix this I’ll select this Frame and we’ll create a duplicate of it let’s move it here the reason for doing this is that now the ball will go from this point at the frame number one to its maximum height at frame number 15 or 16 and will stay there till the frame number 20 or 21 and then it will come down at the frame number 31 so now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation we see that it now looks a bit more natural than before and now we’ll make these balls go inside this hollow space and for this I will press G and Zed and since previously we move them upwards by 0.2 M so to move them down we have to type minus 0.2 and press enter to confirm press I to insert the key frame let’s go to the frame number one and play the animation now there’s one more problem here which is the animation from the frame number 31 to 32 is very fast and that’s because the two key frames are just adjacent to each other to set them apart I’ll select the first one press G to move it and let’s place it here left click to finalize the position let’s go back to the frame number one and press space bar to play the animation and this time it looks better than before right now we’ll be seeing only the animation till the frame number 30 or 32 because we have not yet animated the part ahead it so our basic animation looks good but still there are some things which we can fix here to make it look perfect for example at the frame number 31 the position of these balls is not perfect you can see that both of these balls are colliding with the base object to fix this I’ll select the space object press R and Z to rotate it in the Zed axis and we slightly rotate it left click to confirm and press I to insert the key frame one important thing to note here is that the rotation in the Z axis should be very slight otherwise the animation will not look natural so again I’ll go to the frame number one drag this pointer like this to check if there is some mistake or not like here at the frame 30 you can see that these two balls are again colliding with this base so I will rotate it again press R and z and let’s slightly rotate like this left click to finalize press I to insert the key frame and now it looks perfect you can also go to the next frame with the help of the arrow keys so if I click the right arrow key you will jump to the next frame similarly if you have to go back to the previous frame you can click the left arrow button right now the frame number 30 looks perfect also frame number 31 and 32 are looking perfect as well now moving ahead I’ll reselect these two balls take this pointer somewhere in between frame number 32 and 60 so I’ll take it to somewhere near 45 or 44 let’s move them upwards in the Z direction to reach their maximum height so I will press G and Zed and we’ll move them upwards by 1.2 M press enter to confirm and we’ll insert a key frame here now we’ll go to the frame number 32 and instead of playing the animation I will use the arrow keys to check each and every frame and this is how our animation would look like till now it looks perfect even till frame number 57 it looks perfect 58 is also fine and 59 and 60 are also perfect so we are done with the animation of these two balls so we’ll go to the frame number one and we’ll check if the animation looks natural or not so press space bar to play the animation and this is how it looks so at the beginner level it looks perfect and now I’ll select the other two balls I selected this one and with the shift key holded I’ll select the other one so we’ll go to the frame number one and insert a key frame press I and here we have the key frame inserted now to check the next frame where these two balls would be at the same position at that of the hollow space we’ll drag this timeline cursor so we’ll drag it like this and somewhere around the frame number 30 the balls will be at the required location so I will press I to insert the key frame and to check if the position of these two balls is perfect or not we’ll go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad this ball looks perfect but we can adjust this ball so that it appears somewhere in the middle so I will select this one press G to move it and since we are in the top view whatever change in location we will do will only affect the location in X and Y AIS so we’ll place it over here and left click to finalize press I to insert a key frame in fact even this ball also appears to collide with the base so I’ll select this one press G to move it let’s place it here I to insert the key f frame and now it looks perfect so I’ll change the angle select these two balls again go to the last frame which is frame number 60 and we’ll insert a key frame for these two balls at these positions for this press I and here we have the key frame inserted again to check the Perfection of the positions we’ll go to the top view and they look almost perfect so we’ll not do any more changes here and now it’s the time to move these balls up and down for this I’ll take this pointer to the frame number one drag this pointer like this and we’ll stop it somewhere in the middle of these two frames let’s move them upwards by 1 M so I will press G and z type one and press enter to insert a key frame press I and here we have the key frame inserted and if I play the animation we again notice the same problem that we faced in case of these two balls which is that at this Frame they are at their maximum height and just at the next frame they begin to fall which gives it a slightly unrealistic or an unnatural look to fix this I’ll select this key frame move it like this and create a duplicate of it and place it here and now if I play the animation by dragging this cursor we will observe that the two balls will stop in between and then go downwards we did the same for these two balls as well but yes we did one small mistake here that you can see in the timeline editor we created a duplicate of this key frame that is the key frame at the frame number 16 and placed it at the frame number 20 but we did not do the same with this one always remember that if the area between any two key frames is shaded like this it means that the second key frame is the duplicate of the first one as a result we can say that these two are the same key frames but there are no more duplicates in the timeline editor so with this key frame selected we’ll create a duplicate of it so so press shift plus d and move it like this left click to finalize the position now I’ll select the other two balls and we have the animation of the first 30 frames completely ready for all the four balls so now let’s move to the next 30 frames we’ll take the pointer to somewhere between the 30th and the 60th frame like somewhere near 45 or the 44th frame we’ll move them upwards so that they reach their maximum height at this Frame so press G and z and let’s move them up by 1 M press I to insert the key frame and we’ll create a duplicate of this key frame also so that it stops at its maximum height for a fraction of second so I’ll select this one move it by pressing G we’ll place it here press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here now I’ll take this pointer over the frame number one slightly change the angle to view all the balls perfectly and we’ll check each and every frame with the help of the arrow buttons so I will use the right arrow to go ahead in the timeline let’s also keep changing the view or the angle let’s move ahead and somewhere it looks perfect till now we have completed 30 frames and there’s no such visible problem or any imperfection in our animation let’s move ahead by clicking the right arrow and the main issue that you might face will be somewhere near the ending frames or the middle frames so on the frame number 56 there’s no such issue we’ll go ahead to the frame number 57 and still it looks perfect similarly 58 and 59 and there is no such imperfection and the last frame which is frame number 60 also looks perfect and so we have created our first basic animation in this course and to give it some material we’ll be using the shaders from the library that we created in the chapter numbers 21 to 24 of this course there we learned about materials in complete detail and also created some basic and procedural shaders and to get that material Library here we have to add a new window here so I’ll take my cursor over here and this double-headed Arrow would appear then right click and select the horizontal split take it in the middle to divide the area into two equal parts now to convert this into the material or the asset browser click on this icon and select the asset browser to view only the specific materials that we ourselves created click here and select the user Library we created all these materials in the chapter number 21 to 24 of this course and also we’ll be creating some more materials when we learn about Advanced shaders further in this course but for now to give these objects some material we’ll go to the render preview mode let’s change the render engine to Cycles so go to the render Properties by default it is set to EV but I’ll change it to cycles and to get a proper lighting click on this drop- down arrow and turn off the scene world and now we have a proper Lighting in our scene first we’ll assign some material to this base so I’ll select this and let’s apply the simple car paint Shader to it so I’ll select this and drag it over like this and if I release it this material would get assigned to the base similarly I’ll select the stand of this rod and let’s assign it the dark gray metal so I’ll select this and drop it over the rod stand and here the material of the stand of the rod will change to dark gray metal similarly we’ll assign this Rush aluminium to this Rod so I will select this drag it and place it over the rod and the material is assigned for the balls we’ll be using this glossy green paint but we’ll change the color of the balls later on so I’ll select this drag it and place it on all the four balls similarly for the third one also and for the fourth one as well now to change the color of these balls I’ll change this to the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor now I’ll select one of the balls zoom into the Shader editor and if I try to change the color from here you will notice that the color change will be visible on all the balls and this is because all these four balls are having the same material to fix this we need to create a duplicate of this material and we’ll make changes in that duplicate to do this click on this icon here and now we notice that the name of the material changes to glossy green painted. 001 this 01 means that it is the duplicate of the glossy green painted material and now if I try to change the color from here suppose I choose the yellow color then in my 3D view Port only the color of this specific object will change and not the others now I’ll select the second one create a duplicate and let’s change the color to blue color similarly the third one create a duplicate go to the base color and we’ll change its color to green color and let keepe the fourth one as the pink color now we have assigned the materials to all the objects in our scene so I’ll close this Shader editor by right clicking here and selecting the join areas take this pointer towards the Shader editor and left click and now in the end we learn how can we produce an output of this animation basically how can we render it so the first step is to go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and to change the camera view press n Go to The View and turn on the lock camera to view now I’ll zoom in and let’s also adjust it like this right now the output that you will get will be in this landscape mode but suppose you want to change it to the portrait mode to do this you have to open the output Properties by clicking on this icon here you can control all the settings related to the output that you will render here you can see that the resolution is set to 1920 pixels in the X and 1080 pixels in the Y Y which means that you will get the output in this landscape mode and if you want to render it in the portrait mode or basically that mode in which you watch YouTube shorts or Instagram reels then you just need to reverse these values meaning that in the X resolution I will type 1080 press enter and in the Y resolution I’ll type 1920 and press enter to see the entire view properly I’ll turn off the lock camera to view now if I zoom out this is the area that you will be seeing in the output which will be rendered the frame rate here is set to 24 FPS and since we are having 60 frames so the total length of the final video will be 60 divided 24 that is 2.5 seconds but you can extend it even longer since it is a loop animation now we’ll scroll down here and here you have the output settings the most important thing to change here is the file format by default it is set to PNG meaning that it will generate image outputs of each and every frame instead of generating a video but because we need to render a video so I’ll go to the file format and change it to ffmpeg video now you also need to tell Blender at which particular location it should save your file to do this you have to use the output path option to set a particular location click on this icon and then you can browse a particular location or some folder and if you have to create a new folder then simply click on this icon and a new folder will be added let’s name it videos and press enter to finalize now since I want to save the video in this folder so I’ll double click on it and let’s change the name to something like first animation then press enter and click on accept and now we are ready to render the animation so I’ll click on this render button and select render animation now the screen will appear here which will show you the frame number that it is rendering and the sample count here so it would take some time to render the entire video depending on the specifications of your PC and you can also see the results here frame by frame also here I feel that we should have added a plane at the bottom to give it a better look but right now it is rendering so suppose you want to cancel it so you can simply press Escape key and the render will be cancelled now I’ll close this and to add a plane here I will press shift plus a go to mes and select the plane let’s move it downwards by pressing G and z and place it over here left click to finalize the position tab into the edit mode and I will scale it 10 times so I will press s and 10 and now it looks like this but here in the camera view the end of this plane is visible to fix this we’ll scale the plane even more so I will press s and to scale it twice press two and then enter and it’s still not perfect so I will scale it even more by pressing s and left click to finalize now I’ll get back to the object mode and let’s change the color of This Plane by going to the material properties here click on the new button and now the default material is applied to the plane object to change the base color click here and for a better contrast we’ll make the plane a little dark so let’s change it to gray color or make light blue color let’s reduce the brightness even more and now it looks perfect so we’ll render this again by clicking on render and selecting the render animation and now our final output looks like this and also this brings us to the end of this chapter one important thing before ending is that if you’re learning animation in blender for the very first time it might be possible that your rendered video might be a bit different or there may be some problems in it some imperfections and the best way to deal with this is to go to that specific part of the video where we discussed about that problem or the imperfection and and try to resolve it in your blender project and if you have any doubts then you can write them down in the comments [Music] Below in this chapter we’ll be learning about some Advanced tools which are used in blender animation such as F curves and graph editor now the first topic for this chapter is f curves and whenever we animate our object that is we insert key frames at different positions in the timeline editor then blender automatically creates F curve which is used in airfall design and interpolation and to understand this concept we first have to make a simple animation with this Cube to do this let’s first expand this timeline editor by left clicking here and dragging like this now to start the animation I first have to insert a key frame at the frame number one which will carry the information that the cube is at a particular location rotation and scale value and for this I will press I and here we have the key frame inserted now suppose I want the animation to be of 100 frames so I’ll take this pointer to the frame number 100 and let’s suppose we want to create an animation where this Cube moves from its current position to some in the Y AIS and for this I will press G and Y and let’s move it like this left click to finalize the position and to insert a key frame at the frame number 100 press I and here we have the key frame inserted and to play the animation I’ll take this pointer to the frame number one and press the space bar you will observe that it’s motion is slow in the beginning faster in the middle and it again slows down as it approaches the ending basically you can say that the motion of this cube is not linear now we can even confirm it manually by checking the location in the Y AIS at each and every frame we made this animation of 100 frames and initially at the frame number one its position in the y- AIS was 0 m and at the frame number 100 which is the final frame we moved it to somewhere near 15 m in simple words we can say that with movement of each frame it should have moved approximately 15 divided by 100 meaning 0.15 m in the y axis so to check this we’ll go to the frame number one here it is 0 m and if I use the right arrow key to jump to the next frame we see that the position in the y- axis is less than 0.15 M meaning that it initial speed was very slow similarly on the next frame also the value is still less than 0.15 M but if I take it to somewhere near 40th frame then mathematically we expect that its position in the Y AIS should be somewhere around 0.15 multiplied by the number of frames which is 40 which is equal to 6 M but if I check here the location in the y- AIS is close to 5 m meaning that even till the frame number 40 the speed of the motion or the animation was a bit slower as compared to what we expected we expected a uniform motion but in reality it does not happen but now if I go to the frame number 70 and this time according to us its position in the Y AIS should be 0.15 M multiplied 70 which is equal to 10.5 M but if I check here the location in the Y AIS is very close to 12 M which means that initially the motion was slow but somewhere in the middle the speed of the motion increased and this is how the default animation Works in blender to summarize everything you can understand it in this way for the initial frames the speed will be slow then in the middle the speed will be very fast and at the the end the motion will again slow down and suppose you want to edit or manipulate this speed then you would have to use the F curves and to see the F curves here we’ll change this timeline Editor to the graph editor so click on this icon and here you will find the graph editor so I’ll select this let’s expand this by dragging it like this and this is called the F curve to zoom in or zoom out you can simply use the scroll wheel of your mouse now here on the left hand side you will see a list of all the objects that are animated in your scene since we animated this Cube so here you have the cube in the list then any change in the position or the rotation or the scale of a particular object while animating will be saved in this Cube action since we changed the position of this Cube from 0 m to somewhere near 15 m in the y- axis so you can see this object transformation here meaning that we changed the position of our object in our scene and since we changed the position in the y- AIS here in the graph editor this curve is also representing the y- axis and this is because it is green in color here in the 3D viewport you can see here that the x- axis is represented by the red color Y axis by the green color and Z axis by the blue color so in the graph editor this green curve is representing the object transformation in the y- axis now to observe this graph let’s first zoom out and if you look closely at this graph you will notice that the graph is not linear a linear graph would have meant that the speed of the motion of this Cube would have been uniform throughout in the beginning you have a flat slope here then in the middle it looks somewhat linear but in the end it again has a flat slope as a result in the beginning and the end the speed of the motion was slow and in the middle it was faster but now suppose you want the motion to be of uniform speed and in that case you would need this graph to be linear to do this simply right click go to interpolation mode and select the linear and now this graph is linear and if I take this to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that the cube moves from one point to another with a uniform or a constant speed and all this is because we changed the interpolation of this graph to linear also if you right click and in the interpolation mode you will find some more graph types for example suppose I select the sinos odal then the graph would look like this the shape of this graph turns from linear to cudal now if I move my pointer like this you can notice here that there are two points on this green graph one is this point at the frame number one and the second point is here at the frame number 100 these two points indicate that we have two key frames inserted at these frame values and since both of these points are selected because they’re highlighted with yellow color any change that I make to the interpolation will be applied to the graph between these two points now you may notice here that you also have this blue line intersecting this y- axis graph and this blue line represents the animation of this cube in The Zed axis but during the entire animation we did not change the position of this cube in The Zed axis and that is why it appears like a simple straight line from the frame number one to the frame number 100 it does not seem to change its value at any point between the two frames but moving back to the graph of the Y AIS suppose you have to deselect both of these points so you can simply left click anywhere in the graph editor and all the points will be deselected now to select a particular key frame or a point simply left click on it and now this is selected but if you look at the other point at the frame number one it it is still deselected now with only the second Point selected if I right click and change the interpolation mode to linear you will not notice any difference in the graph or this curve and the reason for this is that this is the last key point of the curve and there is no next key available after this point to apply the change but now if I select the first key frame the other one will get deselected and if I right click and in the interpolation mode select linear you will notice that the Curve will change from sinos serial to linear now suppose I want the animation to be a little longer like from the frame number one to frame number 100 the object should move in the y direction and then from the frame number 100 to frame 200 it will return back to its original position for this we’ll take this pointer to the frame number 200 go to the object properties and change the location in the Y AIS to zero go to the 3D view port and press I to insert the key frame now in this graph we have three points one is at the frame number one second one is at the frame number 100 and the third one is here at the frame number 200 now suppose I want that the first half of this graph should be linear like this but the other half that is from the frame number 100 to 200 should be cudal instead of linear to do this select the frame from where this curve starts that is the frame number 100 then right click go to the interpolation mode and select the sinos serial and now the first half is linear and the second half is sinos serial now blender also gives you the option to manually adjust the graph instead of changing the interpolation type and for this we first have to select all these three points in the y- AIS curve so here the second key point is already selected so with the shift key hold it I’ll select the first one and also the third one and now all of them are selected then right click and in the interpolation mode you will find this bzier option so I’ll select this and now here we have these points here which we can move to change the curve for the first key point that is this one these two are the points which you can use to change the position of the graph for example with this selected if I left click and drag like this you will notice that the graph changes if I leave it here then in the beginning we have a linear graph here similarly if I want to change the structure of the graph in the middle select any of these two pointers suppose this select this one and left click and move it like this I can again change the graph structure similarly for the third Point these two are the pointers which you can use to manipulate the graph so suppose I select this point left click and drag it like this then now we can change the structure of the graph from this point so initially we change the graph to linear then by the time it reaches the frame number 100 it appears curved like this and then due to this steep slope the motion of this Cube will be faster in the ending to view this I’ll take this pointer to the frame number one and press the space bar so initially it moves with a normal speed till the frame number 100 and then it begins to return back and after a few frames the speed of the cube increased so always remember one basic thing that if you want to slow down the motion then the graph should be basically flat or a bit horizontal and if you want the motion to be fast then the graph should be more like vertical to explain this suppose I want the beginning to be slow and the ending to be fast for this with one of the pointers selected I left click and drag like this and now it appears more flat than before also I’ll go to this key point and we already made this fast fter by making the curve like this but if you want to increase the speed even more then select one of the pointers and drag like this if I move the cursor like this then you can see here that the line with the pointers is now vertical meaning that the speed of the motion will be fast similarly if I go to this pointer select one of the pointers and to make it slow I will drag it and make it horizontal and now it looks perfect now initially this is horizontal meaning that the motion will be slow and in the end it is vertical meaning that the animation or the motion will be faster to check this we’ll go to the frame number one and play the animation now in the beginning the speed of the animation is a bit slow till it reached the frame number 100 and when it begins to come back to its original position the speed increased in the end and now suppose you want to change the time for which the motion should be slowed down or should be faster to do this simply select one of the pointers left click and now instead of rotating it I move it like this then here I basically increased the timing for which the motion is slowed down previously if I press control+ Z the motion was slow only from the frame number one to somewhere around frame number 30 but if I redo the now the slow motion effect is applied from the frame number one to the frame number something close to 70 similarly if I go to the third key Point move the cursor like this select one of the pointers and to increase the timing for which the speed is increased I left click on it and drag it like this release the left Mouse button to finalize and if I go to the frame number one and play the animation then the number of frames or the time for which the motion was slow has increased and a similar effect was seen for the faster motion as well so basically in this way you can edit or manipulate the curve and create a motion profile that suits your requirement for a particular animation now suppose you want that when the object reaches the maximum position in the y- axis that is at the frame number 100 it quickly bounces back and move towards its original position to do this we’ll take one of these pointers and with the shift key hold it select the other pointer and now we need to reduce the frames for which the object stays here before bouncing back to do this simply go to the graph editor and to scale down press s and scale it down like this left click to finalize and now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that initially the speed is slow then it reaches the frame number 100 it stayed there for a fraction of second and then after bouncing back the speed of the motion increased now one thing to observe here is that after the frame number 100 if I play the animation the speed of the cube is slow and this is because the curve is not too much steep like this this part of the curve is steep and that’s why the motion is faster here but this part of the curve is not that Steep and that is why the motion appears to be slower and now suppose you want this curve to change back to how it previously looked for this I’ll select this point with the shift key hold it select this point and then the third point right click go to interpolation type and from here you can change it back to any mode like the linear or the sinos sodial so if I select the linear the pointers here will get removed and we’ll get the default linear curve in the graph editor now suppose you want that while moving our Cube object in the y- AIS it should also vibrate in the x-axis and for this blender gives you the noise modifier and now since we want to apply the noise modifier in the x-axis I need to select the curve or the graph of the x-axis for this click on this drop- down arrow and here you will find the X location so I’ll select this now go to the modifier click on ADD modifier and select the noise now here you will see the slight noise added to the curve of the X location and to make it stronger go to the strength option here and let’s increase it to a higher number like five or six and now if I go to the frame number one and before playing the animation let’s adjust the view properly so that we can see the vibration of this cube in our scene press space bar to play the animation and now you see that the object moves in the Y AIS and it is also vibrating in the x-axis and this is how the noise modify works but if I play the animation after the frame number 200 it won’t show any Motion in the y axis and it only vibrated in the x-axis and that is because the motion in the y- AIS was set only from the frame number one to frame number 200 but suppose I want that the animation should repeat itself a specific number of times like if I want it to repeat itself five times then for this we first have to increase the number of frames here right now we have set the maximum number of frames to 250 but if I want the motion to repeat itself in the Y AIS then I have to increase the frame number to a value of 200 MTI 5 which is 1,000 frames to do this click on this icon change it back to the timeline editor go to this end option and type 1,000 press enter to confirm now again click on this icon and go back to the graph editor now to make the motion in the Y AIS to repeat itself five times click here on the Y location and now the curve in the y- axis is selected and now we’ll use the cyclic modifier to apply it go to the Y location right click and here in the extrapolation mode select this make cyclic modifier and now we have the graph of motion in the Y AIS repeated throughout the timeline to view the animation now I’ll go to the fame number one and play the animation and now you can see that our object or this cube is basically vibrating and also moving in the y- axis and after reaching its default position it will again start the motion in the y- AIS and also show the vibration and this is how the cyclic modifier works and also one more thing to notice here is that we applied the Cycles modifier by right clicking at the Y location going to the extrapolation mode and here we have this cyclic modifier but if I go to the modify properties here you will find that blender automatically added this Cycles modifier here as well and suppose you want to clear this cycle then one way is to go to the Y location right click go to extra pollution mode and select the clear cycle or else you can go to the modify properties and click on this cross icon and so this brings us to the end of this chapter today we learned about how the graph editor Works what exactly is the meaning of these curves and these points how can you manipulate the curves to control the speed of the motion then we added the noise here and we even OD about the Cycles [Music] modifier in this chapter we’ll be understanding about nonlinear animation and all the concepts related to it now the first question is what exactly is the nonlinear animation so nonlinear animation allows manipulation and repurposing actions without the need of handling the key frames or else in simple words it is the process of moving rearranging manipulating and blending different animation Clips to produce a new series of motions and now now here is the default blender scene and to understand about nonlinear animation we first have to remove all these objects so press a to select all and X to delete now we’ll add the suzan or the monkey model so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey to make it look realistic right click and apply shade smooth also go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate you will find the subdivision surface let’s increase the levels viewport to a higher number like three and now we have a realistic suzan model now while practicing nonlinear animation we have to use a dope sheet and to open the dop sheet I’ll first expand this timeline editor and we’ll change this timeline Editor to the dop sheet to do this click on this icon and here you will find the dope sheet so I’ll select this then click here where it is written dop sheet and change the mode to the action editor so this is the action editor and whenever you create an animation in blender the data related to that animation is called action and all this data is saved in your blender file whenever your file is saved now since we’ll be understanding about nonlinear animation so here we also need to add a nonlinear anim editor and for this take your cursor over here right click and select the horizontal split let’s divide the area and left click to finalize now I’ll expand the area of the action editor by left clicking and dragging like this now to change this into the nonlinear animation editor click on this icon and here in the animation section you will find the nonlinear animation so we’ll select this and this is the nonlinear animation editor so basically whatever animation that you will do in the 3D viewport will be saved as an action and will be displayed here so to create a new action click on this new button and a new action is created so suppose you want to create a simple animation with the suzan model showing that initially at the frame number one this object will be at its default position but then at the frame number 50 we’ll move it upwards in The Zed axis and then it will come down again when it reaches the frame number 100 and to do this with a pointer at the frame number one we’ll insert a key frame by pressing I and here we have the key frame inserted now since the position of this object at the frame number one and the frame number 100 will be the same so I’ll take the pointer to the frame 100 and to to insert a key frame here I will press I now here you can see that the area between the two key frames is highlighted with an orange color and this means that there is no change happening between these two frames the position rotation and the scale of the object and all the other properties will remain the same between these two frames but we needed to make the animation where it goes upwards in the Z AIS for this I’ll take this pointer to the frame number 50 go to the 3D view editor and to move it upwards press G and Zed and let’s move it upwards by 5 m so I will type and press enter to insert a key frame press I and now we have a key frame inserted here and now let’s play the animation by taking the pointer to the frame number one and pressing the space bar so this was the animation that we created and now it is stored as an action here you can even change the name of this action by clicking here and because it first goes up and then comes down so let’s change its name from action to up down press enter to confirm and now our action is renamed and suppose you want to create another animation so first you need to remove this animation of up down from the timeline and to remove it click on this cross icon the animation that we created is now removed from the timeline but that particular animation is saved in the form of an action and to check it click on this icon and here you have the up down action saved now suppose you want to create another animation and save it as an action in your file so to do this click on this new button and a new action is created and suppose we want that in this particular action our object or the monkey model should rotate so we’ll take this pointer to the frame number one and let’s insert a key frame at this point so press I and here we have the key frame inserted let’s take it to the frame number 50 and we will be creating an animation where this Cube rotates by 180° in The Zed AIS and then returns back to its original rotation for this press R and z and type 180 press enter to confirm now this object is rotated by 180° in The Zed axis and to insert a key frame at the frame number 50 press I and here we have the key frame inserted now we’ll take this pointer to the frame number 100 and to change its rotation back to the original rotation I’ll select this point with a left Mouse button click previously both of them were selected so both of them highlighted as yellow but now only this one is highlighted and we’ll create a duplicate of this and place it at the frame number 100 so press shift plus T and move it like this and take it to the frame number 100 and left click to finalize now to play the animation I’ll take the pointer to the frame number one and press the space bar and this is how the animation shows our object getting rotated by 180° in Zed axis and returning back to its default State now we’ll change the action name to something related to the animation that we created since we created a rotating animation so we should rename it to rotate and since we rotated it in Zed axxis so I will type Zed press enter to confirm and now if I click this icon we have two actions saved here one of them is this up down and the other one is this rotate Z so basically by using nonlinear animation you can apply multiple animations to your object at the same time very conveniently and to do this we need to add these actions in the nonlinear animation editor here and adding these actions in this editor is known as pushing down so suppose I select the up down action from here and click on this push down button then here we have this up down action added in the nonlinear animation Editor to add the second action click on this icon again and select this rotate action click on this push down button and now here in the nonlinear animation editor we have two actions added one is the rotate and the other one is the up down but now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that our object is showing only the rotation animation but not this up down animation and this is because this rotation action is placed in the upper layer of the nonlinear animation editor this editor Works in a very similar way to the video editing softwares like Premier Pro or DCI resolve here we will be getting the output only of the action which is in the upper layer and since the rotate action is placed above the up down action so here in the animation we can see only the rotation and not the up down animation now suppose you want to see the up down animation and not the rotation so for this you can uncheck this box here by left clicking on it and now if I play the animation by pressing the space bar our object will show the up down animation and not the rotation and this is because even though the rotation is still present present in the upper layer but we have disabled it from here as a result it will only consider this up down action and the object will play this animation and you can even try this with more than two actions in your scene so suppose I create a new action from here take this pointer to the frame number one and we’ll be creating an action where this Cube moves in the x-axis so to insert a key frame at the frame number one press I then go to the frame number 40 and let’s move it in the X Direction by pressing G and x and moving it like this press I to insert the key frame and this time instead of making the animation of 100 frames we’ll be keeping it to 80 frames to make the object return back to its default position I’ll select this point at the frame number one create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and placing it at the frame number 80 left click to finalize now let’s play the animation and this is how it looks let’s also change the name of this action from here and because it is moving in the X Direction so let’s name it move X press enter to confirm and now if I click here we have three actions saved and to bring this move X action in the nonlinear animation editor click on this push down button and here at the top ler we have this move X action inserted and now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation only the action at the uppermost layer will work which is the move X action now here we can see that we have disabled the rotate Zed action so first I’ll enable this and now suppose you want only a particular animation to be played here regardless of the order of these actions in the editor for example if I want the rotate set action to be played simply click on this star icon and now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation then our object will show only the rotation animation in the scene and you can even move these actions in the nonlinear animation editor and to do this if I click on this move x with the left Mouse button and drag it like this we can simply move it in the timeline editor also you can change the layer of this action in this editor for example if I left click and bring it down then now this move X action is in the second layer where this rotation action was placed so now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that the object first rotates in The Zed axis and then it will begin to move in the x-axis and returns back to its original position and now suppose you want to see multiple actions played together to form an entirely different animation to put it in simple words we’ll be basically blending two actions together for example this move X and the rotate Z action and the result would be that this monkey would move in the X Direction and will also rotate in The Zed axis but to do this first with this action selected left click and drag it upwards let’s also place it here and we’ll remove the star from here and now all the layers are activated and now to combine multiple actions together we have to work on this toolbar but first let’s expand this window by left clicking here and dragging like this and here we have the toolbar if you are not able to see this then simply press n to toggle this toolbar so here in the strip option selected you have the information about the frame starting and the frame ending for the selected action type but since we need to combine two actions we have to go to blending option and if I select the combine then it basically creates an animation where the move X action will be combined with the action below its layer which is the rotate Zed action so if I take the pointer to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that the object moves in the xaxis and it is also showing the rotation in the Z axis also if I go to the blending option again then we have the add option and if I select this it will work in a similar way as the combine option so if I take it to frame number one and play the animation you will again notice that our monkey object show both the actions the moving action in the x- axis as well as the rotation in The Zed axis and now suppose you want all the three actions to be played together for this we have to go to the second layer and here in the blending we’ll change this to the combine option and this will combine the rotation and the up down animation so now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that our object is showing all the three actions it moves in the x-axis rotated in the Z axis and also showed an up down animation and so this is how the nonlinear animation works one more important thing is that the Practical use of nonlinear animation is mostly in character animation because while you’re animating your character you would need to add different types of actions and there you will be using the nonlinear animation so after covering the chapters related to character modeling and rigging in this course we will also understand about the use of this nonlinear animation in animating your characters so this brings us to the end of this chapter in this chapter we learned about creating and saving different actions about working in the nonlinear animation editor then we learned about combining different types of actions together to create a completely new [Music] animation I will first delete all these three objects by pressing a and then X to delete and to add the text here press shift plus a and here you have a separate object type named as text so I’ll select this and here we have the text object added to our scene and by default it displays the word text on it and just like you move rotate and scale any other object in blender you can do the same with this also to move the text simply press G and move around like this to rotate it press R and rotate like this similarly to scale the object press s and in this way you can scale up or scale down the text in your scene one more important thing to note here is that the text object added to our scene is two dimensional and not 3D this is because it does not have any thickness added to it we will be exploring about how you can increase the thickness of this text and give it a 3D look but before that let’s first understand that how can you edit the letters and the words that are displayed in this text object and to do this we first have to enter the edit mode by pressing the Tab Key and now you can change the text to anything that you want to be displayed here to remove the letters simply press the backspace and now you can type anything with the help of your keyboard and those specific letters and words will be displayed here in the text object and once you have finalized simply come out of the edit mode by pressing the Tab Key again and now we have changed the text in our scene and now to check the properties and the settings of this text object we have to open the object data properties and for this click on this icon here and all these are the properties of the settings related to this text object now the first option here is the resolution preview and this controls how realistic and smooth your text object looks in the 3D view Port usually a value of somewhere around 10 to 12 looks good in most of the cas cases so we’ll keep it to a value of 12 and then the next option is the render resolution and this one controls how realistic and smooth the text would look like when it is finally rendered the default value of this render resolution is set to zero and this zero means that it takes the same value as that of the resolution preview so both of these default values are fine and the next tool here is the fast editing and if I turn it on the text will not be filled while you are editing it however it will still give the same output when you finally render it and the benefit of using this is that when the filling is disabled then it would take less time to calculate the lighting and everything else and will help you in editing the text faster now the fill mode is whether the front or the back of the text should be filled in and you can even choose that none of them should be filled by clicking on this nonone option or if you want both of them to be filled then you can select both in the fill mode here and this fill mode that we just discovered is basically used when you convert your text from 2D to 3D and to give this text a 3D look click on this geometry option here and here from the extrude if I increase it this will give a 3d effect to our text object right now it is extruded too much so let’s reduce it and I’ll change the Extrusion to a lower value like 0.15 and now it looks good to get a better view I will rotate this in x-axis so press R and x and let’s rotate it by 90° press enter to confirm and now our text looks perfect now the next useful tool in the object data properties for this text is the bevel option here if I increase the depth from here it will basically give a bevel effect to the text in our seen you can control the depth of this bevel effect from here and even the resolution higher the resolution more will be the number of segments more smoother will be your text and it would even give it a realistic look by default it is set to a value of four and its default value usually works fine but to give it a slightly better look you can increase it to 6 or eight and this will increase the smoothness of the text and will add some realism to it now suppose you want to change the font of your text for this in the object data properties you have this option of font so I’ll select this and here you have four different font options to choose regular bold italic and the last is bold plus italic but we’ll only be using the regular font and not the other ones because we can do all the changes in the regular font as well if I click on this icon here this will display me a list of all fonts that I have used in my file but right now it is showing only the default font that is applied to this text object and to change the fonts you have to click on this folder icon against the regular font so I left click on this and this will open up the folder where all the fonts are stored in your device and from here you can choose any particular font that you want to apply for your text and in case it does not show this list then you simply have to locate that particular folder where all the fonts of your PC are saved for Windows users that particular path will be this so you can write down this path in the file path option here and then it will display a list of all the fonts in your device and to add any particular font simply click on it and select open font now that particular font will get applied and to change the size and appearance go to this transform option and from here you can increase or decrease the size of your text the next thing is shear and this basically controls the slant of the font if I increase it the slant will increase in this side and if I reduce it then the slanting will be on the opposite side it only allows a value from minus one to one at a value of minus one it will show the shear effect or the slanting in this negative side if I take it to a value of zero then it won’t show any such effect in any of the two directions and if I increase it to a value of one then it shows the attach or the slant effect in this positive direction right now I’ll change the sheare value back to zero and the next useful setting here is the text on curve but before using this option we first have to add a curve in our scene so press shift plus a go to curve and select the bizier curve it is added here press G and Zed and move it like this and we’ll be placing it just above our text so press G and x and move it in X Direction you might not be able to see the curve right now while moving it in X Direction because the red color of the x-axis and the curve are blending with each other but you can see this tiny yellow Dot and estimate the position of the curve so I’ll place it in the middle press left Mouse button to finalize and now we have to go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and now I’ll select the text again and in the object data properties of this text in the transform section of the font here you have the option of text on curve so with this text selected I’ll click on this eye dropper and we have to select the basier curve so I’ll take it over
the curve and left click and we notice some changes in our text basically the text on curve curve allows you to deform the curve which will then control the appearance of your text to understand this I’ll select the curve and if I press s to scale it up the text will also get Scaled up like this similarly if I tab into the edit mode and deselect all these points then here in the bzier curve I have two points one is at the beginning and it has these two pointers and the other is at the end and this one also has these two pointers the pointers here help you to deform the curve for example with this pointer selected if I press R to rotate then the text Will get reformed to cancel this I will right click and you can even try one more thing which is to select the particular pointer and instead of selecting the two basier pointers here we will directly try to deform with only this one selected so suppose I press R and try to rotate the curve then we’ll see the deformation on this curve as well as our text object similarly you can try to move the curve by pressing G or maybe scale the curve by pressing s and you will see similar deformations on your text object however you will be using this curve to deform your text in very rare cases but it’s always better to understand the concept so that you at least have the knowledge about the basics of that tool right now I will come out of the edit mode by pressing the T key and I’ll be deleting this curve by pressing X and then delete now all the deformations will get removed on deleting the curve object now I’ll select this text and here in the object data properties if I scroll down we have this segment of paragraph and it basically defines the alignment and the spacing in your text object in the alignment you have two options one is the horizontal and the other one is vertical and if I go to the horizontal alignment and change it to Center then it will basically take the Z axis as the center of alignment and will place the text like this similarly if I change it to right then the text object will show right alignment in respect of the Zed axis but right now I will change the horizontal alignment to the default left and the next option you have here is the vertical alignment and this vertical alignment basically considers the x-axis as the center right now it is set to top basine and that is why it appears like this but if I change it to top top then the alignment would change similarly if I change it to Middle then it appears like this so you can use these different options of alignment to perfectly align your object as per your specific requirement and next you have the character spacing and this basically controls the spacing in between the letters or the characters of this text if I increase it the spacing between the characters or the letters will increase but right now I think that I should reduce it to a value of somewhere around 1.1 or 1.2 and it looks perfect now then next you have the word spacing and this basically controls the spacing in between the words of your text which means that the space between JB and 3D and also between 3D and studio will be controlled with this word spacing so if I increase it the spacing or the distance between the words will increase and for now I will change its value to the default one then next you have the line spacing and this basically controls the spacing or the distance between multiple lines in your text right now we have only one line but to add a new line I will enter the edit mode by pressing the Tab Key and to move to the next line press enter and now if I type anything then it will be seen in the next line of the text and if you want to bring this subscribe text to the center then take the cursor here and press the space bar like this this looks perfect so I’ll come out of the edit mode and now if I go to the line spacing and try to increase it then the distance or the spacing between the line one that is jb3d studio and the line two which is subscribed will increase but for now I will keep it to the default value of one so that the spacing and the distance between them is decreased and there’s one more way by which you can reduce the spacing between jb3d studio and this subscribe which is to actually subscribe to this Channel and now moving ahead you can even create a simple animation of this text and this is because here in the object data properties again some of the options you have these small dots which indicate that you can insert key frames and animate these values for example if I go to the extrude option here and change the Extrusion to zero and insert a key frame by clicking on this dot then here in the timeline editor a key frame is added at the frame number one now if I take the pointer to the frame number 50 and here I’ll change the Extrusion to a higher value like 0.15 and insert a key frame at the frame number 50 as well so now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation you will notice that our text in the scene is getting extruded and getting a 3D look so you can try to animate different properties here and observe the changes in your scene also if you want to give it some material then first I’ll go to the material preview mode then we’ll go to the material properties editor click on the new button and we’ll change the base color from here let’s change it to yellow color and now it looks like this but now suppose you want that the upper text should be yellow but this subscribed text should be red colored and for this we’ll be using a very useful tool which is the convert to mesh tool as I told you earlier the text that we added here is a separate object type and not a mesh a mesh can be a cube a cylinder or a UV sphere and other similar objects and to convert this into mesh go to the object option here then go to convert and select mesh now this text object is converted to mes and now there are some slight changes that we can see in our file the first change is that the key frames that we added here are now removed and even the animation is gone and this is because we converted this text object to Mish in fact if I go to the edit mode now I can no longer type anything which would be displayed as the text in our scene since it is converted to mesh so now it has these vertices edges and faces which you can select and try to edit them but we won’t be doing that right now because it already looks perfect and to change the color of some specific word of the text we’ll first go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and now we have to select all the vertices of this subscribe text so I left click and drag my cursor like this and if I release it then all these vertices are selected but if I change the view then you will notice that the vertices at the back face are not selected and to fix this we have to use the x-ray mode press all plus Z to turn on the x-ray mode and now if I go to the front view again deselect all the vertices left click and drag like this then in this case all all the vertices of this text will be selected to change the color I will go to the material properties click on this plus icon and to give it a new material click on the new button let’s change the base color from here and I will change it to red color to apply this material to the selected text click on this assign button and now if I go to the object mode then you can see here that this upper text is yellow colored and the subscribed text is red colored and this is how the text works in blender also this brings us to the end of this chapter and from our next chapter we’ll begin with the understanding of geometry nodes in blender and this amazing topic of geometry nodes will be completed in 20 plus chapters because we’ll be discovering about almost all the geometry notes that are present in blender and we’ll also be making a new scene in every chapter with the help of the particular geometry notes that will be covered in that specific [Music] chapter so far in this course we learned about the modeling Tools in blender then we covered all the modifiers in blender after that we understood about the materials textures and nodes created lots of basic shaders and procedural shaders then we covered the basics and even understood the advanced level of animation and from this chapter we’ll be starting our journey of understanding the geometry nodes in blender understanding this amazing concept will require us a total of 20 plus chapters because we’ll be covering all the geometry nodes that are present in blender and in each chapter we’ll be creating different scenes with the help of the geometry notes that we would have covered in that specific chapter and in this chapter we’ll first understand about how the geometry nodes work and then we’ll cover all these nodes in complete detail and we’ll be using these nodes to make this Snowman in blender now to start with the geometry nodes we first have to switch to the geometry nodes workspace so click on this workspace which is named as geometry nodes and this layout appears here this is called the spreadsheet this is the geometry nodes editor and this is the 3D viewport now to get a geometry node we have to click on this new button and this is the basic geometry node applied in the modify properties here you can see a modifier named geometry nodes added automatically so basically geometry nodes is a modifier and that is why it is appearing Here and Now moving ahead here in the spreadsheet we have information about the object that we have selected which is the cube in this case the first option here is the vortex and it basically tells about the number of vertices and their positions in the 3D view Port then here you have the option of edges then the faces and the face corners and a lot of other things and we’ll be discovering all these options later on when we dive deeper in the concept of geometry nodes but for now we’ll be understanding about the mesh options in this spr sheet the first one is the vertex here you can see the number eight which represents the number of vertices and here you can see that you have the position of the specific vertices in the X Y and Zed axis here one thing to notice is that the indexing of the vertices is not starting from one like usually when we are counting things we count it like 1 2 3 4 but in this case the counting or the indexing is started from zero and then 1 2 and then it ends on seven similarly here you can see that we have 12 edges or six faces and 24 face corners but for now we’ll move to the geometry noes and here you can see in the geometry noes editor that we have this group input and this group output the group input basically represents this Cube that we are having right now whatever changes that we’ll make in between these two will get applied to our Cube object which was the input and the output that will be generated will get connected to this group output and will also be seen on this Cube but since we are not having anything in between the geometry input and the geometry output as a result we are not able to see any changes here but if I go to the geometry nodes editor and break this connection by holding the control button and right clicking and dragging like this then a cube will disappear and that is because the connection between the input and the output no longer exists as a result whatever information this group input was carrying about the cube is not able to reach the group output which has to generate the output in a 3D viewboard and therefore we can’t see anything and if I take a geometry socket and connect it to the geometry socket of the output then a cube will reappear and if you want to add any specific geometry Noe then you simply have to press shift plus a and here you will find a list of all the categories of nodes that are present in blender also you will find this category of texture nodes about which we learned in the previous chapters of this course but we’ll be learning about them again while understanding the geometry nodes now suppose I ask you to change this Cube into a UV sphere and that to with the help of geometry nodes usually you would have gone to the 3D view port and deleted this Cube and then would have added a UV sphere but with geometry nodes you simply need to press shift plus a and here you have an option of mesh and if I go to The Primitives you will find a list of the mesh Primitives that we use used to add in our scene by pressing shift plus a so if I select the UV sphere then this node will appear and if I left click to place it here now to convert this Cube into a UV sphere I have to take this mesh socket and connect it to the geometry socket of the group output and here we have the cube converted into the UV sphere basically what we did here is that we broke the connection between the group input which was carrying the information of the cube and the group output and we made a new connection with this node carrying the information about a UV sphere and connected it to the group output and now if I go to this spreadsheet and select this Vortex we now observe that we have different values about the vertex in the mesh as compared to the ones that we had when this object was a cube and this is how the mesh primitive works in the geometry nodes so whenever you have to change the structure of your object to any other mesh simply press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives you can select that particular mesh type for example if I select the cylinder and place it here and to change the structure of this UV sphere into a cylinder I’ll take this mesh socket and connect it to the geometry and here we have a cylinder in our seal and this one thing that you can do which is to select a particular node and hold down Control Plus shift and left click and then this viewer node will appear which basically allows you to preview things quickly for example if I go to the cylinder and press contrl plus shift and left click then we’ll be able to view the cylinder so you can easily switch between different mesh primitive nodes with the use of this viewer node and also one more thing to notice here is that here in the UV sphere and the cylinder node you have these options of changing the settings of that particular mesh for example the vertices the radius the depth of the cylinder so you can use these settings to change the way how your mesh would look like in the 3D view editor and yes this shortcut of holding control shift and left clicking will work only if you have the node Wrangler add-on turned on we learned about this add-on in this chapter of the course and for now I will delete this cylinder node by selecting it and pressing X and we’ll connect this UV sphere to the group output let’s also select this viewer and press X to relate it and now we simply have this UV sphere node connected to the group output and now we are moving to the next topic of this chapter which is the trans node and this transform node is basically used to change the position rotation and scale of your object directly from the geometry node Editor to add it press shift plus a go to geometry and in the operations you will find this transform geometry we’ll place it in between the UV sphere and the output and it will get directly connected to both and you can simply change these values to change the position rotation and the scale of your object for example the translation here basically means the position of this object in the 3D view editor for example if I change the translation in the X axis then it will move like this in the x-axis similarly in the y- AIS and also in the Zed axis and if I go to the rotation and change the rotation in xaxis then it will begin to rotate in the x-axis similarly the Y and the Zed axis also then you have the scaling option and if I change the scale value in the xaxis then it will get Scaled up like this in the x-axis so you can try to change these values to easily transform the geometry of your object and that to in the geometry note Editor to change these to the default values one way is to left click and drag like this and now if I press zero and press enter the position is now again set to the default value of zero but another way to return back to the default value is to hover your cursor over some value and press backspace and now the rotation in all the three axis is set to their default value of 0° similarly if I go to the scale and press backspace it will turn the value to zero however we need the default values to be one in order to see the object so I’ll select all three of them and type one press enter and here we have the UV sphere again so till now we understood about adding some specific mesh with the help of the mesh PR then we learned about changing the position rotation and the scaling of your object with the help of the transform geometry now suppose you want to make a snowman with the help of these geometry nodes for this we have one of the UV spheres added to our scene but we’ll need another one at the top of this UV Sphere for this I will select this node press shift plus 3 to create a duplicate and let’s place it here and right now we can see only one UV sphere in our scene that is because the second node is not connected to this node system we need to join both these UV spheres together in order to view both of them in the 3D view editor for this we’ll be using a new node which is called The Joint geometry node to add it press shift plus a go to geometry and here you will find the joint geometry let’s place it here and you can notice here that the geometry socket here is not circular in shape it is somewhat oval in shape this indicates that it can accept more than one inputs at a time for example if I break the node Connection in between the transform geometry and the group output by holding the control button and dragging the right Mouse button like this and take this geometry socket and connect it to the geometry socket of of the joint geometry similarly if I go to the UV sphere and take this mesh socket and connect it to the geometry socket then it will accept both the inputs in this socket and to get a preview of the result here simply hold down crl plus shift and left click on the joint geometry here you might be thinking that only one of the UV spheres is present but it is not true actually the position of both the UV spheres is same and that is why it appears like this but if I go to the transform geometry which is connected to the first UV sphere and let’s suppose I change the translation in The Zed axis to something like 1.2 m then this UV sphere will move upwards and now we can see both the UV spheres in our scene and since we’ll be making a snowman with the help of these two UV spheres we have to reduce the size of the upper Uvis sphere so I’ll go to the transform geometry note select the three scale values and let’s reduce it to a lower number like 0.7 or 0.8 and now it looks perfect and so this is how the joint geometry node Works in fact it can even be used to join more than two nodes together for example if I select this UV sphere and the transform geometry press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it here let’s Zoom out and now if I take the geometry socket of this third UV sphere and connect it to the Joint geometry then it will take it as an input and will add another UV sphere in our scene to view that UV sphere we have to change the translation in The Zed axis right now it is set to 1.2 but let’s increase it to a higher number like 2 m or maybe 2.2 M and now it looks like this this UV sphere will act as the head of our snowman so let’s reduce the scale value to something even lower like 0.6 and now it looks perfect now suppose you want these UV spheres to be smooth earlier you simply use to right click and select the shades mod but it does not work in this case and that is because we have to use the geometry nodes only to apply the shades mod to it to do this we’ll be using the next node which is the set shade smooth so for this press shift plus a go to mesh and here in the right you will find this set shade smooth so I’ll select this and let’s place it here and to connect it to the rest of the node system simply select it and move it in between the joint geometry and the viewer node and here the shade smooth is applied to all the three UV spheres and now suppose you want that the shade smooth should be applied only to the middle U sphere and not to the others for this we first have to remove this shade smooth from this connection between the joint geometry and the viewer to do this simply hold down alt and left click to drag it and it will get disconnected and since it is no more in the connection all the three UV spheres are shaded flat again and to apply shade smooth only to the second UV sphere that is this one we have to connect this set shade smooth node in between the transform geometry of the second UV sphere and the join geometry so I left click on it and drag it and let’s bring it here and if I release then it will get connected to the second UV sphere and the joint geometry and as a result we see here that only the second UV sphere is now shaded smooth and not the others previously we connected the set shade smooth in such a way that it took input from The Joint geometry which was carrying information about all the three UV spheres as a result all of them were shaded smooth and since we are making a snowman so we’ll need the shade smooth applied to all the three UV spares as a result I have to place this set shade smooth node in between the joint geometry and the viewer node for this I will again hold down the alt button and left click to remove it and let’s place it in between joint geometry and the viewer node and do ensure that you are not holding down the alt button while dropping it in between the two nodes and now this shade smooth is applied to all the three UV spheres and now the last thing is to give some material to our snowman for this we’ll be using another node which is the set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select set material and we’ll place it after the set shade smooth the set material node will help us to give some material to this node man previously whenever we needed to give any material to any object we either used to go to the material properties here and do the changes or we used to open the Shader editor but since we are working on the geometry nodes as a result we’ll be using the set material node to make the changes in the material but yes we’ll still be working on the material properties here and we’ll drop down that particular material that we create in this material option of the set material for example if I change the name of this material to snow and go to the base color and let’s change it to blue color let’s also turn on the render View and to see the material on our object we’ll go to the set material and here in the material option we’ll select snow and here the snow material is applied to our object and since it is placed after the joint geometry node so the material will be applied to all the three UV spheres now to make it look like a real snow texture we’ll be doing some changes in the material in Shader Editor to open the Shader editor here I will change this spreadsheet into the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor let’s close this toolbar by pressing n and to increase the size of this window simply take your cursor over here let left click and drag like this let’s zoom in and now to create the snow material we’ll be using the noise texture so press shift plus a go to texture and add the noise texture let’s place it here and to get the input node and the mapping node connected to it I will use the shortcut control+ D but this shortcut will only work if you have the node Wrangler turned on now here in the texture coordinate we’ll change the input to the object socket and connect it to the vector and to connect the noise texture to the output hold on contrl plus shift and left click on the noise texture the basic noise texture is now visible on our object and now we’ll be using two noise textures and we’ll mix them together to create the snow material for this with this noise texture selected press shift plus d let’s place the duplicate over here and to combine both of them press shift plus a go to color and select the mixed color let’s place it here to mix both of them I’ll take this color socket of the noise texture and connect it to the color a similarly I’ll take the color socket of the noise texture number two and connect it to the color B and to connect this mixed socket to the output hold down control and shift and left click on it and here we see that both the noise textures are applied to our object let’s do some changes in the noise textures for example in the second one we’ll keep the roughness to a very high value like 500 or 600 let’s also reduce the detailing to a very low value like 0.1 and also the roughness to a very low value like 0.1 again the reason for doing this is that we’ll be using a combination of both the noise textures to create a realistic looking snow material so one of them has a low scale value with high detailing and roughness and the other one has a high skill value with low detailing and low roughness but we’ll be needing more effect of the noise texture number one because because it is having low scale but High detailing and roughness and to do this we simply have to reduce the factor to a lower value like 0.1 and now it will have influence of the first noise texture much more than the second and to give it some color we’ll be adding a color Ram first let’s take the material output and let’s place it here right now this principal bstf is disconnected but we’ll place it in between the mix node and the output and to give it some color press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it here now with the pointer number one selected I’ll click here to change the color let’s increase the brightness with the help of this brightness slider and let’s change the color number one to light blue color and for the color at the pointer number two let’s keep it to white color only and now it looks like this but to make it look realistic and to give it a 3D bump effect let’s add a bump node in the Shader editor so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump let’s place it here take this normal socket and connect it to the normal of the principal bsdf then take this result socket and connect it to the height socket of the bump node and here we see the bump effect added to the material of our object one more thing to notice here is that the result socket of this mix node is connected to the height socket of the bump node which means that this yellow colored socket is connected to this Gray colored socket of the bump node in one of my previous chapters I told you that usually we connect the sockets of same color together but there’s no hard and fast rule for this you can even connect sockets of different colors together and you will end up getting some different results in this case this mixed node was carrying information about these two noise textures and was having only one option which is the result socket as the output and we needed to apply the bump node to the combination of these two noise textures as a result we had to use the result socket of the mix node and connected it to the height socket of the bump node and now moving ahead you can even try to change the strength of this bump effect from the strength option here right now it is set to its maximum value of one but I think that we should reduce it to something like 0.5 or 0.4 and now it looks better similarly you can also control the roughness from here in the principal bsdf and in this way we created the simple looking Snowman in our scene with all these geometry nodes and this snow material and suppose you want to add a plane below the model and that to by using the geometry nodes but if I press shift plus a and go to mesh then in The Primitives there is no option of plane but to add the plane we have to select this grid option and if I place it here and if I connect it to the Joint geometry by taking this mesh socket and connecting it to the geometry here the plane will get added in our scene but we have to increase its size from here so I’ll change the size value in the X direction to a higher value like8 and also in the y- axis let’s keep it to 8 m and to move it downwards we have to add the transform geometry node so for this press shift plus a go to geometry and in the operations you will find the transform geometry let’s place it here take this mesh socket and connect it to Geometry then we’ll break the node Connection in between the grid and the joint geometry by holding the control button right clicking and dragging like this and then I’ll take this geometry socket and connect it to the geometry socket of this joint geometry and now I can use the translation in The Zed axis to move this plane downwards let’s keep it to a value of somewhere around- 03 or maybe – 0.6 and now it looks perfect and there’s one more important thing to note here if I go to the layout workspace again you will notice that our object is not visible here to fix this go to the geometry nodes workspace again and here in the geometry nodes editor we have not connected the entire node system to the group output for this I’ll take this geometry socket and connect it to the geometry socket of the group output and now if I go to the layout workspace again here we have our snowman added let’s turn on the render view from here and this is how it looks so we created this simple scene in this chapter with the help of all the geometry notes and we even understood about each one in complete detail and this also brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter in this chapter we’ll be exploring all these topics in complete detail and we’ll also be creating the simple scene of these buildings with the help of all these topics so to begin with the first topic for today’s chapter is extrude mesh node and to understand it we first have to open the geometry nodes workspace so click here to open the workspace and click on the new button now to add the extrude mesh node press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations you will find the extrude mesh so I’ll select this and let’s place it here and to connect it to the rest of the note system if I left click and drop it here then it will get connected and we notice some changes here as the name suggests the extrude mesh node basically extrudes up the faces of our Cube object now here in the extrude mesh you have some options the first one is the mode of Extrusion by default it is set to faces and as a result the faces of this Cube are being extruded individually but here we have some other options as well so if I select the vertices it will basically extrude the vertices of this Cube object the next next option available is the edges and just like the other two this one will extrude the edges of the cube but right now I will change the mode back to faces and here you have the offset value which basically defines the offset or the amount of Extrusion that is applied to your Cube for example if I increase it then the Extrusion will increase and if I reduce it to somewhere near- 0.2 or- 0.3 then the faces will get extruded inwards and here in the extrude mesh node you can also see that you have these two options of selection and offset but we’ll study about them later on because it will require the use of some other notes that we have not yet covered in this course so for now you need to focus on the mode of Extrusion and the offset value here now there’s also one more option available here which is the individual and it is turned on by default it basically means that the Extrusion will be applied to the individual faces to understand it better if I turn it off then it would mean that the Extrusion is not applied to individual faces but to the object as a whole so if I increase the offset from here you will notice that the object is getting extruded as a whole and not its individual faces so this individual option is B basically used to set whether you want the Extrusion to be applied individually or as a whole on the object and you can even apply this extrude mesh to any other type of mesh such as a UV sphere so suppose you want to apply this extrude mesh to a UV sphere and add it in our scene for this in the geometry nodes editor we’ll first add the UV sphere node so press shift plus a and since the UV sphere is a type of mesh primitive so I’ll go to mesh and here in The Primitives we have the option of UV sphere so I’ll select this and let’s place it here now to apply the Extrusion to it I’ll take this extrude mesh which is right now applied to the cube and to create a duplicate of it press shift plus d and let’s place it here now I’ll take this mesh socket of the UV sphere and connect it to the mesh of the extrude mesh and now if I take this output socket of the extrude mesh and connect it to the group output here we have the UV sphere with the Extrusion effect applied to it and suppose you want to see both the cube and the UV sphere in the same scene and to do this we’ll be using a node which we explored in the previous chapter and this is the joint geometry node to add it press shift plus a go to geometry and here you have the option of joint geometry so I’ll select this and let’s place it here now I’ll take this mesh socket which is carrying the information about the extruded Cube and connect it to Joint geometry and also I’ll take the mesh socket of the extruded mesh which is carrying information about this extruded UV sphere so I’ll select this and connect it to the Joint geometry we’ll break the node Connection in between the mesh socket here and the group output so hold down the control button right click and drag like this now I’ll take this geometry socket and connect it to the output it appears like this because both the cube and the UV sphere are placed at the same position which is the origin of the 3 world and suppose I want to shift this UV sphere in the x-axis and for this we’ll be using another node from the last chapter which is the transform node to add it press shift plus a go to geometry and in the operations you will find the transform geometry so I’ll select this and let’s place it here in between the extrude mesh of the UV sphere and the joint geometry and to move the UV sphere in the x-axis I will go to the translation and let’s change the position in the x-axis and now here we have the cube and the UV sphere properly placed in the scene and both of them are showing this Extrusion effect applied to them and now let’s revise whatever we did in this geometry note editor first we have this group input which is carrying the information about this cube in the scene then we use this extrude mesh to apply Extrusion to all the faces of this Cube individually then to add the UV sphere we added this UV sphere node and connected it to the extrude mesh because we wanted to apply the Extrusion effect on its faces individually then we had to add this transform geometry because we needed to move this UV sphere in the x-axis and in the end we connected both of them to join geometry in order to see both the cube and the UV sphere in our 3D view port and at last we connected it to the output to see the final output here now moving ahead the next thing that we are going to discover instance on points node to see how it works I will add a plane without deleting all these to do this press shift plus a go to mesh then in The Primitives we have this option of grid so I’ll select this and place it here we studied in the last chapter that we have to use this grid node to add a plane in our scene to see the output here I will break the connection between the joint geometry and the output so hold down the control button right click and like this let’s take this group output and place it here now to connect them together take this mesh socket and connect it here and here we have the plane in our scene here you can see that in the grid we have some settings like the size and the vertices so if I increase the size in the x-axis then it will get Scaled up like this similarly in the Y AIS and here you have two more options which are the vertices in the x and y axis and to understand about them we first need to go to the wireframe mode for this you can click on this icon or else there’s a shortcut which is to hold down Zed and take your cursor to the wireframe and this is the wireframe display of the plane object if I move it slightly in the y- axis by pressing G and Y and placing it here and also in the x-axis by pressing G and x and placing it here then now you can see here that in the x-axis it is having three points one of them is here where it touches the edge the second one is at the middle and the third one is again here where it touches the other Edge and the number of vertices in the x-axis is controlled from this option in the grid here it is set to three but suppose if I increase it to a number like five then now we are having Five Points in the x-axis when is here touching the edge the second one is this the third one is in the middle the fourth one is this one and the fifth is this last one which is again touching this Edge similarly in the y- axis the number of vertices is set to three and as a result as we move along the y- axis we have three points first one is this which is Touching The Edge the second one is in the middle and the third one is here at the end you can change the value of vertices in the y axis from here so if I change this one also to five then now it looks like this in simple words you can understand it in this way that this vertices option in the X and Y AIS is basically similar to the subdivision that we used to apply to our object it helps to increase the number of vertices of our plane and now coming back to our topic of understanding the instance on point node we’ll first add it here so press shift plus a go to instances and here you have the option of instance on points so I’ll select this and place it here in between the grid and the output and suddenly our plane object disappears and that’s because we have to add some instance here which in simple words means any object for example if I add a cube by pressing shift plus a going to mesh and in The Primitives here I have the option of cube so I’ll select this and place it here now I need to connect this Cube to the instance so I’ll take this mesh socket and connect it to instance and we see some changes here to view it properly we’ll go to the solid mode again and here we first need to reduce the size of these cubes so I’ll select the sizes in all the three axis by left clicking and dragging like this and I’ll type 0.1 M and press enter to confirm and let’s try to understand what happened here basically what this instance on points does is that it places the instances meaning the cubes in this case on the points or the vertices of our plain object if you remember we changed the number of vertices in the X and the Y AIS to five here and as a result we are having five cubes placed in the x-axis and also in the y- AIS in simple words as its name suggests it places the instance or the mesh which is connected to the instance here on the points of a particular object which is connected to the points here you can even control the number of these cubes from the vertices option in the grid node for example if in the x-axis I reduce the number to three then here we have three in the x axis and five in the Y AIS now you can also try to do some changes here for example you can apply the Extrusion to all these cubes by going to the geometry nodes editor and to add the Extrusion press shift plus a go to mesh and here in the operations we have the extrude mesh let’s place it in between the cube and the instance on points and it appears like this because the offset value is too high so let’s reduce it to a lower number like 0.1 or maybe 0.01 and now it looks perfect also I think that we should change the number of these cubes to four in both the X and Y axis so go to the grid node select the vertices in the X and Y axis type four and press enter now we have four cubes in the x-axis as well as in the y axis and you can even try to scale them up from the size option here or from the scale option in the instance on points so you can choose any of the two both will work in the same way and I think that we should scale them up to a slightly higher value in all the three axis so let’s change the scaling to 0.2 M or maybe let’s reduce them down to a slightly lower number like 0.16 M and now it looks perfect and yes we’ll be using these cubes to make the scene of the buildings now to convert these cubes into building we have to make them taller and for this we’ll be using another node which is the combined XYZ node but before adding it let’s first zoom out and we’ll be deleting this entire node system because it is not required anymore so I’ll select all of this except this group input because it will be required for making these buildings so to deselect it simply hold down the control button left click and drag your cursor over the group input like this now it is deselected and to delete press X and now they’re deleted now we’ll take this group input and place it here and now moving back to changing the height of these buildings we’ll be adding the combined XYZ node so press shift plus a go to utilities and here in the vector you will find the combined XYZ so I’ll select this and place it over here since we need to manipulate the size of these cubes so I’ll take this Vector socket and connect it to the size and we can’t see anything here because the size of these cubes is now being controlled by these values in the combined XYZ and because they’re set to zero as a result we can’t see anything here to scale them up I will select all the three axes and type 0.16 because that was the size that we previously entered as the size of these cubes now you might be thinking that what exactly is the use of adding this combined XYZ when you could have simply used options in the size here to change the height of your building and you will get to know this answer in a little while but before that we need to First understand about this group input node you must have noticed here that in the group input node you have this empty socket here and suppose I take the socket of the Zed axis and connect it to this empty socket then it basically creates a new socket with the name Zed and also if you go to the modify properties in this geometry node modifier you can directly control the scaling in The Zed axis from here so basically whatever you connect to an empty socket will be created as a new socket in the group input node and then you can control that specific value from the modify properties here and this was the reason why we added this combine XYZ instead of using the size option in the cube by doing this we can now simply change the height of these buildings just by going to the modify properties and changing the Z AIS and now moving ahead there are some more settings that you can do with this newly created socket in the group input node for this we first have to open the toolbar here by pressing the N key and here you can see that we have a list of three items here that are present in group input and the group output the first one is the geometry node the second geometry node and here on the third number we have this Z socket that we ourselves created you can even change the name of this socket by double clicking here and suppose I change the name to height and press enter to confirm and here in the geometry node editor the name of this socket is changed you can even control the type of value that can be added as an input in the height value here by default it is set to float meaning that you can add DE deal values to the height here but suppose I change it to integer then in this case I can only add the integer values like Min -1 0 + 1 + 2 and not the decimal values to it but in this case I’ll be changing the type back to float let’s go to the height again and let’s increase it to 0.16 M for now so this is how the group input node and the combined XYZ node works now moving ahead in order to change the height of these buildings we have to change the height value from here but if I increase it you will notice that the height changes both in the upward and the downward Direction but if you want to increase the height only in the upward Direction and not in the downward then for this we have to use another node which is the math node and the math node is probably that one node which has the maximum number of options in it to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and here in the math we’ll select this math node let’s place it here and now if I click on this drop down you can see here that we have a lot of options in the math node by default the add function is selected here but we’ll be learning all these options as we move further in this course while learning the geometry nodes now as the name suggests this add option in the math node basically adds two values together here we have the option to add two values and by default both of them are set to 0.5 as a result it would add these values and return the output which is one from this value socket in fact you can even connect these sockets against these values if you want to influence or change these values and now to get a better view of the buildings we’ll go to the front or the side view by pressing one or three on the numpad and now to increase the height of the buildings if I go to the geometry node modifier and increase the height from here we see that the height increases in upward as well as downward Direction basically in other words we want that as we increase the height all these cubes should move upwards in The Zed axis so that they start from their origin Point here and whenever we have to change the position of our cubes in any direction then we have to use the transform node so we’ll add it here by pressing shift plus a let’s go to geometry and in the operations here we have the transform geometry so I’ll select this and let’s place it after the cube node and now if I go to the geometry nodes modifier and increase the height then now I can move them upwards to the origin point with the help of translation in the Z axis so if I slightly increase it by holding the shift button and increasing it by dragging like this then they will move upwards and will begin up to their origin points perfectly but whenever I will change the height from here they will again get Scaled up in the downward Direction and again I have to go to the Z translation and change the value from here and to solve this problem we’ll be using this math node so let’s first undo everything by pressing crl plus Z 3 to four times now I’ll take this math node and place it over here and since I need to make the changes only in The Zed axis so I’ll be using the comp B XYZ node here we have already added it so I’ll select this press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it here now take this value socket of the math node and connect it to the Zed axis then take this Vector socket and connect it to the translation now to see the cubes here we have to zoom out and to bring them down we’ll be using this math node here this math node is controlling the translation in The Zed axis with the help of these values right now these values are set to 0.5 each and as a result when they will get added the output will be one therefore the position of these cubes will be 1 M up upwards in the Z axis also you can control the position in the X and Y axis from here which is set to 0.16 because we created a duplicate from here which was controlling the size and therefore we are having these values here so I’ll select both of them and reduce it to zero but even after doing all this our problem is still not solved because if I go to the height option here and increase it we again have the same issue of the cube scaling up in both upwards and downwards Direction and this is because in the math node here the two of these values are controlling the position of these Cubes but instead of these values it it should actually be the height which would control their position in the Zed axis to understand this properly I will take this height socket of the group input and connect it to one of this value socket and now what it does is that it will add the value of height which is 0.6 right now to the second value which is 0.5 and assign that particular value to the translation in The Zed axis so if I go to the height option and increase it then now we notice that this height option is controlling two things here one is the scaling of these cubes and the second thing is the movement in the Zed axis for example if I increase the height to a very high value then the cubes will move up in the Zed axis and if I reduce it then their position in the Zed axis will also reduce even though the movement in the downward direction is now reduced to some extent but still it’s not completely fixed and that is because we are using the add option in the math node because whatever value I will assign to the height this add option will increase it by 0.5 M and as a result these cubes will go upwards in The Zed AIS to fix this we have to change the option from add to divide and now if I increase the height from here and try to adjust the second value here to that particular point where it touches the x-axis then our problem will be fixed and here at a value of somewhere around 1.8 and 1.9 with the height set to 0.82 it appears to be perfect and now if I increase the height from here we see that the buildings are only getting scaled up and down and their position is not getting affected and let’s also understand how this divide option in the math note is working basically the first value is set to the value of height here which is 0.82 and the second value is 1.89 as a result it will generate the output which is 0.82 divided by 1.89 which is equal to 0.433 m to the translation or the position in the Z axis and as a result the cubes appear like this so you can basically use this math node with the Divide option and connect it to the translation in The Zed axis and in this way you can change the height from here without facing the problem of these buildings or the cubes moving downwards in The Zed axis now one thing to notice here is that the height of all these buildings is exactly the same but to give it a realistic look and to have random Heights for each of the building buildings we’ll be using another node which is the random value node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and here you have the random value so I’ll select this and place it here and now since we need to change the height or basically the size of these buildings we have to connect this random value to the scaling here with the help of a combine XYZ node so for this I will press shift plus a go to utilities and in the vector you will find the combine XYZ node so I’ll select this and place it here now the height of the buildings is controlled from the scaling in The Zed axis as a result I’ll take the value socket of the random value and connect it to the Zed axis then take this vector and to connect this Vector we have two options here one of them is the scale of this transform geometry node which is connected to this Cube and the other one is the scale option in the instance on points and if I take the vector socket and connect it to the first scaling option then we see that everything disappears and this connection line is turned to red color which indicates some error so I will press contrl plus Z and let’s try the same with a scaling in the instance on points and this time also we see no output here everything is disappeared but this time this note connection is not red colored which means that at least there is no error in this case and in fact connecting this Vector socket to the scale option of the instance on points was the correct choice because if I go to the combine Exquisite and change these values in the X and Y to one then these buildings will reappear and this time we are having some random Heights applied to each of these buildings now let’s also understand how this random value basically worked we connected the random value note to The Zed axis of the scaling through this combin XY Z node and here you can see that it has two values one is the minimum and the other one is the maximum the minimum value is set to zero and the maximum is set to one meaning that it will generate an output between 0 and 1 and assign it to the Zed axis and that particular value will be a decimal or float value because here in the type of data we have the float selected you also have other options like integer Vector Boolean but in this case we required only the float and so it assigned random Heights between 0 and 1 to all these cubes now you might be having one more doubt in your mind which is that why did did we receive error when we connected the vector to the transform geometry but not in case of instance on points and the reason is very simple see the transform geometry was carrying the information about this Cube as a whole whereas the instance on points was carrying information about all these instances which are the cubes and since we needed a random height for each of the cube or the instance we had to connect the vector to the scaling to the instance on points now here in the random value you have another option which is seed and by changing this you will basically generate another output with different random values assigned to the height of each of these buildings so basically you can generate different outputs with the help of this seed value right now I will change it back to zero and now let’s move to the next topic which is understanding the index node and we’ll be understanding this index node by first creating a simple Cube here so for this let’s move upwards in this geometry noes editor and for those of you who don’t know you can move around the noes editor simply by holding the middle Mouse button and dragging your mouse like this so let’s go over here and to add a cube press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives here we have have the cube so I’ll select this and place it here let’s also add the index node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the read you will find the index node let’s place it here now to view the cube object here simply hold down the contrl plus shift and left click on the cube and here we see our object and also this shortcut will work only if the node dangler add-on is turned on now to understand the working of this index node we should first extrude the faces of this Cube and for this I will add the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations we have the extrude mesh so I’ll select this and place it in between the cube and the viewer node now here you can see that all the faces of our Cube are now extruded but suppose you want that only a specific face or some particular Edge or vertex should have been extruded instead of all of these and for this we use the index node now if I remove the extrude mesh from the connection in between the cube and the viewer by holding the alt button and left clicking to remove it and if I select the cube then here in the spreadsheet you can see that with the vortex option selected you have some numbers written over here these numbers start from zero and go on until 7 we learned in the previous chapter that these numbers numbers are the index values of each of the vertices of this Cube see every vertex Edge and face has a particular index value which you can use to manipulate the way it looks similarly if I go to the face option here then you can see that the index value of face is also starting from zero and goes on till five meaning that there are six faces in this Cube now suppose you want that this extrude mesh should be applied to only one of the faces and not all of them to do this I will first select this extrude mesh and place it here and now we have to connect this index socket to the selection socket of the extrude mesh the selection socket allows you to select which particular Vertex or phase or Edge you want to be extruded but to tell this selection socket that exactly which phase at what index number should be extruded we have to use another node which is compare node so press shift plus a go to utilities then in the math section you will find the compare node so I’ll select this and place it here now click here and change the operation to equal we’ll understand about this in a couple of minutes I’ll take this index socket and connect it to the socket a then take this result socket and connect it to the selection and now let’s understand understand what exactly happened here previously the extrude mesh was working on all the faces of the cube but now with the help of this selection socket we give input to this extrude mesh that we want a particular phase of some specific index value to be extruded and to calculate that index value we use this compare or the equal node and here we have two options one of them is a and the other one is B and as the name suggests it basically makes the value of a equal to B meaning that since a is connected to index therefore the index value will be equal to the value of B which is zero so it will give the output of the result to this selection socket that this extrude mesh has to work on that face whose index value is zero and suppose I change the value of B to some other number like one then here you can see that another face is extruded now previously the Extrusion was working on the bottom face and as a result it looked like this and when it change the index value to one the Extrusion took place on the front face similarly you can even try other values like 2 3 4 5 and it will create an extrusion effect on that particular face and this is how the index and the compare node works and now returning back to the buildings that we were creating let’s select all of this and press X to delete and now let’s give some material or some colors to our buildings for this first let’s go to the render view by clicking on this icon let’s also change the render engine by going to the render properties and changing it from EV to Cycles to get a proper lighting click on this drop- down arrow and turn off the scene world and here we go now before creating the material let’s first add the set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material let’s place it here now to create a material let’s change the spreadsheet window to the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor now we basically need to create a texture which will make it look like there are actually some windows on these buildings to do this we’ll be using the warid texture so press shift plus a in the Shader editor go to texture and select the warno texture let’s place it here and to get the input and the mapping nodes simply press ctrl+ T and here we have the input texture coordinate and the mapping node added here take this object socket and connect it to the vector and to view the texture simply hold on crl plus shift and left click on it and we are not able to see the texture here because we have not assigned this material in the set material node so I’ll click here and choose this material and this is how the texture looks like right now now here we are having some random Spotlight texture on our buildings but we really don’t want that to change the way it looks click on this option where ukan is selected and change it to the other types with the second option selected which is the Manhattan the texture looks like this and this is also not perfect so we’ll go for the third option and let’s also try to change some settings here for example the randomness and if I reduce the randomness it’s giving a slight texture which somewhat looks like the windows of a building and to make it look perfect let’s reduce the randomness even more so I’ll change it to zero let’s change the scale value so if I increase it we see some slight texture which resembles the structure of Windows on buildings to make it look even more better let’s further scale up the value to something like 10 and now it looks like this now you might be thinking that exactly how do you know that you have to use the water texture and try to change these settings in it to achieve a specific result and the answer to this is that it basically comes with practice you have to keep in your mind how each texture would look like on your object’s material for example the noise texture would add some noise to your material the Warner texture would add some spots to your material and make it look like this similarly the brick texture and all the other textures also work in some specific manner so my suggestion to you would be that you should try to practice by adding different types of textures changing the values here trying different options and try to do this with all the textures that we have studied in this course so far and if you want to add some more windows here then you can use the scale value right now it is set to 10 but if I increase it to something like 12 then it looks like this you can even use the scale options here to change the size and the number of these windows in the texture so suppose I go to the scaling in y- axis and let’s increase it to something like 1.5 and now it looks like this now to give some color to these windows and the building we’ll be using the color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp place it in between the texture and the output and to change the colors and the intensity we have to move these pointers and change the colors from here so first I’ll take the second pointer and move it like this similarly the first pointer and let’s move it like this now here one thing to notice is that this principal bstf is not connected anywhere in this node connection and there is a reason for this basically we will need two different principle bsdf added here and that’s because one of them will be for the windows and the other one will be for the rest of the building so to create a duplicate of this press shift plus d and place it here and to connect both of them we’ll be using the mix Shader and to add it press shift plus a go to Shader and select the mix Shader place it here now let’s take the output of one of the principal bstf and connect it to the first Shader similarly let’s take the other one and connect it to the second Shader and then take this color socket of the color ramp and connected to the factor and here we can no longer see the texture of the buildings in the 3D scene and this is because previously the color was being controlled from this color ramp but now since we have connected the shaders to this principal bsdf and both of them are having the white base color as a result we can’t see the texture here to see the texture right here
I’ll take the base color of one of the principal bsdfs and let’s change it to black color and the texture is visible here now you can do one more change in order to make these buildings look very realistic which is to go to the color amp here and change the interpolation to constant and now you can see that you have these windows on all the sides of the buildings and it looks way too much realistic than before and it might be possible that some of you might be having some doubts here so let’s revise each and everything that we have done in the Shader editor till now see to get these windows we first added this war texture made some changes here and ended up in getting some Square spots which slightly look like Windows then we added this color ramp and we use the pointers here to change the position or basically the thickness of the borders of these windows for example if I increase the whiteness with the help of the second pointer then the buildings would look like this similarly if I increase the Blackness then the buildings would look like this then to have different materials like the color and the roughness for the windows and the rest of the building we added two separate principal bstf and to join them we use the mix Shader and connected it to the material output and now suppose you want to change the color of these buildings so you can simply go to this base color option here and increase the brightness from here and change the color to anything like blue or green and the color would change here but suppose you want that these buildings should have some random colors and for this we’ll be using the musk grave texture and to add it we first have to press shift plus a then go to texture and you will observe that there’s no such texture here and I told you in the previous chapters that in the recent blender 4.1 version the musk grave texture was removed and it was replaced by the noise texture so we add the noise texture and place it over here now turn off this normalize and now we can use this noise texture just like the mus grave texture now since we’ll be using this noise texture to give random colors to the windows of the building I’ll take this Factor socket and connect it to the principal bstf which has the black base color using the base color socket and we see some mus grave texture here to give it some colors let’s add a color ramp here so I’ll select this color ramp and let’s create its duplicate by pressing shift plus d and place it here to change the colors let’s select the first point enter and click here to change the color increase the brightness and suppose I change it to red color but now all the buildings are turned to Red to add some new colors click on this plus icon and let’s change this color to something like blue but here you can see that it is not giving the desired result it is basically applying all these colors to the textures and not to the different buildings to fix this we’ll be using the object info node so press shift plus a go to input and select the object info place it here now to tell this noise texture that we want the colors to be applied to different buildings we have to use this location socket here let’s connect it to the vector and if I change the scaling from here you will begin to notice that some random colors are being assigned to different buildings here let’s even increase the number of colors from here by clicking on the plus icon and let’s change it to green color now this little building here is colored green and let’s also try to move these pointers to change the color of the buildings let’s select this blue one and move it here similarly this green one and move it here let’s also change the color of this white pointer by clicking on it and changing it from here so let’s change it to yellow color to get the random colors properly we have to play with the scale value and the position of these pointers here so let’s try to change the scale value and also these pointers in order to get some different results and let’s also try to change the scale value from here like if I reduce it we’ll get different results so you should try to change the scale values and the position of these pointers try to add some more colors and you will get different results each time but I think that right now this combination looks perfect so let’s finalize this and suppose you want to change the color of the rest of the building right now it is set to white color but suppose you want some other color so let’s go down and here in the second principal bstf we have the base color option so if I change it to black color you will observe that the borders of the windows or basically all the part except the windows is now colored black and as I told you before you can change the thickness of these Borders or simply these lines with the help of this color ramp so if I take the second pointer and move it like this the thickness or the width will basically change but I think that this much is fine and you can even change other things like to make them look metallic you can increase the metallic nature from here or make them look rough from here so you can try to change these different settings to change the material of the windows or the rest of the building this principal bstf will work for the windows and the second principal bstf will be used for the remaining building and here I think that we should change the roughness of the windows to exact zero in order to make them shiny and reflecting and now our buildings are completely ready but if you remember we added this Grid or the plane and use the instance on points to add these Cubes at the position where the points or the vertices of this plane were located as a result whenever you want to increase the number of these buildings you can simply go to the vertices option here and right now their value is four but suppose you want to increase it to a higher number like 8 or 10 then the number of these buildings will increase but you need to adjust their size from the size option here so if I increase the size in the x-axis then these buildings will move apart in the x-axis like this similarly to move them apart in the y axis I’ll take this size in the y- axis and increase it and now it looks like this so you can try to change these values to change the number of buildings in your scene and also the distance between them with the help of the size option in the X and the Y AIS and also if you want to change the random colors that are assigned to these buildings you can again go to the noise texture and change the scale value from here or you can also go to the color ramp and change the position of these pointers from here but I think that we should finalize this one and this is how the final output looks like I added a simple plane below its surface added some lighting and this is the final rendered output also this brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter in this chapter we’ll be understanding all these topics in complete detail and we’ll be using these topics to create this fence and our Target for the upcoming videos will be to create a landscape with this fence some grass and rocks but for today’s chapter we’ll focus only on creating this fence now the first topic for today’s chapter is understanding the resample curve node but before that let’s first open the geometry noes editor and now instead of working on this Cube we’ll be adding a bzier curve so press X to delete it press shift plus a go to curve and add the Bas curve now we’ll be using this curve to make the fence so first let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad let’s zoom in and if I enter the edit mode of this curve by pressing the Tab Key then here you will notice that we have a tool called Draw and if I select this then I can draw the curve just by left clicking and dragging like this and this is going to be very useful while we are creating the fence right now let’s undo now to start working on the geometry nodes first first let’s enter the object mode by pressing the T key and take on the new button now we’ll be adding the resample curve by pressing shift plus a in the curve we’ll go to operations and here we have the resample curve let’s place it here and yes one more important thing is that you do not need to memorize the location of each and every node in this ad menu you can simply search for the specific node from the search bar here for example if I type object info then you will get the object info node here similarly you can search for any other node and easily add it in the geometry nodes editor now we’ll understand this resample curve node in a little while but before that let’s also add the instance on points so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it before the output and we learned about this node in the previous chapter of this course now we’ll also need an instance object here and for this we’ll be using a simple Cube so press shift plus a go to mesh and in The Primitives select Cube let’s place it here and connect it to the instance and we notice some changes here but before understanding that let’s reduce the scale of these cubes from here suppose I change it to 0.2 or maybe 0.1 and now we can view them properly now let’s come back to the resample curve node if I tap into the edit mode you will notice that our curve is still present here and it has two points one is this point and the other one is this point and also whenever you select one of the points this handle will appear and this Middle Point is known as the control point of the curve by pressing G I can move the curve like this now to understand the working of this node I’ll first remove it from here by holding alt and if I left click it will get removed now without using this resample curve node we observe that we have two cubes placed only add the vertices or the center points of this curve and that’s because the instance on points node is connected here it will place the instance which is the cube in this case to the point of the curve and then if I select the resample curve and place it here it basically creates more of these points throughout the curve which can be controlled from the count number here previously I showed you that without using this node you had only two instances or the cubes added at the center points but right now the count value here is set to 10 and as a result we are having 10 cubes placed at different points on this curve and also if I press G to move this point and extend it like this you will notice that the number of these cubes will still remain the same only the length of this Curve will change but not the number of these cubes and that is because the mode here is set to count but if I change it to length then basically this length value will control the distance between two instances or two cubes so if I increase the distance the number of Cubes will reduce that’s because within the same length of the curve the increase in the distance between two cubes will result in lesser space for the other cubes as a result the number of these cubes will reduce but if I PR G to move it you will notice that as the length increases the number of these cubes will also increase and this is the use of the length mode in the resample curve and now the third option that you have here is the evaluated and if I select the evaluated mode basically it allows you to control the number of these cubes by going to the object data properties and changing the resolution from here higher the resolution more will be the number of cubes and lesser the resolution lesser will be the number of cubes and this is how the evaluated mode works in resample curve node now suppose you want that instead of the cubes here here you should have the monkey or the suzan model but if I go to the geometry notes editor press shift plus a in the mesh Primitives you will find that you don’t have the option of selecting the suzan model to fix this problem we have the object info node so suppose I delete this Cube by pressing X let’s come out of the edit mode press shift plus a to add a monkey go to mesh and select the monkey let’s place it in the y direction by pressing G and Y and move it here to select the curve again go to the scene collection and select the Basia curve now to assign the monkey to the instance we’ll use the object info node so press shift plus a go to input and in scene you will find the object info node let’s place it here and this node is basically used to input any particular object from the scene in the geometry noes editor for example if I click on the object here and select the suzan and then if I connect the geometry to the instance you will notice that just like the cubes now we are having these monkey objects placed at different points in the curve you can reduce their number from the resolution preview here because we have enabled the evaluated mode in the resample curve now there’s also an easy way to add the object info node which is to go to the scene collection and suppose I need the suzan model so I’ll drag it by left clicking and drop it in the geometry notes editor and now we have the object info note added with the suzan selected now in a very similar way we can create a fence but for that we’ll first add a cube in our scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and add a cube tab into the edit mode and we’ll be making one part of the fence so let’s scale it down in the X and Y axis by pressing s and x and scale it down like this similarly in the Y AIS press s and Y and scale it down like this now go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad let’s also move it upwards by pressing G and z and let’s place it here now to create the remaining part of the fence I will create a duplicate by pressing shift plus d and right click to cancel the movement and let’s rotate it in the Y AIS by 90° so press r y and 90 enter to confirm and we’ll place it here left click to finalize the position and this is how this part of the fence is looking right now let’s also scale this down in the y- AIS by pressing s and Y and scale it down like this let’s also create a duplicate of this part and move it downwards so press shift plus d right click press G and Z to move it downwards let’s place it here and now the part of a fence is ready and we’ll be using this part to create the entire fence for this select the basier curve I will delete this object info node by pressing X and here in this object info node I’ll change the object from the suzan to cube now you can see here that the fence is somewhat visible but it’s not perfect and that’s because we have to change the scale value of this fence so I’ll go to the scale value here and let’s increase it by left clicking and dragging like this and if I move my cursor then the scale will increase or reduce and right now the increments with which the scale is changing is very high and to fix this problem hold on the shift key and now if I scale it up and down we get smaller increments and I think that a value of somewhere near 0.2 would look fine because at this value all the parts of the fence seems to connect with each other but another problem that you can see here is that the rotation of this fence is not right it’s not aligned to the rotation and the structure of the curve and to fix this we’ll be using another note which is the Align uler to Vector node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in the rotation select align UL to vector let’s place it here now I don’t know if the pronunciation of this word is right or not I pronouncing it as uler but a lot of people also pronounce it as Oiler so you can search for the pronunciation of this word if it’s huler or Oiler or something else now the use of this node is that it basically helps to align the rotation in the X Y and Zed axis as per the vector values here so if I connect the rotation of this align U to Vector to the rotation here you will notice some changes here basically the x-axis is selected here meaning that it will align the x-axis as per the vector value here and here you can see that the vector value in The Zed axis is set to one as a result the rotation that you were seeing previously is now aligned like this in the Z axis similarly you can change the axis to align from here for example if I select y then they will get aligned like this similarly The Zed axis and it looks like this it won’t show you any change in the Z axis because aligning the Z axis to the vector will mean that you’re aligning the same axis in the same direction of the vector as the value of Zed in Vector is set to one now if you’re understanding it for the very first time it it might be possible that you can’t understand it completely but in simple words it basically aligns a particular axis according to the vector values that you’re having here now to rotate this fence along the curve we have to add another node which is the curve tangent node so press shift plus a go to curve and in read select the curve tangent let’s place it here and now I’ll go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad then I’ll take this tangent socket and connect it to the vector and to get them properly aligned with the Curve change the axis from here at xaxis it looks fine and you can see here that that there are still some imperfections in this model and to fix this we’ll first reduce the scaling in the x-axis so that the fence part will just touch each other then to increase their count I’ll go to the resample curve change the mode from evaluated to count and if I increase it you will notice that the fence will now look perfect in fact let me show you one more thing if I go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad tab into the edit mode and with this draw option selected if I left click and draw a curve you will notice that a fence will get created that will be perfectly aligned with the structure of that curve and that’s how you can simply create any fence just by drawing a curve so if I go to the top view again we can draw three to four curves like this but one thing to notice here is that as I increase the length of the curves the number of these instances will remain the same and if I go to the count and try to increase them you will notice that the number of instances in the smaller as well as the bigger fence will increase and so we’ll try a better approach which is to change the mode from count to length and now we can set a particular length which will be the minimum distance between two instances so if I reduce it you will notice that the distance between the two instances will reduce and at a particular value they will get connected to each other and make a perfect fence and now let’s move ahead to the next topic of this chapter which is the delete geometry node and this node is basically used to delete some random parts of your mesh and to explore it in detail We’ll add it in the geometry note editor so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the operations select delete geometry let’s place it here now here you can see that in the domain you have some options which means that in any mesh or the object that you select you can can delete the points the edges the faces the spline or basically the curves and even the instances and from here you can select the mode of deleting meaning that if you want to delete only the edges and faces or if you want to delete only the faces and now to see how it works we’ll take it and drop in between the re sample curve and the instance on points and here we observe that it deletes everything and that’s because we have not given any information to the delete geometry node about which part of mesh it should delete and suppose you want to delete some random parts for this we’ll add the random value node by pressing shift plus a going to utilities and here we have the random value so I’ll select this and place it here now here you have some options in the data type like float integer vector and Boolean the data type will basically Define the output that it will generate for example with the float selected it will basically give the output between the minimum and the maximum values that is 0o and 1 and the output will be a float value or a decimal value similarly you have integers vectors but we’ll be selecting the Boolean and for those of you who don’t know what a Boolean is it basically means true or false in fact here you can see that you have this probability bar which is set to 0.5 to discover how it works we’ll take this value socket and connect it to the selection and here you can see that now some random parts of the fence are deleted here see the function of delete geometry is simply to delete the mesh or any part of the mesh but if we don’t give any information to it about which part to delete it will delete everything therefore we needed to add the random value note with the Boolean selected and this probability option will basically Define the probability or the chances of each part of the fence getting deleted since the probability is set to 0.5 it means that the chances of each fence to get deleted is 50/50 and if you want more part of the fence to be deleted you can increase the probability from here and now you can see here that as I increase the probability the part of the mesh which is getting disappeared will increase but to create a realistic looking fence will lower the probability to somewhere around 0.2 or 0.1 then you have the seed option here and if I change it you will notice that it generates a completely different output so you can use this seed value to generate some random outputs with the same probability value but I think that I will change it to this seat value as it looks better right now so you can try to change the probability value from here and also the seat value to get some different results each and every time and I think that this output looks perfect so I’ll finalize this one and now moving ahead let’s give this fence some basic material for this I will change this spreadsheet into the Shader editor by clicking on this icon and selecting the Shader editor press n to close this toolbar and click on new button here we have the default material applied to the fence let’s go to the material preview mode or maybe the render preview mode and we should increase the lighting in our scene so I will select the lamp here and in the properties I’ll change the type of light to Sun let’s reduce the strength from here to something like 10 or maybe 20 let’s also rotate it in the x- axis by pressing R and x and let’s rotate it like this and now we have a better Lighting in the scene but right now I think that the strength is too high so I will reduce the strength slightly and I’ll keep it to somewhere near 10 and it looks perfect so I’ll again select the fence and let’s create the material we’ll be creating a basic wood material to apply to this fence so let’s rename the material to Wood and yes if you have have not learned about the material textures and notes then you can check the previous chapters of this course where we understood about the note components the basic and procedural shaders image textures and a lot more but for now we’ll be creating a simple wood texture by adding a noise texture here so press shift plus a go to texture and add the noise texture let’s place it over here press cr+ T to get the input and the mapping node this shortcut will work only if the node dangler add-on is turned on then connect this object socket of the texture coordinate to this Vector socket and to view the texture here press contrl plus shift and left click on the noise texture but here we need to zoom in to view the texture on this fence now the reason why we can’t see anything here is that we have applied this material to the basier curve but instead of that we should have applied this material to this fence object to do this in the material properties click on this icon and select wood and now if I zoom in you will observe that the noise texture is visible on the fence here now to make a realistic wood texture we’ll change the value of the scale from the noise texture and yes before that we’ll be viewing the texture on this object because it’s comparatively bigger in size and so the texture will be properly visible now we’ll go to the noise texture increase the scale value like this and let’s increase it to something like maybe 50 and let’s also increase the detailing and you might have seen that the wood material has this stretching effect on its surface and to achieve this kind of result in blender we’ll go to the scaling in the mapping Vector node and let’s try to change these values in different axis and if I increase the scale in the xaxis and zoom in you will notice that we are getting some kind of stretching effect but it’s not perfect right now to fix this we’ll take this UV socket and connect it to the vector tab into the edit mode press a to select all then in the UV option here select smart UV project click okay and now if I go to the object mode again and try to change the values of scale from here you will notice that by scaling it in the Y AIS it gives us a better texture to view it properly I’ll go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and let’s zoom in like this so here you can see that with the scaling in the x-axis set to one if I increase the scaling in the Y AIS we get the stretching effect on the texture so we’ll finalize the texture and now it looks like this and now to give some color to it we’ll add the color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it here and I’ll select the first pointer and change its color from here let’s increase the brightness slightly and I’ll change it to brown color you can check the final result of the color from here and for the second pointer I need the color to be very slightly different from the first color so with this cursor over this brown color if I press ctrl+ C and select the second pointer and now with the cursor over the white color if I press crl plus v the brown color will get added here as well but for this color we’ll increase the brightness from the slider like this to give it a slight orange look and to make the texture look better you can try to change the position of these pointers like this and in this way you can make your texture look more realistic than before let’s also add this principal bstf after the color ramp and now to give it a 3d effect We’ll add the bump node so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node place it over here then take this Factor socket of the noise texture and connect it to the height then take this normal socket and connected to the normal of the principal bsdf and here the bump node is applied to the texture you can make this texture look better by by changing the scale value in the y- axis from here so if I reduce it you will notice that at a value of somewhere near 0.2 or 0.1 you will get a realistic looking wood texture and yes one more thing it’s not compulsory to enter the same values that I am adding here you can try to get different results by changing the scale values here or maybe the colors in the color Ram you can also control the strength of the bump from here so I think that we should keep it to somewhere near 0.5 and it looks better now since we are making the wood texture let’s increase the roughness in the principal bstf to a very high value like 0.9 or 1 and now it looks perfect and yes this brings us to the end of this chapter in this chapter we learned about creating this fence in our scene with the help of all these geometry nodes then we even created a simple wood texture for this fence in the next chapter we’ll be making the base of the landscape where the fence that we created will be [Music] placed in the previous chapter we created this fence with the help of geometry notes and in this chapter we’ll be covering all these Topics in complete detail now in the chapter number 32 we created this fence and also give it a basic wood texture and now let’s work on creating a hilly landscape for this let’s first add a Plane by pressing shift plus a and in the mesh select the plane tab into the edit mode and to scale it up press s and if I press 10 then it will get Scaled up 10 times now since we’ll be creating a complex landscape with this plane let’s subdivide it so right click and select subdivide then if I click on this menu from here I can control the number of cuts so let’s change it to 10 or maybe 40 so we have to keep this number high so that we we can easily make a complex landscape let’s come out of the edit mode and to work on the geometry noes with this plane selected click on the new button and now moving to the first topic of today’s chapter which is the set position node We’ll add it here by pressing shift plus a go to the geometry and in the right category select set position let’s place it here now as the name suggest the set position node allows you to set the position of the vertices of your mesh or instance and to use this I’ll select it and drop it in between the group input and the group output now to understand it better I will change this window from Shader Editor to the spreadsheet and with the vertices selected here you can see that we have 1,800 vertices and you also have the position of each of these vertices for example the vertex with the index value of zero has the position of – 10 in the xaxis minus 10 in the Y AIS and 0er in The Zed axis and you can see here that all of these vertices are having the Z component as zero and the reason for this is that the position of this entire plane is at the position value of zero in the Z axis now you can use this set position node to change the position of any of these vertices to any other new position but in order to tell this set position node that the position of exactly which Vortex it should be changing we have to use the position node to add it here press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the position let’s place it here now if you remember we studied about the index node in one of our previous chapters the index node used to act like an input value for the index values here similarly this position node will act as an input for the different position values here to understand these positions better let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and let’s zoom out now here at the index number zero the position of the vortex is – 10 in the xaxis – 10 in the Y AIS and 0 in the Zed AIS and to view this vortex in the 3D view Port you have to understand a simple Concept in the x-axis the left hand side is negative and the right hand side is positive in the Y AIS the downward direction is negative and the upwards is positive and yes do remember that we are viewing this plane from the top view now if I look at the position of the ver at index value 0 the X component is set to minus 10 meaning that the vertex is located at – 10 m away from the x-axis and since we scaled Up This Plane 10 times it means that it is somewhere located on this edge of the plane then the y- AIS the value is set to minus 10 meaning that it’s in the negative Direction and so it’s 10 m downwards as a result we can say that the vertex at the index value zero is placed at exact this point and if I di into the edit mode and zoom in then this is the exact vertex I’m talking about it’s on the left hand side meaning that the X component is negative and it is the farthest away from the Y AIS then being in downward Direction it has a negative y component and again being the point which is farthest away from the x-axis the value of y component is minus 10 and as I already told you the Z components of all these points is fixed to 0 m let’s come out of the edit mode now to convert This Plane into a hilly landscape we’ll be using the noise texture node along with this position node and to add the noise texture press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise noise texture let’s place it here now the reason for adding this noise texture is that in the geometry nodes the noise texture allows you to push some of the vertices upwards and so it can help us to create a hilly landscape but to use it here we first have to add the vector math node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select Vector math and place it here now I’ll take this position socket and connect it to Vector then take this Vector socket and connect it to the position now the reason for adding this Vector math node is that to make the Hy landscape we need to change the position of these vectors meaning that we needed to add some mathematical value to the position of different vectors with the help of the noise texture so in the first socket we connected the position and in the second socket we’ll be connecting the noise texture but before that let’s understand one more thing in order to make this clean a hilly landscape we have to change the position of vertices only in The Zed axis but if I take the factor socket of the noise texture and connect it to the second Vector socket then now it will begin to control the vector in all the three axis and to affect only the Z axis we will be using the combined XY Z node we learned about this node in one of the previous chapters while understanding the geometry nodes now to add the combined exosite node press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the combine XY Z let’s place it here and connect this Vector socket to over here now to connect this noise texture to the rest of the node system we’ll connect it to the combined exisit through the Zed axis so take this Factor socket and connect it to the Zed socket and we notice some changes here but before understanding that let’s first revise each and everything that we have done in this geometry nodes editor the first thing that we added was this set position node because our purpose was to create a hilly landscape and to do that we basically had to change the position of some random vertices by moving them upwards and to achieve this target we used the position Noe and the noise texture and we needed to add them together in order to change the position of the vertices for this we used the vector match node with the add operation enabled then we added this combined XYZ node because we needed the change in position to take place only in The Zed axis and the noise texture in the geometry notes editor won’t be actually adding a texture like it used to do in the Shader editor in state it will create this Distortion effect on different vertices of the plane it basically takes the default position of the vortex and since we have connected it to this Vector math node it will add Distortion to it in the Zed axis and if you want you can use the scale value in the noise texture in order to change the Distortion effect on this plane right now the scale value is set to 0.3 and that’s why it appears like this to view it properly I’ll change the mode from the rendered view to the solid View and this is how it looks right now if you look closely at the plane you will observe that in order to make this into a hilly landscape we need to increase the Distortion effect and always remember that whenever you want to increase an effect significantly in Geometry nodes you can use the multiply math node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the math node since we want to use this Vector math node in order to manipulate the Distortion effect so we’ll place it after the noise texture let’s change the operation from add to multiply and now with the help of this value I can increase the Distortion effect on the plane but one more thing to notice here is that increasing this value also moves our plane upwards so we basically want that as we increase this multiply value the position of the plane should go downwards instead of moving up and for this we’ll be adding a vector math node with the subtract operation for this press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select Vector math we’ll place it just before the set position node and I’ll change the operation to subtract and now if I take the value of Z component in the vector socket and increase it the plane will begin to go downwards but since we wanted that the position of this plane in the Zed axis should be controlled as per the multiply value so we have to connect the multiply value socket to the vector and because it will be controlling Only The Zed axis as a result we’ll be adding a combined XYZ node for this I’ll select this combine XY Z node press shift plus d and place it here take this Vector socket and connect it to the second Vector socket of the subtract then if I take this value socket and try to connect it to the Z AIS socket of the combin XYZ you will notice that they do not get connected and that’s because we have to use a value node to connect them to add it press shift plus a go to input and in constant select value we’ll place it here take the values soet and connect it to the multiply value then again take this value socket and connect it to the Zed axis in the combined XY Z now this value node is working as a connection between the multiply value and the movement in the Zed axis and if I try to increase this value you will notice that the Distortion effect is increasing because of this multiply node and it’s not moving upwards because of the subtract node but here we see that we have another problem if I increase the multiply value then this time the plane will begin to move downwards and to fix this we have to use another math node with the Divide operation so press shift Plus say go to utilities and in math select the math node we’ll place it after the value socket and change the operation from add to divide now we change the value socket in the math node and if I increase it you will notice that the plane will begin to move upwards now we have to keep this value to that number where it just touches the X and the y axis for this we’ll go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad and let’s zoom in and since it is moved upwards so we’ll reduce the Divide value and at a value of somewhere near 2 or 2.5 the plane is perfectly touching the x-axis and to confirm I’ll go to this value socket and change the value to zero and now it’s perfectly placed here so if I change the value to a higher number like 10 then basically two things are happening one is that it will multiply the Distortion effect by a factor of 10 and the second thing is that this value of 10 will reach this math node with the Divide operation 10 will get divided by two the output will be five this value of five will reach the combin xed node and as a result the plane will move downwards in The Zed AIS by 5 m because of the subtract Vector math node now to get a proper Distortion effect we’ll use the scale value in the noise texture right now it is set to 0.3 but if I reduce it you’ll notice that it looks better than before and if you want to change the scale value slowly then simply hold down the shift button and now with the left click if I drag then I can slowly see the change in different scale values and at a value of somewhere near 0.09 or 0.1 we get a distortion effect like this and to increase their height you can go to the multiply value here and increase it so simply by changing the scale value and the multiply value you can turn a simple plane to look like a Hy landscape but right now I think that the height is bit too much so I’ll reduce the multiply value to a lower number like 8 or 10 and now if we zoom in we have this slight Distortion effect applied to the vertices of this plane and yes if you want to make it surface smooth you can add the set shade smooth node in the geometry noes editor so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the right category select set shade smooth place it just before the group output and now we have the shade smooth applied to this plane and also here we have a simple hilly base which we created by distorting the vertices and if you want you can even increase the size of this plane by simply going to the edit mode press a to select all the vertices and now you can press s to scale it up so I’ve scaled it up two times and this is how it looks right now as I told you before you can change the Distortion effect and the height with the help of the scale value of the noise texture and this multiply value but according to me right now the basic structure of the base of landscape looks perfect so we’ll finalize this and now moving ahead we’ll also be creating some grass and rocks to place on this plane in the upcoming chapters but before that we need to understand about another node which will help us to distribute the grass and the Rocks all over the plane and this is the distribute points on faces node to add it press shift plus a go to point and select distribute points on faces we’ll place it just after the set geometry node and we see some changes here as the name suggests the distribute points on faces node basically distributes these points on different faces of the mes object now the first option that you have here is the density and it basically controls the number of these points per square meter of each face higher the density more will be the number of point points and if I reduce the density we’ll have lesser points on the faces then the next option that you have here is the seed and this one basically shuffles these points at different locations and each time it will create a new output and also from here you can control the distribution method by default the random is selected and so it distributes the points randomly on the faces but if I change it to the poison disc you will notice that we have a new option which is the minimum distance and this parameter basically controls the minimum distance between any two points so if I increase it you will notice that the number of these points will reduce as the minimum distance required between them increases and this is the special thing in the poison disc distribution method for now I’ll change it back to random distribution method and now suppose you want to place a specific mesh object in place of these points for this we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points place it after the distribute points on faces and everything will disappear because we have to tell this instance on points about which particular mesh we want to be placed as the instance on those points for now we’ll be adding a cube as the instance so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select Cube we’ll place it here and connect this mesh socket to the instance here it appears like this because the size of the cube is too big so we’ll reduce it by left clicking and dragging like this and before releasing if I move my cursor the size of the cubes will change I think that we should reduce it to something like 0.1 M and now you can see that instead of the points we have these cubes placed as the instance is here let’s also reduce the density to get a better View and this is how it looks and now suppose you want to see both the plane and these cubes in the scene and for this we’ll be using the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry we’ll place it just before the output and to view the plane here simply take this geometry socket of the set position which is carrying the information about the plane and connect it to the Joint geometry and now here we have both the plane and these cubes as the instances placed on it and yes in the upcoming chapters we’ll be creating some grass and rocks and we’ll place them as the instance objects at the position where the cubes are placed right now and yes one more thing it might be possible that even after applying the set shade smooth the plane still appears to be flat and that’s because we have placed the joint geometry node after the set shade smooth but if I remove it from here by holding the alt button and left clicking and if I place it before the set shade smooth and again if I take the geometry socket of the set position and connect it to the Joint geometry then in this case the shade smooth will be applied to our plane and if you want you can also change the color of this Base by simply going to the material properties and in the base color you can set any particular color as the base color but for now I’ll remove it and yes this brings us to the end of this chapter in this chapter we learned about all these topics in complete detail and also created the simple hilly base of the [Music] landscape in the previous two chapters we understood about creating this fence along with the wood texture and also a simple base for the landscape and we created all this with the help of geometry nodes and in this chapter we’ll be exploring about creating the grass for the landscape and with this we’ll also be covering all these topics in complete detail so previously we made this fence and this base for the landscape and now let’s begin with the creation of grass Now to create the grass first add a cube in the scene by pressing shift plus a and in the mesh select the cube let’s move it in the y direction by pressing G and Y and place it over here and we’ll be creating the grass with the help of geometry nodes in blender for this go to the geometry nodes editor and click on this new button the first node that I’m going to add is the mesh line node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the mesh line let’s place it over here and now this mesh line node is connected to the group output now as the name of this node suggest it basically creates a mesh in the form of a line and since it is a mesh therefore it has vertices and edges connecting with each other and if you want to view those vertices we need to add another node which is the mesh to points node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select mesh to points we’ll place it after the mesh line and here you can see that these points are the vertices of this mesh line now here you have some options in the mesh line curve and let’s explore them in detail this offset option basically allows you to change change the distance between each point on a particular axis for example if I increase the x value you will notice that the distance between the points will increase in the xaxis similarly if I increase the value in the y- axis the distance between the points will increase in the y- axis similarly with the Zed axis also if I increase it the distance between two points or the offset will increase then the next thing that you have here is the start location and by using this option I can basically change the position of the first point or the first vertex of this mesh line so if I change it in x-axis you can see here that its Position will change in the the x-axis similarly in the Y AIS and also in the Zed axis so this one is basically used to change the position of the vortex and the offset is basically used to control the distance between two points or two vertices and the next option that you have here is the count and it basically determines the number of these points or the vertices in the mesh line so if I increase it the number of these points will increase and also the length of the mesh line will increase now you also have this option of selecting the mode which is set to offset by default but if I change it to end points it will allow us to control the things in the mesh line differently than before with end points mode selected you can control the length of this mesh line or basically the position of the starting point and the ending point from these values here for example the start location will determine the value of the first vertex which is placed at the bottom and the end location will determine the position of the last vertex which is placed at the top so if I increase the value of end location in The Zed axis you will see that the position of the last Vector will move upwards and as a result the length of this mesh line will also change previously in the offset mode you are able to control the length of this mesh line with the help of this count option but in this ISE no matter what the value of count is the length of the mesh line will remain the same and only the number of these points or vertices will change and now specifically in this end points mode here you have the option of selecting the count mode if I change it to resolution then here you have the resolution value which is basically the minimum distance between any two points in the mesh line so if I reduce the resolution like this then the distance between the two points will decrease and as a result in the same length of the mesh line we’ll be having a higher number of vertices or these points and since we’ll be using this mesh line for making the grass I’ll be changing the mode from end points to offset let’s also change the value of offset in the Z axis to 1 M and let’s round off the count value from 19 to 20 now if you remember we added this mesh two points in order to see these vertices but now it’s no longer required so I will press X to delete it and let’s take this mesh socket and connect it to the geometry and this is how a mesh line is looking right now since we’ll be making a grass out of it we need to apply some rotation to it and for this we’ll be using the vector rotate node and to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the vector rotate let’s place it over here here and since we are changing the rotation of this mesh line we also have to use the set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the right category select the set position we’ll place it just before the group output and now here we have a mesh line node which created this mesh line a vector rotate node which will be used to control the rotation of this line and a set position node which is being used because we are changing the rotation of this line now to connect this Vector rotate node to the rest of the node system take this Vector socket and connect it to the position and we notice that the mesh line disappears that’s because we have to use these values use to control the rotation and the visibility of the mesh line now since we’ll be changing the rotation of different vertices so we have to tell this Vector rotate node about the position of those different vertices for this we’ll be adding the position node about which we learned in the previous chapter so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the position node let’s place it here and connect it to the vector socket and now this mesh line is again visible now here you have this angle option in the vector rotate node and if I try to change it you will see that nothing happens and this is because we need to give some input to it about the index value of different vertices to change the angle to do this press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the index let’s place it here and connect it to the angle and now suppose you want that each of the vortex should rotate around a particular axis for this you can change the type of rotation to any particular axis so if I select the x-axis here we have all the vertices or the points of this mesh line rotated in the x-axis and if you want to control this rotation we have to use the math node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the math node we’ll place it between the index socket and the angle and now if a change the function to multiply then I can use this value to control the rotation of the different points of the mes line in the x-axis and if you feel that while changing the value by left clicking and dragging like this it’s changing very fast so you can simply hold the shift button and then you can see the changes slowly now let’s again understand what all we did here in order to revise each and everything first we added the mesh line node because we wanted to create the grass with the help of this mesh line then to change the rotation we use the set position node and to control the rotation we use the vector rotate node then we use this position node to act as an input about the position value of different vertices and to change the angle of rotation we used this index node and connected it to the math node with the multiply operation so that we can control the rotation of this line and it was rotating like this because we have set the type as the x-axis now moving ahead let me tell you about some other useful nodes which I used to change the object type from mesh to curve or from curve to mesh for this the first node is the mesh to curve node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh to curve and let’s place it here now you may not notice any changes here but it actually Chang changes the object type of any object from mesh to curve and to confirm this you can go to this spreadsheet and now in the mesh you can see that you have zero vertices zero edges zero faces and zero face corners but here in the curve section you have this option of spline and the number here is set to one and from this you can confirm that the object type for this mesh line is changed from mesh to curve and there’s another node whose function is just the opposite of this mesh to curve node and it is known as the curve to mesh node to add it here press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the curve to mesh let’s place it here and now the object type for this mesh line will change from curve back to mesh and to confirm this you can go to the spreadsheet and here in the mesh category you have 20 vertices and 19 edges previously both of these values is zero and the number of spline in the curve was set to one which is now again zero so by using this node you can simply convert the object type of any object from curve to mesh and now moving ahead in order to give some thickness to this mesh line we’ll be using another node which is the curve line node to add it here press shift plus a go to curve and in Primitives select the curve line let’s place it here and now this curve line is very similar to the mesh line that we added here to view it in our scene hold on control and shift and if I left click on the curve line node then now we can see this curve line added in my scene now the difference between the curve line node and the mesh line is simply that the object type of the curve line is a curve and that of mesh line is a mesh in order to view the vertices or the points of this curve line we’ll be adding the curve two points node so press shift plus a go to curve and an operations select the curve two points let’s place it over here and now you can see that these are the points on this curve line now just like the mesh line you can control the position of the first vertex with the help of the starting positions and for the last vertex you have the end position which you can controlled from here so you can simply change the position of the starting point and the ending point in any of the three axes from the parameters here now we’ll be using this curve line node to give the mesh line that we created some width or a dimension by connecting it to the profile curve here to view the results I will delete these two by pressing X and let’s zoom out and we see some changes in the mesh line that we created to increase the width in the x- axis we’ll change the position of the start parameter in the x-axis and now you will notice that the width of this mesh line in the x-axis will increase and another thing to notice here is that one side of this mesh line is slightly pushed upwards in the Z axis and that is because the position of the ending vertex in the curve line is set to 1 m in The Zed axis to level it perfectly I’ll change its value to 0 m and now it looks fine and now let’s revise the curve line node as I already told you it’s very similar to the mesh line except for the fact that its object type is curve instead of mesh and we connected it to the profile curve because because we needed to give some thickness to this mesh line in order to create the grass now in order to make it look like a real glass blade we need to change its shape it should be bigger in size at the bottom and then it should scale down as it moves upwards for this we’ll be using the set curve radius node to add it here press shift plus a go to curve and in the right category select the set curve radius now we have to understand one basic thing the set curve radius node can be applied only to a curve and so the input that it will receive should also be a curve and in this node system we added this mesh to curve node which converted the object object type of this mesh line into a curve meaning that the output that it will give will also be a curve so we’ll be placing it after the mesh to curve node and here it gets connected now you can use this radius value to control the curve radius but in order to achieve the result where the area is bigger at the bottom and smaller at the top we have to use another node to control the radius and it is the spline parameter node to add it here press shift plus a go to curve and in the read category select the spline parameter we’ll place it over here and we have to connect it to this radius value because the spline parameter node is being used to control the radius or basically the size at the different points and for this if I take this Factor socket and connect it to the radius you will notice that at the starting point it now has the lowest size and then the size keeps on increasing and reaches the maximum at the ending point and this is how the factor socket works in the spine parameter and now let me explain you about this Factor socket of this fine parameter in complete detail actually the output that this Factor socket gives is in the form of 0 to 1 meaning that it will pass the value of zero for the beginning and then it increases from zero till it reaches one so you can say that at the lowermost point which is the starting vertex the radius or the size is zero and at the topmost point or basically the end the radius or the size is equal to a value of one now if you remember I told you that we needed the starting point to be bigger in size and the ending point to be smaller but here we have the opposite result meaning that we need to remap the range value of this Factor socket which is currently set as 0 to 1 and we’ll change it to 1 to 0 by doing this the area at the starting or basically the lower part will be greater and then it will reduce and at the top or basically at the end the area will be the minimum and to achieve this result we have to use the map range node now to add the map range node press shift plus a go to utilities and in the math category select the map range we’ll place it after the spline parameter and now this map range is connected to the spline parameter and the set curve radius now to invert the range from 0 to 1 into 1 to 0 simply go to this two minimum value and change it to one and this two maximum value to zero and here we get the result but let me also explain to you exactly how it worked see we add this Pline parameter in order to make this look like a blade of grass and when we connected this Factor socket to the radius it gave the radius a value of 0 to 1 from bottom to top but we needed it to be opposite as a result we added this map range node changed the minimum value to one and the maximum to0 meaning that the range of this Factor socket was now changed into 1 to zero and as a result the radius at the lowermost point is the maximum and at the uppermost point which is the end point it is minimum now another thing to notice here is that at the top you can see that the r I is exactly zero making it look very sharp and pointing and if you don’t want this you can simply increase the two max value to a slightly higher number like 0.05 or maybe 0.03 and now it looks perfect and yes you can also control the size at the bottom either from the two minimum value or from the curve line node by changing the starting position in the x-axis so you can control this size at the bottom with the help of this parameter now moving ahead we’ll be creating a bunch of this grass placed over a circular base and for this I’ll be adding a new node which is the mesh Circle node to add and understand it press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the mesh Circle let’s place it over here now to view the mesh circle in my scene I’ll take this mesh socket and connect it over here let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and here we have the mesh Circle added in our scene this mesh circle is exactly the same as the circle which you can add by pressing shift plus a in the 3D view port and in the mesh here you have the object of circle so both of them are the same circles it’s just that you have added it from the geometry nodes editor now in the mes Circle node you have this option of fil type and by default it is set to none meaning that the circle won’t be filled with any faces but if I change it to endone then now here we have one face and our circle is now filled but in the FI type you have the third option which is the triangles and if I select it you won’t notice any difference that’s because the main difference can only be seen in the edit mode but if I tab into the edit mode you won’t actually be in the edit mode of the circle and that’s because originally the object that was added here was a cube and you can even see this in the scene collection we did all the changes in the geometry notes Editor to convert the simple Cube into various other objects like grass and then we added this mesh Circle node to view the circle but since originally it was a cube object as a result in the edit mode it still appears as a cube but to understand the working of the FI type with the triangles mode We’ll add another mesh Circle by using the add menu for this first I’ll take my cursor over here by holding shift and right clicking now if I press shift plus a go to mesh and select the circle here we have the circle added now if I go to the add Circle properties and change the FI type from Nothing To None and if I tab into the edit mode you can see that we have these vertices around the circle and a face in between well let’s come out of the edit mode and to check the next field type I’ll first delete this add another Circle by pressing shift plus a and in the mesh I’ll select the circle from the FI type I’ll change it to Triangle and if I tab into the edit mode now you can see that all these vertices are getting connected to the center and forming these triangle faces and this is the use of the triangle fi type in fact the same concept is applied when I was working on this mesh Circle and changed the FI type to triangles then you have this option of vertices and by using this you can control the number of vertices of your circle object and and similarly this radius option will determine the size of your circle now we’ll be using this mesh Circle to place grass on its different faces in order to create a bunch of grass for this first elate the second Circle by pressing X and let’s also take this 3D cursor back to the world center by pressing shift plus C and now if you want to look closely at the Circle one way is to zoom in like this but an easier way is to select it and press the dot or the period button in your num pad and now we get a close view of the circle now to place the grass at different faces on this circle we’ll be using the
instance on point so press shift plus a go to instances and select instance on points let’s place it over here after the mesh Circle and to place the grass over here we have to connect the grass to the instant socket for this I’ll take this mesh socket of the curve to mesh and take it to the instant socket and now here we have the grass placed at different faces of the circle and now one thing to notice here is that all of them are rotated in the same direction and to give them different rotations we’ll be adding a random value node and connect it to the rotation so press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value let’s place it over here and connect this value socket to the rotation now it appears like this because the data type in the random value is set to float however we know that for rotation we need to input a vector value for this I’ll change the data type from float to vector and now with the help of these parameters I can control the rotation of this grass in different axis for this I’ll take this value socket and connect it to the rotation and this is how our grass is looking right now now what this random value node is doing is that it is giving some random rotation values to all the blades of grass in all the three axis meaning the x- axis the y axis and the Zed axis but suppose you want the r to be only in The Zed axis and for this we’ll be using the combine XYZ node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the combine XYZ let’s place it over here and connect it to the maximum socket in the random value now with this combine XYZ node I can easily control the rotation of this grass in any one of the three axis but since we want to rotate it only in The Zed axis so I’ll go to The Zed axis and try to change the value here and if I increase it each plade of the grass will get a different rotation in The Zed AIS now similar to controlling the rotation you can also control the scaling of the this grass for this I’ll again add the random value node so I’ll select this press shift plus d and place it over here now take this value socket and connect it to the scale and now with these parameters I can control the scaling of different blades of grass in my scene so I can change these parameters like the minimum in the x-axis the minimum in the y axis and similarly the Z axis with these values I can directly control their scaling in different axes for example if I select the minimum value in all the three axes and change it to something like 0.4 then the grass looks like this to view it properly you can deselect the grass and now you can view it from different angles and confirm if the scaling and the rotation are proper in the geometry notes editor or not now if you want to control the size of this bunch of grass or the number of these grass plates you can go to the m Circle option here and if I increase the radius the size will increase like this similarly the number of vertices will control the number of these glass blades and here you can also see that we are not having any grass on the face of the circle we are only having the blades of grass at the position of the vertexes of the circle and to get these blades on different points of the faces we’ll be using another node which is the distribute points on fa faces to add it here press shift plus a go to point and select the distribute points on faces let’s place it over here and now we have the blades of grass placed over different points on the entire face of the circle now you can control the density of this grass from the density option here so if I reduce it the number of grass per square area will reduce and now it looks like this so we’ll finalize the density to this value and let’s also reduce the size of the bunch of grass or the circle with the radius option here and you can also use the seed value to generate a different output with the same settings each and every time now moving ahead let’s also give it some basic material for this we’ll add the set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material let’s place it over here and now we’ll be connecting it after the instance on points node for this first I’ll bring this group output node up in the geometry nodes editor over here then I’ll take the set material node and we’ll drop it in between the instance on points and the output to create and view the material let’s go to the render View and we have to keep the render engine to EV for now now to create the material we’ll change this spreadsheet into the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor click on on the new button and let’s rename this material to Grass to assign This Grass material to this bunch of grass go to the set material node and click on this material option and select the grass now we’ll be giving this grass a simple green color by going to the base color and let’s change it to light green color like this and if you want you can add a simple color ramp and make a combination of light green light yellow color or some dark green color but right now I think that it looks perfect so we’ll finalize the simple base color now moving ahead we’ll be creating different bunch of grass with different settings like in one of them we’ll reduce the density or maybe the size of this crass or the rotation or the bending and for this we’ll be using another node which is the collection info node but before that we’ll be using the group input node to directly get all those settings in the modify properties editor Let Me Explain you practically by doing it I’ll select this group input node press n to open the toolbar and we won’t need this geometry socket so I’ll delete it by selecting this geometry socket and clicking this minus icon now if you want to create a new socket of your own you simply have to select that particular socket for example if I want the density socket to be here so I’ll select it and connected to the socket of the group input and now here we have the density connected and because of this I can directly control the density from the modify properties here similarly you can also connect the new socket to other parameters like the radius and here you have the radius in the modify properties and with this I can control the size of the patch of the grass so I’ll rename it from this toolbar by double clicking on the radius socket and it change it to Grass patch size Now to create a socket to control the rotation I’ll take a new socket and connect it to this combined XYZ node in the Z axis this combine XYZ node was connected to the random value which was connected to the rotation and to rename it I’ll go to the toolbar double click on the Zed and we’ll change it to rotate Z press enter to confirm and now we have three parameters in the modify properties first one is the density with which you can control the number of these grass plates in a particular area then with the grass patch size you can control the radius or basically the size of the patch of grass then you can use this rotate set parameter to rotate the blades of grass in the Z axis like this and the benefit of using this group input note is that you can now control these Valu directly from here instead of going to the geometry nodes editor each time and understanding each and every node to create any change in the structure now we can also control the height of this grass by connecting this new socket to the random value node here which is connected to the scaling to increase its height we basically have to increase the maximum value in The Zed axis because if I increase it the height of the grass will increase but if I take this socket I have to connect it to the maximum socket which is controlling all these three axis and to control Only The Zed axis we’ll be using the combine xved node so I’ll select this combined xved node press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here let’s change the value of all the three axes to one because we’ll be connecting it to the maximum socket which is having a value of one in all the three axis now I’ll take this Vector socket and connect it over here and now I can directly connect this new socket to The Zed axis which will allow us to control the scaling or basically the height of this grass in the Zed axis to rename it go to the toolbar double click on its name and we’ll change it to height now from the modify properties you can directly control the height of the grass from here then moving ahead we also added this multiply node here which was controlling the bending of the grass so if you want you can even connect this one to the group input node and to do this let’s bring the group input node over here take out the new socket and connect it to the value go to the toolbar and double click to change its name we’ll rename it to bending and now we have five different parameters to control in the modify properties now the benefit of doing all this is that we can now create different duplicates of this grass patch and control its appearance directly from here for this with this crass selected press shift plus d let’s move it in the y direction and place it over here with this crass patch I’ll reduce its height from here so let’s reduce it to something like 0.7 or 0.6 let’s also reduce its bending to minus 0.3 and let’s increase its density from here now all the changes that I’m doing here are completely random it only depends on you that exactly which type of grass you need for your scene so you can change these settings yourself in order to make the best looking grass but let’s also create another duplicate by pressing shift plus d move it in by Direction and place it over here and this time I’ll increase its height to something like 0.9 or maybe 1 M let’s also increase the ending and this time I’ll be reducing the size of the patch of grass let’s slightly increase the density also and now it looks perfect and now we have three different patches of grass with slight variations in each one of them now before placing them on a landscape we first have to create a collection of these three grass for this I’ll select all of them and to create a new collection with only these three patches of grass the shortcut is to press crl plus G you can change the name of the collection from here so I’ll rename it to Grass it will basically create a collection where it will store the three types of grass that we created now coming back to the land landcape if you remember we distributed these points or basically these cubes on the faces of this landscape with the help of these two nodes that is the distribute points on faces and the instance on points but we’ll be placing the grass that we created in place of these cubes for this I’ll delete this Cube node by selecting it and pressing X and now to connect the collection of grass that we created to this instant socket we’ll be using the collection info node to add it here press shift plus a go to input and in scene select the collection info let’s place it over here now to select the collection of grass click on this collection and select the grass now I’ll take this instance socket and connect it to the instance now let’s zoom out and you can see here that the size of this grass is too high to fix this I’ll first go to the density and reduce it to something like 0.1 then I’ll go to the scale values and change it in all the three axes to a lower number like 0.1 M and now here we have the different patches of grass placed at different points in the landscape now if I zoom out you can see here that the position of this grass is not perfect some of the patches of grass are lying outside this plane and to fix this you simply need to turn on the separate children and the reset children in the collection info node this will place the grass patches or any other object that you choose only on the plane or this landscape now if I go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad this is how our scene is looking right now also you can notice some imperfections for example this fence is going below the plane but we’ll be fixing it in the next chapter but for now if you want to render it then to change the camera view press n and in the view section enable the lock camera to view now you can change the view of your camera by holding the middle Mouse button and dragging your cursor like this now to hide that area which is outside inside the camera view we’ll be changing some settings so for this select the camera in the scene collection and in the object data properties go to this passive part out option in the viewport display and increase its value from 0.5 to 1 and now we’ll be seeing only that area which is inside the camera view let’s also change the density and the size of this grass so let’s increase the density of grass from the density option over here but I think that the density at 0.1 looks fine so we won’t be changing it and for the size we’ll go to these scale values and let’s reduce them down to something like 0.05 and now I can increase the density so that our scene is filled with grass now if you want you can also change the color of the base of this landscape for this you can go to the material properties click on the new button and change the base color from here so if I reduce the brightness and change it to brown color then our scene would look like this but for now I’ll be removing this material from the base of the landscape because we’ll be working on it later on so click on this minus icon to remove it now we can make this scene look better by properly placing this fence and also by adding some rocks and in this way we can finalize our scene but we’ll be doing all this in the next chapter so this brings us to the end of this chapter in this particular chapter you learned about creating and adding grass on different points of faces on a plain object and we understood all this with the help of geometry notes in [Music] blender in the previous three chapters of this course we created the base of landscape the simple fence with the wood texture and even distributed this grass all over the base and in this chapter we’ll be creating some rocks that we’ll place on the base of the landscape and we’ll also be finalizing the scene and with this we’ll be understanding all all these topics in complete detail so this is how our scene looks right now we have the simple looking fence and this grass spread over the base of the landscape Now to create the Rocks we’ll first add a cube in our scene and then do the changes in the geometry nodes editor so first let’s go to the solid View and to add the cube press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube let’s move it in the y direction by pressing G and Y and let’s place it over here now we have added this cube in our scene and to convert this Cube into a rock we’ll go to the geometry noes editor click on this new button and now we’ll be using the subdivision surface node so to add the subdivision surface node press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the subdivision surface let’s place it over here and now this subdivision surface is applied on the cube if you remember we studied about the subdivision surface modifier in this chapter of the course where we covered all the modifiers in detail and this subdivision surface node Works in exactly the same way as the subdivision surface modifier now the reason for adding this subdivision surface node is that we want to turn this Cube into a rock and to create a similar shape the subdivision surface node will help us basically this node subdivides the surface of your mesh and also Smooths it out now to control the amount of subdivision and the smoothing of your mesh you have the level option here so if I increase it the amount of subdivision will increase and similarly the smoothing will also increase so you can see here that if I change the level to a value of zero we get the original Cube if I increase it to one the subdivision will slightly increase and it will look like this but if I increase the level to two the subdivision increase even further and the smoothness also increases and this is how the level parameter in the subdivision surface node works then the next option that you have is The Edge crease and if I increase it it will basically crease the edges of your mesh object like this so This option is used to control the creasing effect of the edges and similarly the third option is the vertex grease which controls the creasing effect of the vertices of the mesh and so these are the three main options available in the subdivision surface node now to give this cube a rock- like shape we’ll be using the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the extrude mesh and let’s place it over here and the intrusion is applied to all the faces of the cube to view the cube properly for now I’ll change the level of subdivision surface back to zero and here we can see that all the faces of the cube are now extruded to extrude only some specific faces we’ll be using the compare node and the index node for this we’ll go to the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it over here let’s also add an index node and then we’ll understand the purpose of adding them so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the index node let’s place it over here now the purpose of adding this compare node is that we’ll be changing its mode to equal and then we’ll connect it to the index node and the result to the extrude mesh and with that setup we’ll be telling the extrude mesh node about the phase to be extruded for this take the index socket and connect it over here then take the result socket and connected to the selection and now you can see here that only one of the fa is extruded and to be more specific the face add the index value which is equal to the value of B which is zero is extruded here see the compare node has the mode selected to equal meaning that it will set the value of a and b equal as a result the input will be the face at the index value because we have added this index node equal to the value of B which is zero and then the result or the output will be the face at the index value of zero then it will get connected to the extrude mesh and as a result that particular face will get extruded also if you want multiple faces to be extruded then you can change the mode to less than or equal and if I increase the value of B from 0 to 1 then two faces are extruded here let’s also do one more thing right now the data type is selected to Lo but as I already told you the index values are always integers like 0 1 2 3 so I’ll change the data type to integer let’s connect the index Noe again and change the value of B from 0 to 1 now since we have set the mode to less than or equal it will basically apply the Extrusion to all the faces whose index value is less than or equal to 1 or simply the faces with the index value of 0o and 1 as a result two faces are extruded here now in the extrude mesh node you can see that you have some option of individual and it is turned on by default this option basically controls whether the faces of your object will be extruded individually or not and if I turn it off then the faces will no more be individually extruded and this is how the shape of the extruded cube is looking right now and now if I go to the subdivision surface again and increase the level back to a value of two this is how our rock is looking right now it looks very simple because we have not applied any Distortion or any texture to it for this we’ll be using the MUSC texture Noe and as I previously told you in one of the chapters that in the latest version of blender the mus texture is replaced by the noise texture so we’ll be add adding the noise texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it over here and to convert this into the musk grave texture you simply have to turn off this normalize option now since we’ll be creating the Distortion effect on the vertices of this Cube so we’ll also be adding the set position node to add it here press shift plus a go to geometry and in the right category select the set position place it after the subdivision surface node and to distort the vertices we’ll basically be adding this texture effect to the position of different vertices for this I’ll be adding the position node by pressing shift plus a and in Geometry go to the read category and select the position let’s place it over here and to add both of them we’ll be using the vector math node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the vector math let’s place it over here take this position socket and connect it to the vector and take this Factor socket and connect it to the second Vector now this will add the noise texture and the changes that we do in it to the position of different vertices and to connect this with the set position node I’ll take this Vector socket and connect it to the offset and now here we have a sharp pointing texture applied to this rock to control this simply go to the noise texture and change the scale value if I change it to zero you will notice that basically no Distortion effect will be applied to this Cube and if I increase it slowly you will begin to notice slight Distortion effect applied to the different vertices of the mesh object and at a scale value of somewhere close to one you will begin to notice a slight Rock like texture and if you want to give it a more smooth look you can go to the roughness value and change it to zero and now this is how the basic structure of a rock is looking right now now to give it some material we’ll go to the Shader editor and click on the new button let’s also turn on the render preview mode and now we’ll be creating a basic Shader for this rock object for this we’ll be adding the Warner texture in the Shader editor so press shift plus a go to texture and select the Warner texture let’s place it here and to add the texture coordinate and the mapping node simply press C crl plus T but as I have told you in the previous chapters in order to use this shortcut you must have the node Wrangler add-on turned on now I’ll take this object socket and connect it to the vector and to view the texture over here hold on control shift and left click on the V texture and this is how the basic Warner texture looks on our object now this Warner texture will create these spots on the surface of the Rock and to make it look better we’ll be distorting these spots with the use of a noise texture so go to the Shader editor press shift plus a and in texture select the noise texture we’ll place it just before the Warner texture and now we get a texture like this where the spots which were due to the Warner texture are now distorted due to the noise texture now if you want you can try to change the values like the detailing in the noise texture or the roughness from here but right now the basic Shader of the rock is ready but if you wish you can also create a realistic looking Rock Shader by following the steps that I’m going to do right now making a realistic texture for this rock is completely optional for you but if you want to understand the advanced level of shaders then you can do that by understanding the creation of this rock texture so to make it look realistic I’ll go to the Shader editor let’s zoom out place this principal bstf away and right now we have connected only this noise texture to the waret texture to create this Distortion effect on the spots of the texture but now taking a step forward I’ll be combining two waret textures together to create a much better Shader for this I’ll select the Warner texture press shift plus d to create a duplicate and let’s place it over here similarly I’ll select the noise texture also press shift plus d and drop it here just like the above noise texture this one will also help to create a distortion effect on the spots created by the Warner texture to combine both the textures simply take the vector socket of the mapping node and connect it to the vector of the noise texture then take this color socket and connected to the vector of the Warner texture and to get a combined output of both the textures we’ll be using the mixed node to add it here press shift plus a go to converter and select the mixed node let’s place it over here and change the type of data from float to color now we’ll connect the output of both the textures to the color A and B in the mix Shader for this I will take this piston socket of the first one and connect it to the color a then take this one and connect it to the color B to view the result hold on control shift and left click on the mix Shader and here you can see that we get the same result as before and that’s because all the settings in the second bner texture and the noise texture are the same as the first first ones to create some variations go to the second Warner texture and change the feature output from here if I change it to the second option this is how the texture will look similarly we’ll be checking out all the other options to see which one looks the best let’s select the third one and this is how it looks then I’ll go for the fourth option which is the distance to Edge and this is the result I think that right now it has a texture which looks slightly similar to a rock but if you want you can change the value of scaling in the noise texture to make it look different so if I reduce the scaling the texture will also slightly change and similarly you can also try to change other values like the roughness in the noise texture or the detailing but for now it looks perfect and to give it some gray color we’ll be adding a color ramp for this let’s first connect this principal bstf to the material output so I left click on it and place it over here now to give it some color we’ll be adding the color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here and to get a proper color we’ll be changing the position of these pointers and their colors in the color ramp so first I’ll select the black pointer and try to move it and this is how the texture is looking right now similarly if I the second pointer and try to move it you can see how the color in the texture changes and if I take this white pointer here where previously the black one was placed you can see that the basic color is now White and the color of the texture is the black color and now I’ll select the white pointer again and let’s change its color to gray color with the help of this brightness slider let’s also reduce the amount of black color by moving this second pointer and here it looks perfect so now we have a simple Rock texture applied to this rock object now just like any other Shader to give this one a realistic 3D look we’ll be adding the bump node so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node let’s place it over here now take this normal socket and connect it to the normal of the principal bstf and to get the result of the textures as the input I’ll take this result socket in the mix Shader and connect it to the height and here you can see that the bump effect is applied but it strength is too high so I will reduce it from a value of 1 to something like 0.5 and this is how our rock is looking right now I think that the material of the rock looks perfect so I’ll rename it from here let’s type Rock and press enter and now this rock material is saved now moving ahead we’ll be creating some duplicates of this rock and do some variations in it to do this we’ll be going to the geometry nodes editor and use a new node which is the duplicate elements node to add it here press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select duplicate elements place it after the set position and we see some changes here you can notice that The Rock has disappeared and there are some points distributed all over the faces that’s because in the domain option here point is selected but to view the rock I will have to change this from point to face and here we have our Cube again now to create the duplicates of this rock you simply have to change the amount in the duplicate elements node so if I increase it you see that nothing happens and that’s because the duplicates of this rock have been created but all of them are placed at the same position as the original Rock in order to move them at different locations we have to use a set position node for this I’ll go to the geometry nodes editor take this set position node and to create a duplicate of it press shift plus d and place it after the duplicate elements node now to change the position of the Rocks I’ll take this duplicate index socket which basically carries the index value of different duplicates of the rocks that I created so if I connected to the offset in the set position then now we can partially see the duplicates of the rocks in are seen and to move them in different positions we have to use the math node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in the math select the math node let’s place it over here and change the operation from add to multiply now if I take the duplicate index and connect it to the value one and if I take the value socket of the multiply node and connected to the offset then now with the help of the second value I can control the position of different rocks so if I increase it the position will change like this but another problem here is that these rocks are moving diagonally and that’s because the multiply socket is connected to the offset which is controlling the offset in all the three axis the x axis the Y AIS and the Zed axis but to move it only in the Y AIS we have to use the combine xed node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the combine XZ we’ll place it over here now to control the Y AIS I’ll take this value socket and connect it to the Y socket in the combined xet then take this V socket and connected to the offset and now with the help of this multiply value I can control the position of these rocks in the Y AIS so let’s keep it to something like -5 or maybe -12 so that all of them are visible here and now let’s revise what we did we added this duplicate elements node to create multiple copies of this rock then to change the position I first added the set position node and to control the offset or basically the change in position we use the multiply node but then we faced an issue that the Rocks were moving diagonally and to fix this we added this combined XYZ node to control the movement only in the y- axis and also if you want to increase the number of these duplicates you can go to the duplicate elements node and change the amount from here so if I increase it to four then now we have four copies of the rocks in our scene now moving ahead you can see here that all these rocks are having the same rotation and that’s because these four rocks are not different objects but they are simply the duplicates of the main Rock to change the rotation of each one individually I first need to convert them into different instances to do this we have the geometry to instance node to add it here press shift plus a go to geometry and here you have the geometry to instance let’s place it over here now to convert each this into a separate instance I’ll take this geometry to instance and place it before the duplicate elements and now we have only one rock in our seed and the reason for this is that in the duplicate elements node you can see that the domain is selected to face and in this list you also have the option of instance since we have converted the Rocks into different instances as a result we have to change the domain from face to instance and now here we have the four rocks back in the scene and now to rotate each one of these rocks individually we’ll be using the rotate instance node to add it here press shift plus a go to instances and select the rotate instances we’ll place it just before the output and with the rotation values here in the rotate instances you can control the rotation of these different rocks for example if I go to the rotation in the x- axis and change it then these rocks will begin to rotate in the x- axis like this similarly if I go to the rotation in the y axis and change it they will begin to rotate in the y- AIS like this and similar is the case with the Zed axis but to give each one a random rotation we have to use the random value node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value let’s place it over here and by default the data type in the random value node is selected to float but here in this list you can see that we have different options since we want to control the rotation so I’ll be selecting the vector and then take this value socket and connect it to the rotation and now a random value is connected to the rotation of the rotate instances and you can see that each of these rocks are now having a different rotation in the XY and Zed axis to control this rotation go to the random value node and change the maximum values if you want that these rocks should not rotate in the X and Y AIS differently then you can change the values in the X and Y axis to zero and then they won’t get any random value of rotation in the x and y axis and will rotate only in The Zed axis to control the rotation in The Zed axis go to the maximum value in The Zed and if I increase it the rotation of all the rocks will change so let’s keep it to a value of somewhere near 10 and this is how the rotation looks right now all the four rocks are having different rotations in The Zed axis now just like this rotate instances node you also have a scale instances node using which you can change the scaling of different rocks to add it here press shift plus a go to instances and here you have the scale instances let’s place it over here and the scale instances is very similar to the rotate instances and the only difference is that this one is used to control the scaling of the rocks to scale them randomly we’ll be adding a random value node so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here now take this value socket and connect it to the scale and rocks will disappear because the maximum scaling in the X and Y axis is set to zero so I’ll select both of them and change it to one let’s also change the scaling in The Zed axis back to one now to view the changes properly I’ll go back to the solid mode and here you can see that all the four rocks are now having different scale values and also this one is very small as compared to the others and that’s because the minimum scaling value is set to zero which means that the scale instances node will provide random scaling values to all the four rocks which will range from a value of 0 to one in all the three axes but to give it a better scaling I will select the minimum values and increase it slightly like if I change it to 0.4 and also the maximum values if I change it to something like 0.6 then now all these rocks will have a random scale value which can be anything between 0.4 and 0.6 now in order to get a proper scaling of these rocks I will be placing them in the landscape that we created here for this we’ll go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and here we have these rocks and this is the plane to move these rocks to the plane press G and and Y and let’s place them over here left click to finalize and now here are the four rocks placed on the base of landscape now to view them properly we go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and here we have one of the Rocks placed now to view all of them properly from the camera view we have to do some changes for this I’ll go to the top view and we’ll be bringing all of these rocks closer to each other so that they’re properly visible from the camera view to do this we need to reduce the Distance by going to the geometry notes editor and we’ll be changing the multiply value here so if I change it you can see that the distance between these rocks will begin to change and they are now closer to each other let’s also rotate them by pressing R and rotating them like this press G to move them and let’s move it to somewhere near the middle of the base and this is how the rocks are placed in our scene right now if I change the angle and view below the plane you can see here that some of the rocks are not properly placed to fix this press G and z and move them upwards but now the other ones have moved slightly more upwards to fix this we’ll rotate them so press R and x and and rotate it like this then press G and Zed to move them downwards and now if I go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad you can see that at least three of the rocks are visible in the scene to get a proper view I will zoom out in the camera view and this is how our scene is looking right now and here I feel that the size of these rocks is a bit too high so I will go to the minimum values and reduce it to something like 0.25 and also the maximum values to something like 0.35 or 0.4 let’s move them downwards Again by pressing G and z and let’s place them here now the rocks are properly placed in our scene and so we’ll be moving ahead to fixing the fence in the scene if I come out of the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad then you can see on the base of the landscape that the fence that we created is not properly visible first of all its size is very small and also some part of the fence like this one is going below the base of the landscape and to fix this simply select the fence tab into the edit mode press a to select all and we’ll be deleting all of them and then create some new fence so press X and select delete segments to create new fence go to the top view by pressing 7even on the numpad and let’s zoom out now to create the fence we have to use the draw tool which is here in the tool bar so we have to select it and to draw the curve simply left click and if I drag my cursor and then release it you can see here that it has formed this fence in our scene but now also you can observe that it’s not completely perfect the fence at this part is clearly visible but the one on the left hand side is hidden below the plane as a result it’s not visible and to fix this problem I’ll again go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad let zoom out and press X to delete all select the delete segments now let’s understand a very basic thing the result that we want to achieve is that we’ll draw the fence and it should appear on the surface of the plane but instead of that whenever we are drawing on the plane it does not take the surface into consideration for this press n and here in the tool category you have this option of depth it is by default selected to cursor and that’s where we were facing this problem but if I change it to surface and now whenever I draw the fence it will basically lie on the surface to check this left click and drag your cursor like this and a fence is drawn here and if I change the angle to view it let’s also zoom in and here you can see that this fence is now taking the surface into consideration and it is also bending according to the surface of the plane and this is the use of the surface depth option here however if you look closely at some parts you will notice that it’s still not perfect here on the left hand side the entire fence is visible but at this part you can see that it’s again falling below the plane and that’s because we have not applied much subdivision to this plane and to fix this issue go to the tool properties here and here you have an option of Tolerance and to fix the problem of aligning the fence to the surface you basically have to reduce the tolerance to a very low value so I will reduce it to something like one or two let’s go to the top view again press X to delete all and select delete segments and now if I again draw the curve or basically the fence by left clicking and dragging like this and if I change the angle let’s also zoom in to get a better View and here you can see that this time the entire part of the fence is lying above the surface of the base now even though it’s properly aligned with the surface of the landscape at some areas you will notice that the fence is not properly positioned like here you can see that the fence appears like this and that’s because along with considering the plane it’s also considering the grass and that’s why when I try to make a fence over it the fence got placed like this and to fix this issue we again have to delete the entire fence by pressing X and selecting delete segments and before drawing the fence again I will remove this grass temporarily from the scene to do this come out of the edit mode select this plane and here in the geometry nodes editor if I break the connection between the collection info node and the instance to remove the grass temporarily then now we have no grass in the scene and so we can easily place our fence and now to create the fence go to the top view Again by pressing seven on the numpad select the basier curve from the scene collection tab into the edit mode and now we can draw the fence so simply left click and drag your cursor like this and now let’s view the fence by zooming in and this is how our fence looks right now let’s also go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s also turn off the draw tool and here the camera to view option is enabled so if I will zoom in or zoom out the camera view will also change accordingly and you can see here that we now have these rocks in the scene and also this fence that we created and it might be possible that you want to increase the height of this fence so that it is properly visible from the camera view in your scene and to do this simply go to the geometry notes editor then in the scale value here we’ll increase all the three to something like 0.25 and now here we have the fence scaled up in the scene and if you want to increase the distance between the two fence parts for this you can go to the re sample curve and if I increase the length you will notice that the distance between the two parts of the fence will increase let’s keep it to some somewhere near 0.25 or 0.3 and here it looks perfect and now to view the grass here come out of the edit mode select the plane and connect the collection info node to the instance on points and so here we have the grph that we created back in our scene to view them properly let’s fix the camera view so I will adjust it properly to get a better view of the scene and here it looks perfect so I will finalize this and this is how the scene looks right now let’s also turn off the lock camera to view so that if I adjust the view the camera view does not change for this you can either click on the lock button or you can press any and in the view option here you have the lock camera to view now moving ahead you can see that the rocks that we have placed here are not shaded smooth and to make them smooth I will select them and here in the geometry notes editor just before the output we’ll be adding the set shade smooth so press shift plus a go to mesh and in the right category select the set shade smooth let’s place it over here and now we have made the rock smooth now let’s come out of the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and here you can see that some part of the fence is getting out of the plane and to fix this simply select the fence tab into the edit mode and we’ll be selecting all these segments that are placed outside the plane for this simply left click and drag your cursor like this and here some of them are left out and to select them together with the others simply hold on the shift button and then I can select the remaining ones let’s also select this one now to delete them press X and select delate segments and here the fence is now fixed let’s also go to the other part of the plane and here also you can see that some part of the fence is lying outside the plane to fix this let’s zoom in and we’ll select these segments and delete them so left click and drag your cursor like this press X and select delete segments and now we have deleted that part of the fence and with this our scene is also almost ready to finalize it let’s first come out of the edit mode and go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s also turn on the render view to see how the scene looks and here you can see that we have each and everything properly placed in the scene but still there are a few things which we need to do in order to finalize this scene for example the bigger part of the fence that we use for the texture has to be hidden while rendering so I will select it and in the scene collection click on this camera icon now this cross on the camera will appear meaning that this object won’t be shown in the final render and if you don’t want to see it even in the viewport then you can click on this I button now each and everything looks perfect except for the ground or the base of the landscape in order to give it some material I will select it and if you remember we created a simple sand Shader in this chapter of the course so we’ll be using that Shader to give some material to this ground for this I’ll change this Shader editor in the asset browser by clicking on this icon and selecting the asset browser we learned about the creation of different shaders or materials and also about saving them in your own library in these chapters of the course now to view only those materials that we ourselves created click on this drop- down menu and select user library and here you can see that this is the sand Shader that we created so I will select it and drop it on the plane and now we have the sand Shader applied to the base of the landscape however one thing to notice is that the Shader that we have applied is actually a sand Shader and not a soil Shader and as we all know that since we have added a lot of grass in the seam the base should have soil instead of sand to fix this we’ll go to the to the Shader editor and change its color so click on this icon and open the Shader editor and here you can see that in the mix node we combine these two colors to form the color of the sand let’s also do one more thing I’ll duplicate this material so that whatever changes we make can be saved as a separate Shader for this go to the duplicate button and if you want to scroll like this simply hold on the middle Mouse button and drag your cursor like this and here we have the duplicate material button so I will click on it and let’s change the name of this material to soil now to make it look like real soil I’ll go to the color a and we’ll change it to brown color for this let’s reduce the brightness with the help of this brightness slider and change it to brown color now the reason why it appears purple is that in the color B we have applied the purple color so let’s click on it and let’s change it to red color or maybe a mix of orange and red and this is how the soil looks right now you can combine different colors together if you want to change the color of your soil and also if I zoom in you can see here that it actually looks like real soil the material is properly applied with a perfect texture and with this our scene is almost perfectly ready if you want to make it look different you can increase the grass in your scene for this select the plane go to the geometry noes editor and here you have the density option in the distribute points on faces so if I slightly increase it the density of the grass will increase like this and here I think that it looks perfect so we’ll finally render it in order to render this image click on the render button and select render image and here the image is finally rendered it will take an average time of somewhere near 5 to 10 seconds to render based on your PC specifications and you can check that time from here for me it took somewhere near 9 or 10 seconds and generated this output and one thing to note here is that we are using the EV render engine and that’s why it’s so fast but if I close this and change the render engine from EV to cycles and then go to the render option and select render image then now it will take much more time to render but for now we’ll keep it to eveve only so I will close it and change the render engine back to Eevee and yes if you want to improve the quality of your render you can change the sampling in the render by default it is set to 64 which is usually perfect for rendering an Eevee but if you want you can increase this value to get better results but with more rendering time for now I’ll keep it to 64 and go to the render option and click on render image so we have rendered the image and if you want to save it click on the image button and here you have the option of saving it and yes this brings us to the end of this chapter from the next chapter we’ll begin with understanding some new geometry notes and by using them we’ll be creating this house in [Music] blender in this chapter we’ll be understanding all these Topics in complete detail and we’ll be using them to create the simple looking house in blender so the first topic of today’s chapter is understanding the recast node for this I’ll first open the geometry nodes editor from here and to understand the recast node I’ll first delete this Cube by pressing X and we’ll be adding a suzan or the monkey model so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the monkey model now to work on the geometry nodes with this monkey selected go to the geometry nodes editor and click on this new button and also I’ll be adding a plane in My Scene by pressing shift plus a going to mesh and selecting the plane let’s move it upwards by pressing G and z and place it over here so now we have a suzan model and a plane placed over it now to use the reast node go to the geometry nodes editor and click on this new button and before using the recast node we’ll first subdivide this plane to see the changes in a better way for this go to the geometry nodes editor and we’ll be adding the subdivision mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the subdivide mesh let’s place it over here now we have applied the subdivision to the mesh now suppose you want that instead of the vertices of the plane you should be seeing some instance object such as a cube for this we’ll be adding the instance on points so press shift plus a go to instances and select instance on points let’s place it here and to place the cube at the position of the vertices of the plane we’ll add the cube node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the cube let’s place it over here and to connect it to the instance take this mesh socket and connect it to the instance socket let’s reduce their size to see them properly so go to the scale option here select all three and let’s change it to something like 0.5 or 0.4 and here you can see that now we have these nine cubes placed as instances on the vertices of the plane and suppose you want to increase the number of these cubes for this you can go to the subdivide mesh and increase the levels from here let’s further reduce their size so that we can increase the number of these cubes even more so go to the scaling again and let’s change it to 0.1 this time or maybe 0.2 and increase the level from here now the levels in the subdivision is set to four and it looks as if we again need to reduce their size so that they’re properly placed so go to the scaling option again select all the three and let’s reduce it to 0.1 or maybe 0.08 and this looks perfect so we simply added a plane and to place these cubes on the vertices of the plane we added this instance on points and connected the cube to the instance then to control the number of these cubes we used the subdivide mesh but the main reason for doing all this was to understand the recast node so we’ll add it here by pressing shift plus a going to geometry and in Sample select the rast node let’s place it over here and this is how the raycast nodee looks now as the name suggests it basically cast Rays from one object to another so suppose I want that the ray should be casted from the cubes of the plane onto the suzan model so in this case the target geometry that you can see here will be the suzan model as a result I’ll go to the scene collection left click on the suzan model and drag it over here now here is the object info node with the suzan model selected and we’ll connect it to the transform geometry so take this geometry socket and connect it over here and now here you can see that we have some output options and the first one is named is hit and to view how it works we have to take this socket and connect it to the selection socket of the instance on points and here we see some changes now as I already told you the rast mode will basically cast the raise out of the different cubes towards the monkey object and with this is hit option selected it will only display those cubes whose rays will actually reach the target object which is a suzan to understand it properly go to the top Cube by pressing seven on the numpad and if I zoom in and turn on the relative option here in the object info node then now you can see that only those cubes are visible which are aligning with the top structure of the suzan or the monkey model to understand it in an even better way go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad let’s zoom out and here in the toolbar you can see that I have this annotate option so I’ll select this and if I hold the left Mouse button then you can see that I have an option of anot rotate line so I will select this and yes whatever steps I’m doing right now you don’t need to repeat them in your file as I’m doing this only for explaining it to you and here you can see that if I zoom in and let’s adjust the view properly then here you can see that if I draw this line then it will fall on this monkey object similarly this is also true for all the other cubes that are visible right now and if I change the view to the side view by pressing three on the numpad then here also you can see that if I draw a Straight Ray out of the cube then it will fall on the surface of this monkey but if I break the connection in between the ray cast and the distance on points by holding the control button right clicking and dragging like this then some more cubes are visible but if I draw array out of it then you can see here that this Ray is not touching the suzan or the monkey model similarly if I go for this one and make a ray out of it then this one is also not touching the suzan or the monkey model and this was the reason why when I was using this rast node these particular cubes were not visible if I connect it again using the isit option then you can see that they will disappear so in simple words you can say that by using the recast node you will be able to see only those Cube objects whose raise will reach the target object which is the suzan now for deleting these annotations again I’ll go to the toolbar hold down the left Mouse button on the draw tool and select the annotate eraser then left click and drag to remove it and now let’s go back to the select mode so we just learned about the is hit socket and the next one that is available here is the hit position socket and you can use this to place these cubes on the surface of the suzan model at those points where the race hit the suzan model to understand it better we’ll be adding a set position node after the subdivide mesh node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in the the right category select the set position node and let’s place it after the subdivide mesh node so if I take the hit position socket and connect it to the position socket of the set position then here you can see that these cubes will get placed on the surface of the suzan or the monkey model and now we can use the same method to make the rooftop of a house for this we’ll be adding a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube and place it over here press G and X to move it in the X Direction now blender gives you an option to assign the geometry nodes of any object to some other object for example the geometry node system of these cubes placed over the suzan model is saved here with the name of geometry nodes. 001 and if I select this Cube click on this new button and then if I click on this icon then here you will find the list of all the geometry notes systems that are present in the scene and if I choose the geometry notes. 001 then this particular note system will get applied to the cube but the reason why we can’t see anything here is that in the geometry noes editor the target geometry of the rast is connected to the object info node which is carrying the information about the suzan model to connect the cube here I will first delete this object info node by selecting it and pressing X and then I’ll take this group input which is carrying the information about the cube that we added and connect it to the Target geometry now you can see these small cubes placed here because of the recast node and the instance on points but suppose you want to see the actual Cube for this I’ll break the connection in between the group input and the RAS and then I’ll take the symetry socket of the group input and connect it to the group output and now here we have the cube back in the scene and now to give it a simple structure of a house I’ll tab into the edit mode press three for the face select mode and then I I select the top face to make the basic rooftop I will extrude this face by pressing e and let’s move it in the Z Direction like this press s to scale it down let’s move it slightly downwards by pressing G and Zed and here it looks perfect now let’s come out of the edit mode and to see the effect of the RAS node I’ll take the geometry socket and connect it to the Target geometry of the rast node then take this instances and connect it to the output and now here we have the cubes placed as instances on the rooftop and the base of the house and you can control the number of these cubes from the level in the subdivide mesh here I’ve set the value of level to one and it appears like this right now but in order to make the rooftop we need to make some roof tiles like this and since it shape looks semicircular so I’ll be adding a circle in my scene and we’ll delete it by half to do this let’s go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad Press shift plus a go to mesh and select the circle press G and X to move it here tab into the edit mode and press one for the vertex select mode and now we’ll delete the bottom half of it so select these vertices by left clicking and dragging like this and press X to delete select delete vertices and now to skill it down we first need to place a 3D cursor over its pivot point and for this first come out of the edit mode hold on shift plus s and the snap menu will appear and select snap cursor to select it and now here we have the 3D cursor placed over this point let’s again enter the edit mode by pressing the T key and now to scale the circle around the 3D cursor we have to change the Pivot Point from this icon to the 3D cursor so I’ll select this press a to select all the points and to scale it down press s and Y and scale it down like this left click to finalize and now to make the complete typ we’ll be extruding them in the Zed axis so press e and Zed and move it upwards left click to finalize to view it properly let’s rotate the object properly so press a to select all the vertices press R and we’ll rotate it in the x axis so press X and if I move my cursor then you can see here that instead of rotating about its Center or basically the median point it is now rotating about the 3D cursor this is because in the Pivot Point option here we have selected the 3D cursor and to rotate it in xaxis by 90° press R and x and type 90 press enter to confirm and this is how it looks in order to give it some thickness let’s come out of the edit mode go to the modify properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate select the solidify modifier so you can control the thickness from here and if I increase it you can see that the thickness will increase outwards and if I reduce it the object will get thickness inwards and here at a value of somewhere near – 0.168 M it looks fine and now we’ll be replacing the cubes that were present at the roof top with this roof tile that we created for this select the cube in the scene collection and here in the geometry notes editor I delete this Cube node by selecting it and pressing X then to add the roof tile here select the circle in the scene collection left click and drag it here and now we can connect it using the geometry socket so I’ll take it and connect it to the instances and now here we have the roof tiles in place of the cubes here now the rotation is not correct so we’ll be fixing it later on but in order to save both the roof tiles and the house together we’ll be adding The Joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry let’s place it over here and connect the group input to the geometry socket so here we have the house with these roof tiles placed as the instances now if you remember we added a plane above the suzan model to cast the rise on it in order to place the instances similarly for this house also we’ll be adding a grid or a plane in order to place the roof tiles to do this go to the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the grid let’s place it here and to view it hold on control shift and left click on the grid and now here we have the grid added in the scene and now to scale it up we’ll use the size options here in the X and Y axis so I’ll select both of them and let’s increase it to something like three or four and to move it upward so that it’s above the house we’ll be using the transform geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and operations select the transform geometry let’s place it over here and you can use a translation in The Zed axis to move it upwards let’s keep it to a value of somewhere near three and this is how it looks now to give it some more vertices you can use the vertices option here and to see those vertices click on this drop down arrow and in the geometry section turn on the wire frame now here you can see that we have four faces and if I go to the vertices option here and increase the vertic in the X and Y AIS to something like 10 then now the number of faces and the vertices will increase like this now since we have basically subdivided our plane by using the vertices option here we no more need the subdivide mesh node so I will select it and to remove it from here hold down alt left click and drag it away and now to see the house with the roof tiles placed according to the Rays coming out of this plane we have to connect the geometry socket in the transform geometry node to the geometry socket of the set position node and in order to see the result I’ll select this viewer node press X to delete it and now here we have the this house with these roof tiles now before proceeding further let me explain to you what all we did here this will help you to revise the function of all the nodes that we have placed here see the group input node is carrying the information about this Cube which we used to create the house in the scene then we connected it to the ray cast as the target gometry so that the Rays of the plane will fall on it and then we can place these roof tiles as the instance on it then we took this hit position socket and
connected it to the set position and we took the is head socket and connected it to the selection in the instance on points the use of adding the instance on points was to place the roof tiles as the instances on the rooftop of the house as a result we connected this instance socket to the object info node with the circle selected which we used to create these roof tiles then moving ahead we use the joint geometry node in order to see both the roof tiles and the house in the scene then we added a Plane by using the grid node because in order to use the ray cast node we needed an object whose rays will fall on the house and accordingly these roof tiles will be placed then we connected it to the transform geometry in order to move it upwards and this was then connected to the geometry socket in the set position in order to connect it to the rest of the note system now moving ahead you can control the number of these tiles from the vexes option here for example if I select them and increase it to a higher number like 12 then the number of these roof tiles will increase and to fix its rotation I’ll go to the instance on points node and here you have the rotation option to make it perfectly aligned we’ll be connecting it to the Align UL to Vector node about which we learned in one of the previous chapters of the course to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in rotation select align UL to Vector let’s place it over here and connect the rotation socket to the rotation in the instance on points Now to control the rotation we’ll be connecting the normal node to the vector socket here so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select normal let’s place it over here and connect it to the vector now let’s understand about exactly which axis to align along the vector so here you can see that the roof ta that we created is lying along the Y AIS and here on the rooftop of the house in order to keep them straight along the Z axis we have to align them in the Zed axis for this go to the Align UL to Vector select the y a here and in the pivot option select the Z axis now what this basically will do it will align the y axis of the object along the Z axis to understand it better let’s first increase the size of these roof tiles by going to the scale option in the transform geometry node and let’s increase it in all the three axes to something like 0.12 and to control their rotation we’ll be adding the transform geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and operations select the transform geometry let’s place it after the object info node and from the rotation options here you can control the rotation of these roof types so if I rotate it in xaxis you can see that they rotate like this in order to make them look straight I’ll reduce the rotation in the x-axis to a value of somewhere near – 60° and the roof tiles look like this right now and to make it look better we’ll be increasing their number from the vertices option in the grid node so I’ll take the vertices in the X and Y AIS and increase it to a higher number like 30 or maybe 35 and this is how it looks now moving ahead we’ll be adding some windows to the house and for this go to the geometry nodes editor and add the cube node so press shift plus a go to meesh and in Primitives select the cube let’s place it over here and to view it in our scene simply hold down contrl plus shift and left click on the cube node in order to increase the number of vertices in the cube we’ll be using the subdivide mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the subdivide mesh let’s place it over here and you can control the number of subdivisions with the help of this level option but for now we’ll keep it to one now to extrude the faces of this Cube we’ll be adding the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the extrude mesh let’s place it over here here and this will extrude all the faces of the cube like this and to control the Extrusion go to the offset value here and let’s reduce it and now suppose you want to scale down these extruded faces individually and to create an insert effect and to do this we have to use the scale elements node to add it in the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to mesh and in the operations select this scale elements node let’s place it over here but right now if I go to the scale value and try to increase or decrease it you can see that the scale of entire object is changing but now suppose you want to scale only the extruded faces then for this here in the extrude mesh node you have the top socket here and if I connect it to the selection in the scale elements then now I can control the scaling of only these extruded faces now in order to make it look like a window first let’s reduce the Extrusion back to zero and here you can see that we have these faces on the cube and the size of these faces can be controlled from the scale option in the scale elements so you can increase it or reduce it as per your own choice now since we making the windows as a result we need to extrude these faces that are formed here inwards and to do this we’ll need need another extrude mesh node after the scale elements so I will select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here but if I try to increase the Extrusion from here you will notice that all the faces will get extruded but in order to get only the top extruded faces I’ll again take this top socket and connect it to the selection and now if you change the extrude value you will notice that these top faces will get extruded like this now in order to make the window I need to extrude these faces inwards for this I’ll take this Extrusion value in this extrude mesh node to a negative number like – 0.0 one and now it looks like this so whenever you have to extrude the faces inwards you have to insert a negative value here and to extrude the faces outwards you should have a positive value now here you can see that these windows are visible on all the six faces of the cube but suppose I need these windows to appear only on this face and the face on the back of it that is this one and for this I need to connect something which carries this information about these two faces in the selection socket of the extrude mesh node here and to do this I’ll be adding two nodes one of them is the normal node which we even added here and connected it to the Align UL to vector and the other one will be the compare node so we’ll add it and understand them in detail so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read category select the normal let’s place it over here and to add the compare node press shift plus a go to utilities and in math here you have the compare node we’ll place it over here and now let’s understand the normal node so the normal basically means perpendicular of a face for example for all the faces on the top of the cube the normal will be in the direction perpendicular to them or basically meaning The Zed axis to explain it in a better way I’ll go to the annotate tool and turn on the annotate line now see if I draw the perpendicular to these faces it means that they will form an angle of 90° with the face and this is how they will look like and as you can clearly see the perpendicular to these faces is in the Z AIS similarly for these faces the normal or the perpendicular will be along the x-axis and for these faces the perpendicular or the normal will be along the y axis like this and this is the definition of normal it simply means perpendicular to a face now I’ll remove these annotations by pressing control+ Z let’s go back to the select mode from here and now this normal node basically acts as an input which is carrying the information about the normals of different faces and here you have the compare Noe and we discussed about it in one of the previous chapters of the course where I told you that it takes two values in the value a and value B and Compares them according to the operation selected here if I select the equal operation and connect the normal to the value a then it basically means that it will check for each value of normal and whenever the normal will be equal to the value of B which is zero that will be returned as the output from the result socket and here you can also see the input type to be selected for example float integer Vector but since we have a normal node here we need the input type to be Vector instead of float and this is because the normal depends on the directions that is the X Y and Z axis and you must also have learned this in your school that Vector quantities basically have a magnitude and a direction and therefore we selected the input type in the compareed node to be Vector now I’ll take this normal socket and connect it to the value of a and here you have the value of B which you can compare with the normal and now suppose you want that the window should be visible only on this face for this you have to check the normal of these faces and as I already told you the normal will basically be the perpendicular line from these faces and you can clearly see here that the perpendicular of these faces will lie in the Y AIS like this but another thing to check is that if this y- AIS is positive or negative and you can confirm it from here where you can see that in this direction it is pointing the positive y direction and if I take my cursor over here then here you have the negative y AIS meaning that this side is positive and the opposite side that is this one is the negative y AIS similarly you also have other axis like the x axis and the Z axis so in case of xaxis this one is positive and this one is negative now I’ll remove all this by pressing cr+ Z 6 to seven times and click on the select mode again to see the Extrusion effect will be applied only on these faces I’ll go to the value B and here you can see that this one controls the x-axis the second one will control the Y AIS and the last one will control the Z axis so I’ll go to the y- AIS option and change it to one and the reason for entering one is that it’s in the positive direction if it had been in the negative Direction I Would have entered minus one in the Y AIS and now I’ll take this result socket and connect it to the selection in the extrude mesh node and now you can see that these windows or the extruded faces are appearing only on this side of the cube and this is because of the normal node and the compare node now moving ahead suppose you want that these windows should also appear on these faces at the back so for this you can see that the normal is in the negative ya axis this time so I’ll go to the geometry nodes editor and we’ll be creating a duplicate of these nodes by selecting both of them pressing shift plus d and let’s place it over here and this time I’ll change the value of B in the y- AIS to minus one but if I try to connect it using the result socket to the extrude mesh through the selection socket then although the windows will appear on this face but they would disappear from this face of the cube and that’s because the selection socket can only accept one input at a time and to assign multiple inputs to the selection socket we have to use another node which is the Boolean math node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in math here you have the bo Ian math node so I’ll select this and place it over here now in this Boolean matth node you have two input sockets named as booleans and an output socket which is again named as Boolean and by using this node I can connect the result sockets of both the compare nodes in the Boolean inputs and if I take the output and connected to the selection then this will create a connection between them but another thing to notice here is the and operation selected here and this thing will basically mean that it will check if the result from this compare node and the result from this compare node are equal or not and only if both of them are equal then in that case it will give the output but as we already know that both of these compare nodes are having different values the first one is having positive 1 in the y- AIS and the second one is having negative 1 in the y- AIS and as a result when it Compares both of them with this and operation the condition won’t be satisfied and no output will be given and that’s the reason why you can’t see the Extrusion effect on any of the faces and to fix this we’ll change the operation from here and if I select the or operation then this thing will basically mean that first it will check if the normal in the positive Y axis is true and then it will check the second one whether the normal in the negative y- axis is true or not and since both of them exist it will return the output that both of the conditions are true and therefore we’ll be able to see the Extrusion effect applied to the faces on both the sides and this is the use of the Boolean math node now moving ahead in order to make this window smaller in the Y AIS we’ll go to the cube node which is placed here and reduce the size in the Y AIS so let’s reduce it slowly and at a value of somewhere near 0.2 or 0.25 the structure of a window looks perfect so in this way we understood about the Boolean math node and it’s working in the and as well as the or operation see previously when we selected the and operation the reason why we didn’t get any output is that with the and operation it will give an output which will satisfy both the conditions however in this case the first condition was that the normal should be in the positive ey Direction and the second condition was that the normal should be in the negative ey Direction as a result both the conditions couldn’t be fulfilled simultaneously because both of them are completely different and therefore we didn’t get any output but with the or operation selected it will check both the conditions that is whether the normal is in the positive y- axis in the first case and in the negative y- axis in the second case and will return the output based on which one is true and in this case since both of them were true as a result we got these extruded faces or the windows on both of these faces now moving ahead we’ll be placing this window on different faces of the house that we created and here in the 3D view Port you can also see that the house that we created is not visible and that’s because we are using the viewer node here which is connected to this window to view the house in my SE scene first I’ll delete this viewer node by pressing X and here we have the house in our scene let’s also connect this extrude mesh node which is carrying the information about the window that we created and connect it to the Joint geometry now to view the windows on different points or different faces of the house we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points we’ll place it after the extrude mesh node and since the window object is to be used as an instance to be placed at multiple points we’ll break this connection and connect the mesh socket to the instant socket but the reason why we can’t see anything here is that we have not added any input in the point socket and here we need to add the input which is carrying the information about this house for this we’ll be using this group input node and if I take the geometry socket and connect it to the points then now here we have these windows placed at different points of the house now moving ahead before fixing this house let’s learn about another node which is the mesh Boolean node this node is exactly similar to the Boolean modifier about which we studied in this chapter of the course to understand it again we’ll first add the mesh Boolean node here so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh Boolean let’s place it over here and now here you can see that you have option to add mesh 1 and mesh 2 and here it’s also visible that mesh 1 can take only one input but the socket of this mesh 2 is oval in shape meaning that it can take multiple inputs then from here you can control the operation such as the difference Union and intersect which is exactly the same as in the Boolean modifier with the difference options selected we’ll be adding two mesh objects in the geometry noes editor and connected here so the mesh one will be a cube to add it pressure shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the cube let’s place it over here let’s also connect it to the mesh one and now for the second mesh we’ll be adding a sphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and Primitives select the UV sphere let’s place it over here and connect it to the mesh to to view the output here hold on control and shift and left click on the mesh buo node now the reason why you can’t see anything here is that by default the size of the cube is set to 1 M which is small and if I change the size in all the three axes to something like 1.25 M or maybe be 1.5 M then now here you can see that this strange looking structure of cube will appear to understand it properly let me explain it to you with the help of the Boolean modifier for this let’s first bring the 3D cursor on the selected object by pressing shift plus s and select this cursor to select it then we’ll add a cube and a UV sphere just like we added in the geometry noes editor so in the 3D view Port press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube press G and X to move it here now the reason why that structure disappeared is that whenever I do any changes in the 3D viewport the viewer node will get turned off here and only that output will be seen which is connected to the group output node here to fix this we’ll be connecting the mesh Boolean node to the group output so let’s connect it here and now in the 3D viewport let’s also add a UV sphere so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the UV sphere press G and X to move it in X Direction and place it over here let’s enter the edit mode and to scale up the UV sphere let’s first change the Pivot Point back to the median point then press s and scale it up like this let’s get back to the object mode and now to apply the Boolean modifier on this Cube first I selected it then go to the modify properties and click on ADD modifier then in the generate category select the Boolean modifier now here you can see that you have three options intersect Union and difference which is similar to the mesh Boolean node that we saw in the geometry nodes editor here also you can see that we have three operations intersect Union and difference if I again select this Cube and in the object if I click on the eye dropper and select this UV sphere then it will basically subtract or remove the part of the UV sphere intersecting with the cube and to see the changes here first I need to apply this modifier so I’ll apply it from here and then if I select the UV sphere and move it somewhere else then here you can see that this area or basically the volume of the UV sphere will get removed from the cube and the exactly same operation was performed by the mesh Boolean node on the cube that we added here similarly you also have some other operations like intersect and Union and if I select the intersect then only the UV sphere is visible here and that’s because the cube is disconnected here so if I connect it to the mesh socket again then a structure like this appears the reason why it looks like this is that with the insert operation it will only show that part of the mesh which is common between the cube and the UV sphere then if I change the operation to Union then this one will basically join the two mesh objects that is the cube and the UV sphere and form a structure like this and this is how the mesh boo node Works in blender even though I explained you each and every operation in detail but if you are still having any doubts in it then you can understand about the Boolean modifier which is exactly the same as the mesh Boolean node in this chapter of this course and now moving ahead we’ll be using this mesh Boolean node in order to place the windows properly on our house but first let’s remove all these nodes which we use used for understanding the mesh Boolean node so I’ve selected all these and press X and to view the house in our scene I’ll take back the retry socket and connect it to the group output now if I press shift plus a and in the mesh operations select the mesh Boolean node and place it over here just before the joint geometry node then here I can connect two mesh types with the difference operations so what I’m going to do is that I’ll be selecting this house that we created as the first mesh object and the windows as the second for this let’s first break the connection here by holding control button right clicking and dragging like this then for the mesh one I’ll take this roup input socket and connect it to the mesh one then I’ll take this instances on points which is carrying the information about the windows and connect it to the mesh number two and now let’s understand what exactly is happening here by using this mesh Boolean node we are basically subtracting the geometry of the windows from the geometry of this house now even though this is not the final result that we need but still it helped us because now we have a clear idea about where we need to place the windows on these faces we’ll be adding a window over this face similarly at the back face and also at the side faces so once again this mesh pan node simply subtracted the of mesh 2 which is the windows from the geometry of the mesh one which is the house now in order to place the windows on these faces we need to add another node which is the mesh to points node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh to points and we’ll be placing it just before the point socket of the instance on points now what it basically does is that it converts the mesh that comes as the input which in this case is the house because we have connected the mesh Point node to the group input here and as I already told you this group input node is carrying the information about the house but yes before explaining the mesh points note to you let me first place all these notes properly here to avoid any kind of confusion so I’ll select the instance one points node here and place it here similarly this one let’s place it here let’s place this one and similarly select this one and place it here and this one also then let’s go downwards and bring this normal node upwards and let’s place it over here now if I zoom in you can see here that this group input node which is carrying the information about this house is connected to the mesh two points node and if I change the mode from vertices to faces then we see some changes here but to understand them deeply I will directly connect the mesh two points node to the group output now here you see some points added which are basically placed at the different faces of the house that we created and this is because in the mode option here we have selected the faces but if I change it to vertices then it will basically place these points on the position of different vertices of the mesh object or basically the house but since we want that the window should be placed at only the faces of the house as a result we’ll change the mode to the faces and if I connect the joint geometry node back to the group output then here you can see that our window is placed on all these faces of the mesh object now even though these two windows are perfectly placed the windows at the sides are not perfect and we can fix this with the help of rotation in the instance one points for this I’ll connect the rotation socket to the Align UL to Vector node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in rotation select the line UL to Vector let’s place it over here and connect it to the rotation socket of the instance on points now as I already told you we need to input the normal information of all these faces in the vector option here however all these fa cases are having different normal information and for this you have the capture attribute node in the geometry nodes Editor to use it press shift plus a go to attribute and select the capture attribute node and I’ll place it here now what this capture attribute node does is that it basically captures the information about the normal of these faces and that information can be used to rotate these windows properly so we’ll be connecting it in between the group input node and the mesh two points node so let’s place it over here now here you can see that you have the data type option which is selected to float by default but since since we wanted to capture the normal information which is a vector so we’ll be changing it from float to vector and also one more thing is that the information that we want to get is about the normal on the faces but here in the domain point is selected which will give you the information about the normals of the points but here I’ll change it to faces and to tell it that we want the normal to be captured we need to connect this value socket to the normal so one way is to press shift plus a and in Geometry go to read and add the normal from here and the other way is to select this normal node press shift plus 3 to create a duplicate place it over here and connected to the value socket of the capture attribute node and now this capture attribute node will capture the information about the normal of different faces of the house object and now to give this information about the normals to the Align ular to Vector node we’ll take this attribute socket and connect it to the vector socket of the Align UL to vector and now we can align the different axis with the x file and Z option here along any other axis which you can select from the pivot option by default it is selected to Auto and this is how it will align the y- axis of the object or basically the windows like this and since we want them to be straight like this in the Zed axis you should either align the y- axis and set the pivot to Auto or you can set it to the Z axis now although this house now has a perfect basic structure there are still some imperfections in it for example the windows that you can see here are also added to the rooftop which you can’t see right now because of these roof tiles and similarly it’s also added here at the base of the house and to fix this we basically need to tell the mes two points note here about at exactly which normal value of the faces we want these windows to appear and if you remember we did a very similar thing here in this case when we connected the normal socket to the equal or basically the compare node and we used it to compare the normal value to the vector B that we added here similarly in this case we want that the window should be placed only on those faces whose normals are in the positive or the negative X direction or in the positive and the negative y AIS or in simple words I can also say that we need these windows at all the faces whose normals are not in the positive or the negative Z axis and to do this press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it over here change the data input to vector and to add the normal node I’ll select this one press shift plus d and place it over here let’s connect it to the vector a let’s also change the operation to equal and set the value in The Zed axis in the vector B to minus one then to create another compare node with a vector value of positive 1 in The Zed axis I’ll select both of them press shift plus d and let’s place it over here and change this value to positive 1 now both of them are carrying the information about the faces whose normals are in the negative or the positive Zed axis but since we need the faces which are not in the positive or the negative Zed axis we’ll change the operation from equal to not equal similarly with this one let’s select not equal now another thing to understand here is that the normals of the faces where we have added these roof tiles are not perfectly in The Zed axis and that’s because they’re not straight like the other faces you can see that they are slining like this and as a result if I take the annotate tool and change it to annotate line and if I go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad then the normal of these faces will be something like this you can clearly see that this is perpendicular to the face however it is not lying perfectly in any of the three axes as a result when I’ll connect these compare notes to the mesh two points it will basically mean that these faces will also be included and to solve this problem let’s first undo the annotations go to the select mode again and we need to see only the points of this mesh object for this hold on control shift and left click on this mesh two points node and this will basically allow you to see all the points of the mesh or basically the house that we created now if I take the compare node and connect it to the select of the mesh two points then the uppermost Point here gets deleted and that’s because it was carrying the information that it must be showing all those points whose normal is not equal to one in the Zed axis similarly if I connect this one to the selection socket then the lowermost point will get deleted because this one is carrying the information that all the points must be shown whose normal is not in the negative Z AIS and also here you can see that these four points are actually the points lying on the faces of the rooftops and to remove these we’ll take the second compare node again and connect it to the selection and and here you have the option of Epsilon in the compare node and if I slightly increase it by holding the shift button and dragging it like this then at one particular point you will notice that those four vertices will get disappeared and now we can connect both the compare nodes together with the use of the Boolean match node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the Boolean math let’s place it over here and connect the first one to the Boolean similarly the second one to the Boolean and take this output node and connect it to the selection and now here we have only these four points which are actually those points that we needed to add the windows on the house and yes the reason for choosing the and operation here is that we need both of these conditions to be true the first one is telling that the point whose normal is in the negative Zed axis should not be included and the second one which is telling that the point in the positive Z axis and also those four points that we adjusted with the help of Epsilon are not to be included here so both the conditions need to be satisfied and therefore we selected the and operation now to view the windows on the house I will delete this viewer node by selecting it and pressing X and now here we have our house with the window windows on all the four faces but not on the bottom face and also not on any of the faces where you have these roof tiles now moving ahead to the next topic of this chapter which is the bounding box node and we’ll be using this node to make our Windows look better right now you can see that the windows are looking very simple and so we’ll be using the bounding box node to make this structure perfect but before that let’s understand this node with the help of the suzan model that we added here so I’ll select this and in the geometry nodes editor here we have the default geometry node system applied to add the bounding box node press shift sh plus a go to geometry and in operations select the bounding box let’s place it in between the group input and the group output and here we see a cube or a box placed around the monkey object now to see what actually happened here let’s go to the wireframe mode by clicking on this icon now to view both the objects together that is the bounding box and the suzan model we’ll be using the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and here you have the joint geometry node let’s place it over here then I’ll take the socket of the group input and connect it to the Joint geometry and now here we have the suzan object with the bounding box so this bounding box node will basically create a box around your object and that to with the minimum volume such that it completely surrounds the object so if I go to the front view by pressing one on the numpad then here you can see that our suzan model is perfectly placed in this box like this similarly if I go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad then from this Dimension also you can see that the box is exactly covering the suzan model similarly if I go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad let’s hide this object by selecting it and clicking on this I button then from the top view also you can see that this box is exactly covering the suzan model and this is the use of the bounding box node it will create a box- like structure covering your object completely and that to with the minimum possible volume now just similar to the suzan model we’ll be using the bounding box node on the Windows of this house in order to make the frame of these windows for this I’ll delete the suzan model with this bounding Box by pressing X let’s also delete this Cube and the UV sphere which we used to understand about the Boolean modifier so I’ll delete both of them and now if I select the house then this geometry node system will appear and so now let’s add the bounding box node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in operations select the bounding box let’s place it over here now we have to place it after that node which is carrying the information about the windows and that specific node is the instance on points node if you remember we added this mesh Boolean node in order to subtract the first mesh which was the house and the second mesh which was the window and at the mesh number two we have connected this instance on points node and so we can say that this node is carrying the information about the windows that we created so I’ll take this bounding box Noe and connect it over here and it creates these spaces in place of the windows that we added and to get those windows back simply take this instances socket and connect it to the Joint geometry and this is the result if I zoom in you can now see that we have these frames added because of this mounding box node and this makes the windows look much better than before and now it’s the time to give some materials to the house and the windows for this go to the render view then go to the material properties and click on the new button now the first material here will be basically that material that will appear on the house so let’s change its name from material to house and let’s change the base color to slightly yellow now moving ahead let’s create another material for the window glasses so click on the new button change its name from here and we’ll rename it to Glass let’s keep the base color to white right now then we’ll create another material which will be used for the window frame so I’ll change its name from material to frame let’s also change the base color and this time I’ll keep it to blue color now to apply the window frame material we’ll be adding a set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material and we’ll be placing it in between the extrude mesh and the instance on points node and if I change the material to frame and now the entire frame along with these window glasses are assigned the frame material to give some different material to the window glasses or basically the top extruded faces let’s create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and place it along with the first set material node and change the material to Glass and now we see that this glass material is being applied to the window frame as well as the glasses and that’s because we have placed the set material node with the glass material after the one where we assigned the frame material and whenever you have such a situation where two similar nodes are giving different information about the same object then in that case it will only consider that node which is placed after or basically on the right hand side of the previous one but in order to assign this glass material only to these windows or basically these top extruded faces we have to take the top socket of the extrude mesh node and connect it to the selection in this set material node and now you can see that this glass material is applied on the top extruded faces and this Frame material is applied to the rest of the window now if you remember while making the glass material we simply added a white color to the base and did no other changes but to make it look like a real glass I’ll click on the surface option here and change it to Glass pstf let’s also reduce the roughness from here so I’ll reduce it to zero but if you remember in one of the previous chapters of the course we created a simple glass material but the reason why we can’t use it here is that in the render properties we have set the render engine to Eevee but that glass material was only for the cycle cender engine and in order to make a glass material in EV we also have to go to the screen space Reflections here and turn it on and also you have to turn on the refraction and now to get some proper Lighting in our scene I’ll select the light from the scene collection go to the object data properties and we’ll change the light from point to Sun let’s reduce the strength to something like five or six then press R to rotate and X to rotate in the x-axis and if I move my cursor like this then now we can see the house that we created properly now another thing that you can notice here is that even though we have assigned the glass material to these window glasses you can’t actually see see through it to fix this problem I’ll select the house go to the material properties and with the glass material selected go to the settings option here and change the blend mode from opaque to Alpha blend to see the changes here we need to view only the windows and for this hold on control shift and left click on the instance on points node and now here you can see that the glass material is perfectly applied on these window glasses and you can clearly see through them now press X to delete this viewer node now before giving some material to the roof tiles here let’s first turn off the wireframe mode that we turned on previously in this chapter so click on this drop- down menu and from here I’ll turn off the wireframe display now to give some material to these roof tiles first I’ll select the bigger roof tile that we created and in the material properties click on the plus icon and let’s create a new material we’ll rename it to roof tiles let’s also change the base color to something like orange and to view the changes here with this roof tile selected tab into the edit mode press a to select all the vertices and click on this assign button let’s come out of the edit mode and now you can see that the color of these roof tiles has changed but another thing that you can notice here is that the yellow color of the house is also appearing on this lower part of the roof and to fix this issue we’ll add a set material node by pressing shift plus a go to material and select set material and we’ll be placing it in between the node connection of the group input node and the joint geometry so let’s place it over here let’s zoom in and we’ll change the material to house then I’ll create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and placing it over here and change this material to the roof tiles but as I told you earlier the one that is present on the right hand side will only be seen as the result but in order to apply this house material only to the side faces then for this we have to tell the set material node that we want to apply it only on those specific faces whose normal lies on the positive and negative x-axis or on the positive and negative y AIS and if you remember we created a system of nodes with the normal and the compare nodes which were serving the same purpose so if I take the Boolean socket here which is connecting both of them and connected to the selection then now you will see that the house material is getting applied only on the side faces and not to the rooftop now in order to see the glass material properly to ensure that you have this R race refraction option turned on and now we have a simple yellow color applied to this house this blue color applied to the window frame and the faces in between the window have been assigned the glass material but the reason why you can’t see anything inside the house is that the face behind this window is also having the yellow material that we assigned to the house and to fix this issue we’ll be creating a transparent material and we’ll place it after the bounding box node so go to the material properties click on the new button let’s create a new material and to make it transparent change the surface to transparent bstf also because we are in the EV render engine so change the blend mode from opaque to Alpha blend then to assign the material select a set material node press shift plus d and place it after the bounding box node change the material to the material. 001 where we created the transparent material so I’ll select this now to see the result I’ll go to the mesh Boolean node hold on control shift and left click on it and now here you can see that these faces are now having the transparent material but if I delete this viewer note you won’t be seeing the same thing here and the reason for this is the set material node that we added here since in the selection socket it is carrying the information that it has to apply this house material or basically the yellow material to all these four faces as a result it’s also applying this yellow house material to the face behind the window and to fix this problem instead of connecting it in between the group input and the joint geometry we’ll connect both of these nodes in between the group input and the mesh buia node I’ll select the first one press shift plus d and place it over here then I’ll delete it from here similarly I’ll select the second one and yes instead of creating a duplicate you can also remove it by holding the alt button and left clicking on it now I’ll place it over here and again I’ll take the Boolean socket of the ad node and connected to the selection in the set material node of the house material and now you can see here that you can easily see through the windows of this house because the face at the back of them is having a transparent material now moving ahead let’s finalize this house and fix some minor issues in this house model so I’ll go to the solid view again now the first thing to notice here is that the tiles are not properly placed for example you can bring them down to make it look better and to do this we have to select the tile in our scene tab into the edit mode press a to select all the vertices and if I press G and Y to move it in the y direction then you will notice that these roof tiles will also begin to move like this let’s fix this position and now roof tiles are looking like this and let’s come out of the edit mode and now another thing that we can fix here is the tiles appearing on the top here and to solve this problem I’ll go to the geometry noes editor and if you remember we created these styles with the help of this Ray cast node now we’ll be using using the math fan node in order to tell the instance on points node here that it does not need to add any tiles on this face which has a normal pointing towards the positive Z axis and to do this press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the Boolean math let’s place it over here then press shift plus a again go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it here change the input type to Vector since we’ll be adding a normal node and to add that normal node press shift plus a go to geometry and in the read category select the normal let’s place it over here now we’ll connect this normal to the vector a then I’ll change the operation to not equal and we’ll set the vector value in B to one in the Zed axis now I’ll take this result socket and connect it to the first Boolean input and for the second Boolean input I’ll take this is head socket and connect it here and now to see the output we’ll be connecting this Boolean output socket to the instance on points here so I’ll take this socket and connect it to the selection and now here you can see that the tiles at the top of the face have disappeared and now our house looks perfect but let me show you another thing if I Tye into the edit mode and if I press three for the face select mode and select this pH then I can extrude it like this and it will automatically add these windows at all these side faces similarly if I select this pH and press e to extrude it then in this case also it will add a window here and also some roof tiles the reason why the number of roof tiles is less is that here in the grid option the size is very low but if we increase it from 4 M to something like 100 m let’s also increase the vertices from 35 to a very high number like 400 or maybe let’s increase them to 500 then this is how it looks to see it properly let’s come out of the edit mode and turn on the render View and now this is how this house is looking right now and to fix these issues like the placing of the tiles you simply have to change the values in the size option and the vertices option for example if I take the size values and reduce it to something like 80 then it looks like this let’s also change the number of vertices in the x and y axis and if I increase it to something like 550 then it looks like this and if you want to change the scale of these tiles then you can go to the transform geometry node and change the scaling from from here but right now I think that the house model looks perfect so let’s finalize it and we’ll also be adding a plane below it by pressing shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode press s to scale it and to move it downwards press G and z and let’s place it over here let’s also scale Up This Plane Slightly more by pressing s and I think that we should scale it up 10 or 20 times so I will press 20 and press enter then go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad let’s also come out of the edit mode of this plane and to change the camera view you can either click on the lock button here or you can press n and in the view section turn on the lock camera to view now let’s change the view of the camera to that particular position where the house is completely visible and that too from a perfect angle so here I think that it looks perfect so let’s finalize this and to hide this bigger tile I’ll select this and click on this I button and if you don’t want it to appear in the rendered version also then turn off the camera icon from here similarly we also hided this plane in our scene so I’ll click on the camera button here also to hide it in the render view now to give some material to the base or the plane we’ll be ass assing the sand material to it which we created in this chapter of the course to add it here first we need to open the asset browser so click on this icon go to the asset browser then change this to the user library and now here we have the sand material that we created so I’ll select this and drop it on the plane and yes one more thing that I noticed just now is that this window of the house is colliding with the roof and to fix this issue I’ll select the house tab into the edit mode and with the upper face selected press G and Z to move it upwards let’s move it up like this and here it looks perfect let’s come out of the edit mode let’s also adjust the camera view so I’ll zoom out and adjust the camera like this now you can also try to change the color of this house or maybe try to add some different materials with different types of roughness metallic nature and other things and also you can add some more lights in the scene in order to make it look better and I also did some basic changes in the material and the lighting and this is how the final rendered version looks and also this brings us to the end of this chapter in this chapter we learned about lots of geometry notes and the usage and if you’re learning them for the very first time there is a really very high probability that you can’t understand understand all of them by simply watching the video once so a better approach will be to either re-watch the whole video again and then make the model or else re-watch that particular part where you think that your concept is not [Music] clear in this chapter we’ll be covering all these topics in complete detail and we’ll be using these geometry nodes to create this donut so to begin with we’ll be adding a curve in our scene so first let’s delete this Cube by pressing X and to add the curve press shift plus a go to curve and select the bzier curve now since we’ll be making the donut with the help of geometry nodes so let’s also go to the geometry nodes workspace for this click on the workspace named as geometry nodes here and to add a new geometry node click on this new button now the first note that we are going to discover is the set spine cyclic node to add it here press shift plus a go to curve and in the right category here we have the set spline cyclic so I’ll select it and let’s place it over here let’s also go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and now what this set spline cyclic note does is that it will make the curve cyclic by connecting the two ends of the curve together meaning that this node will connect this end point of the curve to the first point here and this can be done by turning on the cyclic option here so if I turn it on then now our curve is looking cyclic because it has join the two end points together now the benefit of this node is that if I tab into the edit mode and select the draw tool from here and to draw the curve I simply have to left click and drag my cursor like this and you can see here that it will automatically make the curve cyclic so if I turn it off then you can see here how the original curves look and by using the cyclic option the curves will get completed and as a result they look cyclic and now we’ll be using this node mod to create the cyclic structure of a donut for this tab into the edit mode press a to select all these points and we’ll delete them and create a new cyclic curve so press X and select delete segments now let’s draw the curve to be used as the donut let’s come out of the edit mode and you can see here that we have a simple basic structure in the form of a curve ready for the donut now in order to make it look like a real donut we have to convert this curve into a mesh and for this we’ll be using the curve to mesh node to add it here press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the curve to mesh let’s place it over here now since here we have a cyclic curve so we’ll be connecting this profile curve socket to a curve Circle to do this press shift plus a go to curve and in Primitives select the curve Circle let’s place it over here and connect it to the profile curve and now here you can see that we have a structure which slightly looks like a donut in order to make it perfect I’ll go to the curve Circle node and reduce the radius from here now if you think that it looks oval then you can tap into the edit mode and we’ll scale it up in the y- axis so press s and Y and let’s slightly scale it up like this let’s come out of the edit Boe let’s also slightly is the radius from here and this is how it looks now moving ahead let’s also add the frosting at the top and for this we’ll be using the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mes and in operations select the extrude mes let’s place it over here now it’s extruding all the faces individually and to fix this I’ll first turn off the individual option and to extrude only the face at the top we’ll be using the compare node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it over here and we’ll be using this to tell the extrude mesh node that you want the Extrusion to be applied only on the top f faces and for this we’ll be using the normal node and that’s because we know that the normal for the top or basically the perpendicular to it will be in the positive Z AIS and to do this first I’ll change the input type from float to Vector let’s also change the operation to equal now in the vector a I’ll be connecting the normal node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the normal let’s place it over here and connect it to the vector a and now we’ll be using the values in the vector B in order to make it equal to the normal node the first value will control the x- axis second will control the y axis and the third will control the Z axis and since the normal of these top faces lies in the positive Z Direction so we’ll be changing the value of B in The Zed axis as positive 1 now if I connect the result socket to the selection then you see that nothing happens and that’s because you have to control the area where the Extrusion is to be applied with the help of this epilin option here to increase it slightly hold down the shift button left click and if I drag my cursor like this you will notice that the Extrusion is being applied to certain part of the top and to increase this area I’ll go to the Epsilon option again and if I slightly increase it then the area to be extruded will increase like this and to reduce the Extrusion go to the offset option here and reduce it like this let’s further increase the Epsilon value from here so that it actually looks like the frosting of a donut so let’s increase it like this and let’s keep the value to that point where the structure actually looks like a donut so this Epsilon value will basically control the area to be extruded and the offset value will control the Extrusion of that area also to make it look better I’ll reduce the resolution from here from 32 to something like 16 and now this is how our donut is looking right now and here I think that the Extrusion at the top face is a little high so I’ll reduce it from here and at a value of somewhere near 0.1 the Extrusion looks fine now in order to add some sprinkles to it we’ll be using the distribute points on faces node to add it here press shift plus a go to point and select the distribute points on faces let’s place it over here and now this will distribute these points over the different faces of the donut that we created in order to view both the donut and these points we’ll be adding a joint geometry note here so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry let’s place it over here and to view the donut take the mesh socket of the extrude mesh and connect it to the geometry in the joint geometry and this is how it looks now if you want to make your donut look better and more smooth then for this you can use the subdivision surface node to add it here press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the subdivision surface we’ll place it in between the extrude mesh and the joint geometry node and now the subdivision is applied to this donut now here you can see that these points are distributed all over the donut but we wanted them to appear only on this extruded part and for this we’ll be using the same result socket that we connected to the extrude mesh in order to extrude this part and we’ll connect it to the selection socket of the distribute points on faces and now the points will be distributed only on the extruded part now one more thing to notice here is that the things that are distributed on this extruded pH are simply these points but not sprinkles and to replace these points with the sprinkles we need to add the instance on points node after the distribute points on faces node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it over here and yes if you want to know about these two nodes and they’re functioning in complete detail then you can check the previous chapters of the course where we discussed about both both of these geometry nodes in complete detail but for now I’ll be using this instance one points node in order to place the sprinkles on this extruded part but before that we also need to model the sprinkles for this in the 3D view Port press shift plus a go to mesh and add a cylinder let’s move it in the X Direction by pressing G and x and let’s place it over here tab into the edit mode and now to make it look like a Sprinkle first I’ll scale it up in the Z Direction so press s and z and scale it up like this now we’ll be applying the subdivision surface modifier to it for this go to the modify properties click on ADD modif fire and in generate select the subdivision surface let’s increase the levels you put to a value of two now in order to make this pointing part flat at the top and the bottom enable the face mode by pressing three select the top face and press I to insert it let’s bring it down and now here the insert is applied similarly I’ll select the face at the bottom and press I to inz it and now this is how it looks now since we are making a Sprinkle so we need to reduce its thickness or basically the scaling in the X and Y AIS to do this press a to select all then s to scale and to apply the scaling in the X and Y AIS simultaneously press shift plus Z let’s scale it down like this and left click to finalize let’s come out of the edit mode and now our sprinkle is ready and to distribute these sprinkles over the extruded face of the donut we need to select the donut we have to connect the sprinkle to the instance option here for this I’ll go to the scene collection left click on the cylinder object or basically the sprinkle and if I drag it into the geometry nodes editor and drop it here the object info node is created with the cylinder selected here now I’ll take this geometry socket and connect it to the instance and here the sprinkles are placed at different faces on the top of the donut however we need to reduce the scaling from the scale option here so let’s select the scaling in the XY and Zed axis and let’s reduce it to a very low value like 0.1 and this is how it looks now in order to rotate them I’ll first select the cylinder or basically this main sprinkle object and we’ll be rotating it so with the cylinder selected tab into the edit mode press R and X to rotate it in the x- axis like this and to rotate it by 90° press 90 and enter to confirm now just like this main sprinkle these other sprinkles on the donut are also rotated in the xaxis by 90° now even though the basic rotation looks good in the x-axis but another thing to notice here is that all of these sprinkles are having the same rotation but to make it look realistic let’s give each of them a random rotation so let’s come out of the edit mode select the donut and to give the sprinkles a random rotation we’ll be connecting this rotation socket to the random value node so press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value let’s place it over here and change the data type to Vector now take this value socket and connected to the rotation and now you will notice that the sprinkles are now rotated randomly and if you want to control this rotation you can try to change the maximum value in the random node for example if I try to change the maximum value in The Zed axis then you can see that the randomness of the rotation in The Zed axis will change like this similarly I can do the same with the x- axis and also the Y AIS and yes if you want to increase the number of these sprinkles then you can go to the density option here and if I increase it the number of sprinkles will increase like this also I think that I should increase their scaling in order to make them look thicker so I’ll go to the scale option here select all the three and let’s increase it to a slightly higher number like 0.12 and now it is looking perfect and yes with this our structure of donut is ready now but let me show you one more thing if I select the donut go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and also go to the edit mode then with the draw tool selected if I draw a curve like this then it will automatically create a donut out of it similarly I can create any number of Donuts by simply making a curve like this and see that’s the benefit of using the geometry nodes even though the geometry nodes look complex to understand in the starting but if you master them completely then they’re really very helpful and can save a lot of time if you want to create different objects also since we have used the set spline cyclic node here which makes any curve cyclic so I don’t need to draw the entire circle and close it I can simply draw a curve like this and it will automatically join the two end points together and now I’ll be keeping these two Donuts in my scene and we delete the other ones for this click on the select tool left click and drag like this and to select the other one hold on the shift button left click and drag like this now all the points on the two Donuts are selected and to delete them press X and select delete segments let’s come out of the edit mode and now the next topic for today’s chapter is understanding the realized instances node so what it basically does is that it helps to convert the duplicate objects into separate geometries for example the sprinkle stup placed on this donut are simply the instances that are placed on different points and to confirm this you can go to the spreadsheet and in the instances option here you can see that we have 49 stenes and these are basically the sprinkles that are distributed over the top of the donut however to convert them into different geometries we have to use the realization in senses node and using this node is also important in order to assign different colors to the sprinkles so to add it press shift plus a go to instances and here you have the realized instances node so I’ll select this place it over here and now it’s connected but you won’t see any difference here however if I go to the spreadsheet the now in the instances you can see that there are zero instances and that’s because all these sprinkles which were the instances are now converted into separate geometries now in order to give different colors to the sprinkles here we have to use a new node which is the store named attribute node to add it here press shift plus a go to attribute and select the store named attribute let’s place it here for now now this node is basically used to capture some attribute and store it with a name which you can then use somewhere else in the program if you remember in one of the previous chapters we studied about the capture attribute node and it’s exactly similar to The Stone named attribute node except for the fact that this node is having the name option here to understand it better let’s first place it after the instance on points and since we’ll be using it to give different colors to the sprinkles so we’ll change the data type from float to color and since we have
connected it to the instance on points we’ll also change the domain from point to instance now if you want your sprinkles to have random colors assigned to them then for this we have to connect the random value node to the value socket here to do this press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value let’s place it here let’s also change the data type to vector and connect it to the value socket here now you also have the name option here in order to save this attribute with the name so if I left click on it I can assign any name to it so for now I’ll keep the name to color and now it is saved with the name color now to give these sprinkles some material I’ll change this to the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader Editor to give it a new material click on the new button now to give some colors to the sprinkles let’s add the color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter select the color ramp let’s place it over here and connect it to the base color in the principal bstf so we’ll be using this color ramp node to assign different colors to the sprinkles here also we’ll change the interpolation from linear to constant so that we can add different colors here without blending them with each other now to view the colors of the material let’s go to the render preview mode now to apply the colors on the sprinkle we need to add the attribute node here with the name that we assigned in this node to do this press shift plus a go to input and from here select the attribute let’s place it over here now in the name option we’ll type color and this is the same name which we assigned to the attribute in this node and now to connect it with the color ramp I’ll take this color socket and connected to the factor and to view the changes here we need to use the set material node in the geometry nodes editor so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node and we’ll place it after the realized instances and from here I’ll select the material. 001 and with this you can also see that the sprinkles are now assigned the material. 001 and so they appear to be black colored now to get different colors here we have to use the pointers in the color ramp for example if I move this white pointer then now here we have some black sprinkles as well as some white sprinkles you can even add some more colors to it by clicking on this plus icon let’s change the color from here by increasing the brightness and let’s assign it yellow color similarly let’s add one more color and change it from here increase the brightness and this time I’ll change it to pink color also I’ll change the color of this first pointer because we won’t need any black sprinkles on the donut so I’ll select it and change the color by increasing the brightness and for this one let’s change the color to green and to see all the colors properly we have to adjust the pointers at different positions the amount of sprinkles having a particular color will depend on the position of these pointers for example here you can see that most of the part is yellow colored and as a result most of the sprinkles in the donut are also yellow so to get a uniform distribution of colors we have to adjust these pointers properly and if you want you can even create more Colors by clicking on this plus button and changing the color from here let’s give the red color and now this is how the sprinkles are looking on our donut Now to create the chocolate material to be placed on the top of the donut let’s go to the material properties click on the plus button and go for new material let’s change the name of this material to Chocolate similarly for the sprinkles material let’s also rename it to sprinkles and now we have two materials in the material properties one of them is the sprinkles and the other one is the chocolate material now let’s go to the Shader editor and in the principle bstf we have to change the base color to make it look like the chocolate color and for doing this perfectly we’ll use the hex code of chocolate so I searched it up on Google and this result came up so we’ll change the hex code to the hex code of chocolate which is 41190 and now in the base color you can see we have the chocolate brown color and now to set this chocolate material to our donut we’ll be using the set material node for this I’ll select the set material node and create a duplicate of it so press shift plus d and place it after the subdivision surface node it appears like this because we need to change the material from sprinkles to chocolate and now this is how our donut is looking right now we have these colorful sprinkles distributed over the top and the simp simple chocolate material applied on the donut object now Although our donut is almost ready we can do some more changes in it for example it might be possible that you want that only the top extruded layer where the sprinkles are placed should have the chocolate material and not the remaining part and to do this we’ll create another material for the base of the donut so go to the material properties click on the plus icon and let’s create a new material we’ll rename it to Donut and for now I’ll keep the base color to white and we’ll work on applying this material only to the base of the donut for this we need to create a duplicate of the set material node and add the donut material to it so press shift plus d and place it over here change the material from chocolate to Donut but here you will observe that since this set material node with the donut is placed after the set material node with the chocolate material as a result the entire donut including the top extruded face is now having the white donut material but in order to assign the chocolate material to the top extruded face of the donut we need to tell this node to apply the material only on that specific part and if you remember we used this compare node with the normal selected which carried the information about the extruded to phase so if I take the result socket and connect it to the selection here you will observe that nothing happens and that is because as I already told you that since we have placed this set material node with the donut after the chocolate material so only this node with the donut will be considered and to fix this problem we basically need to place this set material node after this one and to do this let’s first remove it from the node connection so hold down the ALT key and if I left click and drag my cursor like this then the node will get removed and now we’ll place it after this set material node with the donut material so let’s select it and place it over here again take the result socket and connected to the selection socket and now here you can see that the chocolate material is now applied only to the top of the dut however you can see here that the material is not perfectly placed like in this area you have the chocolate material but it’s not present in the remaining area and to fix this problem we simply have to go to the EP silent value here and we have to slightly increase it so we’ll increase it slightly like this and at a value of somewhere near 0.75 or 0.8 our donut looks perfect so let’s finalize this and now we should also reduce the size of the sprinkles because they appear to be too large on the top of the donut for this I’ll select the cylinder tab into the edit mode and let’s scale it down in the Y AIS by pressing s and Y and scale it down like this and if you want to make the sprinkles thicker then for this press s and shift plus Zed to restrict the scaling only in the x and y axis and now you can change the scaling to increase or decrease the thickness of the sprinkles for now let’s finalize this and come out of the edit mode now moving ahead in order to give this chocolate a realistic look we’ll go to the Shader editor change the material from donut to chocolate and we’ll be using the noise texture with the bump node to add the bump node press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node let’s place it over here and connect the normal to the normal in the principal bsdf and now to add the noise texture press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it over here and to connect it with the bump node take the factor socket and connect it to the height and now this chocolate material is having this noise texture real melted chocolate now to connect the noise texture to the input and the mapping node press ctrl+ T and in the input node or basically this texture coordinate node take this object socket and connect it to the vector and now this is how the chocolate material looks now you can change its appearance from the scale value here so for now I’ll reduce it to something like 1.5 or two and if you want to control the bump effect applied to it then for this you can go to the bump node and change the strength from here for now I’ll keep it to 0.5 and this is how it looks now moving ahead suppose you want the chocolate material to cover more area of the donut or maybe this inner area of the donut and to do this you have to go to the compare Noe here and try to change the values of the vector B in the X and Y axis for example if I change both the values to a slightly higher number like 0.1 then now the area on which this chocolate material is applied will increase and with this our chocolate material is completely ready and before moving towards the creation of the material for the rest of the donut let’s first improve the lighting in our scene so for this I’ll select this lamp and change the type of light from point to Sun let’s reduce its strength to something like 5 or 10 and now we have a proper Lighting in our scene now to make the donut material I’ll go to the Shader editor change the material from chocolate to Donut and to give it some color we’ll be adding the color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram let’s place it over here and connect it to the base color now in order to create a color which resembles the donut we have to use a combination of orange and yellow color so I’ll change the first color by increasing the brightness and I’ll change it to orange color and for the second color I’ll select it and change it to a mix of orange and yellow color if you want you can even make the color look darker by reducing the brightness from here and now it looks like this now to give it some simple texture we’ll be adding the bump node and the noise texture to add the noise texture press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it over here press control+ T to connect it with the mapping and the texture coordinate node connect the object to the vector socket and to view the texture take this Factor socket and connect it to the factor in the color RAM and now to give the texture a more 3D look We’ll add the bump node so press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node let’s place it over here and connect the normal to the normal in the principal bsdf then to connect it to the texture take this Factor socket and connect it to the height and now this is how the texture of the donut looks let’s reduce the bump effect from the strength option here to something like 0.1 or maybe to a much lower number like 0. 02 or 0.01 and this is how the base of the donut looks now and also if you want you can make it look shinier by reducing the roughness in the principal bstf so if I reduce it to a lower value like 0.2 the roughness of the dut will reduce giving it a shiny or smooth look and with this our Donuts are completely ready and the best part about creating donuts procedurally with these geometry notes is that I can simply go to the edit mode and with this draw tool enabled if I draw a curve like this then it will automatically convert it into a donut so you can create any number of donuts with different sizes simply by drawing them in the edit mode but for now to finalize the scene we’ll be keeping only two donuts and to delete the rest of them let’s first change the mode to solid mode so that we can see the points properly turn off the draw tool by clicking on the selection tool and with this one selected I’ll also be deleting this donut in the scene so hold on the shift button left click and drag like this press X to delete and select delete segments now I have to select the best two out of the remaining three so I’ll go to the render view again let’s change the view to see them properly and I think that I should delete this one because it shape is not perfectly circular so let’s go to the top view again switch to the solid mode select these vertices and press X to delete segments now to finalize the scene we’ll be placing one donut in such a position that it looks inclined towards the first one and to do this we have to select the points of one of the donuts and let’s rotate it in the Y AIS so press R and Y and rotate it like this and to place it perfectly let’s go to the front view press G to move it and place it over here and now we have both the donuts perfectly placed in our scene let’s come out of the edit mode Let’s also turn on the render view now let’s create the base with the help of the plane so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane tab into the edit mode press a to select all the vertices and S to scale it up let’s scale it up to a very high number like 20 let’s also bring it downwards by pressing G and Zed and move it down like this and then come out of the edit mode now let’s also fix the lighting so for this I’ll select the first light press shift plus d and let’s move it in the x-axis and to rotate it towards the donut press R and Y and rotate it like this left click to finalize and if you want you can also change the type of light from Sun to Spotlight or area light and they will also work in the similar way for example if I select the Spotlight and increase the power to a higher number like 1,000 wat then we get a lighting like this let’s also change the color of this light from the color option here I’ll change the color to slight pink and similarly for the second light I’ll select it and for this one also you can change the type of light to spot or area or point but for now I’ll keep it to sunlight and let’s also change the color of this base to a darker color like gray color so I’ll go to the material properties click on the new button and change the color by reducing the brightness from here if you want you can also change the color to dark blue or dark purple or red color or any other color of your choice for now I’ll be keeping the purple color now let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and to turn on the lock camera to view either click on this lock button or press n and here in the view option you can turn on the lock camera to view so let’s change the view to that position where both the donuts are perfectly placed in the scene let’s also bring it down and here I think that it looks perfect so we’ll finalize it and to finally render it go to the render option and select render image and so this is the final rendered image of the donuts that we created with the help of geometry notes to save the image you can click on the image option here and here you have the option to save the file and yes this brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter in this chapter we’ll be understanding all these topics in complete detail and we’ll be using them to create this amazing meteor apocalypse scene in blender now the first topic for today’s chapter is understanding the split edges node but before that let’s open the geometry nodes workspace from here then go to the geometry nodes editor and with this Cube selected click on the new button so to add the split edges node press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the split edges node let’s place it over here now as the name suggest the split edges node basically splits the edges of your mesh and helps to separate each and every face if you remember while understanding the generate modifiers in this chapter we studied about the edge split modifier and the split edges node is exactly similar to that modifier to revise it let’s add another cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube let’s move it in the y direction and place it over here then go to the modify proper properties click on ADD modifier and in the generate section select the edge Spate modifier let’s apply it from here and now if I tap into the edit mode then because of the edge split modifier the edges of this Cube would have been splitted and as a result the faces must also be separated to check this press three for the face select mode and if I select the top face and press G to move it you can see that it is now separated from the rest of the cube similarly if I select any other face and press G to move it then this one will also get separated and just like this modifier in the geometry nodes you have the split edges node to check the same thing on this node we’ll be adding a scale elements node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the scale elements let’s place it over here and as discussed in one of the previous chapters this node is basically used to scale different elements like the edge or the faces of your mesh object so if I go to the scale option here and try to slightly reduce it you will notice that the faces are no longer connected with each other and this is because of the split edges node also if I remove it from here by holding alt and if I left click on it and then if I use the scale value you can see that all the faces are connected with each other so the split edges node will simply split the edges of your mesh object now moving ahead we’ll be creating a scene with some futuristic buildings and for this we’ll delete this Cube by pressing X and now let’s add a new cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube and to make them taller tab into the edit mode and let’s scale them up in the Z axis so press s and Zed and scale it up like this let’s also move it slightly upwards so press G and Zed and let’s place it over here now to get some more vertices and edges we’ll be using the loop cut so press crl plus r and to increase the number of loop Cuts you can scroll the mouse wheel and I’ll be keeping the number of loop cuts to five left click to finalize and then it will give you the option to fix their position but to get the default position simply right click now let’s come out of the edit mode and before doing any changes to it let’s create two more duplicates for some different buildings so press shift plus d and place it in the y direction and to create another duplicate press shift plus b again and place it over here let’s select the first building again now to modify this building let’s tab into the edit mode and I’ll be selecting some of these edges so I’ll select this one hold on the shift button and select these also since we need to make the buildings look futuristic so we’ll apply the bevel effect to it by pressing cr+ B and move your cursor like this then left click to finalize and this is how the basic structure of our first building looks we’ll be doing similar things with the other buildings also so let’s come out of the edit mode select the other building tab into the edit mode and now I’ll select the upper face and extrude it so press three for the face select mode select the top face press e to extrude bring it here and let’s scale it down like this now just like this one you can also select random edges here by pressing two then hold down shift and let’s select these edges press control plus b to apply the bevel effect then left click to finalize and let’s also do the same with some other edges as well so I’ll select some random edges here also press contrl plus b and apply the bevel effect like this now our second building is also ready so let’s come out of the edit mode and now for the third building let’s go to the edit mode press three for the face select mode select the top pH press cr+ B to apply the bevel effect and you can use the scroll wheel to increase in or decrease the number of segments then left click to finalize then I’ll press two for the Ed select mode select some random edges press crl plus b to apply the bevel effect then left click to finalize and yes all the changes that I have made here are completely random and you can make any random changes according to what you think will look the best for your buildings and yes if you want you can even make similar changes for the back of the building and to do this I’ll select some random ages here also press contrl plus b to apply the bevel effect and left click to finalize then I’ll do the same with other buildings also so let’s come out of the edit mode select the the second building I’ll select some random edges press C crl plus b to apply the bevel effect and similarly for the third building let’s select some random edges here press contrl plus b and left click to finalize the basic structure of all our three buildings is completely ready now and now to give them some material we have to open the Shader Editor to do this I’ll change this geometry notes editor into the Shader editor by clicking on this icon and selecting the Shader editor from here to give it a new material click on the new button and here we have the default basic material assigned to the building now to view the material switch to the rendom view from here and to get a proper Lighting in the scene I’ll select this lamp go to the object data properties and change the type of light from point to Sun let’s reduce the strength to a lower number like 5 or 10 you can rotate the light by pressing R and moving your cursor like this and now we have a perfect lighting in our scene now to give some material to the buildings let’s go to the Shader editor again and we’ll be using the Warner texture so press shift plus a go to texture and here you have the Warner texture let’s place it over here and to connect it to the texture coordinate and the vector mapping node press ctrl+ p then as always I’ll take this object socket and connect it to the vector and to view the texture here hold on control and shift and left click on the Warner texture now to make this pattern look like Windows we have to change the distance metric option to the third one and then reduce the randomness to zero and now we have this window like pattern that we created using the Warner texture if you remember we use this Warner texture to create a similar pattern on the buildings in this chapter of the course as well and now to make the window pattern look better we’ll be adding the color Ram so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color Ram let place it over here and change the interpolation mode from linear to constant then if I move the second pointer which is the white colored in this direction then you will begin to notice this pattern of black windows appearing on the building and now to have separate colors for the windows and the rest of the building we have to use the mix Shader node so press shift plus a go to Shader and select the mix Shader let’s place it over here and instead of connecting the color Ram to the first Shader we’ll connect it to the factor socket and now for the first Shader I’ll take this principal bstf and connect it to the first Shader socket and for the second one we’ll create a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d place it over here and connect it to the second Shader socket and now if I select the base color from here and change it to suppose blue color then now you can see that we have the blue color added here and now since this principal bstf node is controlling the material of the windows of the building so I’ll increase the metallic nature from here to a value of positive one let’s also make the color slightly darker by reducing the brightness from here and now this is how the material of these windows is looking right now and now for the borders around the windows you can set the color from the second principal bsdf so we’ll make it darker by bringing the brightness lighter down and and in this way we’ll change the color to dark gray color and now let’s change the name of this material from here and let’s rename it to buildings and press enter to confirm now if I view the top face of the building then you can see that this pattern of Windows is also applied here and to get some other material for the top face or basically the rooftop simply go to the material properties and click on the plus button let’s create a new material and for this one let’s change the base color to the red color and reduce the brightness from here to assign this material to the rooftop simply tab into the edit mode press three for the face select select the top face then select this material 0001 and click on the sign button and now we have this red colored material applied to the top of the building and now for this bevel part we’ll be creating another material but before that let’s change the name of the material. 001 to Rooftop and press enter to confirm to create a new material click on the plus icon here and create the new material and for this one we’ll set the base color to dark orange color let’s also reduce the brightness from here then tab into the edit mode and we’ll be selecting all the faces in this bevel part so left click and drag like this and for the remaining part hold on the shift button left click and drag like this then here also hold on shift button and select these faces also and similarly with the last part here to assign this material to these faces click on the assign button and now we have this dark orange color applied to this bevel part also I think that I should make it darker so I reduce the brightness further and now it looks like a mix of dark orange and brown color and now to apply the buildings material to the remaining two buildings I’ll first select both of them and with the shift key holded if I select this building then I can use the link material tools to assign the same material to these two buildings for this press cr+ L and select link materials and now I’ll select the second building tab into the edit mode and for the rooftop I’ll select this face click on the rooftop material and click on assign button similarly I’ll select this bevel part by left clicking and dragging like this select the material. 001 and click on assign button let’s also do the same with the remaining bevel part so I’ll select this one by left clicking and dragging like this click on the assign button let’s also go to the back of the building select these faces click on the material. 001 and assign material similarly let’s select these faces also and click on assign button and with this we have the materials properly applied to these two build buildings and now similarly for the third one we’ll select it tab into the edit mode select the top face and let’s assign the rooftop material from here and now for the bevel part let’s select all the Faces by left clicking and dragging like this select the material. 001 and click on aign button let’s do the same with other faces also select these faces by left clicking dragging like this and click on assign button let’s go to the back of the building select these faces click on assign button and in the end select all these faces and assign the material and so now we have our basic material applied to all these buildings and now to create a scene with several duplicates of these buildings I will add a cube in the scene and place these buildings as instances on all its edges and to do this first I’ll select all the three buildings by holding the shift button and select all the three press G and Y and place them over here then press shift plus a go to mesh and add the cube and to place these buildings as instances on the different edges of the cube we have to go to the geometry nodes editor for this let’s change the window from Shader Editor to the geometry nodes editor click on the new button and now here we have the default geometry note system applied to it and to place the buildings we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it over here and to use the buildings as the instance object here we have to create their collection so I’ll select all three of them and to create the collection press crl + G then click on the create new collection and let’s change the name of the collection to buildings and to add these buildings in the geometry nodes editor we’ll be using the collection info node so press shift plus a go to input and in scene select the collection info node let’s place it over here and connect it to the instant socket then I’ll choose the collection which is the buildings collection here and turn on the separate children and the reset children and also turn on the pick instance option so that all the three buildings are not placed over each other and now to scale them down I will use the scale option here let’s select all the three and reduce it to something like 0.5 however since I have used the instance one points node as a result these buildings are being placed at the vertices of the cube and to place them on the edges we have to use the mesh two points node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh to Point Let’s place it over here and change the mode from vertices to edges and now here we have the buildings placed around the edges of the cube let’s reduce this size from here and this time I’ll reduce it to something like 0.4 and now this is how it looks and yes to ensure that no two buildings are intersecting with each other for example here I can see that these two buildings are intersecting with each other and to solve this problem we simply have to go to the scale value and try to reduce it even further so this time let’s reduce it to something like 0.3 but still they’re intersecting so again I’ll scale it down to a value of 0.28 and now they’re no longer intersecting and now because of scaling them down down in all the three axis their scaling in the X and Y axis is also reduced but to make them look better we’ll increase the scaling in the X and Y axis by selecting them and let’s increase it to something like 0.33 M and now it looks better now if you want you can even make a skyscraper type of structure with the help of these buildings and to do this you simply have to select this tab into the edit mode and this Cube will appear on which we have applied the geometry node system and if I select the top face and extrude it by pressing e then now you can see that these new buildings will appear here let’s zoom out and so you can create any number of buildings simply by extruding the faces and moving them by pressing G and Zed and now you can change their position in the Zed axis let’s place them over here let’s extrude it one more time so press e and bring the buildings upwards let’s scale them down by pressing s and this is how it looks similarly to increase the number of these buildings you can increase the number of edges by pressing crl plus r and adding the loop cuts and now if I left click with these four Loop Cuts then now we have so many more buildings in the scene but for now I will Undo It by pressing cr+ Z and this is how the scene is looking right now and yes you can scale it up and scale it down in any way that you think will look the best for your scene to understand it even better I’ll turn on the solid view from here then if I turn on the x-ray mode by pressing alt plus Z then here you can see that this is the extruded Cube and just by extruding these faces or scaling them up and down we are changing the position of the buildings so if I bring this face down by pressing G and Zed and place it over here then if I create it duplicate by pressing shift plus d move it upwards in The Zed AIS and place it over here and if I go to the render view then this is how it looks I can control the distance between the buildings by scaling the face up and down but right now it looks perfect so we’ll finalize this now let’s also come out of the edit mode and to give each building some random rotation in The Zed axis we’ll be using the random value node so press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value let’s place it over here change the data type to vector and connect it to the rotation to get random rotations only in The Zed axis I’ll change this value in the X and Y axis back to zero and with this third value I can control the random rotation of these buildings in the Zed axxis and now if you remember we understood about the split edges node and we can use it here to make the buildings look broken so for this press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the split edges node let’s place it over here and to view the changes we’ll be adding the scale instances node so press shift plus a again go to mesh and in operations select the scale elements let’s place it over here and now if I slightly reduce the scale value then you can see here that the buildings are now appearing as broken which is because of the split Edge node here but for now let’s delete the scale elements node and connect the split Edge node to the group output and with this we have the structure of buildings completely ready in the scene and now we’ll move to the next topic of this chapter the geometry proximity node and this node basically allow us to make the changes in an object based on the position of some other object and to understand it I’ll first add a plane in my scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane press G and Y and place it over here then go to the geometry noes editor and click on the new button and yes if you want to control the size of this plane from the geometry noes editor then for this you can simply add the grid node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the grid node and place it over here now this group input node which was carrying the information about the original plane will get disconnected and a new plane will appear because of the grid node now let’s increase its size from here so I’ll select the size in the x and y axis and let’s increase it to something like 4 M let’s also increase the number of vertices in the X and Y AIS to a higher number like maybe 30 or 35 and now to add the geometry proximity node press shift plus a go to geometry and in Sample select the geometry proximity let’s place it over here and we’ll be using this node to displace the vertices of this plane with the help of a Target object and since we’ll be working on the position of vertices so let’s all also add the set position node here so press shift plus a again and in Geometry go to right category and select the set position node let’s place it over here and for the Target object we’ll be adding a cube here and to place it exactly at the plane we’ll bring the 3D cursor over it so press shift plus s and select the cursor to select it then to add the cube press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube let’s move it slightly upwards by pressing G and z and place it over here now to use this Cube as the target object I’ll select the plane and you can see in the same collection that this Cube has the name cube. 004 so to bring this cube in the geometry node editor of the plane I’ll go to the scene collection select cube. 004 by left clicking on it and if I drag it and drop it here then this object info node will be added with the cube selected so to use it as a Target object first I’ll select the relative from here and connect it to the geometry socket in the geometry proximity and to see the changes here we have to connect the distance socket to the offset and now you can see here that the plane has been deformed and I can also control it by selecting the cube and if I press G to move it then the vertices of the plane will also get displaced because of it and now suppose you want that it should only move in the Zed axis as per the cube so for this I’ll select the plane and now I’ll be adding a vector math node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the vector math let’s place it over here and change the operation to multiply and now if I select the cube and try to move it you will observe that nothing happens and that’s because in the geometry nodes of the plane this Vector in the multiply node is having a value of zero in all the three axes but suppose I change this value in The Zed axis to minus one and then if I select the cube and try to move it then you can see that this is how the vertices of the plane are getting displaced now and now to see this effect more properly we’ll be adding the map range node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in the math select the map range we’ll place it after the geometry proximity node and now if you increase the size of this plane with the grid option here let’s keep the size to something like 6 M and now if we select the cube and try to move it then you can see here that these vertices of the plane are getting displaced upwards as per the movement of the cube now if I go to the plane again and here in the geometry proximity node you can see that the target geometry is set to faces and this means that it will basically consider the faces of the cube in to displace the vertices for example if I select the cube tap into the edit mode and if I select the bottommost ph and if I try to scale it down by pressing s then you can see here that the displacement of the vertices of the plane will also get changed like this and this is all because in the geometry proximity node the faces option is selected here similarly you can also change the target geometry to edges or maybe to points and you will get the displacement accordingly and now we’ll be using this geometry proximity node with the building that we created here we’ll be creating a scene where a meteor is hitting the building and then that part of the building will begin to break off now for this I’ll delete this Cube and the plane by pressing X let’s also take the 3D cursor back to the world origin by pressing shift plus C and now if I go to the side view by pressing three on the numpad and here in the tool bar I have this measurement tool so if I select it and then left click and drag like this you can see that this tool helps us to measure the distance between any two points and so I can also use it to measure the height of this building and you can see here that it’s somewhere between 9 and 10 m but we’ll be increasing its size to something like 50 or 100 m for this first I’ll UND and then I’ll zoom out and I’ll use the measure tool to measure the distance of 50 to 100 m so I left click and drag like this and let’s keep it to something like 8 m and you can see that this point is somewhere located here so I’ll select the annotate tool and make a point here let’s switch to the select mode again and now to scale up the buildings first I need to select them so I’ll select it from here tab into the edit mode press a to select all and press s to scale it up let’s also bring it upwards by pressing G and z and place it over here and now let’s come out of the edit mode so we have increased the height of the building let’s also remove The annotation so I’ll go to the annotate tool hold down the left Mouse button and I’ll select the annotate eraser let’s erase it from here and go to the select tool again and to increase the scaling I’ll go to the scale option here select all three and if I drag my cursor then the scaling will begin to change let’s keep it to something like 3.5 and now it looks like this and now to create the breaking of effect on the buildings we’ll be using the geometry proximity node but before that since we’ll be breaking the building so we’ll add the set position node after this plate edges go to geometry and in right category select the set position let’s place it over here and now to add the geometry proximity node press shift plus a go to geometry and in Sample select the geometry proximity let’s place it over here and for the Target object we’ll be adding a cube in the scene so press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube move it in the y direction by pressing G and Y and place it over here and to scale It Up tab into the edit mode and scale it up like this let’s come out of the edit mode and let’s also move it upwards by pressing G and z and place it over here now to use it as a Target object I’ll go to the scene collection and this cube is named as cube. 0005 so I’ll drag it and drop it in the geometry notes editor and we’ll connect it to the geometry proximity node and we’ll also change it to relative from here and now if I connect the distance socket to the offset here then you will notice some changes in the scene so now with the cube selected if I try to move it then it will basically change the offset of the buildings in the seam but what we really wanted was that when the cube touches the building it should break off at that point and to achieve this result I’ll select the buildings again and we’ll be using the map range node in order to restrict the range of movement or the offset so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the map range node we’ll place it after the geometry proximity node and now if I select the cube Cube and press G to move it and take it close to the building you can see here that the position of the buildings is not changing however if I zoom in and then move the cube then you will notice slight changes in the geometry of the building to view them properly I’ll turn on the solid mode from here and with the x-ray mode turned on if I try to move the cube then you will notice very slight changes in the geometry of some buildings and this is because of the geometry proximity node added in the geometry noes editor and right now this effect of displacing is working on the instance as a whole therefore it shows a very small result on moving the cube so to increase this result I’ll be using the realiz instances node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the realiz instances node let’s place it over here and also to increase its effect we’ll be adding the math node with the multiply operation so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the math node let’s place it over here let’s change the operation from add to multiply and if I increase the value you will begin to notice some changes here so if I select the cube press G to move it then you will begin to notice that wherever it touches the building it will begin to displace the vertices or the edges of that particular building and to see this effect in a better way we’ll scale up this Cube so tab into the edit mode Let’s scale it up like this let’s come out of the edit mode and now if I try to move the cube towards the buildings then you can see this effect in a much better way than before at the point where it touches the building it’s creating a slight breaking of effect which is due to the geometry proximity node and yes if you want you can try to change the values in the map range node here in order to increase the effect for this I’ll increase all these values by a slightly higher number so let’s increase the first one to something like 0. five let’s increase the from Max value to a higher number like 8 or 10 let’s also increase the two minimum value and now if I select the cube again and try to move it then you will begin to notice the displacement effect applied to the different vertices and the edges of the buildings in a much better way however since I already told you that we need to create a scene where a meteor will be hitting the building and it will break away at that point and to achieve this effect we have to capture the normal of the face of the building where it breaks off or shows the explosion and for this we’ll be using the capture attribute node so press shift plus a go to attribute and select the capture attribute node let’s place it over here and now this capture attribute node will basically capture the information of the normal or basically the perpendicular of the faces of the building which will explode or the one that will break away and since we’ll be using it to capture the normal so I’ll change the data type from float to Vector also since we want to calculate the normal of the faces we’ll change the domain from point to face and now I’ll connecting the normal node to the value socket here so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the normal node let’s place it over here and connect it to the value socket now for the out but we’ll be connecting this attribute node to a vector math node placed over here so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the vector math let’s place it over here and change the operation to scale now I’ll take this attribute socket and connect it to the vector and this value socket to the value in the scale node now this will basically change the scale of your buildings according to the input of the normal that it receives from this node and also as per the multiply effect from here and now if I select the cube press G to move it then you can see here that it’s creating this displacement and the buildings appear to explode or break away as it touches the cube however one thing that you can see here is that all the buildings are breaking away and to fix this problem we have to change the values in the map range node first of all change the 2ax value to zero and now you can use the rest of the values and try to change them in order to increase the explosion effect for example if I select the two minimum value and try to increase it then you can see here how the explosion effect is also increasing similarly if I try to change the other values then we’ll also get some similar results the only thing to take care of in the map range node is that the two max value should be zero and then you can try try to change these other values and to make it look realistic I’ll reduce the from Maximum value which is basically controlling the breaking away effect of the buildings so I’ll reduce it slightly but I’ll be increasing the value of the two minimum from here which is creating this explosion effect so let’s keep it to something like 1.2 or 1.3 and now it looks like this let’s also add a light here to see the building properly so for this press shift plus a go to light and select the sunlight press G and Zed and move it upwards like this let’s move it in the X Direction over here and increase the strength to a higher number like 10 or maybe 30 press R to rotate it let’s also slightly reduce the strength to something like 15 or 20 and now we can see the buildings properly with the cube and also the explosion part and now if I select the building again then using this multiply option over here you can increase the explosion effect like this however to make it look realistic we’ll be keeping it to something like 12 or 13 and now it looks like this so try to change these values here in the map range node and in the multiply value socket and in this way you will be able to create the perfect explosion effect for the buildings Here and Now moving ahead in order to make this Cube look like a metor I’ll first scale it down by going to the edit mode and scale it down like this then in the geometry nodes editor click on the new button and to give it a spherical look we’ll be adding the subdivision surface node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the subdivision surface let’s place it over here and to make it look more spherical I’ll change the level value from 1 to two now this Mator will be having two parts the first one will be this rock and the second part will be the smoke coming out of it and to create the smoke Trail we need to extrude some faces emerging out of the Rock part and for this we’ll be using the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the extrude mesh node let’s place it over here and now I’ll be using the index value of different faces to create the smoke Trail and for this I’ll first add the index node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the index node let’s place it over here and to connected to the extrude mesh node we’ll be using the compare node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it over here since the index value is an integer so I’ll change the input type from float to integer now I’ll take this index socket and connect it to the value a then I’ll take the result socket and connect it to the selection Here and Now what it basically does is that it will exclude only those faces whose index value is greater than or equal to the value of B and since we already discussed it in one of the previous chapters that the index value starts from zero as a result because of the value of B set to zero all the faces are being extruded here however to extrude only some particular faces we have to increase this value so I’ll increase it like this and now you can see here that only some of the faces are getting extruded and to reduce the number of faces that are extruded we’ll again increase the value of B from here and get we are doing all this in order to make the smoke Trail so let’s increase the value of B from here and I’ll keep it to something like 90 or 91 like at a value of 90 it will extrude all the faces whose index value is greater than the value of B which is 90 and as a result you can see here that all these faces are extruded here but suppose I need only these three faces to be extruded then for this I’ll increase the value of B further and at a value of 92 you can see here that only these three faces are extruded and now to increase the amount of Extrusion I’ll go to the offset value here and increase it let’s also turn off the individual from here and now it looks like this let’s keep the offset value to something like 15 or 20 now let’s rotate it also so tab into the edit mode press a to select everything then R and Zed and rotate it in the Z Direction like this now to convert this into smoke we’ll be adding the mesh to volume node this will convert the mesh object into volume in order to make the smoke so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh to volume and let’s place it over here and you can see here that the metor that we were creating is now converted into volume now you can also control the density of this volume from the density option here but we’ll be keeping it to a value of one and now to distribute some points all over the volume we’ll be using the distribute points in volume node so press shift plus a go to point and select the distribute points in volume let’s place it over here and now you can see that there are these points distributed all over the volume also you can control the density from this density option over here and the number of points will increase or decrease like this now even though we can see the points here but in order to make the meteor we need to see it in the mesh form and for this we have to convert it into mesh however in case of points you can’t directly convert into mesh you first have to convert the points into volume and then you can convert the volume to mes so first press shift plus a go to points and select points to volume place it over here now again press shift plus a go to volume and in operations select the volume to mes let’s drop it over here now you can see here that due to the points that we added by using the distribute points in volume node the meteor appears like this however we need only the smoke trail part to have the points distributed or in simple words you have to make this Rock part look solid like a sphere and for this we’ll be using the joint geometry node so press shift f plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry node let place it over here and now the details of this Rock part is carried by the subdivision surface node so I’ll take this mesh socket and connect it to the geometry socket here and yes we should also scale it up so tab into the edit mode press s to scale it up and left click to finalize now if you want to increase this smoke trail part then for this you can go to the extrude mesh node here and try to increase the offset value so let’s increase it to something like 25 or 30 and now it looks like this let’s also increase the density of the points from the density option over here so let’s increase it to a value some close to 1.5 and now we’ll give some material to this material that we created and we’ll be starting with The Rock part first so let’s create a new material in the material properties and to apply this material to the Rock part we’ll be adding the set material node here so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node and we’ll place it after the subdivision surface node now click here and select the material and now moving to the creation of the material let’s convert this window to the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor from here and now for the material we’ll be adding the musk grave texture so press plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it over here and to convert it into the musk grave texture simply turn off the normalize option here to view the texture hold on control shift and left click on the noise texture and now here we have the musk grave texture or basically this noise texture with the normalized option turned off applied to the Rock part and now to give it some texture of fire I’ll first connect the principal bstf in this node system then I’ll go to the emission and connect this Factor socket to the emission strength now I’ll go to the color option here and let’s change it to yellow color however as you can see here the texture doesn’t look realistic at all and to fix this problem I’ll go to the noise texture here and try to increase these values first of all I’ll increase the detailing to its maximum value of 15 then I’ll go to the roughness and let’s increase it to something like 0.8 or 0.9 now the texture is starting to look better then if I go to the scale option and increase it the texture will begin to change like this let’s keep it to a value of somewhere close to 10 and now if you want to increase the emission strength of the yellow color then for this you can use the map range node so press shift plus a go to converter and select the map range and we’ll drop it over here now with the help of this two max value you can control the emission strength of the yellow color if you want very high emission strength then you can increase it to something like 20 or 30 but we’ll be keeping it to a value of something around 5 or 10 and here it looks perfect and now moving towards the material for the smoke part we’ll go to the material properties and create a new material it’s also changed its name to smoke and in the Shader editor instead of the principal bstf node we’ll be using the principal volume node so press X to delete it then press shift plus a go to Shader and select the principal volume node let’s place it over here and connect the volume socket to the volume of the material output now the reason why you can’t see the smoke material here is that we have not added any set material node in the geometry nodes editor for the smoke material to add it here I’ll create a duplicate of this set material node by pressing shift plus d let’s place it here for a while and we’ll be connecting it after the volume to mesh node so let’s drop it over here and change the material to the Smoke material it appears like this because currently we have turned on the EV render engine but to see the smoke material properly we have to change the render engine to Cycles so go to the render properties and change the render engine from EV to Cycles now now the smoke is visible here we’ll be reducing its density to a much lower number from the principal volume option here so let’s keep it to something like 0.1 or 0.2 and to give it some color you can go to the emission color option here and suppose I change the color to yellow or orange then the emission color will change however since the value of emission strength is zero as a result you can’t see the color of emission here so let’s increase it to a slightly higher number like 0.1 or 0.2 and now the color of emission is slightly visible on the smoke that we created let’s skip it to a mix of yellow and orange and to make it look better we can inre the black body intensity option here so if I increase it to something like 20 or 25 then now it looks like this now although it looks good but there’s still some changes that we can do here in order to make it look better for example we can cover this entire Rock part of the meteor with fire to make it look better and for this go to the geometry nodes editor and we’ll be adding the set position node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in right select the set position node we’ll drop it in between the subdivision surface node and the extrude mesh node and now to cover it up entirely with fire we’ll basically use this node by giving some random offset values to the position of different vertices and to do this properly we’ll be adding a vector math node here so press shift plus a go to utilities and in Vector select the vector math let’s place it over here connect the vector socket to the offset and for the first Vector we’ll be using the position node and for the second Vector we’ll be using the random node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the position node let’s place it over here and connect it to the vector socket to make the offset random we’ll be using the random value node so press shift plus a go to utilities and select the random value node let’s place it over here and change the input type to Vector let’s it’s connected to the second vector and now this is how it looks you can use the maximum values in the random value node to change the way how the metor looks so let’s SK it to something like seven or eight and now this is how this meteor is looking right now and if you want to make it look better in terms of the fire color then you can go to the emission color and change it to more of orange color then I’ll increase the emission strength to a higher number like seven or eight let’s also reduce the black body intensity to something like 1 or two and this will give an explosive look to the meteor in the scene let’s keep the emission strength to something like five and now it looks like this also if you want to expand the smoke trail that we created here then for this you can go to the extrude mesh option here and try to increase the offset value from here so if I increase it to something like 35 or 40 then the length of the smoke tril will increase let’s also increase the density from the distribute points in volume node so we’ll keep it to something like 1.6 or 1.7 and now it looks like this so it completely depends upon you about which color you need and the emission strength if you’ll reduce it it looks like this and if you increase it to a higher value the amount of emission will increase and this will give it more of an explosion like appearance I’ll keeping it to somewhere near four and five and you can also try to control the density with this density option here and with this our scene is now looking perfect so we’ll finalize this and you can try to move this meteor by pressing G and when I move it away you can see here that there’s no displacement or any effect on the buildings but if I bring it closer to them then at some point they begin to break off and show the destruction effect like this you can even try to create an animation out of it like initially you can fix the position of this meteor here and then it will move towards the buildings like this and then the buildings will explode so try to do different things with this you can change the parameters of the smoke Shader then you can also change the number of faces that will extrude to form this smoke trail with the help of the greater than option here then you can also use the offset value here to increase or decrease the length of the smoke Trail so try to play around with these values try to create a simple animation out of it and yes it might be possible that you couldn’t memorize the function of each and every geometry note right now but you don’t need to worry because in most of the cases you won’t be needing all the geometry notes together it’s always advisable to understand the reason of adding any note and if you understand that properly then you will get a proper knowledge of that particular omry node and this will help you to master the geometry nodes in blender and yes this brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter in this chapter we’ll be learning all these Topics in complete detail and we’ll be creating this simple looking sci-fi Corridor scene with the help of geometry nodes let’s first open the geometry nodes worksspace so click here and this is the geometry nodes workspace if you want you can increase the area of the 3D viewport by closing the spreadsheet so we’ll close it for now and we’ll reopen it only if it is required so to close this take your cursor over here and this double-headed Arrow will appear then if I right click and select join areas and now I have to take this Arrow to that window which we want to close so with this arrow on the spreadsheet I left click and now we have only the 3D viewport in the scene and now moving to the geometry notes the first note that we going to understand today is the icosphere node so click on the new button here and to add the node press shift plus a go to mesh and in Primitives select the icosphere node let’s drop it over here and now what this icosphere node does is that it basically creates this icosphere mesh in your scene the icosphere is is basically a mesh type which you can also add by going to the 3D viewport and if I press shift plus a then in the mesh category you can see that we have an option of adding the ecosphere and similarly in Geometry nodes if you want an icosphere in your scene then you can use this node the special thing about icosphere is that it is completely based on these triangle faces if I switch to the wireframe mode then here you can see that all the faces of the icosphere are made up of triangles and this is the unique thing in the icosphere then here in the icosphere node you also have some more options like the radius which basically controls the size of the icosphere then you have the number of subdivisions which will increase the number of these triangle faces and it makes it look like a spherical ball so you can control these settings from this note and now we’ll move towards the next topic of today’s chapter which is the Dual mesh node to add it over here press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the Dual mesh node let’s place it over here and now we see some changes in the geometry of the ecosphere now what this dual mesh node does is that it basically converts vertices into faces and faces into vertices to understand it better I’ll turn on the annotate tool from here and yes whatever annotations I’m making here you don’t need to repeat them in your file because I’m doing it here only to explain the concept to you now to ensure that whatever annotations I make appear on the surface of the object only I’ll press n to open the toolbar and here in the tool option I’ll change the placement to surface now if I remove this note from here then you can see that we have a point over here then we have one point here then the third point is located here here’s
the fourth point and similarly the fifth one is here also we have one point at the center now if we take this du M node and connect it over here and now if I change the angle then you can see that at the position of each vertex we have a new face and this is the use of the Dual mesh node you can check this with other vertices also at each placement of the previous vertex we have a new face created over here and if I remove It Again by holding alt and left click then from this angle also you can confirm that we had this vertex here but after connecting the Dual mesh node we have this new face created over here and this is the use of the Dual MH node it simply converts the vertices of your object into faces and faces into vertices and now I’ll remove these annotations from here so I’ll select the annotate eraser tool and let’s erase all of this and now let’s also try this dual mesh node on a cube object so I’ll delete the iOS spere from here and connect the geometry socket to the mesh socket in the Dual mesh and now you can see here that the Dual mesh node is now applied to the default Cube if I remove it from here by holding alt and left click then this is how the original Cube looked and to convert the faces into the vertices and vertices into faces I’ll take this du mesh node and connect it over here and now to make it look like a real Cube we’ll be subdividing the mesh and to do this we’ll use the subdivide mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the subdivide mesh let’s place it over here let’s also increase the levels from here and now this is how it looks and another thing that you can notice here is that by using this dual MH node a w effect is applied to the edges of the cube because if I hold the alt button and remove it from here then this was our original cube with no bevel effect and after connecting it we have this bevel look on this Cube object and now if you remember in the previous chapter we learned about the split edges node which were used to split the edges of your object and basically separate out the faces so if I add it here by pressing shift plus a and in the mesh go to operations and select the split edges place it over here and now to see the effect we’ll be adding the scale elements node it will help us to scale down the faces indiv visually on this Cube so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the scale elements node let’s place it over here and now with the scale option over here I can control the size of the individual faces so because of the split edges node the faces are now separated and to scale them down we use the scale elements node and now moving ahead the next topic of today’s chapter is the triangulate node now to understand it we’ll be adding a plane in the scene so in the 3D View putut Press shift plus a go to mesh and select the plane let’s move it in the y direction and place it over here now tab into the edit mode and to increase the number of vertices right click and subdivide let’s the number of cuts from here and let’s keep it to something like three or four now let’s come out of the edit mode and in the geometry notes editor click on the new button and now we’ll add the triangulate node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the triangulate node let’s stop it over here and to see the changes click on this drop- down menu and turn on the wireframe in the geometry option and now you can see here that the triangulate node will basically triangulate the faces of your object if I hold on alt and remove it from here then previously we had these square faces in the plain object and after using the triangulate node it converts the square faces into these triangles and this is the use of the triangulate node now I’ll delete it let’s select the cube again and now let’s see what happens if I use the triangulate node with this Cube object so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the triangulate and we’ll drop it after the subdivide mesh node and now you can see here that instead of triangle faces we are now having these hexagonal faces and this is because we are using the Dual mesh node to explain it in a better way I’ll first remove the dual M node from here and now here we have these triangle faces because of the triangulate node and as I already told you before this to M node will basically convert the vertices into faces and faces into vertices so if I select the annotate tool again and let’s also increase the thickness from here so that the annotations are properly visible and now if I Mark the faces which are present on this Cube like this let’s mark some more faces also like this and now if I take the Dual mesh node and drop it over here then you can see that the faces are now converted into vertices and because of this we are having these hexagonal faces here and now I’ll erase all these annotations by selecting the annotate eraser tool from here and erase all these points let’s go back to the select mode and now we we be moving towards the next topic of today’s chapter which is the separate geometry node to add it here press shift plus a go to Geometry add in operations select the separate geometry node let’s place it over here and you can use this node to see only a particular face Vortex or edge of your mesh object to understand it better I’ll drop it over here and with the selection socket here I can basically input which particular phase point or Edge I need to see in my scene so suppose I need to see only the bottom phas which is present here and one thing that we know about this face is that it’s normal or basically the perpendicular is in the negative Z axis and to put this information in the selection socket here we’ll be adding a normal node and a compare node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the normal let’s place it over here and to add the compare node press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it over here and since we are using the normal so we’ll change the input type to Vector let’s connect it to the vector a and now to see only this pH whose normal is in the negative Zed axis I’ll change the operation to equal and in the value of vector B I’ll change this third value that is the Z AIS to minus one and this is because the normal is in the negative Z axis and now I’ll connect the result socket to the selection in the separate geometry node the reason why we can’t see anything here is that by default the domain here is selected to point and to see the face I’ll change the domain to face and now you can see here that only the bottom face whose normal is in the negative Z axis is visible in the 3D view port and now one thing to notice here is that you have two output options in the separate geometry node the first one is the selection and this will basically give the output based on what you have entered as the input through the selection socket and the second one is the inverted which will basically Ally invert the selection or in simple words it will give the output of all the faces except the one that we selected to practically understand it if I take this inverted socket and connected to the mesh socket then now you can see here that all the faces are visible except the bottom face that we used as the input here and this is the use of the inverted socket in the separate geometry node but for now I’ll change it to selection again and this is because we’ll be using this pH with this pattern of hexagonal faces as the base of the Sci-Fi Corridor that we’ll be making in this chapter now to make the rest of the corridor we need the other faces also only this base will be having this pattern and the other faces will not be having any such pattern and will just be the simple faces of a cube and for this we’ll be using the joint geometry node in the geometry noes editor so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry let’s place it over here and now if I take the inverted socket which is carrying the information about the rest of the faces and connect it to the Joint geometry node then in this case we still have the bottom face with this hexagonal pattern and we have normal faces for the rest of the object and this is because I have converted the inverted socket directly to the Joint geometry since we have not connected it to the triangulate node or the Dual mesh node as a result the hexagonal pattern is not visible on the rest of the faces however you can see here that this face is not completely covering the base of the corridor and to fix this you simply have to turn on the key boundaries option in the Dual MH node and now moving ahead you can also extend this Corridor by going to the edit mode press three for face select and if I select this pH press e to extrude it then now you can see here that this pattern is also extending however if I extrude the face too much then you can see here that the pattern will begin to show this stretching effect So to avoid this problem you can either extrude it by a small uniform distance like if I press G and Y to move this face like this then you can fix the position at that point where the base looks perfect or else if you have extruded it too much then you can add some Loop Cuts so if I press cr+ R and use the scroll wheel to increase the number of loop Cuts then now you can see that we again have this hexagonal pattern all over the base and let’s extrude it a little bit more so I’ll zoom out enable the face select mode and I’ll select this face and again extrude it like this let’s add some Loop cuts by pressing crl plus r and I’ll be keeping two Loop Cuts then left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement and now we again have this hexagonal pattern at the base let’s also extrude one face in the X Direction like this so I’ll select this face press e to extrude it let’s add some Loop cuts by pressing crl plus r and I’ll be adding four to five Loop Cuts left click to finalize and right click to cancel the movement and now we have the simple Corridor with this hexagonal pattern applied to all the faces on its base also to get a view of the inside of the corridor you simply have to zoom in like this and adjust your camera let’s zoom in again and adjust the camera accordingly and at one point you will get that view from where you can see the inside side of the corridor you can also see this hexagonal pattern that we applied on the base and now moving ahead we have two issues in the scene the first one is that this hexagonal pattern is completely flat and the second issue is that there is nothing below the base as a result you can easily see through it and so to make them look thicker we’ll be adding the extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the extrude mesh node we’ll drop it after the scale elements node and now you can see that the Extrusion effect is applied to the hexagonal pattern on this bottom face you can control the Extrusion from the offset option here so let’s reduce it and we’ll be keeping it to a negative value of something like – 0.02 or- 0.01 and now this hexagonal pattern has some visible thickness in it and now another thing is that we are having nothing below this hexagonal pattern of the base as a result we can see through it like this gray area of the 3D view port and to fix this problem we’ll be adding the original bottom face here just like the rest of the faces and if you remember the information about the bottommost face was stored in the selection socket of the separate geometry node so if I take it and connected to the Joint geometry node then now we’ll have a simple face added to the bottom along with this hexagonal pattern and you can even see the difference between both the cases like if I break the node connection between the selection socket and the joint geometry by holding control right clicking and dragging like this then in this case you can easily see through the empty spaces in between these hexagonal faces and if I connect it again then you can no more see through the empty spaces in between these hexagonal faces now let’s also come out of the edit mode now moving ahead we’ll be creating some pillars to place on the sides of the corridor but before that I’ll fix this position inside the corridor for this I’ll bring my camera view over here and to do this press contr plus alt and zero in the numpad and now here here we have the camera view in fact even if I try to change my view like this then I can return back to the previous View by pressing zero on the numpad because now my camera is placed over here you can also adjust the camera view by selecting the camera in the scene collection and if I press n then in the item category I can change the location and the rotation of this camera so in order to get a proper view I’ll first go to the rotation and we’ll be rounding off these rotation values so the rotation in the x-axis is very close to 90° so I’ll type 90 then for the Y AIS we’ll change it to 0° and in The Zed AIS let’s keep it to 90° now in the location I’ll change the Z axis to 0 m and now with the help of these values in the X and Y axis I can change the camera view like this in the y axis the position looks perfect let’s also change it in the x-axis and I’ll keep it to something like 14.5 M which is approximately equal to the location in the y- axis so you can try to adjust these values on your own depending upon the position and the view of your camera and now to add the pillars here let’s first change the view press shift plus a go to mesh and add the cylinder let’s move it in the X Direction like this and now to place it on the sides of the corridor we we’ll be using the instance on points node so I’ll select the corridor again go to the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to instances and select instance on points let’s place it over here and now we’ll be placing the cylinder on the different points of the base so I’ll take the selection socket and connect it to the points and then I’ll be assigning the cylinder as the instance object so I’ll go to the scene collection left click and drag the cylinder into the geometry nodes editor and now we have the object info node with the cylinder object selected now I’ll take the geometry socket and connect it to the instance and to view the cylinders here take this instance socket and connect it to the Joint geometry node so here we have the cylinders placed at different points on the bottommost face let’s adjust their size so with the cylinder selected I’ll tab into the edit mode press s and Z to scale it up in the Z axis then to reduce its thickness press s and shift plus Z and scale it down in the X and Y axis like this let’s also scale it down in the Zed axis slightly by pressing s and z and scale it down like this let’s also move it slightly upwards so press G and z and place it over here and now it looks like this let’s come out of the edit mode and to view the corridor from inside press zero on the numpad for the camera view and from this View you can also clearly see that their thickness is too high so I’ll select the cylinder again tab into the edit mode and let’s scale it down again in the X and Y AIS so press a to select all then press s and shift plus Z and scale it down like this come out of the edit mode Let’s again go to the camera view and now this is how these pillars are placed and now to remove this wireframe display from here I’ll go to this drop- down menu again and turn off the wireframe in the geometry option now to give some basic material to this pillars I’ll again select that cylinder and I’ll change this window of the geometry notes editor into the Shader editor so click on this icon and select the Shader editor click on new button and to see the texture let’s turn on the render view to get a proper Lighting in our scene click here and turn off the scene world now to give it some basic texture we’ll be adding the wner texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the wner texture let’s place it over here and to view the texture press control plus shift and left click on the vulner texture also to add the texture coordinate and the mapping node press ctrl+ T and take this object socket and connect it to the vector and now here we have these simple spots visible as the texture on the cylinder and to make it look better we’ll try to change the distance metric option in the Warner texture and adjust the scaling to view the changes in the texture so right now the first one is selected but if I select the second option then the texture looks like this and if I increase the scaling from the scale option here then this is how the texture is looking right now however this texture is also not looking good so I’ll select the third option in the distance matric and change the scale like this and I think that we should keep this texture for the pillars also if you want you can combine this Warner texture with the noise texture to get a better result so if I press shift plus a go to texture and select the noise texture let’s place it before the Warner texture and now the texture looks like this let’s try to change the value of scaling from here to get some better results and here I think that it looks perfect so we’ll finalize this to give it some color I’ll First Connect this principal bsdf here and then I’ll be adding the color ramp so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here and now you can use these pointers to change the amount of black and white color in your texture and you can also change these Colors by increasing the brightness and setting different colors so for the first color I’ll keep it to dark green so let’s reduce the brightness from here let’s also change the position of this pointer like this and for the Second Color I’ll select this pointer and change the color from here and I’ll be assigning the light blue color to it and now this is how the pillars of a Sci-Fi Corridor are looking right now now let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and this is how our scene is looking right now and now if you want to add some 3D bump effect then for this go to the Shader editor press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node let’s place it over here and connect it to the normal now I’ll take the distance socket of the Warner texture and connect it to the height socket in the bump node and now this is how our texture on the pillars is looking right now let’s reduce the strength of the bump effect from from here and we’ll be keeping it to something like 0.4 or 0.5 and now we’ll be working on the side walls right now they looking very simple but to give them a Sci-Fi look we’ll first extrude the face and then insert it with the help of geometry nodes so to do this first I’ll change this Shader editor into the geometry nodes editor and select the corridor then to extrude these faces I’ll be adding an extrude mesh node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the extrude mesh node let’s place it over here and as I already told you before the information about the side walls and the ceiling is here in the inverted socket so I’ll select this inverted socket and connect it to the mesh socket let’s also turn on the wireframe display to see the changes that we make here so click on this drop- down menu and turn on the wireframe from here now to view the changes I’ll take this mesh socket and connect it to the Joint geometry node and right now you can’t see any changes in the scene and that’s because the offset value in the extrude mesh node is set to positive 1 as a result the Extrusion is being applied to the outside faces so if I reduce the offset from here you will begin to notice that the amount of Extrusion is reducing and if I take it into a negative value and go to the camera view then in the this case the Extrusion is being applied inwards but since we want to create an insert effect on the faces so I’ll change the offset value to zero and now to insert these extruded faces we basically need to scale them down so for this we’ll be using the scale elements node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the scale elements node let’s place it over here and to make sure that the scaling is done only on the extruded faces I’ll take this top socket and connect it to the selection socket here and now if I slightly reduce the scaling you will notice that the faces are now begin to showing this inser effect so we basically added this extrude mesh node and set the offset value to zero so that we can create this extruded pH and then we connected it to scale elements to create this insert effect also one more thing to notice here is that in the geometry nodes editor we have connected the inverted socket to the join geometry node Twice first we directly connected it to the geometry socket and just now we connected it to the extrude mesh node and the scale elements and again connected it to the join geometry node so I’ll remove the initial connection so hold down the control button right click and drag like this and now we have only a single Connection in between the inverted socket and the joint geometry node now if you want to make it look more complex then you can again apply the Extrusion to these inser faces for this I’ll create a duplicate of this extrude mesh node by pressing shift plus d and place it over here let’s again take this top socket and connect it to the selection and now I can control the Extrusion from the offset value here let’s keep it to something like 0.2 or 0.1 and now this is how our scene looks we have these extruded faces on the side walls of the corridor and also on the top or basically the ceiling of the corridor now moving ahead let’s assign some material to the walls of the corridor and for this we’ll be using the set material node so press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node let’s place it over here now go to the material properties let’s create a new material and I’ll change the name of this material to walls right now we’ll only keep the basic white color to it and now I’ll go to the set material node and select the walls material now moving ahead we’ll also be placing some lights at the ceiling at these extruded faces and to achieve this we’ll first be placing points with the help of mesh to points node at the center of each face and then we’ll replace the points with a light object to do this go to the geometry nodes editor and we’ll be adding the mesh to points node so press shift plus a go to mesh and in operations select the mesh two points let’s place it over here and now we’ll be connecting it to the inverted socket which is carrying the information about the walls as well as the ceilings so I’ll take this socket and connect it to the mesh however since we only need to add the points on the ceiling so for this we’ll be using the compare node and the normal node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in math select the compare node let’s place it over here now let’s also add the normal node so press shift plus a go to geometry and in read select the normal node let’s place it over here and since we’ll be using the normal as the input so I’ll change the input type from float to Vector now I’ll connect this normal socket to the vector a and now since we need the points to be added at the ceiling on the top and we know that its perpendicular or basically the normal is in the positive Zed axis so I’ll change the value of vector B in the Z axis to positive 1 also I’ll change the operation to equal and connect the result socket to the selection also since we want the points to be added at the faces of the ceiling so I’ll change the domain from vertices to faces and now we’ll be connecting it to the Joint geometry node so I’ll take this point socket and connect it to the geometry socket in the joint geometry and now here we have these small points added on the top and to replace them with a light object we’ll be using the instance on points node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the instance on points let’s place it over here and now we’ll be creating the ceiling lights to be placed as the instances so I’ll change the view and press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube now the cube is placed at the position of the 3D cursor at this point however since we have this Corridor here we are not able to see it properly and so I’ll be telling you a shortcut which you can use to focus only on a selected object and the the shortcut is to press this forward slash key in the keyboard so if I press it then now everything else will disappear except for the selected object so to convert it into a seing light I’ll tap into the edit mode press s and z and scale it down like this now press three for the face select mode and select this bottom face press e to extrude right click to cancel the Extrusion then to insert this extruded pH press I and insert it like this left click to finalize let’s also extrude it inwards so press e and extrude it inwards in the Zed axis like this left click to finalize and now this is how the basic structure of the C light is looking we’ll be assigning an emission material to this extruded face so that it will emit the light and we’ll be having some different material for the rest of the cube so first we’ll be creating a simple material for our sealing light so go to the material properties click on the new button and let’s change the base color to dark gray by reducing the brightness from here if you want you can even assign some other color like dark blue or green but right now I’ll be assigning the dark gray color and let’s also increase the metallic strength from here and now for the emission material I’ll click on the plus button then create a new material and let’s open the Shader editor so click on on this icon and select the Shader editor let’s zoom out and here we have the default material added here now I’ll be deleting the principal bstf by pressing X and we’ll be adding an emission Shader so press shift plus a go to Shader and select the emission let’s place it over here and connect it to the surface socket let’s change the color of emission from here so we’ll give it slightly blue color and change the strength to a very high number like something around 10 and to assign this material to this face click on the sign button here and with this the seing lights are completely ready now let’s come out of the edit mode and now to get back the corridor that we created in the scene press the forward slash button again now I’ll select the corridor go to the geometry notes editor from here and to place the light on the ceiling we’ll be connecting it to the instance on points node here so take this cube. 001 which we use for creating the light and drop it in the geometry nodes editor now I’ll be connecting this object info node to the instant socket here and now here we have the light placed at the ceiling of the corridor let’s also scale it down from the scaling option here so first I’ll select the X and Y AIS and reduce it like this let’s also scale it down in the Z axis slightly so we’ll scale it down to something like 0.7 or 0.8 and now we’ll be hiding this main light from the scene as well as the render view so go to the scene collection click on this I button and it’s no more visible in the 3D view port and I’ll click on this camera button to hide it from the render view also go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad now here we have the ceiling lights placed at the top and to view the effect of lighting I will open the drop- down menu here and turn on the scene World it looks like this because currently we have turned on the EV render engine so in the render properties I’ll change the render engine to cycles and now this is how the lighting effect is looking in the corridor right now and now we’ll be working on the texture of walls so I’ll select the corridor go to the material properties and with the wall selected I’ll go to the Shader editor from here let’s zoom out and here we have the default basic material applied to the walls now to give it a Sci-Fi look we’ll be using the Warner texture so press shift plus a go to texture and select the Warner texture let’s place it over here press contrl plus P to get the texture coordinate and the mapping node now I’ll take this object socket and connect it to the vector and to view the texture on the walls hold on control shift and left click on the wner texture now this is how the basic Warner texture is looking on the walls but to get a different texture I’ll change the distance metric option to the third one and to give it a Sci-Fi look we’ll be adding the color ramp to change the amount of black and white color so press shift plus a go to converter and select the color ramp let’s place it over here change the interpolation to constant and now I can use these pointers to create this pattern on the walls let’s also scale it up from the scale option here so I’ll keep it to something like8 or 9 let’s change the position of the white pointer again and now it looks like this to give it a 3d effect we’ll be adding the bump node so I’ll take this principal bstf and drop it over here press shift plus a go to vector and select the bump node let’s place it over here and connect the normal socket in the bump node to the normal in the principal bstf and for the texture I’ll take the distance socket and connect it to the height in the bump node and with this we have the bump effect applied to the texture and now we’ll work towards finalizing the scam so I’ll go to the render properties and change the render engine back to EV to get a proper lighting we’ll be adding some lights throughout the corridor so for this go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad and here we have this default light placed in the scene so I’ll select it press G to move it and we’ll place it over here then we’ll be creating lots of duplicates of this light so press shift plus d move it in the wi Direction and place it over here press shift plus v again place it over here and we’ll be repeating these steps until we have added these lights throughout the corridor so the shortcut to do this is to select all the three Lights by holding shift select the remaining two lights and now if I press shift plus d to create the duplicate we’ll have the duplicate of three lights let’s place it in the y direction like this now press shift plus d again place the lights over here now I’ll select This Light press G and move it over here let’s select these two press shift plus d move the lights like this then press shift plus d one more time and we’ll place them over here now let’s change the view and this this is how these lights are placed in the seene in order to get them inside the corridor I’ll select all these lights press G and Zed and move them down like this then left click to finalize press zero to go to the camera view and now we have this lighting setup in the scene let’s change their brightness and color so I’ll select a random light from here go to the object data properties and right now the power is set to 1,000 watt but since we are having so many lights in the scene so I’ll reduce the power to something like 100 wat let’s also change the color of light and I’ll change the color to red color and because of this red color we also have these amazing Shadows on the walls of the corridor similarly we’ll do the same with all the other lights we’ll change the power to 100 wat and assign some random colors so I’ll select this light. 011 reduce the power to 100 wat change the color to green color similarly for the next Light Select it reduce the power to 100 and we’ll change the color to the dark blue color this time now I’ll select the next light change the power to 100 wat and let’s change the color to yellow color now I’ll select the next light go to the power option and reduce it to 100 again let’s change it to light blue color similarly the next slide select it from here go to the power option and change it to 100 wats and this time I’ll change the color to red color again let’s select the next light reduce the power to 100 ws and for this one we’ll be keeping the yellow color now I’ll select the light. 005 change the power to 100 W and yes one thing to notice here is that we are done with all the lights on this side of the corridor where we have the camera and now we are editing the lights on this part of the corridor you can see the light of different colors in all these parts however here we still have the white color which means that we have to edit the colors and the powers of all these lights so I’ll change the color of this light also and let’s assign the green color now i s the light do 004 change the power to 100 wat and similarly I’ll change the color to dark blue now I’ll select the light. 003 reduce the power again go to the color option and change the color to red color next slide reduce the power to 100 W change the color to yellow and yes it’s completely up to you which random colors you want to assign to each light and now I’ll go to the light. 001 reduce the power to 100 wats change the color to pink color and finally I’ll select the last Light reduce the power to 100 wat and change the color to red color let’s go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and this is how our sci-fi corridor is looking right now now if you want you can even create a simple animation where you will be navigating through the Sci-Fi Corridor and for this we’ll be using the walk navigation and yes because we no longer need the geometry notes so I’ll open up the layout workspace again from here and this is how our scene looks now let’s turn on the render view go to the camera view by pressing zero on the numpad and this is how it looks now for the walk navigation click on The View option here go to navigation and here we have the walk navigation so I’ll select this and now if I move my cursor you will notice that our camera view is now changing just like you experience in the open world games such as GTA and in fact you can use the W ASP keys in your keyboard so if I press W then you can see that we are navigating forward in the corridor similarly I can press s to go backwards a to move towards the left D to move right and in this way we can create a simple animation by navigating through the Sci-Fi Corridor to get back to the same position where we were before I’ll simply click the right Mouse button and to create an animation we first need to assign a shortcut to use the walk navigation and yes let’s also turn on the solid modes from here so that we can easily navigate around the Sci-Fi Corridor without any lag in between so to assign the shortcut to the walk navigation click on The View option then go to navigation and if I take my cursor to the walk navigation and right click then it will give me some options and on the second number I have the assigned shortcut so I’ll select this and now it’s asking me to press a key which is to be used as a shortcut to enable the walk navigation but one thing to keep in mind is that we should assign that key which is not used as a shortcut somewhere else so I’ll be assigning the shortcut shift plus q and now the shortcut is saved so if I go back to the 3D view put and press shift plus Q then now the walk navigation is activated and to create that animation I’ll go to the timeline editor and we need that the animation should be created automatically as we move through the Sci-Fi Corridor and for this I’ll be turning on this auto key option which will automatically add the key frames whenever I make some changes in the scene let’s also change the ending frame to a higher number like 1,000 now I’ll play the animation by pressing space bar and to start the walk navigation press shift plus Q press W to go ahead and we’ll be creating an animation like this left click to finalize and now we have the animation ready press space bar to stop the animation in the timeline editor and now if I go to the frame number one and play the animation then you can see that after some frames it will begin to show this animation where we are navigating through the Sci-Fi Corridor and at a frame of somewhere near 350 the animation will stop however you can see that at somewhere near frame number 200 if I play the animation then the navigation is not proper and to fix this we’ll again go to the frame number one and recreate the animation but before that we need to delete the animation that we just created so I’ll select the camera go to the time line editor press a to select all the key frames and X to delete key frames now I’ll press the space bar press shift plus Q to enable the walk navigation and we’ll walk around the SciFi Corridor like this then left click to finalize and press space bar to stop the animation and you can see here that we have animation of somewhere near 400 frames and to view the animation I bring this pointer to somewhere near 130 frames and then press space bar and this is how the animation looks now and you can even render the simple animation so for this I’ll first change the start value to 130 and that’s because the key frames are starting from somewhere near 130 now hold on middle Mouse button and drag like this and you can see that the last frame is somewhere near 385 or 390 frame so I’ll change the end value to 385 let’s also go to the render view to see how the animation looks so press space bar to view the animation and this is how it looks and yes one more thing to notice here is that at somewhere around 260 frame if I play the animation then you can see here that the change from frame number 265 and frame number 266 is very quick and to fix this problem we’ll be adding some Gap in between so for this first I’ll increase the end frame to 390 now I’ll select only these key frames here press G and move it like this and now if I play the animation again then you can see that we are getting getting a much smoother movement or a much better animation than before so I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number 130 and let’s play the animation again so with this our scene is finally ready and if you want to render this animation then go to the output properties and in the file format we’ll change it from PNG to this ffmpeg video type and you can even change the location where you want to save this video from the output path option here so you can click on this folder icon and select any particular folder and when you’re done with all this you can even set the resolution from here right now it is set to 1920 in the X and 1080 in the Y meaning that it will be in the landscape mode just like normal YouTube videos but if you want it to be in the portrait mode or basically that form in which you watch the Youtube shorts or Instagram reads then for this you simply need to reverse these values so I’ll go to the resolution in the X and change it to 1080 and for the Y I’ll change it to 1920 and the resolution is now changed and then to render that animation click on the render button and select render animation from here and yes this brings us to the end of this [Music] chapter in this chapter we’ll be understanding all these topics in complete detail and we’ll be using them to create the simple scene with this billboard along with the text added to it so to begin with let’s go to the geometry notes editor let’s expand the area of the 3D view Port like this and now the first topic for today’s chapter is understanding the string to curve node so in the geometry nodes editor click on the new button and to add the string to curve node press shift plus a go go to utilities and in text here we have the string to Curves node so I’ll select this and place it over here now here the string means some characters or basically some text and this note allows us to see that text in the 3D view port and here you have the string option where I can type any random text which I want to be displayed in the 3D view Port so suppose I type JB 3D Studio and press enter to confirm then here we have the text added in the scene now in the string to Curves node you have several options to change the way how your text looks if you remember we understood about the 3D text in blender in this chapter of the course and all these settings that you are seeing here are very similar to the ones that we covered in that chapter so the first option that you have here is the font option and to select any particular font then click on this folder icon and this will display a list of all the fonts that are saved in your PC so suppose I select any random font like this one and click on open font then you can see here that the text font now changes so you can set any particular font with this option here now the next important thing is the string option here it basically takes the input which is the text that you want to see in the 3D viewport then you have the size option which will basically control the size of your text and then you have character spacing but before that let’s also go to the top view by pressing seven on the numpad let’s zoom in and now this character spacing basically means the spacing in between your characters so if I increase it the spacing or basically the distance between any two characters in the text will increase like this let’s change it back to one and then you have the word spacing which basically means the spacing or basically the distance between the words in your text so you can use this to change the distance between the words now here you have the line spacing but if I change it you won’t see any difference in the text and that’s because we are only having a single line in the text so we’ll see this option later on and now here you have the text box width and it basically means the width of the invisible text box that is around the text in our scene by default it is set to value of zero meaning that the width of the text box is infinite right now however if I increase it to a slightly higher number like 0.6 or 0.7 then now you can see that the width of the text box is now changed and as a result the words of the text are now in different lines to understand it better I’ll change it back to zero I’ll enable the annotate line tool from here and right now since the text box width is zero as a result the width of the text box in the xaxis is infinite right now however if I change it to 0.5 M then now this width has decreased and as a result the text appears in a box like this and this is the use of the text box width node and now since we have more than one line in the text so we can also look at the line spacing option here the line spacing means the spacing or basically the distance between any two lines in the text and for now I’ll change the width back to zero let’s also remove all these annotations by selecting the annotate eraser and I’ll remove all this let’s go to the select tool again and so this is how you can add some text in your scene with the help of geometry noes now if you want to fill your text then for this you can use another node which is the fill curve node so press shift plus a go to curve and in operations select the fill curve let’s place it over here and now you can see that we now have this fill effect applied to the text and now moving ahead we’ll be making a billboard and place the text over it so in the 3D viewport press shift plus a go to mesh and select the cube let’s tab into the Ed mode press s and Zed and scale it down in the Z Direction like this let’s also scale It Up by pressing s and scale it up like this let’s scale it down in the Zed axis again and now it looks like this now we apply the insert to the top face so press three for face select mode select the top face press e to extrude right click to cancel the movement and now to insert this extruded face press I and insert it like this left click to finalize let’s also extrude it slightly inwards so press e and let’s extrude it in the Zed axis like this and now one more thing to notice here is that currently this billboard is square in shape to make it rectangle press a to select all the faces press s and x and scale it up in the x-axis like this let’s come out of the edit mode and with this our billboard is now ready now to place the text over it I’ll select this text and to view it properly we’ll go to the render view let’s also give it some different material so go to the material properties and let’s change the base color to the black color by decreasing the brightness from here to assign this material to the text go to the geometry nodes editor press shift plus a go to material and select the set material node let’s place it over here and select this black material now to move it upwards by using the geometry nodes we will be using another node which is the translate instances node so press shift plus a go to instances and select the translate instances node let’s place it over here and now I can use these values to change the position of the text in the scene now to move it upwards I’ll go to the translation value in The Zed axis and we’ll slightly increase it to that particular value where it just intersects with the billboard to get a better view press seven on the numpad to go to the top view now let’s also move it in the x-axis so I’ll go to the translation in x-axis and change it like this let’s also move it upwards in the Y AIS and place it over here and with this we have the simple billboard with some text added over it with the help of geometry nodes now moving ahead to the next topic which is a string node and it’s basically used as an input to connect to the string socket here so to add it press shift plus a go to input and in constant select the string node let’s place it over here and just like you had the option to enter the text here similarly in the string node you can enter any text here and then you can connect it to the string socket like this now you might be thinking that what exactly is the use of the string node when you can directly put the text in the string socket of the string to Curves node and the answer to this is that you can use multiple string nodes and connect it to the string socket to have more than one text in your scene however from the string option in the string to Curves node you can only add a single text so to add multiple text I’ll select the string node press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here let’s change the text and I’ll type random and press enter to confirm now to connect both of them together we have to use another node which is the joint string node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in text here we have the joint strings node so I’ll select this and place it over here now I’ll be connecting these two string nodes to the string socket here so I’ll take this one and connect it here similarly this one and connect it here now for the output I’ll be taking this string socket and connected to the string socket in the string to Curves node and now we have two different text in the scene however in the joint strings node you can see here that apart from the string socket we also have a delimeter socket and by using this I can tell this node that exactly what we want to insert between the two texts if I go to the delimeter and enter this exclamation mark then now you can see that the two texts are now separated with this exclamation mark and now moving ahead we’ll be creating some text which we’ll Place below this jb3d studio text so for this I’ll first delete this string node which is having the random text also I’ll select the joint strings node and delete it from here let’s connect the string node to the string socket in the string to Curves node now for the text to be placed below the main text I’ll select all these nodes and create a duplicate of them so let’s select them like this press shift plus d to create a duplicate and let’s place them over here now to view both the text in the scene we’ll be using the joint geometry node so press shift plus a go to geometry and select the joint geometry let’s space it over here and now I’ll connect the geometry socket of the first text to the Joint geometry node and similarly I’ll take this socket and connect it over here now for the output let’s connect the joint geometry node to the group output now the reason why you can’t see two different text in the scene is that right now the second note system is also having the same information as the first one for example the position in the translate instances node and the data in the string node all this is completely same so first of all I’ll go to the translate instances node and let’s change the translation in the Y AIS and now you will begin to see that we have two different text in the scene to change this text I’ll go to the string node and you can type anything over here so I’ll type random and press enter to confirm now if you want multiple strings to be added in the second text then for this I’ll select the string node press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here let’s change the string to something else so suppose I type Master course and press enter to confirm and to connect both the text I will be adding The Joint strings node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in text select the joint strings node let’s place it over here now I’ll take this string socket and connect it to the strings similarly I’ll take this string socket and connect it over here for the output I’ll connect the joint strings node to the string socket like this now let’s also change the first string and I’ll type blender and press enter to confirm to separate the two strings I’ll go to the Daily meter option here and suppose I want to add an underscore between them so I’ll type it and press enter and now the two strings are separated by the underscore like this now you can even add more than two strings and connect it to to the Joint strings node so suppose I select this string press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here let’s change the string to something else like YouTube and press enter to confirm now I’ll take the string socket and connect it over here and in this way I added three different strings separated by the underscore now one more thing to notice here is that if I go to the word spacing option here and try to change it you won’t notice any difference in a text and that’s because the entire string is being created like a single word and that’s because we have not added any space in between any two words so suppose if I go to the second string and in between master and course I press space bar and enter and go to the word spacing again and try to change it then you will notice that it is now treating this blender uncore Master as one word and this score YouTube as the second word so the number of words basically depends on the space added while typing the text now if you want you can even place the second word below the first one for this I’ll go to the text box width and if I slightly increase it you can see here that we are now having the second word which is course YouTube placed below the first one which is blender unor Master if you want to scale it down you can go to the size option here and reduce it like this and if you want to change its position then you can go to the translation option and then move it in the x-axis like this and so this is how you can place different text or basically different words in your scene with the help of geometry nodes now we’ll also be creating some more string nodes so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and place it over here let’s change this to animation and press enter to confirm let’s connect it over here and this is how it looks however suppose you want that it should change the line after each and every word so for this you can go to the delim meter option here and after the underscore I’ll press the space bar and if I press enter enter then now we’ll be having each of these words placed in a different line this is because each one of these is now being treated as a separate word since we have added a space in the delim meter and for now I’ll go to the second string and I’ll remove the space in between the master and course now press enter to confirm and in this way we are having four different words separated by this delim meter which is having the underscore that you can see and because of the space that we added all of them are placed in different lines you can even increase the text box width in order to change the position of these words like this but for now I’ll be keeping it to 0.5 M and this is how it looks now moving ahead let us discover the slice strings node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in text here we have the slice string node so I’ll select this and we’ll place it after the upper text or basically the main text and with this you will notice that some part of the text has now disappeared and this is because the slice string Noe is basically used to slice or trim some part of your text I’ll go to the top view and now you can see here that currently in this main text we are having 10 characters the first character is J second is B then the third one is the space then this is the fourth one then fifth then we again have a space so it will be the sixth character then similarly 7th 8th 9th and 10th meaning that right now the text is having 10 characters and so we can say that the length of this string is 10 also in the slight string note you have this length parameter which is set to 10 and if I increase it to 11 then now the length of characters will increase this letter I will appear which is basically the 11th character of the string so to get all the 12 characters I’ll change the length to a value of 12 and now we have the entire text then in the SCE string node you also have this position parameter which basically means that whatever value we add in in the position it will display the string starting from the index value of that number for example right now the position value is set to zero and as a result the text that appears here will start from that character which has an index value equal to zero and always remember that the indexing of the characters in string starts from zero and goes on like 1 2 3 4 so you can see here that the first character which is J is having the index value of zero then the second character of B will have the index value equal to 1 and similarly the indexing will go on like this and for the last which is the 12th character the index value will be equal to 11 so for string of 12 characters the indexing will be from 0 to 11 or in general terms we can say that for a string having n number of characters the indexing will be from 0 to n minus 1 now if I go to the position socket and change the value to one then now the string will be displayed starting from the character having the index value equal to one in fact by changing the position values here we can even create a simple animation of the text in the scene and to do this I’ll change the position back to zero then I’ll go to the timeline editor and we’ll make an animation where initially at the frame number one there will be no text visible because we’ll change the position value to 12 then at somewhere near frame number 40 we’ll take the position value back to zero and then we’ll be having the simple animation of the text so let’s do it practically to understand so at the frame number one I’ll go to the value of position and change it to 12 and to insert a key frame with a cursor hovering over the position parameter press I and the key frame is inserted here then I’ll go to the frame number 40 change the value of position to zero press I to insert a key frame and here we have the second key frame inserted now I’ll go to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation and this is how the animation looks now we can even make a loop animation out of it where it first appears in the scene and then disappears again so for this I’ll go to the timeline editor select the second key frame and I’ll be creating a duplicate of it by pressing shift plus d and place it at the frame number 50 and the reason why I did this was that by creating a duplicate of this key frame the text won’t suddenly disappear as we’ll be able to see the complete text for a fraction of second so now at the frame number 50 we have this key frame with a position value of zero and to make the text Cod disappear I’ll take the pointer to the frame number 90 change the value of position back to 12 and to insert the key frame press I let’s also change the end frame from 250 to 90 and now I’ll play the animation so the text Will first appear and then disappear like this now moving ahead we’ll be discovering the special characters node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in text here we have the special characters node so I’ll select it and place it over here now this node is basically used to add characters which you can’t otherwise add from your keyboard here we have two options the first one is the line BR and the second one is the tab if I take the line brake socket and connect it to the delimeter in the joint strings node then what it basically does is that it will change the value of delimeter from underscore space to a new for each of the string to explain it in a better way I’ll remove the connection from here and in the delimeter I’ll enter the exclamation mark now since I have entered this exclamation mark in the delim meter as a result each of the strings is getting separated by this exclamation mark in between however if I connect the line breake to the delimer then in this case the delimeter is getting an input of line break and as a result there will be a new line after each string similarly in the special characters node you also have an option of tab so if I take it and connect it to the Daily meter then the spacing in between the different strings will be as if you press the T key in between them so this is the use of the special characters node for now I’ll take the line brake socket and connect it to the Del meter now moving ahead the next node that we’re going to explore is the value to string node to add it here press shift plus a go to utilities and in text here we have the value to string node let’s place it over here and now this node is basically used to convert some value which is basically a number and give the output as a string to explain it in a better way I’ll select all these nodes from the string to Curves node to the set material let’s create a duplicate of them by pressing shift plus d let’s place them over here and now I’ll be connecting the string socket of the value to string node to the string socket here now to view the output I’ll take this geometry socket in the set material node and connect it to the Joint geometry node let’s move the text in the x-axis with the help of this translate instances node and here you can see that we have this number zero written as a string on the billboard now in the value to string node you can change the value to any number like 10 or 12 and then you have the option of decimals and if I increase it this will basically add the specified number of decimal places in the number like this now suppose I want to use this node in order to create a simple animation where this number will be showing the number of subscribers from 0o to a particular number then for this I’ll change the value back to zero and let’s also reduce the number of decimals to zero because obviously the number of subscribers can’t be in decimals so to create the animation I’ll take the pointer back to the frame number one and to insert a key frame with the value set to zero I’ll take my cursor over it press I to insert the key frame now I’ll take the pointer to the frame number 90 and I’ll change the value to the final number of subscribers so I’ll keep the value to 700 because this is the number of subscribers that I remember the last time I checked the subscriber count and to insert a key frame at this value press I and now if I go to the frame number one and press the space bar to play the animation then this is how it looks the number increases from a value of 0 to 700 now let’s also add a text subscribers below it with the help of the string node so I’ll select this press shift plus d to create a duplicate and let’s place it over here I’ll change the text from animation to subscribers and since we are using two different strings so we have to use the joint string node so I’ll select this one press shift plus d to create a duplicate and let’s place it over here now I’ll take this string socket in the value to string node and connect it over here here similarly I’ll take this string socket also and connect it here for the output we’ll connect the joint string node to the string to Curves node now here you can see that we have the text added showing 700 and subscribers separated by the exclamation mark to remove this exclamation mark and to get both of the strings in different lines we’ll be using the special characters node so press shift plus a go to utilities and in text here we have the special characters node so I’ll select it and place it over here let’s connect the line brake to the deleter in the joint string to align them properly I’ll change the alignment from left to Center let’s also reduce their size from here and to bring them down in the y- axis I’ll go to the translate instances node and reduce the translation in the y- axis and now this is how it looks the reason why we can’t see the upper text is that we created an animation where the text is not visible initially then at somewhere near frame number 40 and 50 the upper text is visible and then it again disappears as it reaches the last frame so I’ll take the pointer to the frame number 45 to view all the text in the scene now let’s finalize the scene by giving some material to the text so in the material properties I’ll go to the emission let’s increase the strength to a higher number like 8 or 10 let’s also change the color of emission and I’ll change it to orange color now the reason why you can’t see the emission effect properly is that in the render properties we have turned on the EV render engine and therefore we need to change a setting here in order to view the emission properly and that particular setting is the bloom setting here so if I turn it on then now you can see the emission in a much better way than before and right now all the text is having the same material which is this orange emission material and to change this material I’ll go to the material properties let’s create a new material from here so I’ll go to the emission change the strength to something like 10 and for the color I’ll be selecting the blue color now let’s assign this material to this text part of blender Master course YouTube animation and you can see here that this node connection is connected to this set material node so I’ll go to the material here and change it to material. 001 and with this we have a different material applied to this text and now let’s also give some basic material to this billboard so I’ll select this go to the material properties and click on the new button I’ll change the base color to Black by reducing the brightness from here and if you want you can even change the color of this particular face where the text is placed to something like dark blue so for this I’ll tab into the edit mode and let’s select this face go to the material properties and let’s create a new material I’ll go to the base color let’s keep it to blue color and reduce the brightness from here to assign this material to this face click on the assign button and now this is how the billboard looks now it kind of looks like a tablet which has this glowing text
over it and so in this way you can create the text with the help of geometry nodes and yes to ensure that in the render properties you have turned on the bloom settings from here if I turn it off you can see how it looks very dull and uninteresting but if I turn it on then now it looks amazing now let me also show you show you one more thing which is the screen space Reflections here if I turn it on you will notice that the reflection of light from the text are now falling on the billboard previously when it was turned off then there were no such Reflections visible on the willboard and by turning this setting on you will get the perfect Reflections in the EV render engine let’s also check out the final animation one more time so I’ll take the pointer to the frame number one and play the animation by pressing the space bar and this is how it looks I’ll do one more change here which is to select the slice string node connected to the main upper text let’s also select the text in the scene and in the timeline editor I will remove this animation in the second part where the text disappears so for this I’ll select the last pointer press X to delete it so now let’s replay the animation from the frame number one and this is the final animation and yes this brings us to the end of this chapter today we learned about using the text in blender with the help of geometry nodes we learned about different tools for placing the text animating it added this emation material to it and even learned about some important settings in the render properties
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The text explores fundamental concepts of governance, citizenship, and societal structure. It investigates the ideal constitution of a state, examining various forms of government such as democracy, oligarchy, monarchy, and aristocracy, while considering their respective strengths and weaknesses. The text emphasizes the importance of virtue, justice, and education in creating a well-functioning and happy society. It discusses the roles of different classes within the state and how power should be distributed, stressing the need for balance and stability. It also considers practical aspects of governance, including the design of cities and the implementation of laws. Ultimately, the text seeks to define the optimal conditions for a flourishing political community.
Political Society Study Guide
Quiz
What is Aristotle’s primary argument in Book 1, Chapter 1? Aristotle argues that the city (polis) is a society established for a good purpose and aims at the best possible good. He also claims that political, regal, family, and herile governments differ not only in the number of people they govern, but also in their constitution.
According to Aristotle in Book 1, Chapter 2, why is the relationship between master and slave considered advantageous to both? Aristotle asserts that some beings are naturally suited to command due to their intellect, while others are suited to obey due to their physical strength. He believes this natural hierarchy benefits both parties, providing direction for the slave and service for the master.
In Book 1, Chapter 13, how does Aristotle differentiate the virtues of a man and a woman, and why? Aristotle suggests that while both men and women should possess virtues, they manifest differently. He states that a man’s courage is shown in commanding, while a woman’s courage is shown in obeying, because their roles in society are different.
What are some of Socrates’ defects according to Aristotle in Book 2, Chapter 6? Aristotle criticizes Socrates’ community, arguing that it overlooks the happiness of the military and other essential groups within the city. He also finds fault with Socrates’ views on the division of inhabitants, which includes husbandmen, soldiers, and senators, while not granting husbandmen and artificers a share in the government.
In Book 2, Chapter 7, what is Aristotle’s main criticism of Phaleas’ view of equality of property? Aristotle argues that while equality of property might prevent small crimes, it doesn’t address the root causes of larger crimes like ambition. He says that Phaleas’ regulations only extend to land, whereas someone’s substance also consists of slaves, cattle, money, and chattels.
What does Aristotle say about the Spartans and how they treat women in Book 2, Chapter 9? Aristotle faults the Spartans for neglecting the regulation of women, leading to their excessive indulgence and luxury. He believes this contributes to the state’s love of money and overall instability and is a major flaw within their society.
What, according to Aristotle in Book 3, Chapter 1, does the concept of citizenship entail? Aristotle defines a citizen as someone who has the right to share in the judicial and executive parts of the government. This involvement in decision-making and governance is what distinguishes a citizen from a resident or other member of the community.
In Book 3, Chapter 4, how does Aristotle explain the relationship between the virtues of a good man and the virtues of a good citizen? Aristotle argues that the virtues of a good man and a good citizen are not necessarily the same. While a good man possesses perfect virtue, a good citizen’s virtue is relative to the specific constitution of their state, which may be imperfect.
According to Aristotle in Book 3, Chapter 9, what is the ultimate aim of the city (polis)? Aristotle posits that the ultimate aim of the city is not merely survival or economic exchange, but living well and happily. It’s a community joined together for the sake of a perfect and independent life based on virtuous action.
In Book 3, Chapter 16, why does Aristotle say that law should govern rather than any one citizen? Aristotle states that law should govern because it is “reason without desire.” In other words, law is unbiased and impartial, while individual rulers are susceptible to passions and self-interest, even the best of men.
Answer Key
Aristotle argues that the city (polis) is a society established for a good purpose and aims at the best possible good. He also claims that political, regal, family, and herile governments differ not only in the number of people they govern, but also in their constitution.
Aristotle asserts that some beings are naturally suited to command due to their intellect, while others are suited to obey due to their physical strength. He believes this natural hierarchy benefits both parties, providing direction for the slave and service for the master.
Aristotle suggests that while both men and women should possess virtues, they manifest differently. He states that a man’s courage is shown in commanding, while a woman’s courage is shown in obeying, because their roles in society are different.
Aristotle criticizes Socrates’ community, arguing that it overlooks the happiness of the military and other essential groups within the city. He also finds fault with Socrates’ views on the division of inhabitants, which includes husbandmen, soldiers, and senators, while not granting husbandmen and artificers a share in the government.
Aristotle argues that while equality of property might prevent small crimes, it doesn’t address the root causes of larger crimes like ambition. He says that Phaleas’ regulations only extend to land, whereas someone’s substance also consists of slaves, cattle, money, and chattels.
Aristotle faults the Spartans for neglecting the regulation of women, leading to their excessive indulgence and luxury. He believes this contributes to the state’s love of money and overall instability and is a major flaw within their society.
Aristotle defines a citizen as someone who has the right to share in the judicial and executive parts of the government. This involvement in decision-making and governance is what distinguishes a citizen from a resident or other member of the community.
Aristotle argues that the virtues of a good man and a good citizen are not necessarily the same. While a good man possesses perfect virtue, a good citizen’s virtue is relative to the specific constitution of their state, which may be imperfect.
Aristotle posits that the ultimate aim of the city is not merely survival or economic exchange, but living well and happily. It’s a community joined together for the sake of a perfect and independent life based on virtuous action.
Aristotle states that law should govern because it is “reason without desire.” In other words, law is unbiased and impartial, while individual rulers are susceptible to passions and self-interest, even the best of men.
Essay Questions
Aristotle identifies several forms of government, including democracy, oligarchy, aristocracy, and monarchy. Compare and contrast two of these forms, discussing their strengths, weaknesses, and potential for corruption, according to Aristotle.
Aristotle’s views on slavery are considered controversial today. Analyze Aristotle’s justification for slavery, examining the arguments he presents and the assumptions he makes about human nature and social hierarchy.
Explore Aristotle’s concept of citizenship. What are the key characteristics of a citizen, according to Aristotle, and what role does citizenship play in achieving the good life within the polis?
Aristotle emphasizes the importance of education in shaping virtuous citizens and maintaining a stable political order. Discuss Aristotle’s ideas about education, including the types of knowledge and skills that are essential for citizens to possess and the role of the state in providing education.
Aristotle critiques various existing and proposed constitutions, such as those of Sparta and Plato’s Republic. Analyze Aristotle’s criticisms of one of these constitutions, explaining his reasoning and suggesting how he might improve upon it.
Glossary of Key Terms
City (Polis): A political association or community aiming at the highest good for its citizens.
Citizen: An individual who has the right to participate in the judicial and deliberative functions of the state.
Constitution (Politeia): The arrangement of offices in a state, determining who rules and the ends they pursue.
Democracy: A form of government where the many (typically the poor) rule, often characterized by equality.
Equality: A concept that can mean numerical or proportional equality. Numerical equality treats all people the same, while proportional equality gives each person what they deserve.
Happiness (Eudaimonia): Often translated as “flourishing” or “living well,” it is the ultimate goal of human life and the state.
Household (Oikos): The basic economic and social unit, consisting of a family, slaves, and property.
Justice: A concept that is thought of differently in the different forms of government. Usually refers to being concerned with the common interest.
King/Monarch: A form of government where one person rules for the common good.
Nature: The inherent character or essence of something, guiding its development and purpose.
Oligarchy: A form of government where the few (typically the wealthy) rule, often in their own self-interest.
Political Animal (Zoon Politikon): Aristotle’s term for humans, emphasizing their natural inclination to live in political communities.
Regime: The ruling structure and way of life of a political community
Slavery: A state of being owned and controlled by another, considered by Aristotle to be natural for some individuals.
Tyranny: A perverted form of monarchy where one person rules in their own self-interest.
Virtue (Arete): Moral excellence or goodness, essential for both individuals and the state.
Classical Political Theory: Governance, Citizenship, and the Ideal State
This briefing document reviews the key themes and ideas presented in the provided excerpts, focusing on political science, governance, the nature of citizenship, and the ideal state. The source material appears to be a detailed treatise, likely originating from classical Greek philosophy, possibly from Aristotle.
I. The City and Political Society
Foundation for a “Good Purpose”: The fundamental principle of a city (polis) is its establishment for a good purpose, rooted in the pursuit of what appears good to human beings. “As we see that every city is a society, and every society Ed. is established for some good purpose; for an apparent good is the spring of all human actions; it is evident that this is the principle upon which they are every one founded.”
Distinction of Governance Forms: A clear distinction is made between political, regal (kingly), familial, and “herile” (master-slave) governance. These differ not just in the number of people governed but fundamentally in their constitution. The author refutes the idea that differences are merely quantitative, arguing that a large family is not the same as a small city.
Natural Origin of the City: The city is considered a natural development, originating from the union of male and female for propagation and families for mutual advantage (villages). This progression culminates in the city, which aims for a “happy” life, not just survival. “For which reason every city must be allowed to be the work of nature, if we admit that the original society between male and female is; for to this as their end all subordinate societies tend, and the end of everything is the nature of it.”
Man as a Political Animal: Central to the argument is the concept of man as a “political animal,” inherently suited for society. Those who are naturally unfit for society are deemed either “inferior or superior to man.” “Hence it is evident that a city is a natural production, and that man is naturally a political animal, and that whosoever is naturally and not accidentally unfit for society, must be either inferior or superior to man.”
II. Household Management and Social Hierarchy
Natural Hierarchy: The author asserts a natural order where some command and others obey, based on intellectual capacity (superior mind for governing) versus physical strength (suited for slavery). This justification extends to gender, where the male is seen as naturally superior.
The Role of Women: The excerpts reveal assumptions about the roles of women, emphasizing obedience and a limited capacity for reason. “Thus a slave can have no power of determination, a woman but a weak one, a child an imperfect one.” Their virtue is defined in terms of obedience, contrasting with the courage expected of men. “The courage of the man consists in commanding, the woman’s in obeying.”
Slavery: Slavery is presented as a natural institution, beneficial to both master and slave. However, the author recognizes that slaves possess some degree of reason and require training. “Those therefore are in the wrong who would deprive slaves of reason, and say that they have only to follow their orders; for slaves want more instruction than children, and thus we determine this matter.”
Virtue and Station: Virtue is not uniform; it varies depending on one’s social role and natural capacity. Those who govern require complete moral virtue, while others need only enough virtue to fulfill their station. The “architect” analogy suggests the leader requires full understanding, while others need only the necessary knowledge for their tasks.
III. Critiques of Ideal States and Legislators
Socrates/Plato: The document critiques the ideal states proposed by Socrates (in “The Republic”) and later in Plato’s “Laws.” The document argues that they are impractical, especially concerning the number of “idle persons” (soldiers) the state must support. It points out inconsistencies and a return to similar governmental structures despite intentions for greater community. “All the discourses of Socrates are masterly, noble, new, and inquisitive; but that they are all true it may probably be too much to say.”
Phaleas: The briefing document takes issue with Phaleas’ plan for equality of property, arguing it’s insufficient for preventing social unrest. “Hence it is evident, that it is not proper for the legislator to establish an equality of circumstances, but to fix a proper medium.” The document argues for the need for proper education to instill similar sentiments rather than focus solely on economic equality.
Hippodamus: The briefing document questions Hippodamus’ division of citizens into artisans, husbandmen, and soldiers, finding it likely to create social divisions and render the artisans and husbandmen subservient to the military.
Lycurgus (Sparta): The source critiques the Spartan system, particularly regarding the lack of regulation of women’s behavior, leading to their undue influence and love of money, and unequal distribution of property which contributes to a shortage of citizens capable of serving.
IV. Citizenship and the Nature of the State
Defining a Citizen: The briefing document explores the definition of a citizen, rejecting definitions based solely on lineage. It favors defining a citizen as one who participates in the judicial and executive functions of the government. “Such then is the description of a citizen who comes nearest to what all those who are called citizens are. Every one also should know, that of the component parts of those things which differ from each other in species, after the first or second remove, those which follow have either nothing at all or very little common to each.”
Virtue of a Citizen: The virtues of a good citizen may differ from those of a good man, as a citizen’s virtue is tied to the specific constitution of the state. A citizen’s actions are geared toward the safety of the community. “So also with respect to citizens, although they may in a few particulars be very different, yet there is one care common to them all, the safety of the community, for the community of the citizens composes the state; for which reason the virtue of a citizen has necessarily a reference to the state.”
Purpose of the State: The state is not merely a community of place or for mutual defense and trade. Instead, it is a society aimed at enabling citizens to “live agreeably” and achieve a happy and independent life. Therefore, the most virtuous citizens should hold greater power.
The Rule of Law vs. the Rule of Man: The source grapples with the question of whether the best man or the best law should govern. It acknowledges the limitations of law in addressing all situations but expresses concerns about the potential for passion and corruption in individual rulers. “But some one may say, that it is wrong to let man have the supreme power and not the law, as his soul is subject to so many passions. But if this law appoints an aristocracy, or a democracy, how will it help us in our present doubts?”
V. Practical Considerations for the Ideal State
Population and Territory: There’s a discussion about the ideal size and nature of a city and its territory. The city must be large enough for self-sufficiency and defense, but not so large as to be unmanageable and lose its sense of community. The territory should provide the necessities of life and allow for temperate living.
Geographic Location: The proximity to the sea is debated, with concerns about the potential disruption from merchants and foreign influences balanced against the advantages for trade and defense. A moderate naval power is considered necessary, but not to the point of dominating the city’s character.
Character of the Citizens: The document stresses the importance of both courage and intelligence in citizens. The geographic location in which these qualities are naturally blended (ex. Greece) are ideally situated for good government. Citizens ought to have reverence towards the gods.
Social Structure: The excerpts discuss different social classes (husbandmen, artisans, soldiers, priests, etc.) and their roles. A key concern is ensuring that citizens involved in governance have the leisure and virtue necessary for their roles, excluding those engaged in manual labor or commerce.
Magistrates: The writing goes into detail about magistrates of different types, including how they are appointed, and what their responsibilities should be in a well-ordered society.
VI. Essential Elements of a State
Food, Arts, Arms, Revenue, Religion, and Justice: These are listed as the essential components for the existence of a state. A state is “a number of people not accidentally met together, but with a purpose of ensuring to themselves sufficient independency and self-protection.”
Markets: The state needs proper regulators in the markets.
VII. Importance of Good Laws
Well ordered society: A good law is, of course, a certain good order and therefore there needs to be a strong central authority to establish laws that can benefit all.
In summary, these excerpts present a comprehensive examination of political society, governance, and the elements of an ideal state. They reveal a strong emphasis on natural hierarchy, the importance of virtue (though differentially defined), and the need for practical considerations in designing a stable and flourishing community. The author engages in critical analysis of existing and proposed systems, aiming to synthesize a model that balances theoretical ideals with real-world constraints.
Frequently Asked Questions Based on the Provided Text
Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers regarding key concepts and themes presented in the text provided:
1. What is the fundamental purpose of a city (political society)?
According to the text, every city or political society is established for some perceived good. The highest and most excellent form of this society aims for the “best possible,” encompassing all other good purposes. Initially formed for basic survival (“that we might live”), it continues to exist so that people can “live happily.”
2. How does the text differentiate between a household, a village, and a city, and what is the significance of these distinctions?
The text outlines a progression:
The household (domestic) is the most basic unit, formed for daily support and propagation, naturally arising from the union of male and female and the relationship of master and slave.
A village consists of multiple families, initially united for mutual benefit and often composed of descendants of a single family.
A city emerges when multiple villages merge to form a single, self-sufficient society, representing the “end and perfection of government” aimed at both survival and the “good life.”
The significance lies in understanding the natural evolution of social organization and the increasing complexity of governance as societies develop.
3. According to the text, what is the natural relationship between the individual and the city (political society)?
The text asserts that “man is naturally a political animal.” Those who are naturally (not accidentally) unfit for society are considered either inferior or superior to man. It emphasizes the gift of speech as evidence of man’s social nature, exceeding even that of bees. The implication is that humans are inherently designed to live in and contribute to political communities.
4. How does the text define a citizen, and what rights and responsibilities are associated with citizenship?
The text defines a citizen as one who has a share in the judicial and executive part of government in any city. This includes the right to participate in the general assembly and to serve as a juryman. A city is then defined as a collective body of such persons sufficient in themselves to all the purposes of life. This definition also touches on the problematic nature of illegally created citizens, who still participate but without just cause.
5. According to the text, how should the relationship between husband and wife, and parent and child, be structured within a household?
The text advocates for a hierarchical structure within the household. The husband should govern the wife politically, with the aim of both contributing to the common good. The man and the woman should have a distinction between them in forms, expressions and honors. The government of children should be kingly, founded on affection and seniority. The father’s authority over the child is justified by both affection and his older age/experience.
6. What are the primary criticisms leveled against various proposed forms of government, such as those of Socrates, Phaleas, Hippodamus, and Sparta?
The text critiques various aspects of these proposed governments: * Socrates: Criticized for focusing on only one part of the city being happy and only thoroughly settling a few parts of the community. * Phaleas: Criticized for focusing on equality of property without addressing the need for shared sentiments among citizens, neglecting foreign policy and military considerations. * Hippodamus: Criticized for dividing citizens into inflexible classes (artisans, farmers, soldiers) that would inevitably lead to inequality and resentment. * Sparta: Criticized for the excessive influence and lack of discipline among women, unequal distribution of property, and the corruptibility of the Ephors.
7. What is the text’s perspective on the role of virtue in a citizen and in the state?
The text emphasizes that for a city to truly deserve that name, the citizens must be virtuous. Whomever endeavors to establish wholesome laws in a state, should attend to the virtues and the vices of each individual who composes it. It argues that a city is not merely an alliance for mutual defense or trade, but a society aimed at promoting a good and happy life for its inhabitants. Thus, cultivating virtue among citizens is paramount for a well-functioning state. In fact, some even believed that those who did not possess the virtues that an excellent citizen should have, should not be permitted to exercise any mechanic employment.
8. What does the text argue are the necessary components of a state?
The text outlines several essential elements: food, arts, arms, a certain revenue, a religious establishment, and a court to determine both criminal and civil causes. These elements are deemed necessary for a city to be self-sufficient and capable of ensuring independence and self-protection for its citizens.
On Citizenship
Citizenship involves participation in the judicial and executive functions of government. A complete citizen has a share in the judicial and executive aspects of the government.
Definitions and requirements for citizenship may vary:
Common definition A citizen is someone whose parents were citizens. Some extend this to include grandparents and further ancestors. However, this definition does not address how the first citizens were determined.
Variations Citizenship criteria differ across governments. Some states grant citizenship to strangers, and some democracies grant it to children of free women. Laws regarding citizenship often change based on population size.
Potential Inconsistencies Illegally created citizens are still citizens, despite the impropriety of their creation.
The virtues that constitute a good man and a valuable citizen may or may not be the same.
The safety of the community is a common concern for all citizens.
The qualities that make an excellent citizen in one type of community might not in another, so the virtue of a citizen is not always perfect.
A good citizen should know how to command and obey, which is a great recommendation.
Those who are to rule should have an education that is peculiar to themselves.
There are different types of citizens:
Those allowed to share in the government.
Mechanics.
Boys are imperfect citizens until they reach maturity.
A city is a collective body of citizens sufficient for all purposes of life. A city isn’t just a shared physical space or an alliance for mutual safety and traffic. It is a society where people join with their families to live agreeably and happily and requires family meetings, clubs, sacrifices, and public entertainment to promote friendship. The aim of the city is to enable inhabitants to live well and happily, not just to live together.
Different forms of government will have different forms of citizenship. In a democracy, a citizen possesses every privilege that the station entails. However, in other forms of government, these privileges may not exist, as some states do not grant power to the people.
Forms of Government: Types, Goals, and Considerations
When deciding on a form of government, it is important to consider which is most suitable for particular people, as some may be incapable of enjoying the best form. A legislator should establish a government that the people will most readily submit to, as correcting mistakes in an established government can be as difficult as forming a new one. Laws should be framed to suit the government, not the other way around.
Here are key aspects of different government forms, according to the sources:
Definition The form of government refers to the ordering and regulating of a city, including all its offices, particularly those holding supreme power.
Goal Governments should aim for the common good and justice, benefiting all citizens. Those that only benefit the rulers are based on wrong principles and resemble tyranny.
Forms of government can be categorized by where the supreme power is lodged:
Monarchy Ruled by one person, called a kingdom when the power is used for the common good, and is considered the best when the ruler has supreme power over all things.
Aristocracy Ruled by a few individuals and is best when those individuals are the most worthy citizens.
Polity Ruled by the citizens at large for the public good.
These forms of government can be corrupted:
Tyranny A corrupted monarchy that only considers the good of the ruler.
Oligarchy A corrupted aristocracy that only considers the rich.
Democracy A corrupted polity that only considers the poor.
The best government is formed of many parts.
Here are key considerations in establishing different government types:
Democracy In a democracy, the supreme power is lodged in the whole people. A pure democracy is analogous to a dynastic oligarchy and a tyrannic monarchy. Frequent public assemblies are advantageous.
Oligarchy In an oligarchy, the supreme power is in the hands of a few.
Free State/Aristocracy An aristocracy should copy something from both oligarchy and democracy, such as choosing magistrates by vote (oligarchy) but not requiring a census (democracy).
Additional points to consider:
Citizen Participation Citizens should share in governing and submitting to governance. The best state enables citizens to choose and maintain a virtuous life publicly and privately.
Role of Law The supreme power should be lodged in laws that are duly made, with magistrates authorized to address what the laws do not cover.
Balance A legislator should calculate laws for the better part of the citizens and the many, aiming for equality and benefiting the whole state.
Government Stability To maintain a state’s form, laws authorizing inequality in property should be upheld. Demagogues in democracies should not try to place the common people above the laws, and oligarchies should avoid supporting administrators against the people.
Virtue, the State, and the Individual: A Summary
Here’s a discussion of virtue, drawing on information from the sources:
Virtue and the State:
The first concern of anyone founding a city should be to have virtuous citizens.
Establishing wholesome laws in a state requires attention to the virtues and vices of each individual.
Virtue is necessary for a state’s existence and happiness, with justice being essential for its existence and valor for its happiness.
The virtue of parts should correspond to the virtue of the whole. Therefore, wives and children should be instructed in accordance with the nature of the government.
A city is happiest when it is the best and acts best. Just, wise, and prudent actions in a man are likewise just, wise, and prudent in a city.
The aim of civil society is justice, which benefits all.
The object of laws should be what is useful for citizens in public and private capacities.
Legislators should prioritize laws that promote safety over those that seek dominance.
A legislator should instill laws that are most useful for people in their public and private capacities.
The aim of government should be the safety of those under it, not despotism.
Virtue and the Individual:
Man is the only animal with a perception of good and evil, just and unjust.
Justice is a political virtue that regulates the state and defines what is right.
Moral virtue is common to those who govern and are governed but differs based on their roles.
For those in command, virtue should be perfect, as reason is the architect, while others need only enough for their station.
A good man’s virtue involves both commanding and obeying.
Qualities of a good person:
Fortitude.
Temperance.
Justice.
Prudence.
A virtuous person will act not from external influence but from their own nature.
A system of laws must be calculated for those who are equal in nature and power.
Virtuous activity and happiness are considered by some to be the same thing.
A good life involves virtuous energies.
Happiness consists in the energy and perfect practice of virtue, not relatively, but simply.
The Role of Education:
Virtue and education are the means to make citizens happy.
The education of children ought to aim for labor and war, but rather for rest and peace; and also, doing what is necessary and useful, but rather what is fair and noble.
The education of youth is crucial, with the best manners producing the best government.
Education should be a common care, with children belonging to the state rather than individuals.
The mode of education should be adapted to the distinction between those who govern and those who are governed.
The soul of man may be divided into two parts; that which has reason in itself, and that which hath not, but is capable of obeying its dictates.
Some think the object of education should be to improve the reason or rectify the morals.
The virtues that lead to rest are necessary.
To be happy it is necessary to be virtuous.
Different Types of Virtue:
The courage of a man is in commanding, while a woman’s courage lies in obeying.
Those with more excellent civil virtue should have greater power in the city.
Different virtues are required during times of peace and war, with temperance and justice being especially important during peace.
On Political Power: Distribution, Maintenance, and Derailment
Here’s a discussion of political power, drawing on information from the sources and our conversation history:
Where Political Power Should Reside:
It may be a matter of debate whether supreme power ought to be lodged with the majority, the wealthy, a number of proper persons, one better than the rest, or a tyrant.
The supreme power should be lodged with the many rather than with the better sort, who are few.
The freemen who compose the bulk of the people should have absolute power in some things.
The supreme power should be lodged in laws duly made, and a magistrate or magistrates should be authorized to determine cases that the laws cannot specifically address.
If the majority of the state should happen to be good men, they should prefer many equally good governors over one uncorrupt governor.
It is unjust that where all are equal one person should continually enjoy power.
How Political Power is Distributed:
All the members of the community will dispute with each other for the offices of the state and in some particulars justly, but not so in general.
Each part of a city may have a share in the government, or sometimes a few, sometimes more.
The power of the state may be distributed according to the size of the citizens or according to their beauty.
The power of election and censure are of the utmost consequence.
The supreme power should be vested in the people at large.
Those allowed to share in the government are citizens.
Having a share in the judicial and executive part of government characterizes a complete citizen.
In democracies, the poor ought to have more power than the rich, as being the greater number.
The power in the man who is member of the assembly, or council, but the assembly itself, and the council, and the people, of which each individual of the whole community are the parts.
What Can Derail Political Power:
If the many seize into their own hands everything which belongs to the few, the city will be at an end.
If civil society was founded for the sake of preserving and increasing property, every one’s right in the city would be equal to his fortune.
It is wrong to let man have the supreme power and not the law, as his soul is subject to so many passions.
When there are many poor people who are incapable of acquiring the honors of their country, the state must necessarily have many enemies in it.
Democracies will be most subject to revolutions from the dishonesty of their demagogues.
A state is also liable to commotions when those parts of it which seem to be opposite to each other approach to an equality, as the rich and the common people.
Inequality is always the occasion of sedition.
Those who aim after an equality are the cause of seditions.
Those who aim at equality will be ever ready for sedition, if they see those whom they esteem their equals possess more than they do.
What is Required to Maintain Political Power:
A king ought to have a proper power, and such a one is that which will be sufficient to make the king superior to any one person or even a large part of the community, but inferior to the whole.
Citizens should share in governing and submitting to governance.
To maintain a state’s form, laws authorizing inequality in property should be upheld.
By taking something from the power he increased the duration of the kingdom, so that in some measure he made it not less, but bigger.
How Virtue Relates to Political Power:
Those who contribute most to enabling inhabitants to live as men ought deserve to have greater power in the city.
It seems absurd that the power of the state should be lodged with those who are but of indifferent morals, instead of those who are of excellent characters.
In general, the beginning and the causes of seditions in all states are such as I have now described, and revolutions therein are brought about in two ways, either by violence or fraud.
On Law: Justice, Governance, and Common Good
Here’s a discussion of law, drawing on information from the sources and our conversation history:
Definition and Purpose of Law:
Law is a type of order.
Law is an agreement and a pledge among citizens to do justice to each other.
Law is a pledge that citizens intend to do justice to one another. However, law is not sufficient to make all citizens just and good.
The object of laws should be what is useful for citizens in public and private capacities.
The moral law is superior to the written law.
Law is reason without desire.
The Role of Law in Government:
The supreme power in a state should be lodged in laws that are duly made.
The magistrate or magistrates should be authorized to determine cases that the laws cannot specifically address.
Laws should be framed to suit the government, not the other way around.
The laws of every state will necessarily be like every state, either trifling or excellent, just or unjust.
Laws must be framed correspondent to the constitution of the government.
A well-formed government will have good laws, and a bad one, bad laws.
Qualities of Good Laws:
Good laws should aim for the common good and justice, benefiting all citizens.
The rectitude of anything consists in its equality.
That which is equally right will be advantageous to the whole state, and to every member of it in common.
Laws should be calculated for the better part of the citizens or the many, aiming for equality and benefiting the whole state.
Laws must be calculated for those who are equal to each other in nature and power.
Laws should promote the safety of the community.
To maintain a state’s form, laws authorizing inequality in property should be upheld.
Potential Problems with Law:
Laws may be too simple and barbarous.
Written laws may not always be perfectly exact. When something is committed to writing, general terms must be used. However, in every action, there is something particular to itself that these may not comprehend.
Laws may be easily abolished, which is of bad consequence.
The Need for Change and Caution in Changing Laws:
All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established.
Experience suggests that the science of government may be extended beyond its ancient bounds, as is the case with medicine, gymnastics, and other arts.
There is a question of whether it is useful or hurtful to alter the established law of any country, even for the better.
When the advantage proposed is trifling, and the accustoming the people easily to abolish their laws is of bad consequence, it is better to pass over some faults which either the legislator or the magistrates may have committed.
The alterations will not be of so much service as a habit of disobeying the magistrates will be of disservice.
A law derives all its strength from custom, and this requires long time to establish.
To make it an easy matter to pass from the established laws to other new ones, is to weaken the power of laws.
If the laws are to be altered, there is a question of whether they are all to be altered, and in every government or not, and whether at the pleasure of one person or many.
Enforcement of Laws:
Law is a mean.
It is of no service to pass judgment in any cause without that judgment is carried into execution. Without this, human society could not subsist.
A proper power is needed to protect the power with which the law is guarded.
When experience proves that anything may be better established, it allows it to be altered.
Laws are safer to trust than any one man, though a worthy man is superior to the written laws.
When someone breaks the law, the young should be judged by the young. As to those cases which are already brought to a hearing, let one person pass sentence, and another see it executed.
It is necessary for the democracy we have been now treating of to have a power of censuring their magistrates when out of office and sitting in judgment upon all causes.
The moral law is far superior and conversant with far superior objects than the written law.
Politics: A Treatise on Government by Aristotle | Audiobook with Text
The Original Text
BOOK 1 CHAPTER 1 As we see that every city is a society, and every society Ed. is established for some good purpose; for an apparent good is the spring of all human actions; it is evident that this is the principle upon which they are every one founded, and this is more especially true of that which has for its object the best possible, and is itself the most excellent, and comprehends all the rest. Now this is called a city, and the society thereof a political society; for those who think that the principles of a political, a regal, a family, and a herile government are the same are mistaken, while they suppose that each of these differ in the numbers to whom their power extends, but not in their constitution: so that with them a herile government is one composed of a very few, a domestic of more, a civil and a regal of still more, as if there was no difference between a large family and a small city, or that a regal government and a political one are the same, only that in the one a single person is continually at the head of public affairs; in the other, that each member of the state has in his turn a share in the government, and is at one time a magistrate, at another a private person, according to the rules of political science. But now this is not true, as will be evident to any one who will consider this question in the most approved method. As, in an inquiry into every other subject, it is necessary to separate the different parts of which it is compounded, till we arrive at their first elements, which are the most minute parts thereof; so by the same proceeding we shall acquire a knowledge of the primary parts of a city and see wherein they differ from each other, and whether the rules of art will give us any assistance in examining into each of these things which are mentioned. CHAPTER 2 Now if in this particular science any one would attend to its original seeds, and their first shoot, he would then as in others have the subject perfectly before him; and perceive, in the first place, that it is requisite that those should be joined together whose species cannot exist without each other, as the male and the female, for the business of propagation; and this not through choice, but by that natural impulse which acts both upon plants and animals also, for the purpose of their leaving behind them others like themselves. It is also from natural causes that some beings command and others obey, that each may obtain their mutual safety; for a being who is endowed with a mind capable of reflection and forethought is by nature the superior and governor, whereas he whose excellence is merely corporeal is formect to be a slave; whence it follows that the different state of master and slave is equally advantageous to both. But there is a natural difference between a female and a slave: for nature is not like the artists who make the Delphic swords for the use of the poor, but for every particular purpose she has her separate instruments, and thus her ends are most complete, for whatsoever is employed on one subject only, brings that one to much greater perfection than when employed on many; and yet among the barbarians, a female and a slave are upon a level in the community, the reason for which is, that amongst them there are none qualified by nature to govern, therefore their society can be nothing but between slaves of different sexes. For which reason the poets say, it is proper for the Greeks to govern the barbarians, as if a barbarian and a slave were by nature one. Now of these two societies the domestic is the first, and Hesiod is right when he says, “First a house, then a wife, then an ox for the plough,” for the poor man has always an ox before a household slave. That society then which nature has established for daily support is the domestic, and those who compose it are called by Charondas homosipuoi, and by Epimenides the Cretan homokapnoi; but the society of many families, which was first instituted for their lasting, mutual advantage, is called a village, and a village is most naturally composed of the descendants of one family, whom some persons call homogalaktes, the children and the children’s children thereof: for which reason cities were originally governed by kings, as the barbarian states now are, which are composed of those who had before submitted to kingly government; for every family is governed by the elder, as are the branches thereof, on account of their relationship thereunto, which is what Homer says, “Each one ruled his wife and child;” and in this scattered manner they formerly lived. And the opinion which universally prevails, that the gods themselves are subject to kingly government, arises from hence, that all men formerly were, and many are so now; and as they imagined themselves to be made in the likeness of the gods, so they supposed their manner of life must needs be the same. And when many villages so entirely join themselves together as in every respect to form but one society, that society is a city, and contains in itself, if I may so speak, the end and perfection of government: first founded that we might live, but continued that we may live happily. For which reason every city must be allowed to be the work of nature, if we admit that the original society between male and female is; for to this as their end all subordinate societies tend, and the end of everything is the nature of it. For what every being is in its most perfect state, that certainly is the nature of that being, whether it be a man, a horse, or a house: besides, whatsoever produces the final cause and the end which we desire, must be best; but a government complete in itself is that final cause and what is best. Hence it is evident that a city is a natural production, and that man is naturally a political animal, and that whosoever is naturally and not accidentally unfit for society, must be either inferior or superior to man: thus the man in Homer, who is reviled for being “without society, without law, without family.” Such a one must naturally be of a quarrelsome disposition, and as solitary as the birds. The gift of speech also evidently proves that man is a more social animal than the bees, or any of the herding cattle: for nature, as we say, does nothing in vain, and man is the only animal who enjoys it. Voice indeed, as being the token of pleasure and pain, is imparted to others also, and thus much their nature is capable of, to perceive pleasure and pain, and to impart these sensations to others; but it is by speech that we are enabled to express what is useful for us, and what is hurtful, and of course what is just and what is unjust: for in this particular man differs from other animals, that he alone has a perception of good and evil, of just and unjust, and it is a participation of these common sentiments which forms a family and a city. Besides, the notion of a city naturally precedes that of a family or an individual, for the whole must necessarily be prior to the parts, for if you take away the whole man, you cannot say a foot or a hand remains, unless by equivocation, as supposing a hand of stone to be made, but that would only be a dead one; but everything is understood to be this or that by its energic qualities and powers, so that when these no longer remain, neither can that be said to be the same, but something of the same name. That a city then precedes an individual is plain, for if an individual is not in himself sufficient to compose a perfect government, he is to a city as other parts are to a whole; but he that is incapable of society, or so complete in himself as not to want it, makes no part of a city, as a beast or a god. There is then in all persons a natural impetus to associate with each other in this manner, and he who first founded civil society was the cause of the greatest good; for as by the completion of it man is the most excellent of all living beings, so without law and justice he would be the worst of all, for nothing is so difficult to subdue as injustice in arms: but these arms man is born with, namely, prudence and valour, which he may apply to the most opposite purposes, for he who abuses them will be the most wicked, the most cruel, the most lustful, and most gluttonous being imaginable; for justice is a political virtue, by the rules of it the state is regulated, and these rules are the criterion of what is right. CHAPTER 3 SINCE it is now evident of what parts a city is composed, it will be necessary to treat first of family government, for every city is made up of families, and every family has again its separate parts of which it is composed. When a family is complete, it consists of freemen and slaves; but as in every subject we should begin with examining into the smallest parts of which it consists, and as the first and smallest parts of a family are the master and slave, the husband and wife, the father and child, let us first inquire into these three, what each of them may be, and what they ought to be; that is to say, the herile, the nuptial, and the paternal. Let these then be considered as the three distinct parts of a family: some think that the providing what is necessary for the family is something different from the government of it, others that this is the greatest part of it; it shall be considered separately; but we will first speak of a master and a slave, that we may both understand the nature of those things which are absolutely necessary, and also try if we can learn anything better on this subject than what is already known. Some persons have thought that the power of the master over his slave originates from his superior knowledge, and that this knowledge is the same in the master, the magistrate, and the king, as we have already said; but others think that herile government is contrary to nature, and that it is the law which makes one man a slave and another free, but that in nature there is no difference; for which reason that power cannot be founded in justice, but in force. CHAPTER 4 Since then a subsistence is necessary in every family, the means of procuring it certainly makes up part of the management of a family, for without necessaries it is impossible to live, and to live well. As in all arts which are brought to perfection it is necessary that they should have their proper instruments if they would complete their works, so is it in the art of managing a family: now of instruments some of them are alive, others inanimate; thus with respect to the pilot of the ship, the tiller is without life, the sailor is alive; for a servant is as an instrument in many arts. Thus property is as an instrument to living; an estate is a multitude of instruments; so a slave is an animated instrument, but every one that can minister of himself is more valuable than any other instrument; for if every instrument, at command, or from a preconception of its master’s will, could accomplish its work (as the story goes of the statues of Daedalus; or what the poet tells us of the tripods of Vulcan, “that they moved of their own accord into the assembly of the gods “), the shuttle would then weave, and the lyre play of itself; nor would the architect want servants, or the master slaves. Now what are generally called instruments are the efficients of something else, but possessions are what we simply use: thus with a shuttle we make something else for our use; but we only use a coat, or a bed: since then making and using differ from each other in species, and they both require their instruments, it is necessary that these should be different from each other. Now life is itself what we use, and not what we employ as the efficient of something else; for which reason the services of a slave are for use. A possession may be considered in the same nature as a part of anything; now a part is not only a part of something, but also is nothing else; so is a possession; therefore a master is only the master of the slave, but no part of him; but the slave is not only the slave of the master, but nothing else but that. This fully explains what is the nature of a slave, and what are his capacities; for that being who by nature is nothing of himself, but totally another’s, and is a man, is a slave by nature; and that man who is the property of another, is his mere chattel, though he continues a man; but a chattel is an instrument for use, separate from the body. CHAPTER 5 But whether any person is such by nature, and whether it is advantageous and just for any one to be a slave or no, or whether all slavery is contrary to nature, shall be considered hereafter; not that it is difficult to determine it upon general principles, or to understand it from matters of fact; for that some should govern, and others be governed, is not only necessary but useful, and from the hour of their birth some are marked out for those purposes, and others for the other, and there are many species of both sorts. And the better those are who are governed the better also is the government, as for instance of man, rather than the brute creation: for the more excellent the materials are with which the work is finished, the more excellent certainly is the work; and wherever there is a governor and a governed, there certainly is some work produced; for whatsoever is composed of many parts, which jointly become one, whether conjunct or separate, evidently show the marks of governing and governed; and this is true of every living thing in all nature; nay, even in some things which partake not of life, as in music; but this probably would be a disquisition too foreign to our present purpose. Every living thing in the first place is composed of soul and body, of these the one is by nature the governor, the other the governed; now if we would know what is natural, we ought to search for it in those subjects in which nature appears most perfect, and not in those which are corrupted; we should therefore examine into a man who is most perfectly formed both in soul and body, in whom this is evident, for in the depraved and vicious the body seems to rule rather than the soul, on account of their being corrupt and contrary to nature. We may then, as we affirm, perceive in an animal the first principles of herile and political government; for the soul governs the body as the master governs his slave; the mind governs the appetite with a political or a kingly power, which shows that it is both natural and advantageous that the body should be governed by the soul, and the pathetic part by the mind, and that part which is possessed of reason; but to have no ruling power, or an improper one, is hurtful to all; and this holds true not only of man, but of other animals also, for tame animals are naturally better than wild ones, and it is advantageous that both should be under subjection to man; for this is productive of their common safety: so is it naturally with the male and the female; the one is superior, the other inferior; the one governs, the other is governed; and the same rule must necessarily hold good with respect to all mankind. Those men therefore who are as much inferior to others as the body is to the soul, are to be thus disposed of, as the proper use of them is their bodies, in which their excellence consists; and if what I have said be true, they are slaves by nature, and it is advantageous to them to be always under government. He then is by nature formed a slave who is qualified to become the chattel of another person, and on that account is so, and who has just reason enough to know that there is such a faculty, without being indued with the use of it; for other animals have no perception of reason, but are entirely guided by appetite, and indeed they vary very little in their use from each other; for the advantage which we receive, both from slaves and tame animals, arises from their bodily strength administering to our necessities; for it is the intention of nature to make the bodies of slaves and freemen different from each other, that the one should be robust for their necessary purposes, the others erect, useless indeed for what slaves are employed in, but fit for civil life, which is divided into the duties of war and peace; though these rules do not always take place, for slaves have sometimes the bodies of freemen, sometimes the souls; if then it is evident that if some bodies are as much more excellent than others as the statues of the gods excel the human form, every one will allow that the inferior ought to be slaves to the superior; and if this is true with respect to the body, it is still juster to determine in the same manner, when we consider the soul; though it is not so easy to perceive the beauty of the soul as it is of the body. Since then some men are slaves by nature, and others are freemen, it is clear that where slavery is advantageous to any one, then it is just to make him a slave. CHAPTER 6 But it is not difficult to perceive that those who maintain the contrary opinion have some reason on their side; for a man may become a slave two different ways; for he may be so by law also, and this law is a certain compact, by which whatsoever is taken in battle is adjudged to be the property of the conquerors: but many persons who are conversant in law call in question this pretended right, and say that it would be hard that a man should be compelled by violence to be the slave and subject of another who had the power to compel him, and was his superior in strength; and upon this subject, even of those who are wise, some think one way and some another; but the cause of this doubt and variety of opinions arises from hence, that great abilities, when accompanied with proper means, are generally able to succeed by force: for victory is always owing to a superiority in some advantageous circumstances; so that it seems that force never prevails but in consequence of great abilities. But still the dispute concerning the justice of it remains; for some persons think, that justice consists in benevolence, others think it just that the powerful should govern: in the midst of these contrary opinions, there are no reasons sufficient to convince us, that the right of being master and governor ought not to be placed with those who have the greatest abilities. Some persons, entirely resting upon the right which the law gives (for that which is legal is in some respects just), insist upon it that slavery occasioned by war is just, not that they say it is wholly so, for it may happen that the principle upon which the wars were commenced is unjust; moreover no one will say that a man who is unworthily in slavery is therefore a slave; for if so, men of the noblest families might happen to be slaves, and the descendants of slaves, if they should chance to be taken prisoners in war and sold: to avoid this difficulty they say that such persons should not be called slaves, but barbarians only should; but when they say this, they do nothing more than inquire who is a slave by nature, which was what we at first said; for we must acknowledge that there are some persons who, wherever they are, must necessarily be slaves, but others in no situation; thus also it is with those of noble descent: it is not only in their own country that they are Esteemed as such, but everywhere, but the barbarians are respected on this account at home only; as if nobility and freedom were of two sorts, the one universal, the other not so. Thus says the Helen of Theodectes: “Who dares reproach me with the name of slave? When from the immortal gods, on either side, I draw my lineage.” Those who express sentiments like these, shew only that they distinguish the slave and the freeman, the noble and the ignoble from each other by their virtues and their vices; for they think it reasonable, that as a man begets a man, and a beast a beast, so from a good man, a good man should be descended; and this is what nature desires to do, but frequently cannot accomplish it. It is evident then that this doubt has some reason in it, and that these persons are not slaves, and those freemen, by the appointment of nature; and also that in some instances it is sufficiently clear, that it is advantageous to both parties for this man to be a slave, and that to be a master, and that it is right and just, that some should be governed, and others govern, in the manner that nature intended; of which sort of government is that which a master exercises over a slave. But to govern ill is disadvantageous to both; for the same thing is useful to the part and to the whole, to the body and to the soul; but the slave is as it were a part of the master, as if he were an animated part of his body, though separate. For which reason a mutual utility and friendship may subsist between the master and the slave, I mean when they are placed by nature in that relation to each other, for the contrary takes place amongst those who are reduced to slavery by the law, or by conquest. CHAPTER 7 It is evident from what has been said, that a herile and a political government are not the same, or that all governments are alike to each other, as some affirm; for one is adapted to the nature of freemen, the other to that of slaves. Domestic government is a monarchy, for that is what prevails in every house; but a political state is the government of free men and equals. The master is not so called from his knowing how to manage his slave, but because he is so; for the same reason a slave and a freeman have their respective appellations. There is also one sort of knowledge proper for a master, another for a slave; the slave’s is of the nature of that which was taught by a slave at Syracuse; for he for a stipulated sum instructed the boys in all the business of a household slave, of which there are various sorts to be learnt, as the art of cookery, and other such-like services, of which some are allotted to some, and others to others; some employments being more honourable, others more necessary; according to the proverb, “One slave excels another, one master excels another:” in such-like things the knowledge of a slave consists. The knowledge of the master is to be able properly to employ his slaves, for the mastership of slaves is the employment, not the mere possession of them; not that this knowledge contains anything great or respectable; for what a slave ought to know how to do, that a master ought to know how to order; for which reason, those who have it in their power to be free from these low attentions, employ a steward for this business, and apply themselves either to public affairs or philosophy: the knowledge of procuring what is necessary for a family is different from that which belongs either to the master or the slave: and to do this justly must be either by war or hunting. And thus much of the difference between a master and a slave. CHAPTER 8 As a slave is a particular species of property, let us by all means inquire into the nature of property in general, and the acquisition of money, according to the manner we have proposed. In the first place then, some one may doubt whether the getting of money is the same thing as economy, or whether it is a part of it, or something subservient to it; and if so, whether it is as the art of making shuttles is to the art of weaving, or the art of making brass to that of statue founding, for they are not of the same service; for the one supplies the tools, the other the matter: by the matter I mean the subject out of which the work is finished, as wool for the cloth and brass for the statue. It is evident then that the getting of money is not the same thing as economy, for the business of the one is to furnish the means of the other to use them; and what art is there employed in the management of a family but economy, but whether this is a part of it, or something of a different species, is a doubt; for if it is the business of him who is to get money to find out how riches and possessions may be procured, and both these arise from various causes, we must first inquire whether the art of husbandry is part of money-getting or something different, and in general, whether the same is not true of every acquisition and every attention which relates to provision. But as there are many sorts of provision, so are the methods of living both of man and the brute creation very various; and as it is impossible to live without food, the difference in that particular makes the lives of animals so different from each other. Of beasts, some live in herds, others separate, as is most convenient for procuring themselves food; as some of them live upon flesh, others on fruit, and others on whatsoever they light on, nature having so distinguished their course of life, that they can very easily procure themselves subsistence; and as the same things are not agreeable to all, but one animal likes one thing and another another, it follows that the lives of those beasts who live upon flesh must be different from the lives of those who live on fruits; so is it with men, their lives differ greatly from each other; and of all these the shepherd’s is the idlest, for they live upon the flesh of tame animals, without any trouble, while they are obliged to change their habitations on account of their flocks, which they are compelled to follow, cultivating, as it were, a living farm. Others live exercising violence over living creatures, one pursuing this thing, another that, these preying upon men; those who live near lakes and marshes and rivers, or the sea itself, on fishing, while others are fowlers, or hunters of wild beasts; but the greater part of mankind live upon the produce of the earth and its cultivated fruits; and the manner in which all those live who follow the direction of nature, and labour for their own subsistence, is nearly the same, without ever thinking to procure any provision by way of exchange or merchandise, such are shepherds, husband-men, robbers, fishermen, and hunters: some join different employments together, and thus live very agreeably; supplying those deficiencies which were wanting to make their subsistence depend upon themselves only: thus, for instance, the same person shall be a shepherd and a robber, or a husbandman and a hunter; and so with respect to the rest, they pursue that mode of life which necessity points out. This provision then nature herself seems to have furnished all animals with, as well immediately upon their first origin as also when they are arrived at a state of maturity; for at the first of these periods some of them are provided in the womb with proper nourishment, which continues till that which is born can get food for itself, as is the case with worms and birds; and as to those which bring forth their young alive, they have the means for their subsistence for a certain time within themselves, namely milk. It is evident then that we may conclude of those things that are, that plants are created for the sake of animals, and animals for the sake of men; the tame for our use and provision; the wild, at least the greater part, for our provision also, or for some other advantageous purpose, as furnishing us with clothes, and the like. As nature therefore makes nothing either imperfect or in vain, it necessarily follows that she has made all these things for men: for which reason what we gain in war is in a certain degree a natural acquisition; for hunting is a part of it, which it is necessary for us to employ against wild beasts; and those men who being intended by nature for slavery are unwilling to submit to it, on which occasion such a. war is by nature just: that species of acquisition then only which is according to nature is part of economy; and this ought to be at hand, or if not, immediately procured, namely, what is necessary to be kept in store to live upon, and which are useful as well for the state as the family. And true riches seem to consist in these; and the acquisition of those possessions which are necessary for a happy life is not infinite; though Solon says otherwise in this verse: “No bounds to riches can be fixed for man;” for they may be fixed as in other arts; for the instruments of no art whatsoever are infinite, either in their number or their magnitude; but riches are a number of instruments in domestic and civil economy; it is therefore evident that the acquisition of certain things according to nature is a part both of domestic and civil economy, and for what reason. CHAPTER 9 There is also another species of acquisition which they particularly call pecuniary, and with great propriety; and by this indeed it seems that there are no bounds to riches and wealth. Now many persons suppose, from their near relation to each other, that this is one and the same with that we have just mentioned, but it is not the same as that, though not very different; one of these is natural, the other is not, but rather owing to some art and skill; we will enter into a particular examination of this subject. The uses of every possession are two, both dependent upon the thing itself, but not in the same manner, the one supposing an inseparable connection with it, the other not; as a shoe, for instance, which may be either worn, or exchanged for something else, both these are the uses of the shoe; for he who exchanges a shoe with some man who wants one, for money or provisions, uses the shoe as a shoe, but not according to the original intention, for shoes were not at first made to be exchanged. The same thing holds true of all other possessions; for barter, in general, had its original beginning in nature, some men having a surplus, others too little of what was necessary for them: hence it is evident, that the selling provisions for money is not according to the natural use of things; for they were obliged to use barter for those things which they wanted; but it is plain that barter could have no place in the first, that is to say, in family society; but must have begun when the number of those who composed the community was enlarged: for the first of these had all things in common; but when they came to be separated they were obliged to exchange with each other many different things which both parties wanted. Which custom of barter is still preserved amongst many barbarous nations, who procure one necessary with another, but never sell anything; as giving and receiving wine for corn and the like. This sort of barter is not contradictory to nature, nor is it any species of money-getting; but is necessary in procuring that subsistence which is so consonant thereunto. But this barter introduced the use of money, as might be expected; for a convenient place from whence to import what you wanted, or to export what you had a surplus of, being often at a great distance, money necessarily made its way into commerce; for it is not everything which is naturally most useful that is easiest of carriage; for which reason they invented something to exchange with each other which they should mutually give and take, that being really valuable itself, should have the additional advantage of being of easy conveyance, for the purposes of life, as iron and silver, or anything else of the same nature: and this at first passed in value simply according to its weight or size; but in process of time it had a certain stamp, to save the trouble of weighing, which stamp expressed its value. Money then being established as the necessary medium of exchange, another species of money-getting soon took place, namely, by buying and selling, at probably first in a simple manner, afterwards with more skill and experience, where and how the greatest profits might be made. For which reason the art of money-getting seems to be chiefly conversant about trade, and the business of it to be able to tell where the greatest profits can be made, being the means of procuring abundance of wealth and possessions: and thus wealth is very often supposed to consist in the quantity of money which any one possesses, as this is the medium by which all trade is conducted and a fortune made, others again regard it as of no value, as being of none by nature, but arbitrarily made so by compact; so that if those who use it should alter their sentiments, it would be worth nothing, as being of no service for any necessary purpose. Besides, he who abounds in money often wants necessary food; and it is impossible to say that any person is in good circumstances when with all his possessions he may perish with hunger. Like Midas in the fable, who from his insatiable wish had everything he touched turned into gold. For which reason others endeavour to procure other riches and other property, and rightly, for there are other riches and property in nature; and these are the proper objects of economy: while trade only procures money, not by all means, but by the exchange of it, and for that purpose it is this which it is chiefly employed about, for money is the first principle and the end of trade; nor are there any bounds to be set to what is thereby acquired. Thus also there are no limits to the art of medicine, with respect to the health which it attempts to procure; the same also is true of all other arts; no line can be drawn to terminate their bounds, the several professors of them being desirous to extend them as far as possible. (But still the means to be employed for that purpose are limited; and these are the limits beyond which the art cannot proceed.) Thus in the art of acquiring riches there are no limits, for the object of that is money and possessions; but economy has a boundary, though this has not: for acquiring riches is not the business of that, for which reason it should seem that some boundary should be set to riches, though we see the contrary to this is what is practised; for all those who get riches add to their money without end; the cause of which is the near connection of these two arts with each other, which sometimes occasions the one to change employments with the other, as getting of money is their common object: for economy requires the possession of wealth, but not on its own account but with another view, to purchase things necessary therewith; but the other procures it merely to increase it: so that some persons are confirmed in their belief, that this is the proper object of economy, and think that for this purpose money should be saved and hoarded up without end; the reason for which disposition is, that they are intent upon living, but not upon living well; and this desire being boundless in its extent, the means which they aim at for that purpose are boundless also; and those who propose to live well, often confine that to the enjoyment of the pleasures of sense; so that as this also seems to depend upon what a man has, all their care is to get money, and hence arises the other cause for this art; for as this enjoyment is excessive in its degree, they endeavour to procure means proportionate to supply it; and if they cannot do this merely by the art of dealing in money, they will endeavour to do it by other ways, and apply all their powers to a purpose they were not by nature intended for. Thus, for instance, courage was intended to inspire fortitude, not to get money by; neither is this the end of the soldier’s or the physician’s art, but victory and health. But such persons make everything subservient to money-getting, as if this was the only end; and to the end everything ought to refer. We have now considered that art of money-getting which is not necessary, and have seen in what manner we became in want of it; and also that which is necessary, which is different from it; for that economy which is natural, and whose object is to provide food, is not like this unlimited in its extent, but has its bounds. CHAPTER 10 We have now determined what was before doubtful, whether or no the art of getting money is his business who is at the head of a family or a state, and though not strictly so, it is however very necessary; for as a politician does not make men, but receiving them from the hand of nature employs them to proper purposes; thus the earth, or the sea, or something else ought to supply them with provisions, and this it is the business of the master of the family to manage properly; for it is not the weaver’s business to make yarn, but to use it, and to distinguish what is good and useful from what is bad and of no service; and indeed some one may inquire why getting money should be a part of economy when the art of healing is not, as it is as requisite that the family should be in health as that they should eat, or have anything else which is necessary; and as it is indeed in some particulars the business both of the master of the family, and he to whom the government of the state is entrusted, to see after the health of those under their care, but in others not, but the physician’s; so also as to money; in some respects it is the business of the master of the family, in others not, but of the servant; but as we have already said, it is chiefly nature’s, for it is her part to supply her offspring with food; for everything finds nourishment left for it in what produced it; for which reason the natural riches of all men arise from fruits and animals. Now money-making, as we say, being twofold, it may be applied to two purposes, the service of the house or retail trade; of which the first is necessary and commendable, the other justly censurable; for it has not its origin in nature, but by it men gain from each other; for usury is most reasonably detested, as it is increasing our fortune by money itself, and not employing it for the purpose it was originally intended, namely exchange. And this is the explanation of the name (TOKOS), which means the breeding of money. For as offspring resemble their parents, so usury is money bred of money. Whence of all forms of money-making it is most against nature. CHAPTER 11 Having already sufficiently considered the general principles of this subject, let us now go into the practical part thereof; the one is a liberal employment for the mind, the other necessary. These things are useful in the management of one’s affairs; to be skilful in the nature of cattle, which are most profitable, and where, and how; as for instance, what advantage will arise from keeping horses, or oxen, or sheep, or any other live stock; it is also necessary to be acquainted with the comparative value of these things, and which of them in particular places are worth most; for some do better in one place, some in another. Agriculture also should be understood, and the management of arable grounds and orchards; and also the care of bees, and fish, and birds, from whence any profit may arise; these are the first and most proper parts of domestic management. With respect to gaining money by exchange, the principal method of doing this is by merchandise, which is carried on in three different ways, either by sending the commodity for sale by sea or by land, or else selling it on the place where it grows; and these differ from each other in this, that the one is more profitable, the other safer. The second method is by usury. The third by receiving wages for work done, and this either by being employed in some mean art, or else in mere bodily labour. There is also a third species of improving a fortune, that is something between this and the first; for it partly depends upon nature, partly upon exchange; the subject of which is, things that are immediately from the earth, or their produce, which, though they bear no fruit, are yet useful, such as selling of timber and the whole art of metallurgy, which includes many different species, for there are various sorts of things dug out of the earth. These we have now mentioned in general, but to enter into particulars concerning each of them, though it might be useful to the artist, would be tiresome to dwell on. Now of all the works of art, those are the most excellent wherein chance has the least to do, and those are the meanest which deprave the body, those the most servile in which bodily strength alone is chiefly wanted, those most illiberal which require least skill; but as there are books written on these subjects by some persons, as by Chares the Panian, and Apollodorus the Lemnian, upon husbandry and planting; and by others on other matters, let those who have occasion consult them thereon; besides, every person should collect together whatsoever he hears occasionally mentioned, by means of which many of those who aimed at making a fortune have succeeded in their intentions; for all these are useful to those who make a point of getting money, as in the contrivance of Thales the Milesian (which was certainly a gainful one, but as it was his it was attributed to his wisdom, though the method he used was a general one, and would universally succeed), when they reviled him for his poverty, as if the study of philosophy was useless: for they say that he, perceiving by his skill in astrology that there would be great plenty of olives that year, while it was yet winter, having got a little money, he gave earnest for all the oil works that were in Miletus and Chios, which he hired at a low price, there being no one to bid against him; but when the season came for making oil, many persons wanting them, he all at once let them upon what terms he pleased; and raising a large sum of money by that means, convinced them that it was easy for philosophers to be rich if they chose it, but that that was not what they aimed at; in this manner is Thales said to have shown his wisdom. It indeed is, as we have said, generally gainful for a person to contrive to make a monopoly of anything; for which reason some cities also take this method when they want money, and monopolise their commodities. There was a certain person in Sicily who laid out a sum of money which was deposited in his hand in buying up all the iron from the iron merchants; so that when the dealers came from the markets to purchase, there was no one had any to sell but himself; and though he put no great advance upon it, yet by laying out fifty talents he made an hundred. When Dionysius heard this he permitted him to take his money with him, but forbid him to continue any longer in Sicily, as being one who contrived means for getting money inconsistent with his affairs. This man’s view and Thales’s was exactly the same; both of them contrived to procure a monopoly for themselves: it is useful also for politicians to understand these things, for many states want to raise money and by such means, as well as private families, nay more so; for which reason some persons who are employed in the management of public affairs confine themselves to this province only. CHAPTER 12 There are then three parts of domestic government, the masters, of which we have already treated, the fathers, and the husbands; now the government of the wife and children should both be that of free persons, but not the same; for the wife should be treated as a citizen of a free state, the children should be under kingly power; for the male is by nature superior to the female, except when something happens contrary to the usual course of nature, as is the elder and perfect to the younger and imperfect. Now in the generality of free states, the governors and the governed alternately change place; for an equality without any preference is what nature chooses; however, when one governs and another is governed, she endeavours that there should be a distinction between them in forms, expressions, and honours; according to what Amasis said of his laver. This then should be the established rule between the man and the woman. The government of children should be kingly; for the power of the father over the child is founded in affection and seniority, which is a species of kingly government; for which reason Homer very properly calls Jupiter “the father of gods and men,” who was king of both these; for nature requires that a king should be of the same species with those whom he governs, though superior in some particulars, as is the case between the elder and the younger, the father and the son. CHAPTER 13 It is evident then that in the due government of a family, greater attention should be paid to the several members of it and their virtues than to the possessions or riches of it; and greater to the freemen than the slaves: but here some one may doubt whether there is any other virtue in a slave than his organic services, and of higher estimation than these, as temperance, fortitude, justice, and such-like habits, or whether they possess only bodily qualities: each side of the question has its difficulties; for if they possess these virtues, wherein do they differ from freemen? and that they do not, since they are men, and partakers of reason, is absurd. Nearly the same inquiry may be made concerning a woman and a child, whether these also have their proper virtues; whether a woman ought to be temperate, brave, and just, and whether a child is temperate or no; and indeed this inquiry ought to be general, whether the virtues of those who, by nature, either govern or are governed, are the same or different; for if it is necessary that both of them should partake of the fair and good, why is it also necessary that, without exception, the one should govern, the other always be governed? for this cannot arise from their possessing these qualities in different degrees; for to govern, and to be governed, are things different in species, but more or less are not. And yet it is wonderful that one party ought to have them, and the other not; for if he who is to govern should not be temperate and just, how can he govern well? or if he is to be governed, how can he be governed well? for he who is intemperate and a coward will never do what he ought: it is evident then that both parties ought to be virtuous; but there is a difference between them, as there is between those who by nature command and who by nature obey, and this originates in the soul; for in this nature has planted the governing and submitting principle, the virtues of which we say are different, as are those of a rational and an irrational being. It is plain then that the same principle may be extended farther, and that there are in nature a variety of things which govern and are governed; for a freeman is governed in a different manner from a slave, a male from a female, and a man from a child: and all these have parts of mind within them, but in a different manner. Thus a slave can have no power of determination, a woman but a weak one, a child an imperfect one. Thus also must it necessarily be with respect to moral virtues; all must be supposed to possess them, but not in the same manner, but as is best suited to every one’s employment; on which account he who is to govern ought to be perfect in moral virtue, for his business is entirely that of an architect, and reason is the architect; while others want only that portion of it which may be sufficient for their station; from whence it is evident, that although moral virtue is common to all those we have spoken of, yet the temperance of a man and a woman are not the same, nor their courage, nor their justice, though Socrates thought otherwise; for the courage of the man consists in commanding, the woman’s in obeying; and the same is true in other particulars: and this will be evident to those who will examine different virtues separately; for those who use general terms deceive themselves when they say, that virtue consists in a good disposition of mind, or doing what is right, or something of this sort. They do much better who enumerate the different virtues as Georgias did, than those who thus define them; and as Sophocles speaks of a woman, we think of all persons, that their ‘virtues should be applicable to their characters, for says he, “Silence is a woman’s ornament,” but it is not a man’s; and as a child is incomplete, it is evident that his virtue is not to be referred to himself in his present situation, but to that in which he will be complete, and his preceptor. In like manner the virtue of a slave is to be referred to his master; for we laid it down as a maxim, that the use of a slave was to employ him in what you wanted; so that it is clear enough that few virtues are wanted in his station, only that he may not neglect his work through idleness or fear: some person may question if what I have said is true, whether virtue is not necessary for artificers in their calling, for they often through idleness neglect their work, but the difference between them is very great; for a slave is connected with you for life, but the artificer not so nearly: as near therefore as the artificer approaches to the situation of a slave, just so much ought he to have of the virtues of one; for a mean artificer is to a certain point a slave; but then a slave is one of those things which are by nature what they are, but this is not true of a shoemaker, or any other artist. It is evident then that a slave ought to be trained to those virtues which are proper for his situation by his master; and not by him who has the power of a master, to teach him any particular art. Those therefore are in the wrong who would deprive slaves of reason, and say that they have only to follow their orders; for slaves want more instruction than children, and thus we determine this matter. It is necessary, I am sensible, for every one who treats upon government, to enter particularly into the relations of husband and wife, and of parent and child, and to show what are the virtues of each and their respective connections with each other; what is right and what is wrong; and how the one ought to be followed, and the other avoided. Since then every family is part of a city, and each of those individuals is part of a family, and the virtue of the parts ought to correspond to the virtue of the whole; it is necessary, that both the wives and children of the community should be instructed correspondent to the nature thereof, if it is of consequence to the virtue of the state, that the wives and children therein should be virtuous, and of consequence it certainly is, for the wives are one half of the free persons; and of the children the succeeding citizens are to be formed. As then we have determined these points, we will leave the rest to be spoken to in another place, as if the subject was now finished; and beginning again anew, first consider the sentiments of those who have treated of the most perfect forms of government. BOOK 2 CHAPTER 1 Since then we propose to inquire what civil society is of all others best for those who have it in their power to live entirely as they wish, it is necessary to examine into the polity of those states which are allowed to be well governed; and if there should be any others which some persons have described, and which appear properly regulated, to note what is right and useful in them; and when we point out wherein they have failed, let not this be imputed to an affectation of wisdom, for it is because there are great defects in all those which are already established, that I have been induced to undertake this work. We will begin with that part of the subject which naturally presents itself first to our consideration. The members of every state must of necessity have all things in common, or some things common, and not others, or nothing at all common. To have nothing in common is evidently impossible, for society itself is one species of community; and the first thing necessary thereunto is a common place of habitation, namely the city, which must be one, and this every citizen must have a share in. But in a government which is to be well founded, will it be best to admit of a community in everything which is capable thereof, or only in some particulars, but in others not? for it is possible that the citizens may have their wives, and children, and goods in common, as in Plato’s Commonwealth; for in that Socrates affirms that all these particulars ought to be so. Which then shall we prefer? the custom which is already established, or the laws which are proposed in that treatise? CHAPTER 2 Now as a community of wives is attended with many other difficulties, so neither does the cause for which he would frame his government in this manner seem agreeable to reason, nor is it capable of producing that end which he has proposed, and for which he says it ought to take place; nor has he given any particular directions for putting it in practice. Now I also am willing to agree with Socrates in the principle which he proceeds upon, and admit that the city ought to be one as much as possible; and yet it is evident that if it is contracted too much, it will be no longer a city, for that necessarily supposes a multitude; so that if we proceed in this manner, we shall reduce a city to a family, and a family to a single person: for we admit that a family is one in a greater degree than a city, and a single person than a family; so that if this end could be obtained, it should never be put in practice, as it would annihilate the city; for a city does not only consist of a large number of inhabitants, but there must also be different sorts; for were they all alike, there could be no city; for a confederacy and a city are two different things; for a confederacy is valuable from its numbers, although all those who compose it are men of the same calling; for this is entered into for the sake of mutual defence, as we add an additional weight to make the scale go down. The same distinction prevails between a city and a nation when the people are not collected into separate villages, but live as the Arcadians. Now those things in which a city should be one are of different sorts, and in preserving an alternate reciprocation of power between these, the safety thereof consists (as I have already mentioned in my treatise on Morals), for amongst freemen and equals this is absolutely necessary; for all cannot govern at the same time, but either by the year, or according to some other regulation or time, by which means every one in his turn will be in office; as if the shoemakers and carpenters should exchange occupations, and not always be employed in the same calling. But as it is evidently better, that these should continue to exercise their respective trades; so also in civil society, where it is possible, it would be better that the government should continue in the same hands; but where it is not (as nature has made all men equal, and therefore it is just, be the administration good or bad, that all should partake of it), there it is best to observe a rotation, and let those who are their equals by turns submit to those who are at that time magistrates, as they will, in their turns, alternately be governors and governed, as if they were different men: by the same method different persons will execute different offices. From hence it is evident, that a city cannot be one in the manner that some persons propose; and that what has been said to be the greatest good which it could enjoy, is absolutely its destruction, which cannot be: for the good of anything is that which preserves it. For another reason also it is clear, that it is not for the best to endeavour to make a city too much one, because a family is more sufficient in itself than a single person, a city than a family; and indeed Plato supposes that a city owes its existence to that sufficiency in themselves which the members of it enjoy. If then this sufficiency is so desirable, the less the city is one the better. CHAPTER 3 But admitting that it is most advantageous for a city to be one as much as possible, it does not seem to follow that this will take place by permitting all at once to say this is mine, and this is not mine (though this is what Socrates regards as a proof that a city is entirely one), for the word All is used in two senses; if it means each individual, what Socrates proposes will nearly take place; for each person will say, this is his own son, and his own wife, and his own property, and of everything else that may happen to belong to him, that it is his own. But those who have their wives and children in common will not say so, but all will say so, though not as individuals; therefore, to use the word all is evidently a fallacious mode of speech; for this word is sometimes used distributively, and sometimes collectively, on account of its double meaning, and is the cause of inconclusive syllogisms in reasoning. Therefore for all persons to say the same thing was their own, using the word all in its distributive sense, would be well, but is impossible: in its collective sense it would by no means contribute to the concord of the state. Besides, there would be another inconvenience attending this proposal, for what is common to many is taken least care of; for all men regard more what is their own than what others share with them in, to which they pay less attention than is incumbent on every one: let me add also, that every one is more negligent of what another is to see to, as well as himself, than of his own private business; as in a family one is often worse served by many servants than by a few. Let each citizen then in the state have a thousand children, but let none of them be considered as the children of that individual, but let the relation of father and child be common to them all, and they will all be neglected. Besides, in consequence of this, whenever any citizen behaved well or ill, every person, be the number what it would, might say, this is my son, or this man’s or that; and in this manner would they speak, and thus would they doubt of the whole thousand, or of whatever number the city consisted; and it would be uncertain to whom each child belonged, and when it was born, who was to take care of it: and which do you think is better, for every one to say this is mine, while they may apply it equally to two thousand or ten thousand; or as we say, this is mine in our present forms of government, where one man calls another his son, another calls that same person his brother, another nephew, or some other relation, either by blood or marriage, and first extends his care to him and his, while another regards him as one of the same parish and the same tribe; and it is better for any one to be a nephew in his private capacity than a son after that manner. Besides, it will be impossible to prevent some persons from suspecting that they are brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers to each other; for, from the mutual likeness there is between the sire and the offspring, they will necessarily conclude in what relation they stand to each other, which circumstance, we are informed by those writers who describe different parts of the world, does sometimes happen; for in Upper Africa there are wives in common who yet deliver their children to their respective fathers, being guided by their likeness to them. There are also some mares and cows which naturally bring forth their young so like the male, that we can easily distinguish by which of them they were impregnated: such was the mare called Just, in Pharsalia. CHAPTER 4 Besides, those who contrive this plan of community cannot easily avoid the following evils; namely, blows, murders involuntary or voluntary, quarrels, and reproaches, all which it would be impious indeed to be guilty of towards our fathers and mothers, or those who are nearly related to us; though not to those who are not connected to us by any tie of affinity: and certainly these mischiefs must necessarily happen oftener amongst those who do not know how they are connected to each other than those who do; and when they do happen, if it is among the first of these, they admit of a legal expiation, but amongst the latter that cannot be done. It is also absurd for those who promote a community of children to forbid those who love each other from indulging themselves in the last excesses of that passion, while they do not restrain them from the passion itself, or those intercourses which are of all things most improper, between a Father and a son, a brother and a brother, and indeed the thing itself is most absurd. It is also ridiculous to prevent this intercourse between the nearest relations, for no other reason than the violence of the pleasure, while they think that the relation of father and daughter, the brother and sister, is of no consequence at all. It seems also more advantageous for the state, that the husbandmen should have their wives and children in common than the military, for there will be less affection among them in that case than when otherwise; for such persons ought to be under subjection, that they may obey the laws, and not seek after innovations. Upon the whole, the consequences of such a law as this would be directly contrary to those things which good laws ought to establish, and which Socrates endeavoured to establish by his regulations concerning women and children: for we think that friendship is the greatest good which can happen to any city, as nothing so much prevents seditions: and amity in a city is what Socrates commends above all things, which appears to be, as indeed he says, the effect of friendship; as we learn from Aristophanes in the Erotics, who says, that those who love one another from the excess of that passion, desire to breathe the same soul, and from being two to be blended into one: from whence it would necessarily follow, that both or one of them must be destroyed. But now in a city which admits of this community, the tie of friendship must, from that very cause, be extremely weak, when no father can say, this is my son; or son, this is my father; for as a very little of what is sweet, being mixed with a great deal of water is imperceptible after the mixture, so must all family connections, and the names they go by, be necessarily disregarded in such a community, it being then by no means necessary that the father should have any regard for him he called a
son, or the brothers for those they call brothers. There are two things which principally inspire mankind with care and love of their offspring, knowing it is their own, and what ought to be the object of their affection, neither of which can take place in this sort of community. As for exchanging the children of the artificers and husbandmen with those of the military, and theirs reciprocally with these, it will occasion great confusion in whatever manner it shall be done; for of necessity, those who carry the children must know from whom they took and to whom they gave them; and by this means those evils which I have already mentioned will necessarily be the more likely to happen, as blows, incestuous love, murders, and the like; for those who are given from their own parents to other citizens, the military, for instance, will not call them brothers, sons, fathers, or mothers. The same thing would happen to those of the military who were placed among the other citizens; so that by this means every one would be in fear how to act in consequence of consanguinity. And thus let us determine concerning a community of wives and children. CHAPTER 5 We proceed next to consider in what manner property should be regulated in a state which is formed after the most perfect mode of government, whether it should be common or not; for this may be considered as a separate question from what had been determined concerning wives and children; I mean, whether it is better that these should be held separate, as they now everywhere are, or that not only possessions but also the usufruct of them should be in common; or that the soil should have a particular owner, but that the produce should be brought together and used as one common stock, as some nations at present do; or on the contrary, should the soil be common, and should it also be cultivated in common, while the produce is divided amongst the individuals for their particular use, which is said to be practised by some barbarians; or shall both the soil and the fruit be common? When the business of the husbandman devolves not on the citizen, the matter is much easier settled; but when those labour together who have a common right of possession, this may occasion several difficulties; for there may not be an equal proportion between their labour and what they consume; and those who labour hard and have but a small proportion of the produce, will certainly complain of those who take a large share of it and do but little for that. Upon the whole, as a community between man and man so entire as to include everything possible, and thus to have all things that man can possess in common, is very difficult, so is it particularly so with respect to property; and this is evident from that community which takes place between those who go out to settle a colony; for they frequently have disputes with each other upon the most common occasions, and come to blows upon trifles: we find, too, that we oftenest correct those slaves who are generally employed in the common offices of the family: a community of property then has these and other inconveniences attending it. But the manner of life which is now established, more particularly when embellished with good morals and a system of equal laws, is far superior to it, for it will have the advantage of both; by both I mean properties being common, and divided also; for in some respects it ought to be in a manner common, but upon the whole private: for every man’s attention being employed on his own particular concerns, will prevent mutual complaints against each other; nay, by this means industry will be increased, as each person will labour to improve his own private property; and it will then be, that from a principle of virtue they will mutually perform good offices to each other, according to the proverb, “All things are common amongst friends;” and in some cities there are traces of this custom to be seen, so that it is not impracticable, and particularly in those which are best governed; some things are by this means in a manner common, and others might be so; for there, every person enjoying his own private property, some things he assists his friend with, others are considered as in common; as in Lacedaemon, where they use each other’s slaves, as if they were, so to speak, their own, as they do their horses and dogs, or even any provision they may want in a journey. It is evident then that it is best to have property private, but to make the use of it common; but how the citizens are to be brought to it is the particular business of the legislator. And also with respect to pleasure, it is unspeakable how advantageous it is, that a man should think he has something which he may call his own; for it is by no means to no purpose, that each person should have an affection for himself, for that is natural, and yet to be a self-lover is justly censured; for we mean by that, not one that simply loves himself, but one that loves himself more than he ought; in like manner we blame a money-lover, and yet both money and self is what all men love. Besides, it is very pleasing to us to oblige and assist our friends and companions, as well as those whom we are connected with by the rights of hospitality; and this cannot be done without the establishment of private property, which cannot take place with those who make a city too much one; besides, they prevent every opportunity of exercising two principal virtues, modesty and liberality. Modesty with respect to the female sex, for this virtue requires you to abstain from her who is another’s; liberality, which depends upon private property, for without that no one can appear liberal, or do any generous action; for liberality consists in imparting to others what is our own. This system of polity does indeed recommend itself by its good appearance and specious pretences to humanity; and when first proposed to any one, must give him great pleasure, as he will conclude it to be a wonderful bond of friendship, connecting all to all; particularly when any one censures the evils which are now to be found in society, as arising from properties not being common, I mean the disputes which happen between man and man, upon their different contracts with each other; those judgments which are passed in court in consequence of fraud, and perjury, and flattering the rich, none of which arise from properties being private, but from the vices of mankind. Besides, those who live in one general community, and have all things in common, oftener dispute with each other than those who have their property separate; from the very small number indeed of those who have their property in common, compared with those where it is appropriated, the instances of their quarrels are but few. It is also but right to mention, not only the inconveniences they are preserved from who live in a communion of goods, but also the advantages they are deprived of; for when the whole comes to be considered, this manner of life will be found impracticable. We must suppose, then, that Socrates’s mistake arose from the principle he set out with being false; we admit, indeed, that both a family and a city ought to be one in some particulars, but not entirely; for there is a point beyond which if a city proceeds in reducing itself to one, it will be no longer a city. There is also another point at which it will still continue to be a city, but it will approach so near to not being one, that it will be worse than none; as if any one should reduce the voices of those who sing in concert to one, or a verse to a foot. But the people ought to be made one, and a community, as I have already said, by education; as property at Lacedaemon, and their public tables at Crete, were made common by their legislators. But yet, whosoever shall introduce any education, and think thereby to make his city excellent and respectable, will be absurd, while he expects to form it by such regulations, and not by manners, philosophy, and laws. And whoever would establish a government upon a community of goods, ought to know that he should consult the experience of many years, which would plainly enough inform him whether such a scheme is useful; for almost all things have already been found out, but some have been neglected, and others which have been known have not been put in practice. But this would be most evident, if any one could see such a government really established: for it would be impossible to frame such a city without dividing and separating it into its distinct parts, as public tables, wards, and tribes; so that here the laws will do nothing more than forbid the military to engage in agriculture, which is what the Lacedaemonians are at present endeavouring to do. Nor has Socrates told us (nor is it easy to say) what plan of government should be pursued with respect to the individuals in the state where there is a community of goods established; for though the majority of his citizens will in general consist of a multitude of persons of different occupations, of those he has determined nothing; whether the property of the husbandman ought to be in common, or whether each person should have his share to himself; and also, whether their wives and children ought to be in common: for if all things are to be alike common to all, where will be the difference between them and the military, or what would they get by submitting to their government? and upon what principles would they do it, unless they should establish the wise practice of the Cretans? for they, allowing everything else to their slaves, forbid them only gymnastic exercises and the use of arms. And if they are not, but these should be in the same situation with respect to their property which they are in other cities, what sort of a community will there be? in one city there must of necessity be two, and those contrary to each other; for he makes the military the guardians of the state, and the husbandman, artisans, and others, citizens; and all those quarrels, accusations, and things of the like sort, which he says are the bane of other cities, will be found in his also: notwithstanding Socrates says they will not want many laws in consequence of their education, but such only as may be necessary for regulating the streets, the markets, and the like, while at the same time it is the education of the military only that he has taken any care of. Besides, he makes the husbandmen masters of property upon paying a tribute; but this would be likely to make them far more troublesome and high-spirited than the Helots, the Penestise, or the slaves which others employ; nor has he ever determined whether it is necessary to give any attention to them in these particulars, nor thought of what is connected therewith, their polity, their education, their laws; besides, it is of no little consequence, nor is it easy to determine, how these should be framed so as to preserve the community of the military. Besides, if he makes the wives common, while the property continues separate, who shall manage the domestic concerns with the same care which the man bestows upon his fields? nor will the inconvenience be remedied by making property as well as wives common; and it is absurd to draw a comparison from the brute creation, and say, that the same principle should regulate the connection of a man and a woman which regulates theirs amongst whom there is no family association. It is also very hazardous to settle the magistracy as Socrates has done; for he would have persons of the same rank always in office, which becomes the cause of sedition even amongst those who are of no account, but more particularly amongst those who are of a courageous and warlike disposition; it is indeed evidently necessary that he should frame his community in this manner; for that golden particle which God has mixed up in the soul of man flies not from one to the other, but always continues with the same; for he says, that some of our species have gold, and others silver, blended in their composition from the moment of their birth: but those who are to be husbandmen and artists, brass and iron; besides, though he deprives the military of happiness, he says, that the legislator ought to make all the citizens happy; but it is impossible that the whole city can be happy, without all, or the greater, or some part of it be happy. For happiness is not like that numerical equality which arises from certain numbers when added together, although neither of them may separately contain it; for happiness cannot be thus added together, but must exist in every individual, as some properties belong to every integral; and if the military are not happy, who else are so? for the artisans are not, nor the multitude of those who are employed in inferior offices. The state which Socrates has described has all these defects, and others which are not of less consequence. CHAPTER 6 It is also nearly the same in the treatise upon Laws which was writ afterwards, for which reason it will be proper in this place to consider briefly what he has there said upon government, for Socrates has thoroughly settled but very few parts of it; as for instance, in what manner the community of wives and children ought to be regulated, how property should be established, and government conducted. Now he divides the inhabitants into two parts, husbandmen and soldiers, and from these he select a third part who are to be senators and govern the city; but he has not said whether or no the husbandman and artificer shall have any or what share in the government, or whether they shall have arms, and join with the others in war, or not. He thinks also that the women ought to go to war, and have the same education as the soldiers; as to other particulars, he has filled his treatise with matter foreign to the purpose; and with respect to education, he has only said what that of the guards ought to be. As to his book of Laws, laws are the principal thing which that contains, for he has there said but little concerning government; and this government, which he was so desirous of framing in such a manner as to impart to its members a more entire community of goods than is to be found in other cities, he almost brings round again to be the same as that other government which he had first proposed; for except the community of wives and goods, he has framed both his governments alike, for the education of the citizens is to be the same in both; they are in both to live without any servile employ, and their common tables are to be the same, excepting that in that he says the women should have common tables, and that there should be a thousand men-at-arms, in this, that there should be five thousand. All the discourses of Socrates are masterly, noble, new, and inquisitive; but that they are all true it may probably be too much to say. For now with respect to the number just spoken of, it must be acknowledged that he would want the country of Babylonia for them, or some one like it, of an immeasurable extent, to support five thousand idle persons, besides a much greater number of women and servants. Every one, it is true, may frame an hypothesis as he pleases, but yet it ought to be possible. It has been said, that a legislator should have two things in view when he frames his laws, the country and the people. He will also do well, if he has some regard to the neighbouring states, if he intends that his community should maintain any political intercourse with them, for it is not only necessary that they should understand that practice of war which is adapted to their own country, but to others also; for admitting that any one chooses not this life either in public or private, yet there is not the less occasion for their being formidable to their enemies, not only when they invade their country, but also when they retire out of it. It may also be considered whether the quantity of each person’s property may not be settled in a different manner from what he has done it in, by making it more determinate; for he says, that every one ought to have enough whereon to live moderately, as if any one had said to live well, which is the most comprehensive expression. Besides, a man may live moderately and miserably at the same time; he had therefore better have proposed, that they should live both moderately and liberally; for unless these two conspire, luxury will come in on the one hand, or wretchedness on the other, since these two modes of living are the only ones applicable to the employment of our substance; for we cannot say with respect to a man’s fortune, that he is mild or courageous, but we may say that he is prudent and liberal, which are the only qualities connected therewith. It is also absurd to render property equal, and not to provide for the increasing number of the citizens; but to leave that circumstance uncertain, as if it would regulate itself according to the number of women who should happen to be childless, let that be what it would because this seems to take place in other cities; but the case would not be the same in such a state which he proposes and those which now actually unite; for in these no one actually wants, as the property is divided amongst the whole community, be their numbers what they will; but as it could not then be divided, the supernumeraries, whether they were many or few, would have nothing at all. But it is more necessary than even to regulate property, to take care that the increase of the people should not exceed a certain number; and in determining that, to take into consideration those children who will die, and also those women who will be barren; and to neglect this, as is done in several cities, is to bring certain poverty on the citizens; and poverty is the cause of sedition and evil. Now Phidon the Corinthian, one of the oldest legislators, thought the families and the number of the citizens should continue the same; although it should happen that all should have allotments at the first, disproportionate to their numbers. In Plato’s Laws it is however different; we shall mention hereafter what we think would be best in these particulars. He has also neglected in that treatise to point out how the governors are to be distinguished from the governed; for he says, that as of one sort of wool the warp ought to be made, and of another the woof, so ought some to govern, and others to be governed. But since he admits, that all their property may be increased fivefold, why should he not allow the same increase to the country? he ought also to consider whether his allotment of the houses will be useful to the community, for he appoints two houses to each person, separate from each other; but it is inconvenient for a person to inhabit two houses. Now he is desirous to have his whole plan of government neither a democracy nor an oligarchy, but something between both, which he calls a polity, for it is to be composed of men-at-arms. If Plato intended to frame a state in which more than in any other everything should be common, he has certainly given it a right name; but if he intended it to be the next in perfection to that which he had already framed, it is not so; for perhaps some persons will give the preference to the Lacedaemonian form of government, or some other which may more completely have attained to the aristocratic form. Some persons say, that the most perfect government should be composed of all others blended together, for which reason they commend that of Lacedaemon; for they say, that this is composed of an oligarchy, a monarchy, and a democracy, their kings representing the monarchical part, the senate the oligarchical; and, that in the ephori may be found the democratical, as these are taken from the people. But some say, that in the ephori is absolute power, and that it is their common meal and daily course of life, in which the democratical form is represented. It is also said in this treatise of Laws, that the best form of government must, be one composed of a democracy and a tyranny; though such a mixture no one else would ever allow to be any government at all, or if it is, the worst possible; those propose what is much better who blend many governments together; for the most perfect is that which is formed of many parts. But now in this government of Plato’s there are no traces of a monarchy, only of an oligarchy and democracy; though he seems to choose that it should rather incline to an oligarchy, as is evident from the appointment of the magistrates; for to choose them by lot is common to both; but that a man of fortune must necessarily be a member of the assembly, or to elect the magistrates, or take part in the management of public affairs, while others are passed over, makes the state incline to an oligarchy; as does the endeavouring that the greater part of the rich may be in office, and that the rank of their appointments may correspond with their fortunes. The same principle prevails also in the choice of their senate; the manner of electing which is favourable also to an oligarchy; for all are obliged to vote for those who are senators of the first class, afterwards they vote for the same number out of the second, and then out of the third; but this compulsion to vote at the election of senators does not extend to the third and fourth classes and the first and second class only are obliged to vote for the fourth. By this means he says he shall necessarily have an equal number of each rank, but he is mistaken—for the majority will always consist of those of the first rank, and the most considerable people; and for this reason, that many of the commonalty not being obliged to it, will not attend the elections. From hence it is evident, that such a state will not consist of a democracy and a monarchy, and this will be further proved by what we shall say when we come particularly to consider this form of government. There will also great danger arise from the manner of electing the senate, when those who are elected themselves are afterwards to elect others; for by this means, if a certain number choose to combine together, though not very considerable, the election will always fall according to their pleasure. Such are the things which Plato proposes concerning government in his book of Laws. CHAPTER 7 There are also some other forms of government, which have been proposed either by private persons, or philosophers, or politicians, all of which come much nearer to those which have been really established, or now exist, than these two of Plato’s; for neither have they introduced the innovation of a community of wives and children, and public tables for the women, but have been contented to set out with establishing such rules as are absolutely necessary. There are some persons who think, that the first object of government should be to regulate well everything relating to private property; for they say, that a neglect herein is the source of all seditions whatsoever. For this reason, Phaleas the Chalcedonian first proposed, that the fortunes of the citizens should be equal, which he thought was not difficult to accomplish when a community was first settled, but that it was a work of greater difficulty in one that had been long established; but yet that it might be effected, and an equality of circumstances introduced by these means, that the rich should give marriage portions, but never receive any, while the poor should always receive, but never give. But Plato, in his treatise of Laws, thinks that a difference in circumstances should be permitted to a certain degree; but that no citizen should be allowed to possess more than five times as much as the lowest census, as we have already mentioned. But legislators who would establish this principle are apt to overlook what they ought to consider; that while they regulate the quantity of provisions which each individual shall possess, they ought also to regulate the number of his children; for if these exceed the allotted quantity of provision, the law must necessarily be repealed; and yet, in spite of the repeal, it will have the bad effect of reducing many from wealth to poverty, so difficult is it for innovators not to fall into such mistakes. That an equality of goods was in some degree serviceable to strengthen the bands of society, seems to have been known to some of the ancients; for Solon made a law, as did some others also, to restrain persons from possessing as much land as they pleased. And upon the same principle there are laws which forbid men to sell their property, as among the Locrians, unless they can prove that some notorious misfortune has befallen them. They were also to preserve their ancient patrimony, which custom being broken through by the Leucadians, made their government too democratic; for by that means it was no longer necessary to be possessed of a certain fortune to be qualified to be a magistrate. But if an equality of goods is established, this may be either too much, when it enables the people to live luxuriously, or too little, when it obliges them to live hard. Hence it is evident, that it is not proper for the legislator to establish an equality of circumstances, but to fix a proper medium. Besides, if any one should regulate the division of property in such a manner that there should be a moderate sufficiency for all, it would be of no use; for it is of more consequence that the citizen should entertain a similarity of sentiments than an equality of circumstances; but this can never be attained unless they are properly educated under the direction of the law. But probably Phaleas may say, that this in what he himself mentions; for he both proposes a equality of property and one plan of education in his city. But he should have said particularly what education he intended, nor is it of any service to have this to much one; for this education may be one, and yet such as will make the citizens over-greedy, to grasp after honours, or riches, or both. Besides, not only an inequality of possessions, but also of honours, will occasion seditions, but this upon contrary grounds; for the vulgar will be seditious if there be an inequality of goods, by those of more elevated sentiments, if there is an equality of honours. “When good and bad do equal honours share.” For men are not guilty of crimes for necessaries only (for which he thinks an equality of goods would be a sufficient remedy, as they would then have no occasion to steal cold or hunger), but that they may enjoy what they desire, and not wish for it in vain; for if their desire extend beyond the common necessaries of life, they were be wicked to gratify them; and not only so, but if their wishes point that way, they will do the same to enjoy those pleasures which are free from the alloy of pain. What remedy then shall we find for these three disorders. And first, to prevent stealing from necessity, let every one be supplied with a moderate subsistence, which may make the addition of his own industry necessary; second to prevent stealing to procure the luxuries of life, temperance be enjoined; and thirdly, let those who wish for pleasure in itself seek for it only in philosophy, all others want the assistance of men. Since then men are guilty of the greatest crimes from ambition, and not from necessity, no one, for instance aims at being a tyrant to keep him from the cold, hence great honour is due to him who kills not a thief, but tyrant; so that polity which Phaleas establishes would only be salutary to prevent little crimes. He has also been very desirous to establish such rules as will conduce to perfect the internal policy of his state, and he ought also to have done the same with respect to its neighbours and all foreign nations; for the considerations of the military establishment should take place in planning every government, that it may not be unprovided in case of a war, of which he has said nothing; so also with respect to property, it ought not only to be adapted to the exigencies of the state, but also to such dangers as may arise from without. Thus it should not be so much as to tempt those who are near, and more powerful to invade it, while those who possess it are not able to drive out the invaders, nor so little as that the state should not be able to go to war with those who are quite equal to itself, and of this he has determined nothing; it must indeed be allowed that it is advantageous to a community to be rather rich than poor; probably the proper boundary is this, not to possess enough to make it worth while for a more powerful neighbour to attack you, any more than he would those who had not so much as yourself; thus when Autophradatus proposed to besiege Atarneus, Eubulus advised him to consider what time it would require to take the city, and then would have him determine whether it would answer, for that he should choose, if it would even take less than he proposed, to quit the place; his saying this made Autophradatus reflect upon the business and give over the siege. There is, indeed, some advantage in an equality of goods amongst the citizens to prevent seditions; and yet, to say truth, no very great one; for men of great abilities will stomach their being put upon a level with the rest of the community. For which reason they will very often appear ready for every commotion and sedition; for the wickedness of mankind is insatiable. For though at first two oboli might be sufficient, yet when once it is become customary, they continually want something more, until they set no limits to their expectations; for it is the nature of our desires to be boundless, and many live only to gratify them. But for this purpose the first object is, not so much to establish an equality of fortune, as to prevent those who are of a good disposition from desiring more than their own, and those who are of a bad one from being able to acquire it; and this may be done if they are kept in an inferior station, and not exposed to injustice. Nor has he treated well the equality of goods, for he has extended his regulation only to land; whereas a man’s substance consists not only in this, but also in slaves, cattle, money, and all that variety of things which fall under the name of chattels; now there must be either an equality established in all these, or some certain rule, or they must be left entirely at large. It appears too by his laws, that he intends to establish only a small state, as all the artificers are to belong to the public, and add nothing to the complement of citizens; but if all those who are to be employed in public works are to be the slaves of the public, it should be done in the same manner as it is at Epidamnum, and as Diophantus formerly regulated it at Athens. From these particulars any one may nearly judge whether Phaleas’s community is well or ill established. CHAPTER 8 Hippodamus, the son of Euruphon a Milesian, contrived the art of laying out towns, and separated the Pireus. This man was in other respects too eager after notice, and seemed to many to live in a very affected manner, with his flowing locks and his expensive ornaments, and a coarse warm vest which he wore, not only in the winter, but also in the hot weather. As he was very desirous of the character of a universal scholar, he was the first who, not being actually engaged in the management of public affairs, sat himself to inquire what sort of government was best; and he planned a state, consisting of ten thousand persons, divided into three parts, one consisting of artisans, another of husbandmen, and the third of soldiers; he also divided the lands into three parts, and allotted one to sacred purposes, another to the public, and the third to individuals. The first of these was to supply what was necessary for the established worship of the gods; the second was to be allotted to the support of the soldiery; and the third was to be the property of the husbandman. He thought also that there need only be three sorts of laws, corresponding to the three sorts of actions which can be brought, namely, for assault, trespasses, or death. He ordered also that there should be a particular court of appeal, into which all causes might be removed which were supposed to have been unjustly determined elsewhere; which court should be composed of old men chosen for that purpose. He thought also that they should not pass sentence by votes; but that every one should bring with him a tablet, on which he should write, that he found the party guilty, if it was so, but if not, he should bring a plain tablet; but if he acquitted him of one part of the indictment but not of the other, he should express that also on the tablet; for he disapproved of that general custom already established, as it obliges the judges to be guilty of perjury if they determined positively either on the one side or the other. He also made a law, that those should be rewarded who found out anything for the good of the city, and that the children of those who fell in battle should be educated at the public expense; which law had never been proposed by any other legislator, though it is at present in use at Athens as well as in other cities, he would have the magistrates chosen out of the people in general, by whom he meant the three parts before spoken of; and that those who were so elected should be the particular guardians of what belonged to the public, to strangers, and to orphans. These are the principal parts and most worthy of notice in Hippodamus’s plan. But some persons might doubt the propriety of his division of the citizens into three parts; for the artisans, the husbandmen, and the soldiers are to compose one community, where the husbandmen are to have no arms, and the artisans neither arms nor land, which would in a manner render them slaves to the soldiery. It is also impossible that the whole community should partake of all the honourable employments in it—for the generals and the guardians of the state must necessarily be appointed out of the soldiery, and indeed the most honourable magistrates; but as the two other parts will not have their share in the government, how can they be expected to have any affection for it? But it is necessary that the soldiery should be superior to the other two parts, and this superiority will not be easily gained without they are very numerous; and if they are so, why should the community consist of any other members? why should any others have a right to elect the magistrates? Besides, of what use are the husbandmen to this community? Artisans, ’tis true, are necessary, for these every city wants, and they can live upon their business. If the husbandmen indeed furnished the soldiers with provisions, they would be properly part of the community; but these are supposed to have their private property, and to cultivate it for their own use. Moreover, if the soldiers themselves are to cultivate that common land which is appropriated for their support, there will be no distinction between the soldier and the husbandman, which the legislator intended there should be; and if there should be any others who are to cultivate the private property of the husbandman and the common lands of the military, there will be a fourth order in the state which will have no share in it, and always entertain hostile sentiments towards it. If any one should propose that the same persons should cultivate their own lands and the public ones also, then there would be a deficiency of provisions to supply two families, as the lands would not immediately yield enough for themselves and the soldiers also; and all these things would occasion great confusion. Nor do I approve of his method of determining causes, when he would have the judge split the case which comes simply before him; and thus, instead of being a judge, become an arbitrator. Now when any matter is brought to arbitration, it is customary for many persons to confer together upon the business that is before them; but when a cause is brought before judges it is not so; and many legislators take care that the judges shall not have it in their power to communicate their sentiments to each other. Besides, what can prevent confusion on the bench when one judge thinks a fine should be different from what another has set it at; one proposing twenty minae, another ten, or be it more or less, another four, and another five; and it is evident, that in this manner they will differ from each other, while some will give the whole damages sued for, and others nothing; in this situation, how shall their determinations be settled? Besides, a judge cannot be obliged to perjure himself who simply acquits or condemns, if the action is fairly and justly brought; for he who acquits the party does not say that he ought not to pay any fine at all, but that he ought not to pay a fine of twenty minae. But he that condemns him is guilty of perjury if he sentences him to pay twenty minae while he believes the damages ought not to be so much. Now with respect to these honours which he proposes to bestow on those who can give any information useful to the community, this, though very pleasing in speculation, is what the legislator should not settle, for it would encourage informers, and probably occasion commotions in the state. And this proposal of his gives rise also to further conjectures and inquiries; for some persons have doubted whether it is useful or hurtful to alter the established law of any country, if even for the better; for which reason one cannot immediately determine upon what he here says, whether it is advantageous to alter the law or not. We know, indeed, that it is possible to propose to new model both the laws and government as a common good; and since we have mentioned this subject, it may be very proper to enter into a few particulars concerning it, for it contains some difficulties, as I have already said, and it may appear better to alter them, since it has been found useful in other sciences. Thus the science of physic is extended beyond its ancient bounds; so is the gymnastic, and indeed all other arts and powers; so that one may lay it down for certain that the same thing will necessarily hold good in the art of government. And it may also be affirmed, that experience itself gives a proof of this; for the ancient laws are too simple and barbarous; which allowed the Greeks to wear swords in the city, and to buy their wives of each other. And indeed all the remains of old laws which we have are very simple; for instance, a law in Cuma relative to murder. If any person who prosecutes another for murder can produce a certain number of witnesses to it of his own relations, the accused person shall be held guilty. Upon the whole, all persons ought to endeavour to follow what is right, and not what is established; and it is probable that the first men, whether they sprung out of the earth, or were saved from some general calamity, had very little understanding or knowledge, as is affirmed of these aborigines; so that it would be absurd to continue in the practice of their rules. Nor is it, moreover, right to permit written laws always to remain without alteration; for as in all other sciences, so in politics, it is impossible to express everything in writing with perfect exactness; for when we commit anything to writing we must use general terms, but in every action there is something particular to itself, which these may not comprehend; from whence it is evident, that certain laws will at certain times admit of alterations. But if we consider this matter in another point of view, it will appear to require great caution; for when the advantage proposed is trifling, as the accustoming the people easily to abolish their laws is of bad consequence, it is evidently better to pass over some faults which either the legislator or the magistrates may have committed; for the alterations will not be of so much service as a habit of disobeying the magistrates will be of disservice. Besides, the instance brought from the arts is fallacious; for it is not the same thing to alter the one as the other. For a law derives all its strength from custom, and this requires long time to establish; so that, to make it an easy matter to pass from the established laws to other new ones, is to weaken the power of laws. Besides, here is another question; if the laws are to be altered, are they all to be altered, and in every government or not, and whether at the pleasure of one person or many? all which particulars will make a great difference; for which reason we will at present drop the inquiry, to pursue it at some other time. CHAPTER 9 There are two considerations which offer themselves with respect to the government established at Lacedaemon and Crete, and indeed in almost all other states whatsoever; one is whether their laws do or do not promote the best establishment possible? the other is whether there is anything, if we consider either the principles upon which it is founded or the executive part of it, which prevents the form of government that they had proposed to follow from being observed; now it is allowed that in every well-regulated state the members of it should be free from servile labour; but in what manner this shall be effected is not so easy to determine; for the Penestse have very often attacked the Thessalians, and the Helots the Lacedaemonians, for they in a manner continually watch an opportunity for some misfortune befalling them. But no such thing has ever happened to the Cretans; the reason for which probably is, that although they are engaged in frequent wars with the neighbouring cities, yet none of these would enter into an alliance with the revolters, as it would be disadvantageous for them, who themselves also have their villains. But now there is perpetual enmity between the Lacedaemonians and all their neighbours, the Argives, the Messenians, and the Arcadians. Their slaves also first revolted from the Thessalians while they were engaged in wars with their neighbours the Acheans, the Perrabeans, and the Magnesians. It seems to me indeed, if nothing else, yet something very troublesome to keep upon proper terms with them; for if you are remiss in your discipline they grow insolent, and think themselves upon an equality with their masters; and if they are hardly used they are continually plotting against you and hate you. It is evident, then, that those who employ slaves have not as yet hit upon the right way of managing them. As to the indulging of women in any particular liberties, it is hurtful to the end of government and the prosperity of the city; for as a man and his wife are the two parts of a family, if we suppose a city to be divided into two parts, we must allow that the number of men and women will be equal. In whatever city then the women are not under good regulations, we must look upon one half of it as not under the restraint of law, as it there happened; for the legislator, desiring to make his whole city a collection of warriors with respect to the men, he most evidently accomplished his design; but in the meantime the women were quite neglected, for they live without restraint in every improper indulgence and luxury. So that in such a state riches will necessarily be in general esteem, particularly if the men are governed by their wives, which has been the case with many a brave and warlike people except the Celts, and those other nations, if there are any such, who openly practise pederasty. And the first mythologists seem not improperly to have joined Mars and Venus together; for all nations of this character are greatly addicted either to the love of women or of boys, for which reason it was thus at Lacedaemon; and many things in their state were done by the authority of the women. For what is the difference, if the power is in the hands of the women, or in the hands of those whom they themselves govern? it must turn to the same account. As this boldness of the women can be of no use in any common occurrences, if it was ever so, it must be in war; but even here we find that the Lacedaemonian women were of the greatest disservice, as was proved at the time of the Theban invasion, when they were of no use at all, as they are in other cities, but made more disturbance than even the enemy. The origin of this indulgence which the Lacedaemonian women enjoy is easily accounted for, from the long time the men were absent from home upon foreign expeditions against the Argives, and afterwards the Arcadians and Messenians, so that, when these wars were at an end, their military life, in which there is no little virtue, prepared them to obey the precepts of their law-giver; but we are told, that when Lycurgus endeavoured also to reduce the women to an obedience to his laws, upon their refusal he declined it. It may indeed be said that the women were the causes of these things, and of course all the fault was theirs. But we are not now considering where the fault lies, or where it does not lie, but what is right and what is wrong; and when the manners of the women are not well regulated, as I have already said, it must not only occasion faults which are disgraceful to the state, but also increase the love of money. In the next place, fault may be found with his unequal division of property, for some will have far too much, others too little; by which means the land will come into few hands, which business is badly regulated by his laws. For he made it infamous for any one either to buy or sell their possessions, in which he did right; but he permitted any one that chose it to give them away, or bequeath them, although nearly the same consequences will arise from one practice as from the other. It is supposed that near two parts in five of the whole country is the property of women, owing to their being so often sole heirs, and having such large fortunes in marriage; though it would be better to allow them none, or a little, or a certain regulated proportion. Now every one is permitted to make a woman his heir if he pleases; and if he dies intestate, he who succeeds as heir at law gives it to whom he pleases. From whence it happens that although the country is able to support fifteen hundred horse and thirty thousand foot, the number does not amount to one thousand. And from these facts it is evident, that this particular is badly regulated; for the city could not support one shock, but was ruined for want of men. They say, that during the reigns of their ancient kings they used to present foreigners with the freedom of their city, to prevent there being a want of men while they carried on long wars; it is also affirmed that the number of Spartans was formerly ten thousand; but be that as it will, an equality of property conduces much to increase the number of the people. The law, too, which he made to encourage population was by no means calculated to correct this inequality; for being willing that the Spartans should be as numerous as possible, to make them desirous of having large families he ordered that he who had three children should be excused the night-watch, and that he who had four should pay no taxes: though it is very evident, that while the land was divided in this manner, that if the people increased there must many of them be very poor. Nor was he less blamable for the manner in which he constituted the ephori; for these magistrates take cognisance of things of the last importance, and yet they are chosen out of the people in general; so that it often happens that a very poor person is elected to that office, who, from that circumstance, is easily bought. There have been many instances of this formerly, as well as in the late affair at Andros. And these men, being corrupted with money, went as far as they could to ruin the city: and, because their power was too great and nearly tyrannical, their kings were obliged to natter them, which contributed greatly to hurt the state; so that it altered from an aristocracy to a democracy. This magistracy is indeed the great support of the state; for the people are easy, knowing that they are eligible to the first office in it; so that, whether it took place by the intention of the legislator, or whether it happened by chance, this is of great service to their affairs; for it is necessary that every member of the state should endeavour that each part of the government should be preserved, and continue the same. And upon this principle their kings have always acted, out of regard to their honour; the wise and good from their attachment to the senate, a seat wherein they consider as the reward of virtue; and the common people, that they may support the ephori, of whom they consist. And it is proper that these magistrates should be chosen out of the whole community, not as the custom is at present, which is very ridiculous. The ephori are the supreme judges in causes of the last consequence; but as it is quite accidental what sort of persons they may be, it is not right that they should determine according to their own opinion, but by a written law or established custom. Their way of life also is not consistent with the manners of the city, for it is too indulgent; whereas that of others is too severe; so that they cannot support it, but are obliged privately to act contrary to law, that they may enjoy some of the pleasures of sense. There are also great defects in the institution of their senators. If indeed they were fitly trained to the practice of every human virtue, every one would readily admit that they would be useful to the government; but still it might be debated whether they should be continued judges for life, to determine points of the greatest moment, since the mind has its old age as well as the body; but as they are so brought up, that even the legislator could not depend upon them as good men, their power must be inconsistent with the safety of the state: for it is known that the members of that body have been guilty both of bribery and partiality in many public affairs; for which reason it had been much better if they had been made answerable for their conduct, which they are not. But it may be said the ephori seem to have a check upon all the magistrates. They have indeed in this particular very great power; but I affirm that they should not be entrusted with this control in the manner they are. Moreover, the mode of choice which they make use of at the election of their senators is very childish. Nor is it right for any one to solicit for a place he is desirous of; for every person, whether he chooses it or not, ought to execute any office he is fit for. But his intention was evidently the same in this as in the other parts of his government. For making his citizens ambitious after honours, with men of that disposition he has filled his senate, since no others will solicit for that office; and yet the principal part of those crimes which men are deliberately guilty of arise from ambition and avarice. We will inquire at another time whether the office of a king is useful to the state: thus much is certain, that they should be chosen from a consideration of their conduct and not as they are now. But that the legislator himself did not expect to make all his citizens honourable and completely virtuous is evident from this, that he distrusts them as not being good men; for he sent those upon the same embassy that were at variance with each other; and thought, that in the dispute of the kings the safety of the state consisted. Neither were their common meals at first well established: for these should rather have been provided at the public expense, as at Crete, where, as at Lacedaemon, every one was obliged to buy his portion, although he might be very poor, and could by no means bear the expense, by which means the contrary happened to what the legislator desired: for he intended that those public meals should strengthen the democratic part of his government: but this regulation had quite the contrary effect, for those who were very poor could not take part in them; and it was an observation of their forefathers, that the not allowing those who could not contribute their proportion to the common tables to partake of them, would be the ruin of the state. Other persons have censured his laws concerning naval affairs, and not without reason, as it gave rise to disputes. For the commander of the fleet is in a manner set up in opposition to the kings, who are generals of the army for life. There is also another defect in his laws worthy of censure, which Plato has given in his book of Laws; that the whole constitution was calculated only for the business of war: it is indeed excellent to make them conquerors; for which reason the preservation of the state depended thereon. The destruction of it commenced with their victories: for they knew not how to be idle, or engage in any other employment than war. In this particular also they were mistaken, that though they rightly thought, that those things which are the objects of contention amongst mankind are better procured by virtue than vice, yet they wrongfully preferred the things themselves to virtue. Nor was the public revenue well managed at Sparta, for the state was worth nothing while they were obliged to carry on the most extensive wars, and the subsidies were very badly raised; for as the Spartans possessed a large extent of country, they were not exact upon each other as to what they paid in. And thus an event contrary to the legislator’s intention took place; for the state was poor, the individuals avaricious. Enough of the Lacedaemonian government; for these seem the chief defects in it. CHAPTER 10 The government of Crete bears a near resemblance to this, in some few particulars it is not worse, but in general it is far inferior in its contrivance. For it appears and is allowed in many particulars the constitution of Lacedaemon was formed in imitation of that of Crete; and in general most new things are an improvement upon the old. For they say, that when Lycurgus ceased to be guardian to King Charilles he went abroad and spent a long time with his relations in Crete, for the Lycians are a colony of the Lacedaemonians; and those who first settled there adopted that body of laws which they found already established by the inhabitants; in like manner also those who now live near them have the very laws which Minos first drew up. This island seems formed by nature to be the mistress of Greece, for it is entirely surrounded by a navigable ocean which washes almost all the maritime parts of that country, and is not far distant on the one side from Peloponnesus, on the other, which looks towards Asia, from Triopium and Rhodes. By means of this situation Minos acquired the empire of the sea and the islands; some of which he subdued, in others planted colonies: at last he died at Camicus while he was attacking Sicily. There is this analogy between the customs of the Lacedaemonians and the Cretans, the Helots cultivate the grounds for the one, the domestic slaves for the other. Both states have their common meals, and the Lacedaemonians called these formerly not psiditia but andpia, as the Cretans do; which proves from whence the custom arose. In this particular their governments are also alike: the ephori have the same power with those of Crete, who are called kosmoi; with this difference only, that the number of the one is five, of the other ten. The senators are the same as those whom the Cretans call the council. There was formerly also a kingly power in Crete; but it was afterwards dissolved, and the command of their armies was given to the kosmoi. Every one also has a vote in their public assembly; but this has only the power of confirming what has already passed the council and the kosmoi. The Cretans conducted their public meals better than the Lacedaemonians, for at Lacedaemon each individual was obliged to furnish what was assessed upon him; which if he could not do, there was a law which deprived him of the rights of a citizen, as has been already mentioned: but in Crete they were furnished by the community; for all the corn and cattle, taxes and contributions, which the domestic slaves were obliged to furnish, were divided into parts and allotted to the gods, the exigencies of the state, and these public meals; so that all the men, women, and children were maintained from a common stock. The legislator gave great attention to encourage a habit of eating sparingly, as very useful to the citizens. He also endeavoured, that his community might not be too populous, to lessen the connection with women, by introducing the love of boys: whether in this he did well or ill we shall have some other opportunity of considering. But that the public meals were better ordered at Crete than at Lacedaemon is very evident. The institution of the kosmoi, was still worse than that of the ephori: for it contained all the faults incident to that magistracy and some peculiar to itself; for in both cases it is uncertain who will be elected: but the Lacedaemonians have this advantage which the others have not, that as all are eligible, the whole community have a share in the highest honours, and therefore all desire to preserve the state: whereas among the Cretans the kosmoi are not chosen out of the people in general, but out of some certain families, and the senate out of the kosmoi. And the same observations which may be made on the senate at Lacedaemon may be applied to these; for their being under no control, and their continuing for life, is an honour greater than they merit; and to have their proceedings not regulated by a written law, but left to their own discretion, is dangerous. (As to there being no insurrections, although the people share not in the management of public affairs, this is no proof of a well-constituted government, as the kosmoi have no opportunity of being bribed like the ephori, as they live in an island far from those who would corrupt them.) But the method they take to correct that fault is absurd, impolitic, and tyrannical: for very often either their fellow-magistrates or some private persons conspire together and turn out the kosmoi. They are also permitted to resign their office before their time is elapsed, and if all this was done by law it would be well, and not at the pleasure of the individuals, which is a bad rule to follow. But what is worst of all is, that general confusion which those who are in power introduce to impede the ordinary course of justice; which sufficiently shows what is the nature of the government, or rather lawless force: for it is usual with the principal persons amongst them to collect together some of the common people and their friends, and then revolt and set up for themselves, and come to blows with each other. And what is the difference, if a state is dissolved at once by such violent means, or if it gradually so alters in process of time as to be no longer the same constitution? A state like this would ever be exposed to the invasions of those who were powerful and inclined to attack it; but, as has been already mentioned, its situation preserves it, as it is free from the inroads of foreigners; and for this reason the family slaves still remain quiet at Crete, while the Helots are perpetually revolting: for the Cretans take no part in foreign affairs, and it is but lately that any foreign troops have made an attack upon the island; and their ravages soon proved the ineffectualness of their laws. And thus much for the government of Crete. CHAPTER 11 The government of Carthage seems well established, and in many respects superior to others; in some particulars it bears a near resemblance to the Lacedaemonians; and indeed these three states, the Cretans, the Lacedaemonians and the Carthaginians are in some things very like each other, in others they differ greatly. Amongst many excellent constitutions this may show how well their government is framed, that although the people are admitted to a share in the administration, the form of it remains unaltered, without any popular insurrections, worth notice, on the one hand, or degenerating into a tyranny on the other. Now the Carthaginians have these things in common with the Lacedaemonians: public tables for those who are connected together by the tie of mutual friendship, after the manner of their Phiditia; they have also a magistracy, consisting of an hundred and four persons, similar to the ephori, or rather selected with more judgment; for amongst the Lacedaemonians, all the citizens are eligible, but amongst the Carthaginians, they are chosen out of those of the better sort: there is also some analogy between the king and the senate in both these governments, though the Carthaginian method of appointing their kings is best, for they do not confine themselves to one family; nor do they permit the election to be at large, nor have they any regard to seniority; for if amongst the candidates there are any of greater merit than the rest, these they prefer to those who may be older; for as their power is very extensive, if they are persons of no account, they may be very hurtful to the state, as they have always been to the Lacedaemonians; also the greater part of those things which become reprehensible by their excess are common to all those governments which we have described. Now of those principles on which the Carthaginians have established their mixed form of government, composed of an
aristocracy and democracy, some incline to produce a democracy, others an oligarchy: for instance, if the kings and the senate are unanimous upon any point in debate, they can choose whether they will bring it before the people or no; but if they disagree, it is to these they must appeal, who are not only to hear what has been approved of by the senate, but are finally to determine upon it; and whosoever chooses it, has a right to speak against any matter whatsoever that may be proposed, which is not permitted in other cases. The five, who elect each other, have very great and extensive powers; and these choose the hundred, who are magistrates of the highest rank: their power also continues longer than any other magistrates, for it commences before they come into office, and is prolonged after they are out of it; and in this particular the state inclines to an oligarchy: but as they are not elected by lot, but by suffrage, and are not permitted to take money, they are the greatest supporters imaginable of an aristocracy. The determining all causes by the same magistrates, and not orae in one court and another in another, as at Lacedaemon, has the same influence. The constitution of Carthage is now shifting from an aristocracy to an oligarchy, in consequence of an opinion which is favourably entertained by many, who think that the magistrates in the community ought not to be persons of family only, but of fortune also; as it is impossible for those who are in bad circumstances to support the dignity of their office, or to be at leisure to apply to public business. As choosing men of fortune to be magistrates make a state incline to an oligarchy, and men of abilities to an aristocracy, so is there a third method of proceeding which took place in the polity of Carthage; for they have an eye to these two particulars when they elect their officers, particularly those of the highest rank, their kings and their generals. It must be admitted, that it was a great fault in their legislator not to guard against the constitution’s degenerating from an aristocracy; for this is a most necessary thing to provide for at first, that those citizens who have the best abilities should never be obliged to do anything unworthy their character, but be always at leisure to serve the public, not only when in office, but also when private persons; for if once you are obliged to look among the wealthy, that you may have men at leisure to serve you, your greatest offices, of king and general, will soon become venal; in consequence of which, riches will be more honourable than virtue and a love of money be the ruling principle in the city-for what those who have the chief power regard as honourable will necessarily be the object which the citizens in general will aim at; and where the first honours are not paid to virtue, there the aristocratic form of government cannot flourish: for it is reasonable to conclude, that those who bought their places should generally make an advantage of what they laid out their money for; as it is absurd to suppose, that if a man of probity who is poor should be desirous of gaining something, a bad man should not endeavour to do the same, especially to reimburse himself; for which reason the magistracy should be formed of those who are most able to support an aristocracy. It would have been better for the legislature to have passed over the poverty of men of merit, and only to have taken care to have ensured them sufficient leisure, when in office, to attend to public affairs. It seems also improper, that one person should execute several offices, which was approved of at Carthage; for one business is best done by one person; and it is the duty of the legislator to look to this, and not make the same person a musician and a shoemaker: so that where the state is not small it is more politic and more popular to admit many persons to have a share in the government; for, as I just now said, it is not only more usual, but everything is better and sooner done, when one thing only is allotted to one person: and this is evident both in the army and navy, where almost every one, in his turn, both commands and is under command. But as their government inclines to an oligarchy, they avoid the ill effects of it by always appointing some of the popular party to the government of cities to make their fortunes. Thus they consult this fault in their constitution and render it stable; but this is depending on chance; whereas the legislator ought to frame his government, that there the no room for insurrections. But now, if there should be any general calamity, and the people should revolt from their rulers, there is no remedy for reducing them to obedience by the laws. And these are the particulars of the Lacedaemonian, the Cretan, and the Carthaginian governments which seem worthy of commendation. CHAPTER 12 Some of those persons who have written upon government had never any share in public affairs, but always led a private life. Everything worthy of notice in their works we have already spoke to. Others were legislators, some in their own cities, others were employed in regulating the governments of foreign states. Some of them only composed a body of laws; others formed the constitution also, as Lycurgus; and Solon, who did both. The Lacedaemonians have been already mentioned. Some persons think that Solon was an excellent legislator, who could dissolve a pure oligarchy, and save the people from that slavery which hung over them, and establish the ancient democratic form of government in his country; wherein every part of it was so framed as to be well adapted to the whole. In the senate of Areopagus an oligarchy was preserved; by the manner of electing their magistrates, an aristocracy; and in their courts of justice, a democracy. Solon seems not to have altered the established form of government, either with respect to the senate or the mode of electing their magistrates; but to have raised the people to great consideration in the state by allotting the supreme judicial department to them; and for this some persons blame him, as having done what would soon overturn that balance of power he intended to establish; for by trying all causes whatsoever before the people, who were chosen by lot to determine them, it was necessary to flatter a tyrannical populace who had got this power; which contributed to bring the government to that pure democracy it now is. Both Ephialtes and Pericles abridged the power of the Areopagites, the latter of whom introduced the method of paying those who attended the courts of justice: and thus every one who aimed at being popular proceeded increasing the power of the people to what we now see it. But it is evident that this was not Solon’s intention, but that it arose from accident; for the people being the cause of the naval victory over the Medes, assumed greatly upon it, and enlisted themselves under factious demagogues, although opposed by the better part of the citizens. He thought it indeed most necessary to entrust the people with the choice of their magistrates and the power of calling them to account; for without that they must have been slaves and enemies to the other citizens: but he ordered them to elect those only who were persons of good account and property, either out of those who were worth five hundred medimnoi, or those who were called zeugitai, or those of the third census, who were called horsemen. As for those of the fourth, which consisted of mechanics, they were incapable of any office. Zaleucus was the legislator of the Western Locrians, as was Charondas, the Catanean, of his own cities, and those also in Italy and Sicily which belonged to the Calcidians. Some persons endeavour to prove that Onomacritus, the Locrian, was the first person of note who drew up laws; and that he employed himself in that business while he was at Crete, where he continued some time to learn the prophetic art: and they say, that Thales was his companion; and that Lycurgus and Zaleucus were the scholars of Thales, and Charondas of Zaleucus; but those who advance this, advance what is repugnant to chronology. Philolaus also, of the family of the Bacchiades, was a Theban legislator. This man was very fond of Diocles, a victor in the Olympic games, and when he left his country from a disgust at an improper passion which his mother Alithoe had entertained for him, and settled at Thebes, Philolaus followed him, where they both died, and where they still show their tombs placed in view of each other, but so disposed, that one of them looks towards Corinth, the other does not; the reason they give for this is, that Diodes, from his detestation of his mother’s passion, would have his tomb so placed that no one could see Corinth from it; but Philolaus chose that it might be seen from his: and this was the cause of their living at Thebes. As Philolaus gave them laws concerning many other things, so did he upon adoption, which they call adoptive laws; and this he in particular did to preserve the number of families. Charondas did nothing new, except in actions for perjury, which he was the first person who took into particular consideration. He also drew up his laws with greater elegance and accuracy than even any of our present legislators. Philolaus introduced the law for the equal distribution of goods; Plato that for the community of women, children, and goods, and also for public tables for the women; and one concerning drunkenness, that they might observe sobriety in their symposiums. He also made a law concerning their warlike exercises; that they should acquire a habit of using both hands alike, as it was necessary that one hand should be as useful as the other. As for Draco’s laws, they were published when the government was already established, and they have nothing particular in them worth mentioning, except their severity on account of the enormity of their punishments. Pittacus was the author of some laws, but never drew up any form of government; one of which was this, that if a drunken man beat any person he should be punished more than if he did it when sober; for as people are more apt to be abusive when drunk than sober, he paid no consideration to the excuse which drunkenness might claim, but regarded only the common benefit. Andromadas Regmus was also a lawgiver to the Thracian talcidians. There are some laws of his concerning murders and heiresses extant, but these contain nothing that any one can say is new and his own. And thus much for different sorts of governments, as well those which really exist as those which different persons have proposed. BOOK 3 CHAPTER 1 Every one who inquires into the nature of government, and what are its different forms, should make this almost his first question, What is a city? For upon this there is a dispute: for some persons say the city did this or that, while others say, not the city, but the oligarchy, or the tyranny. We see that the city is the only object which both the politician and legislator have in view in all they do: but government is a certain ordering of those who inhabit a city. As a city is a collective body, and, like other wholes, composed of many parts, it is evident our first inquiry must be, what a citizen is: for a city is a certain number of citizens. So that we must consider whom we ought to call citizen, and who is one; for this is often doubtful: for every one will not allow that this character is applicable to the same person; for that man who would be a citizen in a republic would very often not be one in an oligarchy. We do not include in this inquiry many of those who acquire this appellation out of the ordinary way, as honorary persons, for instance, but those only who have a natural right to it. Now it is not residence which constitutes a man a citizen; for in this sojourners and slaves are upon an equality with him; nor will it be sufficient for this purpose, that you have the privilege of the laws, and may plead or be impleaded, for this all those of different nations, between whom there is a mutual agreement for that purpose, are allowed; although it very often happens, that sojourners have not a perfect right therein without the protection of a patron, to whom they are obliged to apply, which shows that their share in the community is incomplete. In like manner, with respect to boys who are not yet enrolled, or old men who are past war, we admit that they are in some respects citizens, but not completely so, but with some exceptions, for these are not yet arrived to years of maturity, and those are past service; nor is there any difference between them. But what we mean is sufficiently intelligible and clear, we want a complete citizen, one in whom there is no deficiency to be corrected to make him so. As to those who are banished, or infamous, there may be the same objections made and the same answer given. There is nothing that more characterises a complete citizen than having a share in the judicial and executive part of the government. With respect to offices, some are fixed to a particular time, so that no person is, on any account, permitted to fill them twice; or else not till some certain period has intervened; others are not fixed, as a juryman’s, and a member of the general assembly: but probably some one may say these are not offices, nor have the citizens in these capacities any share in the government; though surely it is ridiculous to say that those who have the principal power in the state bear no office in it. But this objection is of no weight, for it is only a dispute about words; as there is no general term which can be applied both to the office of a juryman and a member of the assembly. For the sake of distinction, suppose we call it an indeterminate office: but I lay it down as a maxim, that those are citizens who could exercise it. Such then is the description of a citizen who comes nearest to what all those who are called citizens are. Every one also should know, that of the component parts of those things which differ from each other in species, after the first or second remove, those which follow have either nothing at all or very little common to each. Now we see that governments differ from each other in their form, and that some of them are defective, others as excellent as possible: for it is evident, that those which have many deficiencies and degeneracies in them must be far inferior to those which are without such faults. What I mean by degeneracies will be hereafter explained. Hence it is clear that the office of a citizen must differ as governments do from each other: for which reason he who is called a citizen has, in a democracy, every privilege which that station supposes. In other forms of government he may enjoy them; but not necessarily: for in some states the people have no power; nor have they any general assembly, but a few select men. The trial also of different causes is allotted to different persons; as at Lacedaemon all disputes concerning contracts are brought before some of the ephori: the senate are the judges in cases of murder, and so on; some being to be heard by one magistrate, others by another: and thus at Carthage certain magistrates determine all causes. But our former description of a citizen will admit of correction; for in some governments the office of a juryman and a member of the general assembly is not an indeterminate one; but there are particular persons appointed for these purposes, some or all of the citizens being appointed jurymen or members of the general assembly, and this either for all causes and all public business whatsoever, or else for some particular one: and this may be sufficient to show what a citizen is; for he who has a right to a share in the judicial and executive part of government in any city, him we call a citizen of that place; and a city, in one word, is a collective body of such persons sufficient in themselves to all the purposes of life. CHAPTER 2 In common use they define a citizen to be one who is sprung from citizens on both sides, not on the father’s or the mother’s only. Others carry the matter still further, and inquire how many of his ancestors have been citizens, as his grandfather, great-grandfather, etc., but some persons have questioned how the first of the family could prove themselves citizens, according to this popular and careless definition. Gorgias of Leontium, partly entertaining the same doubt, and partly in jest, says, that as a mortar is made by a mortar-maker, so a citizen is made by a citizen-maker, and a Larisssean by a Larisssean-maker. This is indeed a very simple account of the matter; for if citizens are so, according to this definition, it will be impossible to apply it to the first founders or first inhabitants of states, who cannot possibly claim in right either of their father or mother. It is probably a matter of still more difficulty to determine their rights as citizens who are admitted to their freedom after any revolution in the state. As, for instance, at Athens, after the expulsion of the tyrants, when Clisthenes enrolled many foreigners and city-slaves amongst the tribes; and the doubt with respect to them was, not whether they were citizens or no, but whether they were legally so or not. Though indeed some persons may have this further doubt, whether a citizen can be a citizen when he is illegally made; as if an illegal citizen, and one who is no citizen at all, were in the same predicament: but since we see some persons govern unjustly, whom yet we admit to govern, though not justly, and the definition of a citizen is one who exercises certain offices, for such a one we have defined a citizen to be, it is evident, that a citizen illegally created yet continues to be a citizen, but whether justly or unjustly so belongs to the former inquiry. CHAPTER 3 It has also been doubted what was and what was not the act of the city; as, for instance, when a democracy arises out of an aristocracy or a tyranny; for some persons then refuse to fulfil their contracts; as if the right to receive the money was in the tyrant and not in the state, and many other things of the same nature; as if any covenant was founded for violence and not for the common good. So in like manner, if anything is done by those who have the management of public affairs where a democracy is established, their actions are to be considered as the actions of the state, as well as in the oligarchy or tyranny. And here it seems very proper to consider this question, When shall we say that a city is the same, and when shall we say that it is different? It is but a superficial mode of examining into this question to begin with the place and the people; for it may happen that these may be divided from that, or that some one of them may live in one place, and some in another (but this question may be regarded as no very knotty one; for, as a city may acquire that appellation on many accounts, it may be solved many ways); and in like manner, when men inhabit one common place, when shall we say that they inhabit the same city, or that the city is the same? for it does not depend upon the walls; for I can suppose Peloponnesus itself surrounded with a wall, as Babylon was, and every other place, which rather encircles many nations than one city, and that they say was taken three days when some of the inhabitants knew nothing of it: but we shall find a proper time to determine this question; for the extent of a city, how large it should be, and whether it should consist of more than one people, these are particulars that the politician should by no means be unacquainted with. This, too, is a matter of inquiry, whether we shall say that a city is the same while it is inhabited by the same race of men, though some of them are perpetually dying, others coming into the world, as we say that a river or a fountain is the same, though the waters are continually changing; or when a revolution takes place shall we say the men are the same, but the city is different: for if a city is a community, it is a community of citizens; but if the mode of government should alter, and become of another sort, it would seem a necessary consequence that the city is not the same; as we regard the tragic chorus as different from the comic, though it may probably consist of the same performers: thus every other community or composition is said to be different if the species of composition is different; as in music the same hands produce different harmony, as the Doric and Phrygian. If this is true, it is evident, that when we speak of a city as being the same we refer to the government there established; and this, whether it is called by the same name or any other, or inhabited by the same men or different. But whether or no it is right to dissolve the community when the constitution is altered is another question. CHAPTER 4 What has been said, it follows that we should consider whether the same virtues which constitute a good man make a valuable citizen, or different; and if a particular inquiry is necessary for this matter we must first give a general description of the virtues of a good citizen; for as a sailor is one of those who make up a community, so is a citizen, although the province of one sailor may be different from another’s (for one is a rower, another a steersman, a third a boatswain, and so on, each having their several appointments), it is evident that the most accurate description of any one good sailor must refer to his peculiar abilities, yet there are some things in which the same description may be applied to the whole crew, as the safety of the ship is the common business of all of them, for this is the general centre of all their cares: so also with respect to citizens, although they may in a few particulars be very different, yet there is one care common to them all, the safety of the community, for the community of the citizens composes the state; for which reason the virtue of a citizen has necessarily a reference to the state. But if there are different sorts of governments, it is evident that those actions which constitute the virtue of an excellent citizen in one community will not constitute it in another; wherefore the virtue of such a one cannot be perfect: but we say, a man is good when his virtues are perfect; from whence it follows, that an excellent citizen does not possess that virtue which constitutes a good man. Those who are any ways doubtful concerning this question may be convinced of the truth of it by examining into the best formed states: for, if it is impossible that a city should consist entirely of excellent citizens (while it is necessary that every one should do well in his calling, in which consists his excellence, as it is impossible that all the citizens should have the same qualifications) it is impossible that the virtue of a citizen and a good man should be the same; for all should possess the virtue of an excellent citizen: for from hence necessarily arise the perfection of the city: but that every one should possess the virtue of a good man is impossible without all the citizens in a well-regulated state were necessarily virtuous. Besides, as a city is composed of dissimilar parts, as an animal is of life and body; the soul of reason and appetite; a family of a man and his wife—property of a master and a slave; in the same manner, as a city is composed of all these and many other very different parts, it necessarily follows that the virtue of all the citizens cannot be the same; as the business of him who leads the band is different from the other dancers. From all which proofs it is evident that the virtues of a citizen cannot be one and the same. But do we never find those virtues united which constitute a good man and excellent citizen? for we say, such a one is an excellent magistrate and a prudent and good man; but prudence is a necessary qualification for all those who engage in public affairs. Nay, some persons affirm that the education of those who are intended to command should, from the beginning, be different from other citizens, as the children of kings are generally instructed in riding and warlike exercises; and thus Euripides says: “… No showy arts Be mine, but teach me what the state requires.” As if those who are to rule were to have an education peculiar to themselves. But if we allow, that the virtues of a good man and a good magistrate may be the same, and a citizen is one who obeys the magistrate, it follows that the virtue of the one cannot in general be the same as the virtue of the other, although it may be true of some particular citizen; for the virtue of the magistrate must be different from the virtue of the citizen. For which reason Jason declared that was he deprived of his kingdom he should pine away with regret, as not knowing how to live a private man. But it is a great recommendation to know how to command as well as to obey; and to do both these things well is the virtue of an accomplished citizen. If then the virtue of a good man consists only in being able to command, but the virtue of a good citizen renders him equally fit for the one as well as the other, the commendation of both of them is not the same. It appears, then, that both he who commands and he who obeys should each of them learn their separate business: but that the citizen should be master of and take part in both these, as any one may easily perceive; in a family government there is no occasion for the master to know how to perform the necessary offices, but rather to enjoy the labour of others; for to do the other is a servile part. I mean by the other, the common family business of the slave. There are many sorts of slaves; for their employments are various: of these the handicraftsmen are one, who, as their name imports, get their living by the labour of their hands, and amongst these all mechanics are included; for which reasons such workmen, in some states, were not formerly admitted into any share in the government; till at length democracies were established: it is not therefore proper for any man of honour, or any citizen, or any one who engages in public affairs, to learn these servile employments without they have occasion for them for their own use; for without this was observed the distinction between a master and a slave would be lost. But there is a government of another sort, in which men govern those who are their equals in rank, and freemen, which we call a political government, in which men learn to command by first submitting to obey, as a good general of horse, or a commander-in-chief, must acquire a knowledge of their duty by having been long under the command of another, and the like in every appointment in the army: for well is it said, no one knows how to command who has not himself been under command of another. The virtues of those are indeed different, but a good citizen must necessarily be endowed with them; he ought also to know in what manner freemen ought to govern, as well as be governed: and this, too, is the duty of a good man. And if the temperance and justice of him who commands is different from his who, though a freeman, is under command, it is evident that the virtues of a good citizen cannot be the same as justice, for instance but must be of a different species in these two different situations, as the temperance and courage of a man and a woman are different from each other; for a man would appear a coward who had only that courage which would be graceful in a woman, and a woman would be thought a talker who should take as large a part in the conversation as would become a man of consequence. The domestic employments of each of them are also different; it is the man’s business to acquire subsistence, the woman’s to take care of it. But direction and knowledge of public affairs is a virtue peculiar to those who govern, while all others seem to be equally requisite for both parties; but with this the governed have no concern, it is theirs to entertain just notions: they indeed are like flute-makers, while those who govern are the musicians who play on them. And thus much to show whether the virtue of a good man and an excellent citizen is the same, or if it is different, and also how far it is the same, and how far different. CHAPTER 5 But with respect to citizens there is a doubt remaining, whether those only are truly so who are allowed to share in the government, or whether the mechanics also are to be considered as such? for if those who are not permitted to rule are to be reckoned among them, it is impossible that the virtue of all the citizens should be the same, for these also are citizens; and if none of them are admitted to be citizens, where shall they be ranked? for they are neither sojourners nor foreigners? or shall we say that there will no inconvenience arise from their not being citizens, as they are neither slaves nor freedmen: for this is certainly true, that all those are not citizens who are necessary to the existence of a city, as boys are not citizens in the same manner that men are, for those are perfectly so, the others under some conditions; for they are citizens, though imperfect ones: for in former times among some people the mechanics were either slaves or foreigners, for which reason many of them are so now: and indeed the best regulated states will not permit a mechanic to be a citizen; but if it be allowed them, we cannot then attribute the virtue we have described to every citizen or freeman, but to those only who are disengaged from servile offices. Now those who are employed by one person in them are slaves; those who do them for money are mechanics and hired servants: hence it is evident on the least reflection what is their situation, for what I have said is fully explained by appearances. Since the number of communities is very great, it follows necessarily that there will be many different sorts of citizens, particularly of those who are governed by others, so that in one state it may be necessary to admit mechanics and hired servants to be citizens, but in others it may be impossible; as particularly in an aristocracy, where honours are bestowed on virtue and dignity: for it is impossible for one who lives the life of a mechanic or hired servant to acquire the practice of virtue. In an oligarchy also hired servants are not admitted to be citizens; because there a man’s right to bear any office is regulated by his fortune; but mechanics are, for many citizens are very rich. There was a law at Thebes that no one could have a share in the government till he had been ten years out of trade. In many states the law invites strangers to accept the freedom of the city; and in some democracies the son of a free-woman is himself free. The same is also observed in many others with respect to natural children; but it is through want of citizens regularly born that they admit such: for these laws are always made in consequence of a scarcity of inhabitants; so, as their numbers increase, they first deprive the children of a male or female slave of this privilege, next the child of a free-woman, and last of all they will admit none but those whose fathers and mothers were both free. That there are many sorts of citizens, and that he may be said to be as completely who shares the honours of the state, is evident from what has been already said. Thus Achilles, in Homer, complains of Agamemnon’s treating him like an unhonoured stranger; for a stranger or sojourner is one who does not partake of the honours of the state: and whenever the right to the freedom of the city is kept obscure, it is for the sake of the inhabitants. From what has been said it is plain whether the virtue of a good man and an excellent citizen is the same or different: and we find that in some states it is the same, in others not; and also that this is not true of each citizen, but of those only who take the lead, or are capable of taking the lead, in public affairs, either alone or in conjunction with others. CHAPTER 6 Having established these points, we proceed next to consider whether one form of government only should be established, or more than one; and if more, how many, and of what sort, and what are the differences between them. The form of government is the ordering and regulating of the city, and all the offices in it, particularly those wherein the supreme power is lodged; and this power is always possessed by the administration; but the administration itself is that particular form of government which is established in any state: thus in a democracy the supreme power is lodged in the whole people; on the contrary, in an oligarchy it is in the hands of a few. We say then, that the form of government in these states is different, and we shall find the same thing hold good in others. Let us first determine for whose sake a city is established; and point out the different species of rule which man may submit to in social life. I have already mentioned in my treatise on the management of a family, and the power of the master, that man is an animal naturally formed for society, and that therefore, when he does not want any foreign assistance, he will of his own accord desire to live with others; not but that mutual advantage induces them to it, as far as it enables each person to live more agreeably; and this is indeed the great object not only to all in general, but also to each individual: but it is not merely matter of choice, but they join in society also, even that they may be able to live, which probably is not without some share of merit, and they also support civil society, even for the sake of preserving life, without they are grievously overwhelmed with the miseries of it: for it is very evident that men will endure many calamities for the sake of living, as being something naturally sweet and desirable. It is easy to point out the different modes of government, and we have already settled them in our exoteric discourses. The power of the master, though by nature equally serviceable, both to the master and to the slave, yet nevertheless has for its object the benefit of the master, while the benefit of the slave arises accidentally; for if the slave is destroyed, the power of the master is at an end: but the authority which a man has over his wife, and children, and his family, which we call domestic government, is either for the benefit of those who are under subjection, or else for the common benefit of the whole: but its particular object is the benefit of the governed, as we see in other arts; in physic, for instance, and the gymnastic exercises, wherein, if any benefit arise to the master, it is accidental; for nothing forbids the master of the exercises from sometimes being himself one of those who exercises, as the steersman is always one of the sailors; but both the master of the exercises and the steersman consider the good of those who are under their government. Whatever good may happen to the steersman when he is a sailor, or to the master of the exercises when he himself makes one at the games, is not intentional, or the object of their power; thus in all political governments which are established to preserve and defend the equality of the citizens it is held right to rule by turns. Formerly, as was natural, every one expected that each of his fellow-citizens should in his turn serve the public, and thus administer to his private good, as he himself when in office had done for others; but now every one is desirous of being continually in power, that he may enjoy the advantage which he makes of public business and being in office; as if places were a never-failing remedy for every complaint, and were on that account so eagerly sought after. It is evident, then, that all those governments which have a common good in view are rightly established and strictly just, but those who have in view only the good of the rulers are all founded on wrong principles, and are widely different from what a government ought to be, for they are tyranny over slaves, whereas a city is a community of freemen. CHAPTER 7 Having established these particulars, we come to consider next the different number of governments which there are, and what they are; and first, what are their excellencies: for when we have determined this, their defects will be evident enough. It is evident that every form of government or administration, for the words are of the same import, must contain a supreme power over the whole state, and this supreme power must necessarily be in the hands of one person, or a few, or many; and when either of these apply their power for the common good, such states are well governed; but when the interest of the one, the few, or the many who enjoy this power is alone consulted, then ill; for you must either affirm that those who make up the community are not citizens, or else let these share in the advantages of government. We usually call a state which is governed by one person for the common good, a kingdom; one that is governed by more than one, but by a few only, an aristocracy; either because the government is in the hands of the most worthy citizens, or because it is the best form for the city and its inhabitants. When the citizens at large govern for the public good, it is called a state; which is also a common name for all other governments, and these distinctions are consonant to reason; for it will not be difficult to find one person, or a very few, of very distinguished abilities, but almost impossible to meet with the majority of a people eminent for every virtue; but if there is one common to a whole nation it is valour; for this is created and supported by numbers: for which reason in such a state the profession of arms will always have the greatest share in the government. Now the corruptions attending each of these governments are these; a kingdom may degenerate into a tyranny, an aristocracy into an oligarchy, and a state into a democracy. Now a tyranny is a monarchy where the good of one man only is the object of government, an oligarchy considers only the rich, and a democracy only the poor; but neither of them have a common good in view. CHAPTER 8 It will be necessary to enlarge a little more upon the nature of each of these states, which is not without some difficulty, for he who would enter into a philosophical inquiry into the principles of them, and not content himself with a superficial view of their outward conduct, must pass over and omit nothing, but explain the true spirit of each of them. A tyranny then is, as has been said, a monarchy, where one person has an absolute and despotic power over the whole community and every member therein: an oligarchy, where the supreme power of the state is lodged with the rich: a democracy, on the contrary, is where those have it who are worth little or nothing. But the first difficulty that arises from the distinctions which we have laid down is this, should it happen that the majority of the inhabitants who possess the power of the state (for this is a democracy) should be rich, the question is, how does this agree with what we have said? The same difficulty occurs, should it ever happen that the poor compose a smaller part of the people than the rich, but from their superior abilities acquire the supreme power; for this is what they call an oligarchy; it should seem then that our definition of the different states was not correct: nay, moreover, could any one suppose that the majority of the people were poor, and the minority rich, and then describe the state in this manner, that an oligarchy was a government in which the rich, being few in number, possessed the supreme power, and that a democracy was a state in which the poor, being many in number, possessed it, still there will be another difficulty; for what name shall we give to those states we have been describing? I mean, that in which the greater number are rich, and that in which the lesser number are poor (where each of these possess the supreme power), if there are no other states than those we have described. It seems therefore evident to reason, that whether the supreme power is vested in the hands of many or few may be a matter of accident; but that it is clear enough, that when it is in the hands of the few, it will be a government of the rich; when in the hands of the many, it will be a government of the poor; since in all countries there are many poor and few rich: it is not therefore the cause that has been already assigned (namely, the number of people in power) that makes the difference between the two governments; but an oligarchy and democracy differ in this from each other, in the poverty of those who govern in the one, and the riches I28oa of those who govern in the other; for when the government is in the hands of the rich, be they few or be they more, it is an oligarchy; when it is in the hands of the poor, it is a democracy: but, as we have already said, the one will be always few, the other numerous, but both will enjoy liberty; and from the claims of wealth and liberty will arise continual disputes with each other for the lead in public affairs. CHAPTER 9 Let us first determine what are the proper limits of an oligarchy and a democracy, and what is just in each of these states; for all men have some natural inclination to justice; but they proceed therein only to a certain degree; nor can they universally point out what is absolutely just; as, for instance, what is equal appears just, and is so; but not to all; only among those who are equals: and what is unequal appears just, and is so; but not to all, only amongst those who are unequals; which circumstance some people neglect, and therefore judge ill; the reason for which is, they judge for themselves, and every one almost is the worst judge in his own cause. Since then justice has reference to persons, the same distinctions must be made with respect to persons which are made with respect to things, in the manner that I have already described in my Ethics. As to the equality of the things, these they agree in; but their dispute is concerning the equality of the persons, and chiefly for the reason above assigned; because they judge ill in their own cause; and also because each party thinks, that if they admit what is right in some particulars, they have done justice on the whole: thus, for instance, if some persons are unequal in riches, they suppose them unequal in the whole; or, on the contrary, if they are equal in liberty, they suppose them equal in the whole: but what is absolutely just they omit; for if civil society was founded for the sake of preserving and increasing property, every one’s right in the city would be equal to his fortune; and then the reasoning of those who insist upon an oligarchy would be valid; for it would not be right that he who contributed one mina should have an equal share in the hundred along with him who brought in all the rest, either of the original money or what was afterwards acquired. Nor was civil society founded merely to preserve the lives of its members; but that they might live well: for otherwise a state might be composed of slaves, or the animal creation: but this is not so; for these have no share in the happiness of it; nor do they live after their own choice; nor is it an alliance mutually to defend each other from injuries, or for a commercial intercourse: for then the Tyrrhenians and Carthaginians, and all other nations between whom treaties of commerce subsist, would be citizens of one city; for they have articles to regulate their exports and imports, and engagements for mutual protection, and alliances for mutual defence; but yet they have not all the same magistrates established among them, but they are different among the different people; nor does the one take any care, that the morals of the other should be as they ought, or that none of those who have entered into the common agreements should be unjust, or in any degree vicious, only that they do not injure any member of the confederacy. But whosoever endeavours to establish wholesome laws in a state, attends to the virtues and the vices of each individual who composes it; from whence it is evident, that the first care of him who would found a city, truly deserving that name, and not nominally so, must be to have his citizens virtuous; for otherwise it is merely an alliance for self-defence; differing from those of the same cast which are made between different people only in place: for law is an agreement and a pledge, as the sophist Lycophron says, between the citizens of their intending to do justice to each other, though not sufficient to make all the citizens just and good: and that this is faact is evident, for could any one bring different places together, as, for instance, enclose Megara and Corinth in a wall, yet they would not be one city, not even if the inhabitants intermarried with each other, though this inter-community contributes much to make a place one city. Besides, could we suppose a set of people to live separate from each other, but within such a distance as would admit of an intercourse, and that there were laws subsisting between each party, to prevent their injuring one another in their mutual dealings, supposing one a carpenter, another a husbandman, shoemaker, and the like, and that their numbers were ten thousand, still all that they would have together in common would be a tariff for trade, or an alliance for mutual defence, but not the same city. And why? not because their mutual intercourse is not near enough, for even if persons so situated should come to one place, and every one should live in his own house as in his native city, and there should be alliances subsisting between each party to mutually assist and prevent any injury being done to the other, still they would not be admitted to be a city by those who think correctly, if they preserved the same customs when they were together as when they were separate. It is evident, then, that a city is not a community of place; nor established for the sake of mutual safety or traffic with each other; but that these things are the necessary consequences of a city, although they may all exist where there is no city: but a city is a society of people joining together with their families and their children to live agreeably for the sake of having their lives as happy and as independent as possible: and for this purpose it is necessary that they should live in one place and intermarry with each other: hence in all cities there are family-meetings, clubs, sacrifices, and public entertainments to promote friendship; for a love of sociability is friendship itself; so that the end then for which a city is established is, that the inhabitants of it may live happy, and these things are conducive to that end: for it is a community of families and villages for the sake of a perfect independent life; that is, as we have already said, for the sake of living well and happily. It is not therefore founded for the purpose of men’s merely living together, but for their living as men ought; for which reason those who contribute most to this end deserve to have greater power in the city than those who are their equals in family and freedom, but their inferiors in civil virtue, or those who excel them in wealth but are below them in worth. It is evident from what has been said, that in all disputes upon government each party says something that is just. CHAPTER 10 It may also be a doubt where the supreme power ought to be lodged. Shall it be with the majority, or the wealthy, with a number of proper persons, or one better than the rest, or with a tyrant? But whichever of these we prefer some difficulty will arise. For what? shall the poor have it because they are the majority? they may then divide among themselves, what belongs to the rich: nor is this unjust; because truly it has been so judged by the supreme power. But what avails it to point out what is the height of injustice if this is not? Again, if the many seize into their own hands everything which belongs to the few, it is evident that the city will be at an end. But virtue will never destroy what is virtuous; nor can what is right be the ruin of the state: therefore such a law can never be right, nor can the acts of a tyrant ever be wrong, for of necessity they must all be just; for he, from his unlimited power, compels every one to obey his command, as the multitude oppress the rich. Is it right then that the rich, the few, should have the supreme power? and what if they be guilty of the same rapine and plunder the possessions of the majority, that will be as right as the other: but that all things of this sort are wrong and unjust is evident. Well then, these of the better sort shall have it: but must not then all the other citizens live unhonoured, without sharing the offices of the city; for the offices of a city are its honours, and if one set of men are always in power, it is evident that the rest must be without honour. Well then, let it be with one person of all others the fittest for it: but by this means the power will be still more contracted, and a greater number than before continue unhonoured. But some one may say, that it is wrong to let man have the supreme power and not the law, as his soul is subject to so many passions. But if this law appoints an aristocracy, or a democracy, how will it help us in our present doubts? for those things will happen which we have already mentioned. CHAPTER 11 Other particulars we will consider separately; but it seems proper to prove, that the supreme power ought to be lodged with the many, rather than with those of the better sort, who are few; and also to explain what doubts (and probably just ones) may arise: now, though not one individual of the many may himself be fit for the supreme power, yet when these many are joined together, it does not follow but they may be better qualified for it than those; and this not separately, but as a collective body; as the public suppers exceed those which are given at one person’s private expense: for, as they are many, each person brings in his share of virtue and wisdom; and thus, coming together, they are like one man made up of a multitude, with many feet, many hands, and many intelligences: thus is it with respect to the manners and understandings of the multitude taken together; for which reason the public are the best judges of music and poetry; for some understand one part, some another, and all collectively the whole; and in this particular men of consequence differ from each of the many; as they say those who are beautiful do from those who are not so, and as fine pictures excel any natural objects, by collecting the several beautiful parts which were dispersed among different originals into one, although the separate parts, as the eye or any other, might be handsomer than in the picture. But if this distinction is to be made between every people and every general assembly, and some few men of consequence, it may be doubtful whether it is true; nay, it is clear enough that, with respect to a few, it is not; since the same conclusion might be applied even to brutes: and indeed wherein do some men differ from brutes? Not but that nothing prevents what I have said being true of the people in some states. The doubt then which we have lately proposed, with all its consequences, may be settled in this manner; it is necessary that the freemen who compose the bulk of the people should have absolute power in some things; but as they are neither men of property, nor act uniformly upon principles of virtue, it is not safe to trust them with the first offices in the state, both on account of their iniquity and their ignorance; from the one of which they will do what is wrong, from the other they will mistake: and yet it is dangerous to allow them no power or share in the government; for when there are many poor people who are incapable of acquiring the honours of their country, the state must necessarily have many enemies in it; let them then be permitted to vote in the public assemblies and to determine causes; for which reason Socrates, and some other legislators, gave them the power of electing the officers of the state, and also of inquiring into their conduct when they came out of office, and only prevented their being magistrates by themselves; for the multitude when they are collected together have all of them sufficient understanding for these purposes, and, mixing among those of higher rank, are serviceable to the city, as some things, which alone are improper for food, when mixed with others make the whole more wholesome than a few of them would be. But there is a difficulty attending this form of government, for it seems, that the person who himself was capable of curing any one who was then sick, must be the best judge whom to employ as a physician; but such a one must be himself a physician; and the same holds true in every other practice and art: and as a physician ought to give an account of his practice to a physician, so ought it to be in other arts: those whose business is physic may be divided into three sorts, the first of these is he who makes up the medicines; the second prescribes, and is to the other as the architect is to the mason; the third is he who understands the science, but never practises it: now these three distinctions may be found in those who understand all other arts; nor have we less opinion of their judgment who are only instructed in the principles of the art than of those who practise it: and with respect to elections the same method of proceeding seems right; for to elect a proper person in any science is the business of those who are skilful therein; as in geometry, of geometricians; in steering, of steersmen: but if some individuals should know something of particular arts and works, they do not know more than the professors of them: so that even upon this principle neither the election of magistrates, nor the censure of their conduct, should be entrusted to the many. But probably all that has been here said may not be right; for, to resume the argument I lately used, if the people are not very brutal indeed, although we allow that each individual knows less of these affairs than those who have given particular attention to them, yet when they come together they will know them better, or at least not worse; besides, in some particular arts it is not the workman only who is the best judge; namely, in those the works of which are understood by those who do not profess them: thus he who builds a house is not the only judge of it, for the master of the family who inhabits it is a better; thus also a steersman is a better judge of a tiller than he who made it; and he who gives an entertainment than the cook. What has been said seems a sufficient solution of this difficulty; but there is another that follows: for it seems absurd that the power of the state should be lodged with those who are but of indifferent morals, instead of those who are of excellent characters. Now the power of election and censure are of the utmost consequence, and this, as has been said, in some states they entrust to the people; for the general assembly is the supreme court of all, and they have a voice in this, and deliberate in all public affairs, and try all causes, without any objection to the meanness of their circumstances, and at any age: but their treasurers, generals, and other great officers of state are taken from men of great fortune and worth. This difficulty also may be solved upon the same principle; and here too they may be right, for the power is not in the man who is member of the assembly, or council, but the assembly itself, and the council, and the people, of which each individual of the whole community are the parts, I mean as senator, adviser, or judge; for which reason it is very right, that the many should have the greatest powers in their own hands; for the people, the council, and the judges are composed of them, and the property of all these collectively is more than the property of any person or a few who fill the great offices of the state: and thus I determine these points. The first question that we stated shows plainly, that the supreme power should be lodged in laws duly made and that the magistrate or magistrates, either one or more, should be authorised to determine those cases which the laws cannot particularly speak to, as it is impossible for them, in general language, to explain themselves upon everything that may arise: but what these laws are which are established upon the best foundations has not been yet explained, but still remains a matter of some question: but the laws of every state will necessarily be like every state, either trifling or excellent, just or unjust; for it is evident, that the laws must be framed correspondent to the constitution of the government; and, if so, it is plain, that a well-formed government will have good laws, a bad one, bad ones. CHAPTER 12 Since in every art and science the end aimed at is always good, so particularly in this, which is the most excellent of all, the founding of civil society, the good wherein aimed at is justice; for it is this which is for the benefit of all. Now, it is the common opinion, that justice is a certain equality; and in this point all the philosophers are agreed when they treat of morals: for they say what is just, and to whom; and that equals ought to receive equal: but we should know how we are to determine what things are equal and what unequal; and in this there is some difficulty, which calls for the philosophy of the politician. Some persons will probably say, that the employments of the state ought to be given according to every particular excellence of each citizen, if there is no other difference between them and the rest of the community, but they are in every respect else alike: for justice attributes different things to persons differing from each other in their character, according to their respective merits. But if this is admitted to be true, complexion, or height, or any such advantage will be a claim for a greater share of the public rights. But that this is evidently absurd is clear from other arts and sciences; for with respect to musicians who play on the flute together, the best flute is not given to him who is of the best family, for he will play never the better for that, but the best instrument ought to be given to him who is the best artist. If what is now said does not make this clear, we will explain it still further: if there should be any one, a very excellent player on the flute, but very deficient in family and beauty, though each of them are more valuable endowments than a skill in music, and excel this art in a higher degree than that player excels others, yet the best flutes ought to be given to him; for the superiority in beauty and fortune should have a reference to the business in hand; but these have none. Moreover, according to this reasoning, every possible excellence might come in comparison with every other; for if bodily strength might dispute the point with riches or liberty, even any bodily strength might do it; so that if one person excelled in size more than another did in virtue, and his size was to qualify him to take place of the other’s virtue, everything must then admit of a comparison with each other; for if such a size is greater than virtue by so much, it is evident another must be equal to it: but, since this is impossible, it is plain that it would be contrary to common sense to dispute a right to any office in the state from every superiority whatsoever: for if one person is slow and the other swift, neither is the one better qualified nor the other worse on that account, though in the gymnastic races a difference in these particulars would gain the prize; but a pretension to the offices of the state should be founded on a superiority in those qualifications which are useful to it: for which reason those of family, independency, and fortune, with great propriety, contend with each other for them; for these are the fit persons to fill them: for a city can no more consist of all poor men than it can of all slaves But if such persons are requisite, it is evident that those also who are just and valiant are equally so; for without justice and valour no state can be supported, the former being necessary for its existence, the latter for its happiness. CHAPTER 13 It seems, then, requisite for the establishment of a state, that all, or at least many of these particulars should be well canvassed and inquired into; and that virtue and education may most justly claim the right of being considered as the necessary means of making the citizens happy, as we have already said. As those who are equal in one particular are not therefore equal in all, and those who are unequal in one particular are not therefore unequal in all, it follows that all those governments which are established upon a principle which supposes they are, are erroneous. We have already said, that all the members of the community will dispute with each other for the offices of the state; and in some particulars justly, but not so in general; the rich, for instance, because they have the greatest landed property, and the ultimate right to the soil is vested in the community; and also because their fidelity is in general most to be depended on. The freemen and men of family will dispute the point with each other, as nearly on an equality; for these latter have a right to a higher regard as citizens than obscure persons, for honourable descent is everywhere of great esteem: nor is it an improper conclusion, that the descendants of men of worth will be men of worth themselves; for noble birth is the fountain of virtue to men of family: for the same reason also we justly say, that virtue has a right to put in her pretensions. Justice, for instance, is a virtue, and so necessary to
society, that all others must yield her the precedence. Let us now see what the many have to urge on their side against the few; and they may say, that if, when collectively taken, they are compared with them, they are stronger, richer, and better than they are. But should it ever happen that all these should inhabit the same city, I mean the good, the rich, the noble, as well as the many, such as usually make up the community, I ask, will there then be any reason to dispute concerning who shall govern, or will there not? for in every community which we have mentioned there is no dispute where the supreme power should be placed; for as these differ from each other, so do those in whom that is placed; for in one state the rich enjoy it, in others the meritorious, and thus each according to their separate manners. Let us however consider what is to be done when all these happen at the same time to inhabit the same city. If the virtuous should be very few in number, how then shall we act? shall we prefer the virtuous on account of their abilities, if they are capable of governing the city? or should they be so many as almost entirely to compose the state? There is also a doubt concerning the pretensions of all those who claim the honours of government: for those who found them either on fortune or family have nothing which they can justly say in their defence; since it is evident upon their principle, that if any one person can be found richer than all the rest, the right of governing all these will be justly vested in this one person. In the same manner, one man who is of the best family will claim it from those who dispute the point upon family merit: and probably in an aristocracy the same dispute might arise on the score of virtue, if there is one man better than all the other men of worth who are in the same community; it seems just, by the same reasoning, that he should enjoy the supreme power. And upon this principle also, while the many suppose they ought to have the supreme command, as being more powerful than the few, if one or more than one, though a small number should be found stronger than themselves, these ought rather to have it than they. All these things seem to make it plain, that none of these principles are justly founded on which these persons would establish their right to the supreme power; and that all men whatsoever ought to obey them: for with respect to those who claim it as due to their virtue or their fortune, they might have justly some objection to make; for nothing hinders but that it may sometimes happen, that the many may be better or richer than the few, not as individuals, but in their collective capacity. As to the doubt which some persons have proposed and objected, we may answer it in this manner; it is this, whether a legislator, who would establish the most perfect system of laws, should calculate them for the use of the better part of the citizens, or the many, in the circumstances we have already mentioned? The rectitude of anything consists in its equality; that therefore which is equally right will be advantageous to the whole state, and to every member of it in common. Now, in general, a citizen is one who both shares in the government and also in his turn submits to be governed; their condition, it is true, is different in different states: the best is that in which a man is enabled to choose and to persevere in a course of virtue during his whole life, both in his public and private state. But should there be one person, or a very few, eminent for an uncommon degree of virtue, though not enough to make up a civil state, so that the virtue of the many, or their political abilities, should be too inferior to come in comparison with theirs, if more than one; or if but one, with his only; such are not to be considered as part of the city; for it would be doing them injustice to rate them on a level with those who are so far their inferiors in virtue and political abilities, that they appear to them like a god amongst men. From whence it is evident, that a system of laws must be calculated for those who are equal to each other in nature and power. Such men, therefore, are not the object of law; for they are themselves a law: and it would be ridiculous in any one to endeavour to include them in the penalties of a law: for probably they might say what Antisthenes tells us the lions did to the hares when they demanded to be admitted to an equal share with them in the government. And it is on this account that democratic states have established the ostracism; for an equality seems the principal object of their government. For which reason they compel all those who are very eminent for their power, their fortune, their friendships, or any other cause which may give them too great weight in the government, to submit to the ostracism, and leave the city for a stated time; as the fabulous histories relate the Argonauts served Hercules, for they refused to take him with them in the ship Argo on account of his superior valour. For which reason those who hate a tyranny and find fault with the advice which Periander gave to Thrasybulus, must not think there was nothing to be said in its defence; for the story goes, that Periander said nothing to the messenger in answer to the business he was consulted about, but striking off those ears of corn which were higher than the rest, reduced the whole crop to a level; so that the messenger, without knowing the cause of what was done, related the fact to Thrasybulus, who understood by it that he must take off all the principal men in the city. Nor is this serviceable to tyrants only; nor is it tyrants only who do it; for the same thing is practised both in oligarchies and democracies: for the ostracism has in a manner nearly the same power, by restraining and banishing those who are too great; and what is done in one city is done also by those who have the supreme power in separate states; as the Athenians with respect to the Samians, the Chians, and the Lesbians; for when they suddenly acquired the superiority over all Greece, they brought the other states into subjection, contrary to the treaties which subsisted between them. The King of Persia also very often reduces the Medes and Babylonians when they assume upon their former power: and this is a principle which all governments whatsoever keep in their eye; even those which are best administered, as well as those which are not, do it; these for the sake of private utility, the others for the public good. The same thing is to be perceived in the other arts and sciences; for a painter would not represent an animal with a foot disproportionally large, though he had drawn it remarkably beautiful; nor would the shipwright make the prow or any other part of the vessel larger than it ought to be; nor will the master of the band permit any who sings louder and better than the rest to sing in concert with them. There is therefore no reason that a monarch should not act in agreement with free states, to support his own power, if they do the same thing for the benefit of their respective communities; upon which account when there is any acknowledged difference in the power of the citizens, the reason upon which the ostracism is founded will be politically just; but it is better for the legislator so to establish his state at the beginning as not to want this remedy: but if in course of time such an inconvenience should arise, to endeavour to amend it by some such correction. Not that this was the use it was put to: for many did not regard the benefit of their respective communities, but made the ostracism a weapon in the hand of sedition. It is evident, then, that in corrupt governments it is partly just and useful to the individual, though probably it is as clear that it is not entirely just: for in a well-governed state there may be great doubts about the use of it, not on account of the pre-eminence which one may have in strength, riches, or connection: but when the pre-eminence is virtue, what then is to be done? for it seems not right to turn out and banish such a one; neither does it seem right to govern him, for that would be like desiring to share the power with Jupiter and to govern him: nothing then remains but what indeed seems natural, and that is for all persons quietly to submit to the government of those who are thus eminently virtuous, and let them be perpetually kings in the separate states. CHAPTER 14 What has been now said, it seems proper to change our subject and to inquire into the nature of monarchies; for we have already admitted them to be one of those species of government which are properly founded. And here let us consider whether a kingly government is proper for a city or a country whose principal object is the happiness of the inhabitants, or rather some other. But let us first determine whether this is of one kind only, or more; and it is easy to know that it consists of many different species, and that the forms of government are not the same in all: for at Sparta the kingly power seems chiefly regulated by the laws; for it is not supreme in all circumstances; but when the king quits the territories of the state he is their general in war; and all religious affairs are entrusted to him: indeed the kingly power with them is chiefly that of a general who cannot be called to an account for his conduct, and whose command is for life: for he has not the power of life and death, except as a general; as they frequently had in their expeditions by martial law, which we learn from Homer; for when Agamemnon is affronted in council, he restrains his resentment, but when he is in the field and armed with this power, he tells the Greeks: “Whoe’er I know shall shun th’ impending fight, To dogs and vultures soon shall be a prey; For death is mine….” This, then, is one species of monarchical government in which the kingly power is in a general for life; and is sometimes hereditary, sometimes elective: besides, there is also another, which is to be met with among some of the barbarians, in which the kings are invested with powers nearly equal to a tyranny, yet are, in some respects, bound by the laws and the customs of their country; for as the barbarians are by nature more prone to slavery than the Greeks, and those in Asia more than those in Europe, they endure without murmuring a despotic government; for this reason their governments are tyrannies; but yet not liable to be overthrown, as being customary and according to law. Their guards also are such as are used in a kingly government, not a despotic one; for the guards of their kings are his citizens, but a tyrant’s are foreigners. The one commands, in the manner the law directs, those who willingly obey; the other, arbitrarily, those who consent not. The one, therefore, is guarded by the citizens, the other against them. These, then, are the two different sorts of these monarchies, and another is that which in ancient Greece they called aesumnetes; which is nothing more than an elective tyranny; and its difference from that which is to be found amongst the barbarians consists not in its not being according to law, but only in its not being according to the ancient customs of the country. Some persons possessed this power for life, others only for a particular time or particular purpose, as the people of Mitylene elected Pittacus to oppose the exiles, who were headed by Antimenides and Alcaeus the poet, as we learn from a poem of his; for he upbraids the Mitylenians for having chosen Pittacus for their tyrant, and with one voice extolling him to the skies who was the ruin of a rash and devoted people. These sorts of government then are, and ever were, despotic, on account of their being tyrannies; but inasmuch as they are elective, and over a free people, they are also kingly. A fourth species of kingly government is that which was in use in the heroic times, when a free people submitted to a kingly government, according to the laws and customs of their country. For those who were at first of benefit to mankind, either in arts or arms, or by collecting them into civil society, or procuring them an establishment, became the kings of a willing people, and established an hereditary monarchy. They were particularly their generals in war, and presided over their sacrifices, excepting such only as belonged to the priests: they were also the supreme judges over the people; and in this case some of them took an oath, others did not; they did, the form of swearing was by their sceptre held out. In ancient times the power of the kings extended to everything whatsoever, both civil, domestic, and foreign; but in after-times they relinquished some of their privileges, and others the people assumed, so that, in some states, they left their kings only the right of presiding over the sacrifices; and even those whom it were worth while to call by that name had only the right of being commander-in-chief in their foreign wars. These, then, are the four sorts of kingdoms: the first is that of the heroic times; which was a government over a free people, with its rights in some particulars marked out; for the king was their general, their judge, and their high priest. The second, that of the barbarians; which is an hereditary despotic government regulated by laws: the third is that which they call aesumnetic, which is an elective tyranny. The fourth is the Lacedaemonian; and this, in few words, is nothing more than an hereditary generalship: and in these particulars they differ from each other. There is a fifth species of kingly government, which is when one person has a supreme power over all things whatsoever, in the manner that every state and every city has over those things which belong to the public: for as the master of a family is king in his own house, so such a king is master of a family in his own city or state. CHAPTER 15 But the different sorts of kingly governments may, if I may so say, be reduced to two; which we will consider more particularly. The last spoken of, and the Lacedaemonian, for the chief of the others are placed between these, which are as it were at the extremities, they having less power than an absolute government, and yet more than the Lacedaemonians; so that the whole matter in question may be reduced to these two points; the one is, whether it is advantageous to the citizens to have the office of general continue in one person for life, and whether it should be confined to any particular families or whether every one should be eligible: the other, whether it is advantageous for one person to have the supreme power over everything or not. But to enter into the particulars concerning the office of a Lacedaemonian general would be rather to frame laws for a state than to consider the nature and utility of its constitution, since we know that the appointing of a general is what is done in every state. Passing over this question then, we will proceed to consider the other part of their government, which is the polity of the state; and this it will be necessary to examine particularly into, and to go through such questions as may arise. Now the first thing which presents itself to our consideration is this, whether it is best to be governed by a good man, or by good laws? Those who prefer a kingly government think that laws can only speak a general language, but cannot adapt themselves to particular circumstances; for which reason it is absurd in any science to follow written rule; and even in Egypt the physician was allowed to alter the mode of cure which the law prescribed to him, after the fourth day; but if he did it sooner it was at his own peril: from whence it is evident, on the very same account, that a government of written laws is not the best; and yet general reasoning is necessary to all those who are to govern, and it will be much more perfect in those who are entirely free from passions than in those to whom they are natural. But now this is a quality which laws possess; while the other is natural to the human soul. But some one will say in answer to this, that man will be a better judge of particulars. It will be necessary, then, for a king to be a lawgiver, and that his laws should be published, but that those should have no authority which are absurd, as those which are not, should. But whether is it better for the community that those things which cannot possibly come under the cognisance of the law either at all or properly should be under the government of every worthy citizen, as the present method is, when the public community, in their general assemblies, act as judges and counsellors, where all their determinations are upon particular cases, for one individual, be he who he will, will be found, upon comparison, inferior to a whole people taken collectively: but this is what a city is, as a public entertainment is better than one man’s portion: for this reason the multitude judge of many things better than any one single person. They are also less liable to corruption from their numbers, as water is from its quantity: besides, the judgment of an individual must necessarily be perverted if he is overcome by anger or any other passion; but it would be hard indeed if the whole community should be misled by anger. Moreover, let the people be free, and they will do nothing but in conformity to the law, except only in those cases which the law cannot speak to. But though what I am going to propose may not easily be met with, yet if the majority of the state should happen to be good men, should they prefer one uncorrupt governor or many equally good, is it not evident that they should choose the many? But there may be divisions among these which cannot happen when there is but one. In answer to this it may be replied that all their souls will be as much animated with virtue as this one man’s. If then a government of many, and all of them good men, compose an aristocracy, and the government of one a kingly power, it is evident that the people should rather choose the first than the last; and this whether the state is powerful or not, if many such persons so alike can be met with: and for this reason probable it was, that the first governments were generally monarchies; because it was difficult to find a number of persons eminently virtuous, more particularly as the world was then divided into small communities; besides, kings were appointed in return for the benefits they had conferred on mankind; but such actions are peculiar to good men: but when many persons equal in virtue appeared at the time, they brooked not a superiority, but sought after an equality and established a free state; but after this, when they degenerated, they made a property of the public; which probably gave rise to oligarchies; for they made wealth meritorious, and the honours of government were reserved for the rich: and these afterwards turned to tyrannies and these in their turn gave rise to democracies; for the power of the tyrants continually decreasing, on account of their rapacious avarice, the people grew powerful enough to frame and establish democracies: and as cities after that happened to increase, probably it was not easy for them to be under any other government than a democracy. But if any person prefers a kingly government in a state, what is to be done with the king’s children? Is the family also to reign? But should they have such children as some persons usually have, it will be very detrimental. It may be said, that then the king who has it in his power will never permit such children to succeed to his kingdom. But it is not easy to trust to that; for it is very hard and requires greater virtue than is to be met with in human nature. There is also a doubt concerning the power with which a king should be entrusted: whether he should be allowed force sufficient to compel those who do not choose to be obedient to the laws, and how he is to support his government? for if he is to govern according to law and do nothing of his own will which is contrary thereunto, at the same time it will be necessary to protect that power with which he guards the law, This matter however may not be very difficult to determine; for he ought to have a proper power, and such a one is that which will be sufficient to make the king superior to any one person or even a large part of the community, but inferior to the whole, as the ancients always appointed guards for that person whom they created aesumnetes or tyrant; and some one advised the Syracusians, when Dionysius asked for guards, to allow him such. CHAPTER 16 We will next consider the absolute monarch that we have just mentioned, who does everything according to his own will: for a king governing under the direction of laws which he is obliged to follow does not of himself create any particular species of government, as we have already said: for in every state whatsoever, either aristocracy or democracy, it is easy to appoint a general for life; and there are many who entrust the administration of affairs to one person only; such is the government at Dyrrachium, and nearly the same at Opus. As for an absolute monarchy as it is called, that is to say, when the whole state is wholly subject to the will of one person, namely the king, it seems to many that it is unnatural that one man should have the entire rule over his fellow-citizens when the state consists of equals: for nature requires that the same right and the same rank should necessarily take place amongst all those who are equal by nature: for as it would be hurtful to the body for those who are of different constitutions to observe the same regimen, either of diet or clothing, so is it with respect to the honours of the state as hurtful, that those who are equal in merit should be unequal in rank; for which reason it is as much a man’s duty to submit to command as to assume it, and this also by rotation; for this is law, for order is law; and it is more proper that law should govern than any one of the citizens: upon the same principle, if it is advantageous to place the supreme power in some particular persons, they should be appointed to be only guardians, and the servants of the laws, for the supreme power must be placed somewhere; but they say, that it is unjust that where all are equal one person should continually enjoy it. But it seems unlikely that man should be able to adjust that which the law cannot determine; it may be replied, that the law having laid down the best rules possible, leaves the adjustment and application of particulars to the discretion of the magistrate; besides, it allows anything to be altered which experience proves may be better established. Moreover, he who would place the supreme power in mind, would place it in God and the laws; but he who entrusts man with it, gives it to a wild beast, for such his appetites sometimes make him; for passion influences those who are in power, even the very best of men: for which reason law is reason without desire. The instance taken from the arts seems fallacious: wherein it is said to be wrong for a sick person to apply for a remedy to books, but that it would be far more eligible to employ those who are skilful in physic; for these do nothing contrary to reason from motives of friendship but earn their money by curing the sick, whereas those who have the management of public affairs do many things through hatred or favour. And, as a proof of what we have advanced, it may be observed, that whenever a sick person suspects that his physician has been persuaded by his enemies to be guilty of any foul practice to him in his profession, he then rather chooses to apply to books for his cure: and not only this but even physicians themselves when they are ill call in other physicians: and those who teach others the gymnastic exercises, exercise with those of the same profession, as being incapable from self-partiality to form a proper judgment of what concerns themselves. From whence it is evident, that those who seek for what is just, seek for a mean; now law is a mean. Moreover; the moral law is far superior and conversant with far superior objects than the written law; for the supreme magistrate is safer to be trusted to than the one, though he is inferior to the other. But as it is impossible that one person should have an eye to everything himself, it will be necessary that the supreme magistrate should employ several subordinate ones under him; why then should not this be done at first, instead of appointing one person in this manner? Besides, if, according to what has been already said, the man of worth is on that account fit to govern, two men of worth are certainly better than one: as, for instance, in Homer, “Let two together go:” and also Agamemnon’s wish; “Were ten such faithful counsel mine!” Not but that there are even now some particular magistrates invested with supreme power to decide, as judges, those things which the law cannot, as being one of those cases which comes not properly under its jurisdiction; for of those which can there is no doubt: since then laws comprehend some things, but not all, it is necessary to enquire and consider which of the two is preferable, that the best man or the best law should govern; for to reduce every subject which can come under the deliberation of man into a law is impossible. No one then denies, that it is necessary that there should be some person to decide those cases which cannot come under the cognisance of a written law: but we say, that it is better to have many than one; for though every one who decides according to the principles of the law decides justly; yet surely it seems absurd to suppose, that one person can see better with two eyes, and hear better with two ears, or do better with two hands and two feet, than many can do with many: for we see that absolute monarchs now furnish themselves with many eyes and ears and hands and feet; for they entrust those who are friends to them and their government with part of their power; for if they are not friends to the monarch, they will not do what he chooses; but if they are friends to him, they are friends also to his government: but a friend is an equal and like his friend: if then he thinks that such should govern, he thinks that his equal also should govern. These are nearly the objections which are usually made to a kingly power. CHAPTER 17 Probably what we have said may be true of some persons, but not of others; for some men are by nature formed to be under the government of a master; others, of a king; others, to be the citizens of a free state, just and useful; but a tyranny is not according to nature, nor the other perverted forms of government; for they are contrary to it. But it is evident from what has been said, that among equals it is neither advantageous nor right that one person should be lord over all where there are no established laws, but his will is the law; or where there are; nor is it right that one who is good should have it over those who are good; or one who is not good over those who are not good; nor one who is superior to the rest in worth, except in a particular manner, which shall be described, though indeed it has been already mentioned. But let us next determine what people are best qualified for a kingly government, what for an aristocratic, and what for a democratic. And, first, for a kingly; and it should be those who are accustomed by nature to submit the civil government of themselves to a family eminent for virtue: for an aristocracy, those who are naturally framed to bear the rule of free men, whose superior virtue makes them worthy of the management of others: for a free state, a war-like people, formed by nature both to govern and be governed by laws which admit the poorest citizen to share the honours of the commonwealth according to his worth. But whenever a whole family or any one of another shall happen so far to excel in virtue as to exceed all other persons in the community, then it is right that the kingly power should be in them, or if it is an individual who does so, that he should be king and lord of all; for this, as we have just mentioned, is not only correspondent to that principle of right which all founders of all states, whether aristocracies, oligarchies, or democracies, have a regard to (for in placing the supreme power they all think it right to fix it to excellence, though not the same); but it is also agreeable to what has been already said; as it would not be right to kill, or banish, or ostracise such a one for his superior merit. Nor would it be proper to let him have the supreme power only in turn; for it is contrary to nature that what is highest should ever be lowest: but this would be the case should such a one ever be governed by others. So that there can nothing else be done but to submit, and permit him continually to enjoy the supreme power. And thus much with respect to kingly power in different states, and whether it is or is not advantageous to them, and to what, and in what manner. CHAPTER 18 Since then we have said that there are three sorts of regular governments, and of these the best must necessarily be that which is administered by the best men (and this must be that which happens to have one man, or one family, or a number of persons excelling all the rest in virtue, who are able to govern and be governed in such a manner as will make life most agreeable, and we have already shown that the virtue of a good man and of a citizen in the most perfect government will be the same), it is evident, that in the same manner, and for those very qualities which would procure a man the character of good, any one would say, that the government of a state was a well-established aristocracy or kingdom; so that it will be found to be education and morals that are almost the whole which go to make a good man, and the same qualities will make a good citizen or good king. These particulars being treated of, we will now proceed to consider what sort of government is best, how it naturally arises, and how it is established; for it is necessary to make a proper inquiry concerning this. BOOK 4 CHAPTER 1 In every art and science which is not conversant in parts but in some one genus in which it is complete, it is the business of that art alone to determine what is fitted to its particular genus; as what particular exercise is fitted to a certain particular body, and suits it best: for that body which is formed by nature the most perfect and superior to others necessarily requires the best exercise-and also of what one kind that must be which will suit the generality; and this is the business of the gymnastic arts: and although any one should not desire to acquire an exact knowledge and skill in these exercises, yet it is not, on that account, the less necessary that he who professes to be a master and instruct the youth in them should be perfect therein: and we see that this is what equally befalls the healing, shipbuilding, cloth-making, and indeed all other arts; so that it evidently belongs to the same art to find out what kind of government is best, and would of all others be most correspondent to our wish, while it received no molestation from without: and what particular species of it is adapted to particular persons; for there are many who probably are incapable of enjoying the best form: so that the legislator, and he who is truly a politician, ought to be acquainted not only with that which is most perfect imaginable, but also that which is the best suited to any given circumstances. There is, moreover, a third sort, an imaginary one, and he ought, if such a one should be presented to his consideration, to be able to discern what sort of one it would be at the beginning; and, when once established, what would be the proper means to preserve it a long time. I mean, for instance, if a state should happen not to have the best form of government, or be deficient in what was necessary, or not receive every advantage possible, but something less. And, besides all this, it is necessary to know what sort of government is best fitting for all cities: for most of those writers who have treated this subject, however speciously they may handle other parts of it, have failed in describing the practical parts: for it is not enough to be able to perceive what is best without it is what can be put in practice. It should also be simple, and easy for all to attain to. But some seek only the most subtile forms of government. Others again, choosing rather to treat of what is common, censure those under which they live, and extol the excellence of a particular state, as the Lacedaemonian, or some other: but every legislator ought to establish such a form of government as from the present state and disposition of the people who are to receive it they will most readily submit to and persuade the community to partake of: for it is not a business of less trouble to correct the mistakes of an established government than to form a new one; as it is as difficult to recover what we have forgot as to learn anything afresh. He, therefore, who aspires to the character of a legislator, ought, besides all we have already said, to be able to correct the mistakes of a government already established, as we have before mentioned. But this is impossible to be done by him who does not know how many different forms of government there are: some persons think that there is only one species both of democracy and oligarchy; but this is not true: so that every one should be acquainted with the difference of these governments, how great they are, and whence they arise; and should have equal knowledge to perceive what laws are best, and what are most suitable to each particular government: for all laws are, and ought to be, framed agreeable to the state that is to be governed by them, and not the state to the laws: for government is a certain ordering in a state which particularly respects the magistrates in what manner they shall be regulated, and where the supreme power shall be placed; and what shall be the final object which each community shall have in view; but the laws are something different from what regulates and expresses the form of the constitution-it is their office to direct the conduct of the magistrate in the execution of his office and the punishment of offenders. From whence it is evident, that the founders of laws should attend both to the number and the different sorts of government; for it is impossible that the same laws should be calculated for all sorts of oligarchies and all sorts of democracies, for of both these governments there are many species, not one only. CHAPTER 2 Since, then, according to our first method in treating of the different forms of government, we have divided those which are regular into three sorts, the kingly, the aristocratical, the free states, and shown the three excesses which these are liable to: the kingly, of becoming tyrannical; the aristocratical, oligarchical; and the free state, democratical: and as we have already treated of the aristocratical and kingly; for to enter into an inquiry what sort of government is best is the same thing as to treat of these two expressly; for each of them desires to be established upon the principles of virtue: and as, moreover, we have already determined wherein a kingly power and an aristocracy differ from each other, and when a state may be said to be governed by a king, it now remains that we examine into a free state, and also these other governments, an oligarchy, a democracy, and a tyranny; and it is evident of these three excesses which must be the worst of all, and which next to it; for, of course, the excesses of the best and most holy must be the worst; for it must necessarily happen either that the name of king only will remain, or else that the king will assume more power than belongs to him, from whence tyranny will arise, the worst excess imaginable, a government the most contrary possible to a free state. The excess next hurtful is an oligarchy; for an aristocracy differs much from this sort of government: that which is least so is a democracy. This subject has been already treated of by one of those writers who have gone before me, though his sentiments are not the same as mine: for he thought, that of all excellent constitutions, as a good oligarchy or the like, a democracy was the worst, but of all bad ones, the best. Now I affirm, that all these states have, without exception, fallen into excess; and also that he should not have said that one oligarchy was better than another, but that it was not quite so bad. But this question we shall not enter into at present. We shall first inquire how many different sorts of free states there are; since there are many species of democracies and oligarchies; and which of them is the most comprehensive, and most desirable after the best form of government; or if there is any other like an aristocracy, well established; and also which of these is best adapted to most cities, and which of them is preferable for particular persons: for, probably, some may suit better with an oligarchy than a democracy, and others better with a democracy than an oligarchy; and afterwards in what manner any one ought to proceed who desires to establish either of these states, I mean every species of democracy, and also of oligarchy. And to conclude, when we shall have briefly gone through everything that is necessary, we will endeavour to point out the sources of corruption, and stability, in government, as well those which are common to all as those which are peculiar to each state, and from what causes they chiefly arise. CHAPTER 3 The reason for there being many different sorts of governments is this, that each state consists of a great number of parts; for, in the first place, we see that all cities are made up of families: and again, of the multitude of these some must be rich, some poor, and others in the middle station; and that, both of the rich and poor, some will be used to arms, others not. We see also, that some of the common people are husbandmen, others attend the market, and others are artificers. There is also a difference between the nobles in their wealth, and the dignity in which they live: for instance, in the number of horses they breed; for this cannot be supported without a large fortune: for which reason, in former times, those cities whose strength consisted in horse became by that means oligarchies; and they used horse in their expeditions against the neighbouring cities; as the Eretrians the Chalcidians, the Magnetians, who lived near the river Meander, and many others in Asia. Moreover, besides the difference of fortune, there is that which arises from family and merit; or, if there are any other distinctions which make part of the city, they have been already mentioned in treating of an aristocracy, for there we considered how many parts each city must necessarily be composed of; and sometimes each of these have a share in the government, sometimes a few, sometimes more. It is evident then, that there must be many forms of government, differing from each other in their particular constitution: for the parts of which they are composed each differ from the other. For government is the ordering of the magistracies of the state; and these the community share between themselves, either as they can attain them by force, or according to some common equality which there is amongst them, as poverty, wealth, or something which they both partake of. There must therefore necessarily be as many different forms of governments as there are different ranks in the society, arising from the superiority of some over others, and their different situations. And these seem chiefly to be two, as they say, of the winds: namely, the north and the south; and all the others are declinations from these. And thus in politics, there is the government of the many and the government of the few; or a democracy and an oligarchy: for an aristocracy may be considered as a species of oligarchy, as being also a government of the few; and what we call a free state may be considered as a democracy: as in the winds they consider the west as part of the north, and the east as part of the south: and thus it is in music, according to some, who say there are only two species of it, the Doric and the Phrygian, and all other species of composition they call after one of these names; and many people are accustomed to consider the nature of government in the same light; but it is both more convenient and more correspondent to truth to distinguish governments as I have done, into two species: one, of those which are established upon proper principles; of which there may be one or two sorts: the other, which includes all the different excesses of these; so that we may compare the best form of government to the most harmonious piece of music; the oligarchic and despotic to the more violent tunes; and the democratic to the soft and gentle airs. CHAPTER 4 We ought not to define a democracy as some do, who say simply, that it is a government where the supreme power is lodged in the people; for even in oligarchies the supreme power is in the majority. Nor should they define an oligarchy a government where the supreme power is in the hands of a few: for let us suppose the number of a people to be thirteen hundred, and that of these one thousand were rich, who would not permit the three hundred poor to have any share in the government, although they were free, and their equal in everything else; no one would say, that this government was a democracy. In like manner, if the poor, when few in number, should acquire the power over the rich, though more than themselves, no one would say, that this was an oligarchy; nor this, when the rest who are rich have no share in the administration. We should rather say, that a democracy is when the supreme power is in the hands of the freemen; an oligarchy, when it is in the hands of the rich: it happens indeed that in the one case the many will possess it, in the other the few; because there are many poor and few rich. And if the power of the state was to be distributed according to the size of the citizens, as they say it is in Ethiopia, or according to their beauty, it would be an oligarchy: for the number of those who are large and beautiful is small. Nor are those things which we have already mentioned alone sufficient to describe these states; for since there are many species both of a democracy and an oligarchy, the matter requires further consideration; as we cannot admit, that if a few persons who are free possess the supreme power over the many who are not free, that this government is a democracy: as in Apollonia, in Ionia, and in Thera: for in each of these cities the honours of the state belong to some few particular families, who first founded the colonies. Nor would the rich, because they are superior in numbers, form a democracy, as formerly at Colophon; for there the majority had large possessions before the Lydian war: but a democracy is a state where the freemen and the poor, being the majority, are invested with the power of the state. An oligarchy is a state where the rich and those of noble families, being few, possess it. We have now proved that there are various forms of government and have assigned a reason for it; and shall proceed to show that there are even more than these, and what they are, and why; setting out with the principle we have already laid down. We admit that every city consists not of one, but many parts: thus, if we should endeavour to comprehend the different species of animals we should first of all note those parts which every animal must have, as a certain sensorium, and also what is necessary to acquire and retain food, as a mouth and a belly; besides certain parts to enable it to move from place to place. If, then, these are the only parts of an animal and there are differences between them; namely, in their various sorts of stomachs, bellies, and sensoriums: to which we must add their motive powers; the number of the combinations of all these must necessarily make up the different species of animals. For it is not possible that the same kind of animal should have any very great difference in its mouth or ears; so that when all these are collected, who happen to have these things similar in all, they make up a species of animals of which there are as many as there are of these general combinations of necessary parts. The same thing is true of what are called states; for a city is not made of one but many parts, as has already been often said; one of which is those who supply it with provisions, called husbandmen, another called mechanics, whose employment is in the manual arts, without which the city could not be inhabited; of these some are busied about what is absolutely necessary, others in what contribute to the elegancies and pleasures of life; the third sort are your exchange-men, I mean by these your buyers, sellers, merchants, and victuallers; the fourth are your hired labourers or workmen; the fifth are the men-at-arms, a rank not less useful than the other, without you would have the community slaves to every invader; but what cannot defend itself is unworthy of the name of a city; for a city is self-sufficient, a slave not. So that when Socrates, in Plato’s Republic, says that a city is necessarily composed of four sorts of people, he speaks elegantly but not correctly, and these are, according to him, weavers, husbandmen, shoe-makers, and builders; he then adds, as if these were not sufficient, smiths, herdsmen for what cattle are necessary, and also merchants and victuallers, and these are by way of appendix to his first list; as if a city was established for necessity, and not happiness, or as if a shoe-maker and a husbandman were equally useful. He reckons not the military a part before the increase of territory and joining to the borders of the neighbouring powers will make war necessary: and even amongst them who compose his four divisions, or whoever have any connection with each other, it will be necessary to have some one to distribute justice, and determine between man and man. If, then, the mind is a more valuable part of man than the body, every one would wish to have those things more regarded in his city which tend to the advantage of these than common matters, such are war and justice; to which may be added council, which is the business of civil wisdom (nor is it of any consequence whether these different employments are filled by different persons or one, as the same man is oftentimes both a soldier and a husbandman): so that if both the judge and the senator are parts of the city, it necessarily follows that the soldier must be so also. The seventh sort are those who serve the public in expensive employments at their own charge: these are called the rich. The eighth are those who execute the different offices of the state, and without these it could not possibly subsist: it is therefore necessary that there should be some persons capable of governing and filling the places in the city; and this either for life or in rotation: the office of senator, and judge, of which we have already sufficiently treated, are the only ones remaining. If, then, these things are necessary for a state, that it may be happy and just, it follows that the citizens who engage in public affairs should be men of abilities therein. Several persons think, that different employments may be allotted to the same person; as a soldier’s, a husbandman’s, and an artificer’s; as also that others may be both senators and judges. Besides, every one supposes himself a man of political abilities, and that he is qualified for almost every department in the state. But the same person cannot at once be poor and rich: for which reason the most obvious division of the city is into two parts, the poor and rich; moreover, since for the generality the one are few, the other many, they seem of all the parts of a city most contrary to each other; so that as the one or the other prevail they form different states; and these are the democracy and the oligarchy. But that there are many different states, and from what causes they arise, has been already mentioned: and that there are also different species both of democracies and oligarchies we will now show. Though this indeed is evident from what we have already said: there are also many different sorts of common people, and also of those who are called gentlemen. Of the different sorts of the first are husbandmen, artificers, exchange-men, who are employed in buying and selling, seamen, of which some are engaged in war, some in traffic, some in carrying goods and passengers from place to place, others in fishing, and of each of these there are often many, those who let ships on freight at Tenedos; we may add to these those who live by their manual labour and have but little property; so that they cannot live without some employ: and also those who are not free-born on both sides, and whatever other sort of common people birth, their abilities, or their education, or any such-like excellence which is attributed to them. The most pure democracy is that which is so called principally from that equality which prevails in it: for this is what the law in that state directs; that the poor shall be in no greater subjection than the rich; nor that the supreme power shall be lodged with either of these, to be found in a democracy, it must be most so by every department of government being alike open to all; but as the people are the majority, and what they vote is law, it follows that such a state must be a democracy. This, then, is one species thereof. Another is, when the magistrates are elected by a certain census; but this should be but small, and every one who was included in which every citizen who is not infamous has a share in the government, but where the government is in the laws. Another, where every citizen without exception has this right. Another is place when everything is determined by a majority of votes, and not by a law; which happens when the people are influenced by the demagogues: for where a democracy is governed by stated laws there is no room for them, but men of worth fill the first offices in the state: but where the power is not vested in the laws, there demagogues abound: for there the people rule with kingly power: the whole composing one body; for they are supreme, not as individuals but in their collective capacity. Homer also discommends the government of many; but whether he means this we are speaking of, or where each person exercises his power separately, to be altogether absolute, that they may not be under the control of the law, and this is the time when flatterers are held in repute. Nor is there any difference between such a people and over better persons than themselves. For their decrees are like the others’ edicts; their demagogues like the others’ flatterers: but their greatest resemblance consists in the mutual them it is owing that the supreme power is lodged in the votes of the people, and not in the laws; for they bring everything before them, as their influence is owing to their being supreme whose the magistrates insist upon it, that the right of determining on their conduct lies in the people, who gladly receive their complaints as the means of destroying all their offices. Any one, therefore, may with great justice blame such a government as being a democracy, and not a free state; for where the government is not in the laws, then there is no free state, for the law ought to be supreme over all things; and particular incidents which arise should be determined by the magistrates or the state. If, therefore, a democracy is to be reckoned a free state, it is evident that any such establishment which centres all power cannot be general in their extent. Thus, then, we may describe the several species of democracies. CHAPTER 5 Of the different species of oligarchies one is, when the right to the offices is regulated by a certain census; so that the poor, although the of public affairs. Another sort is, when the magistrates are men of very small fortune, who upon any vacancy do themselves fill it up: and if they do this out of the community at large, the state approaches to an aristocracy; if out of any particular class of people, it will be an oligarchy. Another sort of oligarchy is, when the power is an hereditary nobility. The fourth is, when the power is in the same hands as the other, but not under the control of law; and this sort of oligarchy exactly corresponds to a tyranny in monarchies, and to that particular species of democracies which I last mentioned in treating of that state: this has the particular name of a dynasty. These are the different sorts of oligarchies and democracies. It should also be known, that it often happens that a free state, where the supreme power is in the laws, may not be democratic, and yet in consequence of the established manners and customs of the people, may be governed as if it was; so, on the other hand, where the laws may countenance a more democratic form of government, these may make the state inclining to an oligarchy; for the people do not easily change, but love their own ancient customs; and it is by small degrees only that one thing takes place of another; so that the ancient laws will remain, while the power will be in the hands of those who have brought about a revolution in the state. CHAPTER 6 It is evident from what has been said, that there are as many different sorts of democracies and oligarchies as I have reckoned up: for, of necessity, either all ranks of the for when the husbandmen, and those only who possess moderate fortunes, have the supreme power, they will govern according to law; for as they must get their livings by their employs, they have but little leisure for public business: they will therefore establish proper laws, and never call public assemblies but when there is a necessity for them; and they will readily let every one partake with them in the administration of public affairs as soon as they possess that fortune which the law requires for their qualification: every one, therefore, who is qualified will have his share in the government: for to exclude any would be to make the government an oligarchy, and for all to have leisure to attend without they had a subsistence would be impossible: is distinguished by the mode of electing their magistrates, in which every one is eligible, to whose birth there are no objections, provided he is supposed to have leisure to attend: for which reason in such a democracy the supreme power will be vested in the laws, as there will be nothing to a share in the government, which he will not accept for the cause already assigned; for which reason here also the supreme power will be in the law. The fourth species of democracy, the last which was established in order of time, arose when cities were greatly enlarged to what they were at first, and when the public revenue became something considerable; for then the populace, on account of their numbers, were admitted to share in the management of public affairs, for then even they were more so than others, as they were not hindered by having anything of their own to mind, as the rich had; for which reason these last very often did not frequent the public assemblies and the courts of justice: thus the supreme power was lodged in the poor, and not in the laws. These are The first species of oligarchy is, when the generality of the state are men of moderate and not too large property; for this gives them leisure for the management of public affairs: and, as they are a numerous body, it necessarily follows that the supreme power must be in the laws, and not in men; for as they are far removed from a monarchical government, and have not sufficient fortune to neglect their private affairs, while they are too many to be supported by the public, they will of course determine to be governed by the laws, and not by each other. But if the men of property in the state are but few, and their property is large, then an oligarchy of the second sort will take place; for those who have most power will think that they have a right to lord it over the others; and, to accomplish this, they will associate to themselves some who have an inclination for public purpose. And if those few who have large fortunes should acquire still greater power, the oligarchy will then alter into one of the third sort; for they will get all the offices of the state into their own hands by a law which directs the son to succeed upon the death of his father; and, after that, when, by means of their increasing wealth and powerful connections, they extend still further their oppression, a monarchical dynasty will directly succeed wherein men will be supreme, and not the law; and this is the fourth species of an oligarchy correspondent to the last-mentioned There are besides two other states, a democracy and an oligarchy, one of which all speak of, and it is always esteemed a species of the four sorts; and thus they reckon them up; a monarchy, an oligarchy, a democracy, and this fourth which they call an aristocracy. There is also a fifth, which bears a name that is also common to the other four, namely, a state: but as this is seldom to be met with, it has escaped those who have endeavoured to enumerate the different sorts of governments, which they fix at four only, as does Plato in his Republic. An aristocracy, of which I have already treated in the first book, is rightly called so; for a state governed by the best men, upon the most virtuous principles, and not upon any hypothesis, which even good men may propose, has alone a right to be called an aristocracy, for it is there only that a man is at once a good man and a good citizen; while in other states men are good only relative to those states. Moreover, there are some other states which are called by the same name, have a share in the administration; and have therefore acquired the name of aristocracies; for in those governments wherein virtue is not their common care, there are still men of worth and approved goodness. Whatever state, then, like the Carthaginians, favours the rich, the virtuous, and the citizens at large, is a sort of aristocracy: when only the two latter are held in esteem, as at Lacedaemon, and the state is jointly composed of these, it is a virtuous democracy. These are the two species of aristocracies after the first, which is the best of all governments. CHAPTER 8 It now remains for us to treat of that government which is particularly called a free state, and also of a tyranny; and the reason for my choosing although they do not seem excesses, yet, to speak true, they have all departed from what a perfect government is. Nay, they are deviations both of them equally from other forms, as I said at the beginning. It is proper to mention a tyranny the last of all governments, for it is of all others the least like one: but as my intention is to treat of all governments in general, I shall now inquire into a free state and show what it is; and we shall the better understand its positive nature as we have already described an oligarchy and a democracy; for a free state is indeed nothing more than a mixture of them, and it has been usual to call those which incline most to a democracy, a free state; those which incline most to an oligarchy, an aristocracy, because those who are rich are generally men of family and education; besides, they enjoy those things which others are often guilty of crimes to procure: for which reason they are regarded as men of worth and honour and note. Since, then, it is the genius of an aristocracy to allot the larger part of the government to the best citizens, they therefore say, that an oligarchy is chiefly composed of those men who are worthy and honourable: now it seems impossible that where the government is in the hands of the in the hands of the bad, there the laws should be good; nor is a government well constituted because the laws are, without at the same time care is taken that they are observed; for to enforce obedience to the laws which it makes is one proof of a good constitution in the state-another is, to have laws well calculated for those who are to abide by them; for if they are improper they must be obeyed: and this may be done two ways, either by their likely to confer the honours of the state on the virtuous; for virtue is the object of an aristocracy, riches of an oligarchy, and liberty of a democracy; for what is approved of by the majority will prevail in all or in each of these three different states; and that which seems good to most of those who compose the community will prevail: for what is called a state prevails in many communities, which aim at a mixture of rich and poor, riches and liberty: as for the rich, they are usually supposed to take the place of the worthy and honourable. As there are three things which claim an equal rank in the state, freedom, riches, and virtue (for as for the fourth, rank, it is an attendant on two of the others, for virtue and riches are the origin of family), it is evident, that the conjuncture of the rich and the poor make up a free state; but that all three tend to an aristocracy more than any other, except that which is truly so, which holds the first rank. We have already seen that there are governments different from a monarchy, a democracy, and an oligarchy; and what they are, and wherein they differ from each other; and also aristocracies and states properly so called, which are derived from them; and it is evident that these are not much unlike each other. CHAPTER 9 We shall next proceed to show how that government
which is peculiarly called a state arises alongside of democracy and oligarchy, and how it ought to be established; for we must mark out wherein they differ from one another, and then from both these compose a state of such parts of each of them as will show from whence they were taken. There are three different ways in which two states may be blended and joined together; for, in the first place, all those rules may be adopted which the laws of each of them have ordered; as for instance in the judicial department, for in an oligarchy the rich are fined if they do not come to the court as jurymen, but the poor are not paid for their attendance; but in democracies they are, while the rich are not fined for their neglect. Now these things, as being common to both, are fit be joined together. In the second place, a medium may be taken between the different methods which each state observes; for instance, in a democracy the right to vote in the public assembly is either confined by no census at all, or limited by a very small one; in an oligarchy none enjoy it but those whose census is high: therefore, as these two practices are contrary to each other, a census between each may be established in such a state. In the third place, different laws of each community may be adopted; as, for instance, as it seems correspondent to the nature of a democracy, that the magistrates should be chosen by lot, but an aristocracy by vote, and in the one state according to a census, but not in the other: let, then, an aristocracy and a free state copy something from each of them; let them follow an oligarchy in choosing their magistrates by vote, but a democracy in not admitting of any census, and thus blend together the different customs of the two governments. But the best proof of a happy mixture of a democracy and an oligarchy is this, those who speak of it in this manner are induced to it because both these governments are there well blended together: and indeed this is common to all mediums, that the extremes of each side should be discerned therein, as at Lacedaemon; for many affirm that it is a democracy from the many particulars in which it follows that form of government; as for instance, in the first place, and their education is such that the children of the poor may partake of it; and the same rules are observed when they are youths and men, there is no distinction between a rich person and a poor one; and in their public tables the same provision is served to all. The rich also wear only such clothes as the poorest man is able to purchase. Moreover, with respect to two magistracies of the highest rank, one they have a right to elect to, the other to fill; namely, the senate and the ephori. Others consider it as an oligarchy, the principles of which it follows in many things, as in choosing all their officers by vote, and not by lot; in there being but a few who have a right to sit in judgment on capital causes and the like. Indeed, a state which is well composed of two others ought to resemble them both, and neither, Such a state ought to have its means of this to the forbearance of their neighbours, for this may happen to a bad government, but to every member of the community’s not being willing that there should be the least alteration in their constitution. Such is the method in which a free state or aristocracy ought to be established. CHAPTER 10 It now remains to treat of a tyranny; not that there is much to be said on that subject, but as it makes part of our plan, since we enumerated it amongst our different sorts of governments. In the beginning of this work we inquired into the nature of kingly government, and entered into a particular examination of what was most properly called so, and whether it was advantageous to a state or not, and what it should be, and how established; and we divided a tyranny into two pieces when we were upon this subject, because there is something analogous between this and a kingly government, for they are both of them established by law; for among some of the barbarians they elect a monarch with absolute power, and formerly among the Greeks there were some such, whom they called sesumnetes. Now these differ from each other; for some possess only kingly power regulated by law, and rule those who voluntarily submit to their government; others rule despotically according to their own will. There is a third species of tyranny, most properly so called, which is the very opposite to kingly power; for this is the government of one who rules over his equals and superiors without being accountable for his conduct, and whose object is his own advantage, and not the advantage of those he governs; for which reason he rules by compulsion, for no freemen will ever willingly submit to such a government. These are the different species of tyrannies, their principles, and their causes. CHAPTER 11 We proceed now to inquire what form of government and what manner of life is best for communities in general, not adapting it to that superior virtue which is above the reach of the vulgar, or that education which every advantage of nature and fortune only can furnish, nor to those imaginary plans which may be formed at pleasure; but to that mode of life which the greater part of mankind can attain to, and that government which most cities may establish: for as to those aristocracies which we have now mentioned, they are either too perfect for a state to support, or one so nearly alike to that state we now going to inquire into, that we shall treat of them both as one. The opinions which we form upon these subjects must depend upon one common principle: for if what I have said in my treatise on Morals is true, a happy life must arise from an uninterrupted course of virtue; and if virtue consists in a certain medium, the middle life must certainly be the happiest; which medium is attainable by every one. The boundaries of virtue and vice in the state must also necessarily be the same as in a private person; for the form of government is the life of the city. In every city the people are divided into three sorts; the very rich, the very poor, and those who are between them. If this is universally admitted, that the mean is best, it is evident that even in point of fortune mediocrity is to be preferred; for that state is most submissive to reason; for those who are very handsome, or very strong, or very noble, or very rich; or, on the contrary; those who are very poor, or very weak, or very mean, with difficulty obey it; for the one are capricious and greatly flagitious, the other rascally and mean, the crimes of each arising from their different excesses: nor will they go through the different offices of the state; which is detrimental to it: besides, those who excel in strength, in riches, or friends, or the like, neither know how nor are willing to submit to command: and this begins at home when they are boys; for there they are brought up too delicately to be accustomed to obey their preceptors: as for the very poor, their general and excessive want of what the rich enjoy reduces them to a state too mean: so that the one know not how to command, but to be commanded as slaves, the others know not how to submit to any command, nor to command themselves but with despotic power. A city composed of such men must therefore consist of slaves and masters, not freemen; where one party must hate, and the other despise, where there could be no possibility of friendship or political community: for community supposes affection; for we do not even on the road associate with our enemies. It is also the genius of a city to be composed as much as possible of equals; which will be most so when the inhabitants are in the middle state: from whence it follows, that that city must be best framed which is composed of those whom we say are naturally its proper members. It is men of this station also who will be best assured of safety and protection; for they will neither covet what belongs to others, as the poor do; nor will others covet what is theirs, as the poor do what belongs to the rich; and thus, without plotting against any one, or having any one plot against them, they will live free from danger: for which reason Phocylides wisely wishes for the middle state, as being most productive of happiness. It is plain, then, that the most perfect political community must be amongst those who are in the middle rank, and those states are best instituted wherein these are a larger and more respectable part, so that being thrown into the balance it may prevent either scale from preponderating. It is therefore the greatest happiness which the citizens can enjoy to possess a moderate and convenient fortune; for when some possess too much, and others nothing at all, the government must either be in the hands of the meanest rabble or else a pure oligarchy; or, from the excesses of both, a tyranny; for this arises from a headstrong democracy or an oligarchy, but very seldom when the members of the community are nearly on an equality with each other. We will assign a reason for this when we come to treat of the alterations which different states are likely to undergo. The middle state is therefore best, as being least liable to those seditions and insurrections which disturb the community; and for the same reason extensive governments are least liable to these inconveniences; for there those in a middle state are very numerous, whereas in small ones it is easy to pass to the two extremes, so as hardly to have any in a medium remaining, but the one half rich, the other poor: and from the same principle it is that democracies are more firmly established and of longer continuance than oligarchies; but even in those when there is a want of a proper number of men of middling fortune, the poor extend their power too far, abuses arise, and the government is soon at an end. We ought to consider as a proof of what I now advance, that the best lawgivers themselves were those in the middle rank of life, amongst whom was Solon, as is evident from his poems, and Lycurgus, for he was not a king, and Charondas, and indeed most others to oligarchies: for whenever the number of those in the middle state has been too small, those who were the more numerous, whether the rich or the poor, always overpowered them and assumed to themselves the administration of public affairs; from hence arose either a democracy or an oligarchy. Moreover, when in consequence of their disputes and quarrels with each other, free state; but, as the record of their victory, one which inclines to their own principles, and form either a democracy or an oligarchy. Those who made conquests in Greece, having all of them an eye to the respective forms of government in their own cities, what was similar to their own; for which reason a government has never been established where the supreme power has been placed amongst those of the middling rank, or very seldom; and, amongst a few, one man only of those who have yet been conquerors has been persuaded to give the preference to this order of men: it is indeed an established custom with the inhabitants of most cities not to desire an equality, but either to aspire to govern, or when they are conquered, to submit. Thus we have shown what the best state is, and why. It will not be difficult to perceive of the many states which there are, for we have seen that there are various forms both of democracies and oligarchies, to which we should give the first place, to which the second, and in the same manner the next also; and to observe what are the particular excellences and defects of each, after we have first described the best possible; for that must be the best which is nearest to this, that worst which is most distant from the medium, without any one has a particular plan of his own which he judges by. I mean by this, that it may happen, that although one form of government may be better than another, yet there is no reason to prevent another from being preferable thereunto in particular circumstances and for particular purposes. CHAPTER 12 After what has been said, suitable for particular persons; first laying this down as a general maxim, that that party which desires to support the actual administration of the state ought always to be superior to that which would alter it. Every city is made up of quality and quantity: by quality I mean liberty, riches, education, and family, and by quantity its relative populousness: and quantity in another; thus the number of the ignoble may be greater than the number of those shall overbalance the quality of the other; those must be properly adjusted to each other; for where the number of the poor exceeds the proportion we have mentioned, there a democracy will rise up, and if the husbandry should have more power than others, it will be a democracy of husbandmen; to be most numerous: thus, should these be the husbandmen, it will be of these, and the best; if of mechanics and those who hire themselves out, the worst possible: in the same manner it may be than they are deficient in quantity, there an oligarchy ensues; and this oligarchy may be of different species, according to the nature of the prevailing party. Every legislator in framing his constitution ought to have a particular regard to those in the middle rank of life; and if he intends an oligarchy, these should be the object of his laws; if a democracy, or at least one of them, they give stability to the constitution; for there is no fear that choose to serve the other. If any one would choose to fix the administration on the widest basis, he will find none preferable to this; for to rule by turns is what the rich and the poor will not submit to, on account of their hatred to each other. It is, moreover, allowed that an arbitrator is the most proper person for both parties to trust to; now this arbitrator is the middle rank. Those who would establish aristocratical governments are mistaken not only in giving too much power to the rich, but also in deceiving the common people; for at last, instead of an imaginary good, they must feel a real evil, for the encroachments of the rich are more destructive to the state than those of the poor. CHAPTER 13 There are five particulars in which, under fair pretences, the rich craftily endeavour to undermine the rights of the people, these are their public assemblies, their offices of state, their courts of justice, their military power, and their gymnastic exercises. With respect to their public assemblies, in having them open to all, but in fining the rich only, or others very little, this indulgence to those who are within the census; with respect to their courts of justice, in fining the rich for non-attendance, but the poor not at all, or those a great deal, and these very little, as was done by the laws of Charondas. In some places every citizen who was enrolled had a right to attend the public assemblies and to try causes; which if they did not do, a very heavy fine was laid upon them; that through fear of the fine they might avoid being enrolled, as they were then obliged to do neither the one nor the other. The same spirit of legislation prevailed with respect to their bearing arms and their gymnastic exercises; for the poor are excused if they have no arms, but the rich are fined; the same method takes place if they do not attend their gymnastic exercises, there is no penalty on one, but there is on the other: the consequence of which is, that the fear of this penalty induces the rich to keep the one and attend the other, while the poor do neither. These are the deceitful contrivances of oligarchical legislators. The contrary prevails in a democracy; for there they make the poor a proper allowance for attending the assemblies and the courts, but give the rich nothing for doing it: whence it is evident, that if any one would properly blend these customs together, they must extend both the pay and the fine to every member of the community, and then every one would share in it, whereas part only now do. The citizens of a free state ought to consist of those only who bear arms: with respect to their census it is not easy to determine exactly what it ought to be, but the rule that should direct upon this subject should be to make it as extensive as possible, so that those who are enrolled in it make up a greater part of the people than those who are not; for those who are poor, although they partake not of the offices of the state, are willing to live quiet, provided that no one disturbs them in their property: but this is not an easy matter; for it may not always happen, that those who are at the head of public affairs are of a humane behaviour. In time of war the poor are accustomed to show no alacrity without they have provisions found them; when they have, then indeed they are willing to fight. In some governments the power is vested not only in those who bear arms, but also in those who have borne them. Among the Malienses the state was composed of these latter only, for all the officers were soldiers who had served their time. And the first states in Greece which succeeded for at that time the strength and excellence of the army depended on the horse, for as to the heavy-armed foot they were useless without proper discipline; but the art of tactics was not known to the ancients, for which reason their strength lay in their horse: but when cities grew larger, and they depended more on their foot, greater numbers partook of the freedom of the city; for which reason what we call republics were formerly called democracies. The ancient governments were properly oligarchies or kingdoms; for on account of the few persons in each state, it would have been impossible to have found a sufficient number of the middle rank; so these being but few, and those used to subordination, they more easily submitted to be governed. We have now shown why there are many sorts of governments, and others different from those we have treated of: for there are more species of democracies than one, and the like is true of other forms, and what are their differences, and whence they arise; and also of all others which is the best, at least in general; and which is best suited for particular people. CHAPTER 14 We will now proceed to make some general reflections upon the governments next in order, and also to consider each of them in particular; beginning with those principles which appertain to each: now there are three things in all states which a careful legislator ought well to consider, which are of great consequence to all, variation of which the one will differ from the other. The first of these is the public assembly; the second the officers of the state, that is, who they ought to be, and with what power they should be entrusted, and in what manner they should be appointed; the third, the judicial department. Now it is the proper business of the public assembly to determine concerning war and peace, making or breaking off alliances, to enact laws, to sentence to death, banishment, or confiscation powers must necessarily be entrusted to the citizens in general, or all of them to some; either to one magistrate or more; or some to one, and some to another, or some to all, but others There are many methods of delegating these powers to the citizens at large, one of which is to let In others the supreme council is composed of the different magistrates, and they succeed to the offices of the community by proper divisions of tribes, wards, and other very small proportions, till every one in his turn goes through them: nor does the whole community ever meet together, without it is when new laws are enacted, or some national affair is debated, or to hear what the magistrates have to propose to them. Another method is for the people to meet in a collective body, but only for the purpose of holding the comitia, making laws, determining concerning public business is conducted by the magistrates, who have their separate departments, and are chosen out of the whole community either by vote or ballot. Another method is for the people in general to meet for the choice of the magistrates, and to examine into their conduct; and also to deliberate concerning war and alliances, and to leave other things to the magistrates, whoever happen to be chosen, whose particular employments are such as necessarily require persons well skilled therein. A fourth method is for every person to deliberate upon every subject in public assembly, where the magistrates can determine nothing of themselves, and have only the privilege of giving their opinions first; and this is the method of the most pure democracy, which is analogous to the proceedings in a dynastic oligarchy and a tyrannic monarchy. These, then, are the methods in which public business is conducted in a democracy. When the power is in the hands of part of the community only, it is an oligarchy and this also admits of different customs; for whenever the officers of the state are chosen out of those who have a moderate fortune, and these from that circumstance are many, and when they depart not from that line which the law has laid down, but carefully follow it, and when all within the census are eligible, certainly it is then an oligarchy, but founded on true principles of government from its moderation. When the people in general do not partake of the deliberative power, but certain persons chosen for that purpose, who govern according to law; this also, like the first, is an oligarchy. When those who have the deliberative power elect each other, and the son succeeds to the father, and when they can supersede the laws, such a government is of necessity a strict oligarchy. When some persons determine on one thing, and others on another, as war and peace, and when all inquire into the conduct of their magistrates, and other things are left to different officers, elected either by vote or lot, then the government is an aristocracy or a free state. When some are chosen by vote and others by lot, and these either from the people in general, or from a certain number elected for that purpose, or if both the votes and the lots are open to all, such a state is partly an aristocracy, partly a free government itself. These are the different methods in which the deliberative power is vested in different states, all of whom follow some regulation here laid down. It is advantageous to a democracy, in the present sense of the word, by which I mean a state wherein the people at large have a supreme power, even over the laws, to hold frequent public assemblies; and it will be best in this particular to imitate the example of oligarchies in their courts of justice; for they fine those who are appointed to try causes and their counsels will be best when all advise with each other, the citizens with the nobles, the nobles with the citizens. It is also advisable when the council is to be composed of part of the citizens, to elect, either by vote or lot, an equal number of both ranks. It is also proper, if but such a number only as will make them equal to the nobles, or to reject many of them by lot. In an oligarchy they should either call up some of the common people to the council, or else establish a court, as is done in some other states, whom they call pre-advisers or guardians of the laws, whose business should be to propose first what they should afterwards enact. By this means the people would have a place in the administration of public affairs, without having it in their power to occasion any disorder in the government. Moreover, the people may be allowed to have a vote in whatever bill is proposed, but may not themselves propose anything contrary thereto; or they may give their advice, while the power of determining may be with the magistrates only. It is also necessary to follow a contrary practice to what is established in democracies, for the people should be allowed the power of pardoning, but not of condemning, for the cause for the power of pardoning is with the few, but not of condemning, which is always referred to the people at large. And thus we determine concerning the deliberative power in any state, and in whose hands it shall be. CHAPTER 15 We now proceed to consider the choice of magistrates; for this branch of public business contains many different Parts, as how many there shall be, what shall be their particular office, and with respect to time how long each of them shall continue in place; for some make it six months, others shorter, others for a year, others for a much longer time; or whether they should be perpetual or for a long time, or neither; for the same person may fill the same office several times, or he may not be allowed to enjoy it even twice, but only once: and also with respect to the appointment of magistrates, who are to be eligible, who is to choose them, and in what manner; for in all these particulars we ought properly to distinguish the different ways which may be followed; and then to show which of these is best suited to such and such governments. Now it is not easy to determine to whom we ought properly to give the name of magistrate, for a government requires many persons in office; but every one of those who is either chosen by vote or lot is not to be reckoned a magistrate. The priests, for instance, in the first place; for these are to be considered as very different from civil magistrates: to these we may add the choregi and heralds; nay, even ambassadors are elected: there are some civil employments which belong to the citizens; and these are either when they are all engaged in one thing, as when as soldiers they obey their general, or when part of them only are, as in governing the women or educating the youth; and also some economic, for they often elect corn-meters: others are servile, and in which, if they are rich, they employ slaves. But indeed they are most properly called magistrates, who are members of the deliberative council, or decide causes, or are in some command, the last more especially, for to command is peculiar to magistrates. But to speak truth, this question is of no great consequence, nor is it the province of the judges to decide between those who dispute about words; it may indeed be an object of speculative inquiry; but to inquire what officers are necessary in a state, and how many, and what, though not most necessary, may yet be advantageous in a well-established government, is a much more useful employment, and this with respect to all states in general, as well as to small cities. In extensive governments it is proper to allot one employment to one person, as there are many and others never be in office but once; and indeed everything is better done which has the whole is necessary that a few of the citizens should execute many employments; for their numbers are so small it will not be convenient to have many of them in office at the same time; for where shall and the same laws as large ones; but the one will not want to employ them so often as the other; so that different charges may be intrusted to the same person without any inconvenience, for they will not interfere with each other, and for want of sufficient members in the community it will be necessary. If we could tell how many magistrates are necessary in every city, and how many, though not necessary, it is yet proper to have, we could then the better know know what tribunals in different places should have different things under their jurisdiction, for instance, decency of manners, shall the clerk of the market take cognisance of that if the cause arises in the market, and another magistrate in another place, or the same magistrate everywhere: or shall there be a distinction made of the fact, or the parties? as, for instance, in decency of manners, shall it be one cause when it relates to a man, another when it relates to a woman? In different states shall the magistrates be different or the same? I mean, whether in a democracy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, and a monarchy, the same persons shall have the same power? or shall it vary according to the different formation of the government? as in an aristocracy who are rich; in a democracy to the freemen? Or shall the magistrates differ as the communities differ? For it may happen that the very same may be sometimes proper, sometimes otherwise: in this state it may be necessary that the magistrate have great powers, in that but small. There are also certain magistrates peculiar to certain states—as the pre-advisers are not proper in a democracy, but a senate is; for one such order is necessary, whose business shall be to consider beforehand and prepare those bills which shall be brought before the people that they may have leisure to attend to their own affairs; and when these are few in number the state inclines to an oligarchy. there are both these offices in the same state, the pre-adviser’s is superior to the senator’s, the one having only a democratical power, the other an oligarchical: and indeed the power of the senate is lost in those democracies, in which the people, meeting in one public assembly, take all the business into their own hands; and this is likely to happen either when the community in general are in easy circumstances, or when they are paid for their attendance; for they are then at leisure often to meet together and determine everything for themselves. A magistrate whose this, is to be found in an aristocracy, not in a democracy; for who can forbid the wives of the poor from appearing in public? neither is such a one to be met with in an oligarchy; for the women there are too delicate to bear control. And thus much for this subject. Let us endeavour to treat differ from each other in three ways, from which, blended together, all the varieties which can be imagined arise. The first of these differences is in those who appoint the magistrates, the second consists in those who are appointed, the third in the mode of appointment; and each of these three differ in three manners; for either all the citizens may appoint collectively, or some out of their whole body, or some out of a particular order in it, according to fortune, amongst those who had returned together to their country, and had reinstated themselves by force of arms) and this either by vote or lot. Again, these several modes may be differently formed together, as some magistrates may be chosen by part of the community, others by the whole; some out of part, others out of the whole; some by vote, others by lot: and each of these different modes admit of a four-fold subdivision; for either all may elect all by vote or by lot; and when all elect, they may either proceed without any distinction, or they may elect by a certain division of tribes, wards, or companies, till they have gone through the whole community: and some magistrates may be elected one way, and others another. Again, if some magistrates are elected either by vote or lot of all the citizens, or by the vote of some and the lot of some, or some one way and some another; that is to say, some by the vote of all, others by the lot of all, there will then be twelve are two adapted to a democracy; namely, to have all the magistrates chosen out of all the people, either by vote or lot, or both; that is to say, some of them by lot, some by vote. In a free state the whole community should not elect at the same time, but some out of the whole, or out of some particular rank; and this either by lot, or vote, or both: and they should elect either out of the whole community, or out of some particular persons in it, and this both by lot and vote. In an oligarchy it is proper to choose some magistrates out of the whole body of the citizens, In a free aristocracy, some magistrates should be chosen out of the community in general, others out of a particular rank, or these by choice, those by lot. In a pure oligarchy, the magistrates should be chosen out of certain ranks, and by certain persons, and some of those by lot, others by both methods; but to choose them out of the whole community is not correspondent to the nature of this government. It is proper in an aristocracy for the whole community to elect their magistrates out of particular persons, and this by vote. These then are all the different ways of electing of magistrates; and they have been allotted according to the nature of the different communities; but what mode of proceeding is proper for different communities, or how the offices ought to be established, or with what powers shall be particularly explained. I mean by the powers the laws of the state; for different magistrates have different powers, as that of the general of the army differs from the clerk of the market. CHAPTER 16 this also we shall divide in the same manner as we did the magisterial, into three parts. Of whom the judges shall consist, and for what causes, and how. When I say of whom, I mean whether they courts shall be appointed; by how, whether they shall be elected by vote or lot. Let us first determine how many different courts there ought to be. Now these are eight. The first of these is the court of inspection over the behaviour of the magistrates when they have quitted their office; the second is to punish those who have injured the public; the third is to take cognisance of those causes in which the state is a party; the fourth is to decide between magistrates and private persons, who appeal from a fine laid upon them; the fifth is to determine disputes which may arise concerning contracts of great value; the sixth is to judge between foreigners, and of murders, of which there are different species; and these may all be tried by the same judges or by different ones; for there are murders of malice prepense and of chance-medley; there is also justifiable homicide, where the fact is admitted, and the legality of it disputed. There is also another court called at Athens the Court of Phreattae, which determines points relating to a murder committed by one who has run away, to decide whether he shall return; though such an affair happens but seldom, and in very large cities; the seventh, to determine causes wherein strangers are concerned, and this whether they are between stranger and stranger or between a stranger and a citizen. The eighth and last is for small actions, from one to five drachma’s, or a little more; for these ought also to be legally determined, but not to be brought before the whole body of the judges. But without entering into any particulars concerning actions which have the jurisdiction of those matters which more particularly relate to the affairs of the community and which if not well conducted occasion seditions and commotions in the state. Now, of necessity, either all persons must have a right to judge of all these different causes, appointed for that purpose, either by vote or lot, or all of all, some of them by vote, and others by lot, or in some causes by vote, in others by lot. Thus there will be four sorts of judges. There will be just the same number also if they are chosen out of part of the people only; for either all the judges must be chosen out of that part either by vote or lot, or some by lot and some by vote, or the judges in particular causes must be chosen some by vote, others by lot; by which means there will be the same number of them also as was mentioned. Besides, different judges may be joined together; I mean those who are chosen out of the whole people or part of them or both; so that all three may sit together in the same court, and this either by vote, lot, or both. And thus much for the different sorts of judges. Of these appointments that which admits all the community to be judges in all causes is most suitable to a democracy; the second, which appoints that certain persons shall judge all causes, to an oligarchy; the third, which appoints the whole community to be judges in some causes, but particular persons in others, to an aristocracy or free state. BOOK 5 CHAPTER 1 We have now gone through those particulars we proposed to speak of; it remains that we next consider from what causes and how alterations in government arise, and of what nature they are, and to what the destruction of each state is owing; and also to what form any form of polity is most likely to shift into, and what are the means to be used for the general preservation of governments, as well as what are applicable to any particular state; and also of the remedies which are to be applied either to all in general, or to any one considered separately, when they are in a state of corruption: and here we ought first to lay down this principle, that there are many governments, all of which approve of what is just and what is analogically equal; and yet have failed from attaining thereunto, as we have already mentioned; thus democracies have arisen from supposing that those who are equal in one thing are so in every other circumstance; as, because they are equal in liberty, they are equal in everything else; and oligarchies, from supposing that those who are unequal in one thing are unequal in all; that when men are so in point of fortune, that inequality extends to everything else. Hence it follows, that those who in some respects are equal with others think it right to endeavour to partake of an equality with them in everything; and those who are superior to others endeavour to get still more; and it is this are almost totally wrong; and, upon this account, when either party has not that share in the administration which answers to his expectations, he becomes seditious: but those who of all others have the greatest right to be so are the last that are; namely, those who excel in virtue; for they alone can be called generally superior. There are, too, some persons of distinguished families who, because they are so, disdain to be on an equality with others, for those esteem themselves noble who boast of their ancestors’ merit and fortune: these, to speak truth, are the origin and fountain from whence seditions arise. The alterations which men may propose to make in governments are two; for either they may change the state already established into some other, as when they propose to erect an oligarchy where there is a democracy; or a democracy, or free state, where there is an oligarchy, or an aristocracy from these, or those from that; or else, when they have no objection to the established government, which they like very well, but choose to have the sole management in it themselves; either in the hands of a few or one only. They will also raise commotions concerning the degree in which they would have the established power; as if, for instance, the government is an oligarchy, to have it more purely so, and in the same manner if it is a democracy, or else to have it less so; and, in like manner, whatever may be the nature of the government, either to extend or contract its powers; or else to make some alterations in some parts of it; as to establish or abolish a particular magistracy, as some persons say Lysander endeavoured to abolish the kingly power in Sparta; and Pausanias that of the ephori. Thus in Epidamnus there was an alteration in one part of the constitution, for instead of the philarchi they established a senate. It is also necessary for all the magistrates at Athens; to attend in the court of the Helisea when any new magistrate is created: the power of the archon also in that state partakes of the nature of an oligarchy: inequality is always the occasion of sedition, inequality. Thus kingly power is unequal when exercised over equals. Upon the whole, those who Equality in number is when two things contain the same parts or the same quantity; equality in value exceeds two, and two one in the same degree, for two is the same part of four that one is of two; already said they dispute concerning proportionate value; for some persons, if they are equal in one respect, think themselves equal in all; others, if they are superior in one thing, think they may claim the superiority in all; from whence chiefly arise two sorts of governments, a democracy and an oligarchy; for nobility and virtue are to be found only amongst a few; the contrary amongst the many; But to establish a government entirely upon either of these equalities is wrong, and this the example of those so established makes evident, for none of them have been stable; and for this reason, that it is impossible that whatever is wrong at the first and in its principles should not at last meet with a bad end: for which reason in some things an equality of numbers ought to take place, in others an equality in value. However, a democracy is safer and less liable to sedition than an oligarchy; for in this latter it may arise from two causes, for either the few in power may conspire against each other or against the people; but in a democracy only one; namely, against the few who aim at exclusive power; but there is no instance worth speaking of, of a sedition of the people against themselves. Moreover, a government composed of men of moderate fortunes comes much nearer to a democracy than an oligarchy, and is the safest of all such states. CHAPTER 2 Since we are inquiring into the causes of seditions and revolutions in governments, we must begin entirely with the first principles from whence they arise. Now these, so to speak, are nearly three in number; which we must first distinguish in general from each other, and endeavour to show in what situation people are who begin a sedition; and for what causes; and thirdly, what are the beginnings of political troubles and mutual quarrels with each other. Now that cause which of all others most universally inclines men to desire to bring about a change in government is that which I have already mentioned; for those who aim at equality will be ever ready for sedition, if they see those whom they esteem their equals possess more than they do, as well as those also who are not content with equality but aim at superiority, if they think that while they deserve more than, they have only equal with, or less than, their inferiors. Now, what they aim at may be either just or unjust; just, when those who are inferior are seditious, that they may be equal; in which men will be seditious: the causes for which they will be so are profit and honour; and their contrary: for, to avoid dishonour or loss of fortune by mulcts, either on their own account or their friends, they will raise a commotion in the state. The original causes which dispose men to the things which I have mentioned are, taken in one manner, seven in number, in another they are more; two of which are the same with those that have been already mentioned: not to get the possession of them for themselves (which was what I just now supposed), but when they see others, some justly, others unjustly, engrossing them. The other causes are haughtiness, fear, eminence, contempt, disproportionate increase in some part of the state. There are also other things which in a different manner will occasion revolutions in governments; as election intrigues, neglect, want of numbers, a too great dissimilarity of circumstances. CHAPTER 3 What influence ill-treatment and profit have for this purpose, and how they may be the causes of sedition, is almost self-evident; them, they not only occasion seditions amongst each other, but against the state also who gave them their power; and this their avarice has two objects, either private property or the property of the state. What influence honours have, and how they may occasion sedition, is evident enough; for those who are themselves unhonoured while they see others honoured, will be ready for any disturbance: and these things are done unjustly when any one is either honoured or discarded contrary to their deserts, justly when they are according to them. Excessive honours are also a cause of sedition when one person or more are greater than the state and the power of the government can permit; for then a monarchy or a dynasty is usually established: on which account the ostracism was introduced in some places, as at Argos and Athens: though it is better to guard against such excesses in the founding of a state, than when they have been permitted to take place, to correct them afterward. Those who have been guilty of crimes will be the cause of sedition, through fear of punishment; as will those also who expect an injury, that they may prevent it; as was the case at Rhodes, when the nobles conspired against the people on account of the decrees they expected would pass against them. Contempt also is a cause of sedition and conspiracies; as in oligarchies, where there are many who have no share in the administration. The rich also even in democracies, despising the disorder and anarchy which will arise, hope to better themselves by the same means which happened at Thebes after the battle of Oenophyta, where, in consequence of bad administration, the democracy was destroyed; as it was at Megara, where the power of the people was lost through anarchy and disorder; the same thing happened at Syracuse before the tyranny of Gelon; and at Rhodes there was the same sedition before the popular government was overthrown. Revolutions in state will also arise from a disproportionate increase; for as the body consists of many parts, as if the foot was to be four cubits long, and the rest of the body but two palms; not only in quantity, but also in disposition of parts; so also a city consists of parts, some of which may often increase without notice, as the number of poor in democracies and free states. They will also sometimes happen by accident, as at Tarentum, a little after the Median war, where so many of the nobles were killed in a battle by the lapygi, that from a free state the government the Spartan, that they were obliged to admit several husbandmen to the freedom of the state: and at Athens, through the unfortunate event of the infantry battles, the number of the nobles was reduced by the soldiers being chosen from the list of citizens in the Lacedaemonian wars. rich grow numerous or properties increase, they become oligarchies or dynasties. Governments also sometimes alter without seditions by a combination of the meaner people; as at Hersea: for which purpose they changed the mode of election from votes to lots, and thus got themselves chosen: and by negligence, as when the citizens admit those who are not friends to the constitution into the chief offices of the state, which happened at Orus, when the oligarchy of the archons was put an end to at the election of Heracleodorus, who changed that form of government into a democratic free state. By little and little, I mean by this, that very often great alterations silently take place in the form of government from people’s overlooking small matters; as at Ambracia, where the census was originally small, but at last became nothing at all, as if a little and nothing at all were nearly or entirely alike. That state also is liable to seditions which is composed of as a city cannot be composed of every multitude, so neither can it in every given time; for which or afterwards admitted their neighbours to the freedom of their city, have been most liable to revolutions; as when the Achaeans joined with the Traezenians in founding Sybaris; for soon after, growing more powerful than the Traezenians, they expelled them from the city; from whence came the proverb of Sybarite wickedness: and again, disputes from a like cause happened at Thurium between the Sybarites and those who had joined with them in building the city; for they assuming upon these, on account of the country being their own, were driven out. And at Byzantium the new citizens, being detected in plots against the state, were driven out of the city by force of arms. The Antisseans also, having taken in those who were banished from Chios, afterwards did the same thing; and also the Zancleans, after having taken in the people of Samos. their city, were troubled with seditions: and the Syracusians, after the expulsion of their tyrants, having enrolled strangers and mercenaries amongst their citizens, quarrelled with each other and came to an open rupture: and the people of Amphipolis, having taken in a colony of Chalcidians, were the greater part of them driven out of the city by them. Many persons occasion of the state with their equals, as I have already mentioned; but in democracies the principal people do the same because they have not more than an equal share with others who are not equal the ground is not well adapted for one city; as at Clazomene, where the people who lived in that part of the town called Chytrum quarrelled with them who lived in the island, and the Colophonians with the Notians. At Athens too the disposition of the citizens is not the same, for those who live in the Piraeus are more attached to a popular government than those who live in the city properly so called; for as the interposition of a rivulet, however small, will occasion the line but they will not so soon flow from anything else as from the disagreement between virtue and vice, and next to that between poverty and riches, and so on in order, one cause having more influence than another; one of which that I last mentioned. CHAPTER 4 But seditions in government do not arise for little things, but from them; for their immediate cause is something of moment. Now, trifling quarrels are attended with the as was the case with the Syracusians in a remote period; for a revolution in the government was brought about by a quarrel between two young men who were in office, upon a love affair; for one of them being absent, the other seduced his mistress; he in his turn, offended with this, persuaded his friend’s wife to come and live with him; and upon this the whole city took part either with the one or the other, and the government was overturned: therefore every one at the beginning of such disputes ought to take care to avoid the consequences; and to smother up all quarrels which may happen to arise amongst those in power, for the mischief lies in the beginning; fault will be found afterwards to bear its full proportion to what follows. Moreover, disputes between men of note involve the whole city in their consequences; in Hestiaea, after the Median war: two brothers having a dispute about their paternal estate; he who was the poorer, from the popular party on his side, while the other, who was rich, the men of fashion. And at Delphos, a quarrel about a wedding was the beginning of all the seditions that afterwards arose amongst them; for the bridegroom, being terrified by some unlucky omen upon waiting upon the bride, went away without marrying her; which her relations resenting, contrived secretly to convey some sacred money into his pocket while he was sacrificing, and then killed him as an impious person. At Mitylene also, a dispute, which arose concerning a right of heritage, was the beginning a man of fortune, leaving two daughters, Doxander, who was circumvented in procuring them in marriage for his two sons, began a sedition, and excited the Athenians to attack them, being the host of that state. There was also a dispute at Phocea, concerning a right of inheritance, between Mnasis, the father of Mnasis, and Euthucrates, the father of Onomarchus, which brought on the Phoceans the marriage; for a certain man having contracted his daughter in marriage, the father of the young person to whom she was contracted, being archon, punishes him, upon which account he, resenting the affront, associated himself with those who were excluded from any share in the government, and brought about a revolution. A government may be changed either into an oligarchy, democracy, or a free state; when the magistrates, or any part of the city acquire great credit, or are increased in power, as the court of Areopagus at Athens, having procured great credit during the Median war, added firmness to their administration; and, on the other hand, the maritime force, composed of the commonalty, having gained the victory at Salamis, by their power at sea, got the lead in the state, and strengthened the popular party: and at Argos, the nobles, having gained democracy. And at Syracuse, the victory in their war with the Athenians being owing to the common people, they changed their free state into a democracy: and at Chalcis, the people having taken off the tyrant Phocis, together with the nobles, immediately seized the government: and at Ambracia also the people, having expelled the tyrant Periander, with his party, placed the supreme power in themselves. And this in general ought to be known, that whosoever has been the occasion of part of the citizens, or the multitude, be they who they will, will be the cause of disputes in the state. For either some persons, who envy them the honours they have acquired, will begin to be seditious, or they, on account of the dignity they have acquired, will not be content with their former equality. A state is also liable to commotions when those parts of it which seem to be opposite to each other approach to an equality, as the rich and the common people; so that the part which is between them both is either nothing at all, or too little to be noticed; for if one party is so much more powerful than the other, as to be evidently stronger, that other will not be willing to hazard the danger: for which reason those who are superior in excellence and virtue will never be the cause of seditions; for they will be too few for that purpose when compared to the many. In general, the beginning and the causes of seditions in all states are such as I have now described, and revolutions therein are brought about in two ways, either by violence or fraud: if by violence, either at first by compelling them to submit to the change when it is made. It may also be brought about by fraud in two different ways, either when the people, being at first deceived, willingly consent to an alteration in their government, and are afterwards obliged by force to abide by it: as, for instance, when the four hundred imposed upon the people by telling them that the king of Persia would supply them with money for the war against the Lacedaemonians; and after they had been guilty of this falsity, they endeavoured to keep possession of the supreme power; or when they are at first persuaded and afterwards consent to be governed: and by one of these methods which I have mentioned are all revolutions in governments brought about. CHAPTER 5 We ought now to inquire into those events which will arise from these causes in every species of government. Democracies will be most subject to revolutions from the dishonesty of their demagogues; for partly, common fear will make the greatest enemies unite; and partly by setting the common people against them: and this is what any one may continually see practised in many states. In the island of Cos, for instance, the democracy was subverted by the wickedness of the demagogues, for the nobles prevented the people from paying the trierarchs what was owing to them, who were obliged by the number of actions they were harassed with to conspire together and destroy the popular state. The same thing was brought about at Heraclea, soon after the settlement of the city, by the same persons; for the citizens of note, being ill treated by them, quitted the city, but afterwards joining together they returned and overthrew the popular state. Just in the same manner the democracy was destroyed in Megara; for there the demagogues, to procure money by confiscations, got the better of the people in a battle, and established an oligarchy. The like happened at Cume, during the time of the democracy, which Thrasymachus destroyed; and whoever considers what has happened in other states may perceive the same revolutions to have arisen from the same causes. The demagogues, to curry favour with the people, drive the nobles to conspire together, either by dividing their estates, or obliging them to spend them on public services, or by banishing them, that they may confiscate the fortunes of the wealthy. In former times, when the same person was both demagogue and general, the democracies were changed into tyrannies; and indeed most of the ancient tyrannies arose from those states: a reason for which then subsisted, but not now; for at that time the demagogues were of the soldiery; for they were not then powerful by their eloquence; but, now the art of oratory is cultivated, the able speakers are at present the demagogues; but, as they are unqualified to act in a military capacity, they cannot impose themselves on the people as tyrants, if we except in one or two trifling instances. Formerly, too, tyrannies were more common than now, on account of the very extensive powers with which some magistrates were entrusted: as the prytanes at Miletus; for they were supreme in many things of the last consequence; and also because at that time the cities were not of that very great extent, the people in general living in the country, and being employed in husbandry, which gave them, who took the lead in public affairs, an opportunity, if they had a turn for war, to make themselves tyrants; which they all did when they had gained the confidence of the people; and this confidence was their hatred to the rich. This was the case of Pisistratus at Athens, when he opposed the Pediaci: and of Theagenes in Megara, who slaughtered the cattle belonging to the rich, after he had seized those who kept them by the riverside. Dionysius also, for accusing Daphnseus and the rich, was thought worthy of being raised to a tyranny, from the confidence which the people had of his being a popular man in consequence of these enmities. A government shall also alter from its ancient and approved democratic form into one entirely new, if there is no census to regulate the election of magistrates; for, as the election is with the people, the demagogues who are desirous of being in office, to flatter them, entirely, or at least in a great measure, the magistrates should be elected by the tribes, and not by the people at large. These are nearly the revolutions to which democracies are liable, and also the causes from whence they arise. CHAPTER 6 There are two things which of all others most evidently occasion a revolution in an oligarchy; one is, when the people are ill used, for then every individual is ripe for sedition; more particularly if one of the oligarchy should happen to be their leader; as Lygdamis, at Naxus, who was afterwards tyrant of that island. Seditions also which arise from different causes will differ from each other; for sometimes a revolution is brought about by the rich who have Massilia, Ister, Heraclea, and other cities; for those who had no share in the government ceased not to raise disputes till they were admitted to it: first the elder brothers, and then the in others the elder and younger brother: and where this is observed the oligarchy partakes something hands of a few, it consisted of six hundred. At Cnidus the oligarchy was destroyed by the nobles quarrelling with each other, because the government was in the hands of so few: for there, brothers, the eldest only; for the people, taking advantage of their disputes, elected one of the nobles for their general, and got the victory: for where there are seditions government is weak. And under their excellent management, yet because the people were displeased that the power should be in the hands of so few, they changed the government. Oligarchies also are subject to revolutions, from those who are in office therein, from the quarrels of the demagogues with each other. The demagogues are of two sorts; one who flatter the few when they are in power: for even these have their demagogues; such was Charicles at Athens, who had great influence over the thirty; and, in the same manner, Phrynichus over the four hundred. The others are those demagogues who have a share in the oligarchy, and flatter the people: such were the state-guardians at Larissa, who flattered the people because they were elected by them. And this will always happen men either of great fortune or certain ranks, by the soldiers or by the people; as was the custom at Abydos. And when the judicial department is not in the hands of the supreme power, the demagogues, favouring the people in their causes, overturn the government; which happened at Heraclea in Pontus: and also when some desire to contract the power of the oligarchy into fewer hands; for those who endeavour to support an equality are obliged to apply to the people for assistance. An oligarchy is also subject to revolutions when the nobility spend their fortunes by luxury; for such persons are desirous of innovations, and either endeavour to be tyrants themselves or to support others in being so, as Hypparinus supported Dionysius of Syracuse. And at Amphipolis one Cleotimus collected a colony of Chalcidians, and when they came set them to quarrel with the rich: and at the government. Sometimes they will try to raise commotions, sometimes they will rob the public, and then quarrel with each other, or else fight with those who endeavour to detect them; which was the case at Apollonia in Pontus. But if the members of an oligarchy agree among themselves the state is not very easily destroyed without some external
force. Pharsalus is a proof of this, where, though the place is small, yet the citizens have great power, from the prudent use they make of it. An oligarchy also will be destroyed when they create another oligarchy under it; that is, when the management of public affairs is in the hands of a few, and not equally, but when all of them do not partake of the supreme power, as happened once at Elis, where the supreme of ninety, who held their places for life; and their mode of election was calculated to preserve the power amongst each other’s families, like the senators at Lacedaemon. An oligarchy is liable to a revolution both in time of war and peace; in war, because through a distrust in the citizens the government is obliged to employ mercenary troops, and he to whom they give the command of more than one general, they will very probably establish a dynasty: and sometimes, through fear of this, they are forced to let the people in general have some share in the government, because they are obliged to employ them. In peace, from their want of confidence in each other, they will entrust the guardianship of the state to mercenaries and their general, who will be an arbiter between them, and sometimes become master of both, which happened at Larissa, when Simos and the Aleuadae had the chief power. The same thing happened at Abydos, during the time of the political clubs, of which Iphiades’ was one. Commotions also will happen in an oligarchy from one party’s overbearing and insulting another, or from their quarrelling about their law-suits or marriages. How their marriages, for instance, will have that effect has been already shown: and in Eretria, Diagoras destroyed the oligarchy of the knights upon the same account. A sedition also arose at Heraclea, from a certain person being condemned by the court; and at Thebes, in consequence of a man’s being guilty of adultery; the punishment indeed which Eurytion suffered at Heraclea was just, yet it was illegally executed: as was that at Thebes upon Archias; for their enemies endeavoured to have them publicly bound in the pillory. Many revolutions also have been brought about in oligarchies by those who could not brook the despotism which those persons assumed who were in power, as at Cnidus and Chios. Changes also may happen by accident in what we call a free state and in an oligarchy; wheresoever the senators, judges, and magistrates are chosen according to a certain census; for it often happens that the highest census is fixed at first; so that a few only could have a share in the government, in an oligarchy, or in a free state those of moderate fortunes only; one’s fortune is equal to the census, so that the whole community may partake of all the honours of government; and this change sometimes happens by little and little, and insensible approaches, sometimes quicker. These are the revolutions and seditions that arise in oligarchies, not into governments of a contrary form, but into those of the same government; as, for instance, from having the supreme power in the law to vest it in the ruling party, or the contrariwise. from there being so few persons in power (as we have already observed they do in oligarchies, for in this particular an aristocracy is most near an oligarchy, for in both these states the administration of public affairs is in the hands of a few; not that this arises from the same cause in both, though herein they chiefly seem alike): and these will necessarily be most likely to happen when the generality of the people are high-spirited and think themselves equal to each other in merit; such were those at Lacedasmon, called the Partheniae (for these were, as well as others, descendants of citizens), who being detected in a conspiracy against the state, were sent to found Tarentum. They will happen also when some great men are disgraced by those who have received higher honours than themselves, to whom they are no ways inferior in abilities, as Lysander by the kings: or when an ambitious man cannot get into power, as Cinadon, who, in the reign of Agesilaus, was chief in a conspiracy against the Spartans: and also when some are too poor and others too rich, which will most frequently happen in time of war; as at Lacedaemon during the Messenian war, which is proved by a poem of Tyrtaeus, called “Eunomia;” for some persons being reduced thereby, desired that the lands might be divided: and also when some person of very high rank might still be higher if he could rule alone, which seemed to be Pausanias’s intention at Lacedaemon, when he was their general in the Median war, and Anno’s at Carthage. But free states and aristocracies are mostly destroyed from want of a fixed administration of public affairs; the cause of which evil arises at first from want of a due mixture of the democratic and the oligarchic parts in a free state; and in an aristocracy from the same causes, and also from virtue not being properly joined to power; but chiefly from the two first, I mean the undue mixture of the democratic and oligarchic parts; for these two are what all free states endeavour to blend together, and many of those which we call aristocracies, in this particular these states differ from each other, and on this account the one of them is less stable than the other, for that state which inclines most to an oligarchy is called an aristocracy, and that which inclines most to a democracy is called a free state; on which account this latter is more secure than the former, for the wider the foundation the securer the building, and it is ever best to live where equality prevails. But the rich, if the community gives them rank, very often endeavour to insult and tyrannise over others. On the whole, whichever way a government inclines, in that it will settle, each party supporting their own. Thus a free state will become a democracy; an aristocracy if they think themselves injured, directly take part with the contrary side) and a free state into an oligarchy. The only firm state is that where every one enjoys that equality he has a right to and fully possesses what is his own. And what I have been speaking of happened to the Thurians; for the magistrates being elected according to a very high census, it was altered to a lower, and they were subdivided into more courts, but in consequence of the nobles possessing all the land, contrary to law; the state was too much of an oligarchy, which gave them an opportunity of encroaching greatly on the rest of the people; but these, after they had been well inured to war, so far got the better of their guards as to expel every one out of the country who possessed more than he ought. Moreover, as all aristocracies are free oligarchies, the nobles therein endeavour to have rather too much power, as at Lacedaemon, where property is now in the hands of a few, and the nobles have too much liberty to do as they please and make such alliances as they neither a democracy nor well-tempered aristocracy. But an aristocracy chiefly approaches to a secret change by its being destroyed by degrees, as we have already said of all governments in general; and this happens from the cause of the alteration being trifling; for whenever anything which in the least regards the state is treated with contempt, after that something else, and this of a little more consequence, will be more easily altered, until the whole fabric of government is entirely subverted, which happened in the government of Thurium; for the law being that they should continue soldiers for five years, some young men of a martial disposition, who were in great esteem amongst their officers, despising those who had the management of public affairs, and imagining they could easily accomplish their intention, first endeavoured to abolish this law, with a view of having it lawful to continue the same person perpetually in the military, perceiving that the people would readily appoint them. Upon this, the magistrates who are called counselors first joined together with an intention to oppose it but were afterwards induced to agree to it, from a belief that if that law was not repealed they would permit the management of all other public affairs to remain in their hands; but afterwards, when they endeavoured to restrain some of government was altered into a dynasty of those who first introduced the innovations. In short, all governments are liable to be destroyed either from within or from without; from without when they have for their neighbour a state whose policy is contrary to theirs, and indeed if it has great power the same thing will happen if it is not their neighbour; of which both the Athenians and the other the democracies. These are the chief causes of revolutions and dissensions We are now to consider upon what the preservation of governments in general and of each state in particular depends; and, in the first place, it is evident that if we are right in the causes for things contrary produce contraries: but destruction and preservation are contrary to each done contrary to law: and this ought chiefly to be attended to in matters of small consequence; for an illegality that approaches insensibly, approaches secretly, as in a family small expenses continually repeated consume a man’s income; for the understanding is deceived thereby, as by this in another is false, for the whole and all the parts together are large, though made up of small parts. The first therefore of anything is what the state ought to guard against. In the next place, no credit ought to be given to those who endeavour to deceive the people with false pretences; for they will be confuted by facts. The different ways in which they will attempt to do this have been already mentioned. You may often perceive both aristocracies and oligarchies continuing firm, not from the stability of their forms of government, but from the wise conduct of the magistrates, both towards those who have a part in the management of public affairs, and those also who have not: towards those who have not, by never injuring them; and also introducing those who are or encroaching on the property of individuals; towards those who have, by behaving to each other upon an equality; for that equality which the favourers of a democracy desire to have established in the state is not only just, but convenient also, amongst those who are of the same rank: for which reason, if the administration is in the hands of many, those rules which are established in democracies will be very useful; as to let no one continue in office longer than six months: that all those who are of the same rank may have their turn; for between these there is a sort of democracy: for which reason demagogues are most likely to arise up amongst them, as we have already mentioned: besides, by this means both aristocracies and democracies will be the less liable to be corrupted into dynasties, because it will not be so easy for those who are magistrates for a little to do as much mischief as they could in a long time: for it is from hence that tyrannies arise in democracies and oligarchies; for either those who are most powerful in each chief magistrates who have been long in power. Governments are sometimes preserved not only by having the means of their corruption at a great distance, but also by its being very near them; for those who are alarmed at some impending evil keep a stricter hand over the state; for which reason it is necessary for those who have the guardianship of the constitution to be able to awaken the fears of the people, that they may preserve it, and not like a night-guard to be remiss in protecting the state, but to make the distant danger appear at hand. Great care ought also to be used to endeavour to restrain the quarrels and disputes of the nobles by laws, for to perceive an evil at its very first approach is not the lot of every one, but of the politician. To prevent any alteration taking place in an oligarchy or free state on account of the census, if that happens to continue the same while the quantity of money is increased, it will be useful to take a general account of the whole amount of it in former times, to compare it with the present, and to do this every year in those cities where the census is yearly, in larger communities once in three or five years; and if the whole should be found much larger or much less than it was at the time when the census was first established in the state, let there be a law either to extend or contract it, doing both these according to its increase or decrease; if it increases making the census larger, if it decreases smaller: and if this latter is not done in oligarchies and free states, you will have a dynasty arise in the one, an oligarchy in the other: if the former is not, free states will be changed into democracies, and oligarchies into free states or democracies. It is a general maxim in democracies, oligarchies, monarchies, and indeed in all governments, not to let any one acquire a rank far superior to the rest of the community, but rather to endeavour to confer moderate honours for a continuance than great ones for a short time; for these latter spoil men, for it is not every one who can bear be all at once taken away, but rather by degrees. But, above all things, let this regulation be made by the law, that no one shall have too much power, either by means of his fortune or friends; but if he has, for his excess therein, let it be contrived that he shall quit the country. Now, as many persons promote innovations, that they may enjoy their own particular manner of living, there ought to be a particular officer to inspect the manners of every one, and see that these are not contrary to the genius of the state in which he lives, whether it may be an oligarchy, a democracy, or any other form of government; and, for the same reason, those should be guarded against who are most prosperous in the city: the means of doing which is by appointing those who are otherwise to the business and the offices of the state. I mean, to oppose men of account to the common people, the poor to the rich, and to blend both these into one body, and to increase the numbers of those who are in the middle rank; and this will prevent necessary, both by the laws and every other method possible, to prevent those who are employed by the public from being venal, and this particularly in an oligarchy; for then the people will not be so much displeased from seeing themselves excluded from a share in the government (nay, they will rather be glad to have leisure to attend their private affairs) as at suspecting that the officers of the state steal the public money, then indeed they are afflicted with double concern, both because they are deprived of the honours of the state, and pillaged by those who enjoy them. There is one method of blending together a democracy and an aristocracy, if office brought no profit; by which means both the rich and the poor will enjoy what they desire; for to admit all to a share in the government is democratical; that the rich should be in office is aristocratical. This must be done by letting no public employment whatsoever be attended with any emolument; for the poor will not desire to be in office when they can get nothing by it, but had rather attend to their own affairs: but the rich will choose it, as they want nothing of the community. Thus the poor will increase their fortunes by being wholly employed in their own concerns; and the principal part of the people will not be governed by the lower sort. To prevent the exchequer from being defrauded, let all public money be delivered out openly in the face of the whole city, and let copies of the accounts be deposited in the different wards tribes, and divisions. But, as the magistrates are to execute their offices without any advantages, the law ought to provide proper honours for those who execute them well. In democracies also it is necessary that the rich should be protected, by not permitting their lands to be divided, better if the people would prevent them when they offer to exhibit a number of unnecessary and yet is necessary to take great care of the poor, and allot them public employments which are gainful; and, if any of the rich insult them, to let their punishment be severer than if they insulted one of their own rank; and to let estates pass by affinity, and not gift: nor to permit any person to have more than one; for by this means property will be more equally divided, and the greater part of the poor get into better circumstances. It is also serviceable in a democracy and an oligarchy to allot those who take no part in public affairs an equality or a preference in other things; in the state to be filled only by those who are best qualified to discharge them. CHAPTER 9 There are three qualifications necessary for those who fill the first departments in government; first of all, an affection for the established in the third, virtue and justice correspondent to the nature of that particular state they are placed in; for if justice is not the same in all states, it is evident that there must be different species thereof. There may be some doubt, when all these qualifications do not in the same persons, in what manner the choice shall be made; as for instance, suppose that one person is an accomplished general, but a bad man and no friend to the constitution; another is just and a friend to it, which shall one prefer? we should then consider of two qualities, which of them the generality possess in a greater degree, which in a less; for which reason in the choice of a general we should regard his courage more than his virtue as the more uncommon quality; as there are fewer capable of conducting an army than there are good men: but, to protect the state or manage the finances, the contrary rule should be followed; for these require greater virtue be asked, if a man has abilities equal to his appointment in the state, and is affectionate to the constitution, what occasion is there for being virtuous, since these two things alone are sufficient to enable him to be useful to the public? it is, because those who possess those qualities are often deficient in prudence; for, as they often neglect their own affairs, in the same manner. In short, whatsoever the laws contain which we allow to be useful to the state contributes to its preservation: but its first and principal support is (as has been often insisted upon) to have the number of those who desire to preserve it greater than those who wish to destroy it. Above all things that ought not to be forgotten which many governments now corrupted neglect; namely, to preserve a mean. For many things seemingly favourable to a democracy destroy a democracy, and many things seemingly favourable to an oligarchy destroy an oligarchy. Those who think this the only virtue extend it to excess, not considering that as a nose which varies a little from perfect straightness, either towards a hook nose or a flat one, may yet be beautiful and agreeable to look at; but if this particularity is extended beyond measure, first of all the properties of the part is lost, but at last it can hardly be admitted to be a nose at all, on account of the excess of the rise or sinking: thus it is with other parts of the human body; so also the same thing is true with respect to states; for both an oligarchy and a democracy may something vary from their most perfect form and yet be well constituted; but if any one endeavours to extend either of them too far, at first he will make the government the worse for it, but at last there will be no government at all remaining. The lawgiver and the politician therefore should know well what preserves and what destroys a democracy or an oligarchy, for neither the one nor the other can possibly continue without rich and poor: but that whenever an entire equality of circumstances prevails, the state must necessarily become of another form; so that those who destroy these laws, which authorise an inequality in property, destroy the government. It is also an error in democracies for the demagogues to endeavour to make the common people superior to the laws; ought rather to speak in favour of the rich. In oligarchies, on the contrary, it is wrong to support those who are in administration against the people. The oaths also which they take in an oligarchy ought to be contrary to what they now are; for, at present, in some places they swear, “I will be adverse to the common people, and contrive all I can against them;” whereas they ought rather to suppose and pretend the contrary; expressing in their oaths, that they will not injure the people. But of all things which I have mentioned, that which contributes most to preserve the state is, what is now most despised, to educate your children for the state; for the most useful laws, and most approved by every statesman, will be of no service if the citizens are not accustomed to and brought up in the principles of the constitution; of a democracy, there are in the city. But to educate a child fit for the state, it must not be done in the manner which would please either those who have the power in an oligarchy or those who desire a democracy, of the magistrates in an oligarchy are brought up too delicately, and the children of the poor In democracies of the purest form they pursue a method which is contrary to their welfare; the objects of a democracy, that the people in general should possess the supreme power, and all enjoy freedom; for that which is just seems to be equal, and what the people think equal, that is a law: now, their freedom and equality consists in every one’s doing what they please: words of Euripides: but this is wrong, for no one ought to think it slavery to live in subjection to and the means of their preservation. CHAPTER 10 It now remains that we speak of monarchies, their causes of corruption, and means of preservation; and indeed almost the same things which have been said of other governments happen to kingdoms and tyrannies; for a kingdom partakes of an aristocracy, a tyranny of the worst species of an oligarchy and democracy; for which reason it is the worst that man can submit to, as being composed of two, both of which are bad, and collectively retains all the corruptions and all the defects of both these states. These two species of monarchies arise from principles contrary to each other: a kingdom is formed to protect the better sort of people against the multitude, and kings are appointed out of those, who are chosen either for their superior virtue and actions flowing from virtuous principles, or else from their noble descent; but a tyrant is chosen out of the meanest populace; an enemy to the better sort, that the common people may not be oppressed by them. That this is true experience convinces us; for the generality of tyrants were indeed mere demagogues, who gained credit with the people by oppressing the nobles. Some tyrannies time, by kings who exceeded the power which their country allowed them, from a desire of governing despotically: others were founded by those who were elected to the superior offices in the state; religious affairs, and these chose one out of their body in whom the supreme power over all the magistrates was placed. By all these means it was easy to establish a tyranny, if they chose it; for their power was ready at hand, either by their being kings, or else by enjoying the honours of the state; thus Phidon at Argos and other tyrants enjoyed originally the kingly power; Phalaris and others in Ionia, the honours of the state. Pansetius at Leontium, Cypselus at Corinth, Pisistratus at Athens, Dionysius at Syracuse, and others, acquired theirs by having been demagogues. A kingdom, as we have said, partakes much of the nature of an aristocracy, and is bestowed for those who have been benefactors to cities and states, or have it in their powers to be so, have acquired this honour, and those who have prevented a people from falling into slavery by war, as Codrus, or those who have freed them from it, as Cyrus, or the founders of cities, or settlers of colonies, as the kings of Sparta, Macedon, and Molossus. A king desires to be the guardian of his people, that those who have property may be secure in the possession of it, and that the people in general meet with no injury; but a tyrant, as has been often said, pleasure, but a king’s is virtue: what a tyrant therefore is ambitious of engrossing is wealth, but a king rather honour. The guards too of a king are citizens, a tyrant’s foreigners. That a tyranny contains all that is bad both in a democracy and an oligarchy is evident; with an oligarchy it has for its end gain, as the only means of providing the tyrant with guards and the luxuries of life; like that it places no confidence in the people; and therefore deprives them out of the city and their own habitations. With a democracy it quarrels with the nobles, and destroys them both publicly and privately, or drives them into banishment, as rivals and an impediment to the government; hence naturally arise conspiracies both amongst those who desire take off the tallest stalks, hinting thereby, that it was necessary to make away with the eminent citizens. We ought then in reason, as has been already said, to account for the changes which arise in a monarchy from the same causes which produce them in other states: for, through injustice received, fear, and contempt, many of those who are under a monarchical government conspire against it; but of all species of injustice, injurious contempt has most influence The dissolution too of a kingdom and a tyranny are generally the same; for monarchs abound in wealth and honour, which all are desirous to obtain. Of plots: some aim at the life of those who govern, others at their government; the first arises from hatred to their persons; which hatred may be owing to many causes, either of which will be sufficient to excite their anger, and the generality of those own advancement, but for revenge. Thus the plot against the children of Pisistratus arose from their injurious treatment of Harmodius’s sister, and insulting him also; for Harmodius resenting the injury done to his sister, and Aristogiton the injury done to Harmodius. Periander the tyrant of Ambracia also lost his life by a conspiracy, for some improper liberties he took with a boy in his cups: and Philip was slain by Pausanias for neglecting to revenge him of the affront he had received from Attains; as was Amintas the Little by Darda, for insulting him on account of his age; and the eunuch by Evagoras the Cyprian in revenge for having taken his son’s wife away from him. Many also who have had their bodies scourged with stripes have, through resentment, either killed those who caused them to be inflicted or conspired against them, even when they had kingly power, as at Mitylene Megacles, joining with his friends, killed the Penthelidee, who used to go about striking those they met with clubs. Thus, in later times, Smendes killed Penthilus for whipping him and dragging him away from his wife. Decamnichus also was the chief cause of the conspiracy against Archelaus, for he urged others on: the occasion of his resentment was his having delivered him to Euripides the poet to be scourged; for Euripides was greatly offended with him for having said something of the foulness of his breath. And many others have been killed or conspired against on the same account. Fear too is a cause which produces the same effects, as well in monarchies as in other states: thus Artabanes conspired against Xerxes through fear of punishment for having hanged Darius according to his orders, whom he supposed he intended to pardon, as the order was given at supper-time. Some kings also have been dethroned and killed in consequence of the contempt they were held in by the people; as some one conspired against Sardanapalus, it may very probably be true of some one else. Dion also conspired against Dionysius the Younger, seeing his subjects desirous of a conspiracy, and that he himself was always drunk: and even a man’s friends will do this if they despise him; for from the confidence he places in them, they think that they shall not be found out. Those also who think they shall gain his throne will conspire against a king through contempt; for as they are powerful themselves, and despise the danger, on account of their own strength, they will readily attempt it. Thus a general at the head of his army will endeavour to dethrone the monarch, as Cyrus did Astyages, despising both his manner of life and his forces; his forces for want of action, his life for its effeminacy: thus Suthes, the Thracian, who was general to Amadocus, conspired against him. Sometimes more than one of these causes will excite men to enter into conspiracies, as contempt and desire of gain; as in the instance of Mithridates against Ariobarzanes. Those also who are of a bold disposition, and have gained military honours amongst kings, will of all others be most like to engage in sedition; for strength and courage united inspire great bravery: whenever, therefore, these join in one person, he will be very ready for conspiracies, as he will easily conquer. Those who conspire against a tyrant through love of glory and honour have a different motive in view from what I have already mentioned; for, like all others who embrace danger, they have only glory and honour in view, and think, not as some do, of the wealth and pomp they may acquire, but engage in this as they would in any other noble action, that they may be illustrious and distinguished, and destroy a tyrant, not to succeed in his tyranny, but to acquire renown. No doubt but the number of those who act upon this principle is small, for we must suppose they regard their own safety as nothing in case they should not succeed, and must embrace the opinion of Dion (which few can do) when he made war upon Dionysius with a very few troops; for he said, that let the advantage he made be ever so little it would satisfy him to have gained it; and that, should it be his lot to die the moment he had gained footing in his country, he should think states are, from too powerful neighbours: for it is evident, that an opposition of principles will make them desirous of subverting it; and what they desire, all who can, do: and there is a principle of opposition in one state to another, as a democracy against a tyranny, as says Hesiod, “a potter against a potter;” for the extreme of a democracy is a tyranny; a kingly power against an aristocracy, from their different forms of government—for which reason the Lacedaemonians destroyed many tyrannies; as did the Syracusians during the prosperity of their state. Nor are they only destroyed from without, but also from within, when those who have no share in the power bring about a revolution, as happened to Gelon, and lately to Dionysius; to the first, by means of Thrasybulus, the brother of Hiero, who nattered Gelon’s son, and induced him to lead a life of pleasure, that he himself might govern; but the family joined together and endeavoured to support the tyranny and expel Thrasybulus; but those whom they made of their party seized the opportunity and expelled the whole family. Dion made war against his relation Dionysius, and being assisted by the people, first expelled and then killed him. As there are two causes which chiefly induce men to conspire against tyrants, hatred and contempt, one of these, namely hatred, seems inseparable from them. Contempt also is often the cause of their destruction: for though, but those who received it from them have, to speak truth, almost immediately all of them lost it; victims to conspiracies. Part of their hatred may be very fitly ascribed to anger; for in some cases this is their motive to action: for it is often a cause which impels them to act more powerfully than hatred, and they proceed with greater obstinacy against those whom they attack, as this passion is not under the direction of reason. Many persons also indulge this passion through contempt; which occasioned the fall of the Pisistratidae and many others. But hatred is more powerful than anger; for anger is accompanied with grief, which prevents the entrance of reason; but hatred is free from it. In short, whatever causes may be assigned as the destruction of a pure oligarchy unmixed with any other government and an extreme democracy, the same may be applied to a tyranny; for these are divided tyrannies. Kingdoms are seldom destroyed by any outward attack; for which reason they are generally very stable; but they have many causes of subversion within; of which two are the principal; one is when those who are in power excite a sedition, the other when they endeavour to establish a tyranny by assuming greater power than the law gives them. A kingdom, indeed, is not what we ever see erected in our times, but rather monarchies and tyrannies; for a kingly government is one that is voluntarily submitted to, and its supreme power better than another as to be qualified for the greatness and dignity of government over them, then these equals will not willingly submit to be commanded; but if any one assumes the government, either by force or fraud, this is a tyranny. To what we have already said we shall add, the causes of revolutions in an hereditary kingdom. One of these is, that many of those who enjoy it power is not despotic; but they possess kingly honours only. Such a state is soon destroyed; for a king exists but while the people are willing to obey, as their submission to him is voluntary, but to a tyrant involuntary. These and such-like are the causes of the destruction of monarchies. CHAPTER 11 Monarchies, in a word, are preserved by means contrary to what I have already mentioned as the cause of their destruction; but to speak to each separately: the stability of a kingdom will depend upon the power of the king’s being kept within moderate bounds; for by how much the less extensive his power is, by so much the longer will his government continue; for he will be less despotic and more upon an equality of condition with those he governs; who, on that account, will envy him the less. It was on this account that the kingdom of the Molossi continued so long; and the also by the moderation introduced into the other parts of it by Theopompus, and his establishment of the ephori; for by taking something from the power he increased the duration of the kingdom, so that in some measure he made it not less, but bigger; as they say he replied to his wife, who asked him if he was not ashamed to deliver down his kingdom to his children reduced from what he received it from his ancestors? No, says he, I give it him more lasting. Tyrannies are preserved two ways most opposite to each other, one of which is when the power is delegated from one to the other, and in this manner many tyrants govern in their states. Report says that Periander founded many of these. There are also many of them to be met with amongst the Persians. What has been already mentioned is as conducive as anything can be to preserve a tyranny; namely, to keep down those who are of an aspiring disposition, to take off those who will not submit, to allow no public meals, no clubs, no education, nothing at all, but to guard against everything that gives rise to high spirits or mutual confidence; nor to suffer the learned meetings of those who are at leisure to hold conversation with each other; and to endeavour by every means possible to keep all the people strangers to each other; for knowledge increases mutual confidence; and to oblige all strangers to appear in public, and to live near the city-gate, that all their actions may be sufficiently seen; for those who are kept like slaves seldom entertain any noble thoughts: in short, to imitate everything which the Persians and barbarians do, for they all contribute to and for this purpose to employ spies: such were those women whom the Syracusians called potagogides Hiero also used to send out listeners wherever there was any meeting or conversation; for the people dare not speak with freedom for fear of such persons; and if any one does, there accuse and come to blows with each other, friend with friend, the commons with the nobles, and the rich with each other. It is also advantageous for a tyranny that all those who are under it should be oppressed with poverty, that they may not be able to compose a guard; and that, being employed in procuring their daily bread, they may have no leisure to conspire against their tyrants. The Pyramids of Egypt are a proof of this, and the votive edifices of the Cyposelidse, and the temple of Jupiter Olympus, built by the Pisistratidae, and the works of Polycrates at Samos; for all these produced one end, the keeping the people poor. It is necessary also to multiply taxes, as at Syracuse; where Dionysius in the space of five years collected all the private property of that they may have employment and continually depend upon their general. A king is preserved as every one has it in his desire and these chiefly in their power to destroy him. All these things also which are done in an extreme democracy should be done in a tyranny, as permitting great licentiousness to the women in the house, that they may reveal their husbands’ secrets; and showing great indulgence to slaves also for the same reason; for slaves and women conspire not against tyrants: but when they are treated with kindness, both of them are abettors of tyrants, and extreme democracies also; and the people too in such a state desire to be despotic. For which reason flatterers are in repute in both these: the demagogue in the democracy, for he is the proper flatterer of the people; among tyrants, he who will servilely adapt himself to their humours; for this is the business of flatterers. And for this reason tyrants always love the worst of wretches, for they rejoice in being flattered, which no man of a liberal spirit will submit to; for they love the virtuous, but flatter none. Bad men too are fit for bad purposes; “like to like,” as the proverb says. A tyrant also should show no favour to a man of worth or a freeman; for he should think, that no one deserved to be thought these but himself; for he who supports his dignity, and is a friend to freedom, encroaches upon the superiority and the despotism of the tyrant: such men, therefore, they naturally hate, as destructive to their government. A tyrant also should rather admit strangers to his table and familiarity than citizens, the supports of a tyranny, for it comprehends whatsoever is wicked. But all these things may of which is, that the citizens should be of poor abject dispositions; for such men never propose to conspire against any one. The second is, that they should have no confidence in each other; for while they have not this, the tyrant is safe enough from destruction. For which reason they are always at enmity with those of merit, as hurtful to their government; not only as they scorn to be governed despotically, but also because they can rely upon each other’s fidelity, and others can rely upon theirs, and because they will not inform against their associates, nor any one else. The third is, that they shall be totally without the means of doing anything; for no one undertakes what is impossible for him to perform: so that without power a tyranny can never be destroyed. These, their tyrannical plans tend to promote one of these three ends, that their people may neither tyrannies: the other proceeds in a way quite contrary to what has been already described, and which may be discerned from considering to what the destruction of a kingdom is owing; for as one cause of that is, making the government approach near to a tyranny, so the safety of a tyranny consists in making the government nearly kingly; preserving only one thing, namely power, that not only the willing, but the unwilling also, must be obliged to submit; for if this is once lost, the tyranny is at an end. This, then, as the foundation, must be preserved: in other particulars carefully do and affect to seem like a king; first, appear to pay a great attention to what belongs to the public; nor make such profuse presents as will offend the people; while they are to supply the money out of the hard labour of their own hands, and see it given in profusion to mistresses, foreigners, and fiddlers; keeping an exact account both of what you receive and pay; which is a practice some tyrants do actually follow, by which means they seem rather fathers of families than tyrants: nor need you ever fear the want of money while you have the quit their kingdom to do this than to leave behind them money they have hoarded up; for their regents will be much less desirous of making innovations, and they are more to be dreaded by absent tyrants than the citizens; for such of them as he suspects he takes with him, but these regents must be left behind. He should also endeavour to appear to collect such taxes and require such services as the exigencies of the state demand, that whenever they are wanted they may be ready in time of war; and particularly to take care that he appear to collect and keep them not as his own property, but the public’s. His appearance also should not be severe, but respectable, so that he should inspire those who approach him with veneration and not fear; but this will not be easily accomplished if he is despised. If, therefore, he will not take the pains to acquire any other, he ought to endeavour to be a man of political abilities, and to fix that opinion of himself in the judgment of his subjects. He should also take care not to appear to be guilty of the least offence against modesty, nor to suffer it in those under him: nor to permit the women of his family to treat others haughtily; for the haughtiness of women has been the ruin of many tyrants. With respect to the pleasures of sense, he ought to do directly contrary to the practice of some tyrants at present; for they do not only continually indulge themselves in them for many days together, but they seem also to desire to have other witnesses of it, that they may wonder at their happiness; whereas he ought really to be moderate in these, and, if not, to appear to others to avoid them-for it is not the sober man who is exposed either to plots or contempt, but the drunkard; not the early riser, but the sluggard. His conduct in general should also be contrary to what is reported of former tyrants; for he ought to improve and adorn his city, so as to seem a guardian for from persons of such a character men entertain less fears of suffering anything illegal while they suppose that he who governs them is religious and reverences the gods; and they will be less inclined to raise insinuations against such a one, as being peculiarly under their protection: but this must be so done as to give no occasion for any suspicion of hypocrisy. He should also take care to show such respect to men of merit in every particular, that they should not think they could be treated with greater distinction by their fellow-citizens in a free state. He should also let all honours flow immediately from himself, but every censure from his subordinate officers and judges. It is also a common protection of all monarchies not to make one person too great, or, certainly, not many; for they will support each other: but, if it is necessary to entrust any large powers to one person, to take care that it is not one of an ardent spirit; for this disposition is upon every opportunity most ready for a revolution: and, if it should seem necessary to deprive any one of his power, to do it by degrees, and not reduce him all at once. It is also necessary to abstain from all kinds of insolence; those who have a delicate sense of honour; for, as those who love money are touched to the quick disgrace: therefore, either never employ personal punishment, or, if you do, let it be only in the make amends for any seeming disgrace by bestowing greater honours. But of all persons who are most likely to entertain designs against the person of a tyrant, those are chiefly to be feared and guarded against who regard as nothing the loss of their own lives, so that they can but accomplish their purpose: be very careful therefore of those who either think themselves affronted, or those who are dear to them; for those who are excited by anger to revenge regard as nothing their own persons: for, as Heraclitus says, it is dangerous to fight with an angry man who will purchase with his life the thing he aims at. As all cities are composed of two sorts of persons, the rich and the poor, it is necessary that both these should find equal protection from him who governs them, and that the one party should not have it in their power to injure the other; does, he will have no occasion either to make his slaves free, or to deprive citizens of their arms; for the strength of either of the parties added to his own forces will render him superior to any conspiracy. It would be superfluous to go through all particulars; for the rule of conduct which the tyrant ought to pursue is evident enough, and that is, to affect to appear not the tyrant, but the king; the guardian of those he governs, not their plunderer, but their protector, and to affect the middle rank in life, not one superior to all others: he should, therefore, associate his nobles with him and soothe his people; for his government will not only be necessarily more honourable and worthy of imitation, as it will be over men of worth, and not abject wretches who perpetually both hate and fear him; but it will be also more durable. Let him also frame his life so that his manners may be consentaneous to virtue, or at least let half of them be so, that he may not be altogether wicked, but only so in part. CHAPTER 12 Indeed an oligarchy and a tyranny are of all governments of the shortest duration. The tyranny of Orthagoras and his family at Sicyon, it is true, continued longer than any other: the reason for which was, that they used their power with moderation, and were in many particulars obedient to the laws; and, as Clisthenes was an able general, he never fell into contempt, and by the care he took that in many particulars his government should be popular. He is reported also to have presented a person with a crown who adjudged the victory to another; and some say that it is the statue of that judge which is placed in the forum. They say also, that Pisistratus submitted to be summoned into the court of the Areopagites. The second that we shall mention is the tyranny of the Cypselidse, at Corinth, which continued seventy-seven years and six months; for Cypselus was tyrant there thirty years, Periander forty-four, and Psammetichus, the son of Georgias, three years; the reason for which was, that Cypselus was a popular man, and governed without guards. Periander indeed ruled like a tyrant, but then he was an able general. The third was that of the Pisistradidae at Athens; years he was only fifteen in power, and his son eighteen; so that the whole time was thirty-three years. Of the rest we shall mention that of Hiero, and Gelo at Syracuse; and this did not continue long, for both their reigns were only eighteen years; for Gelo died in the eighth year of his tyranny, and Hiero in his tenth. Thrasybulus fell in his eleventh month, and many other tyrannies have continued a very short time. We have now gone through the general cases of corruption and means of preservation both in free states and monarchies. In Plato’s Republic, Socrates is introduced treating upon the changes which different governments are liable to: but his discourse is faulty; for he does not particularly mention of nothing being immutable, but that in time everything will alter; he conceives that nature will then produce bad men, who will not submit to education, and in this, probably, he is not wrong; for it is certain that there are some persons whom it is impossible by any education to make good men; but why should this change be more peculiar to what he calls the best-formed government, than as the cause of the alteration of all things, we find that those which did not begin to exist at the same time cease to be at the same time; so that, if anything came into beginning the day before the solstice, it must alter at the same time. Besides, why should such a form of government be changed into the Lacedaemonian? for, in general, when governments alter, they alter into the contrary species to what they before were, and not into one like their former. And this reasoning holds true of other changes; for he says, that from the Lacedaemonian form it changes into an oligarchy, and from thence into a democracy, and from a democracy into a tyranny: and sometimes a contrary change takes place, as from a democracy into an oligarchy, rather than into a monarchy. With respect to a tyranny he neither says whether there will be any change in it; or if not, to what cause it will be owing; or if there is, into what other state it will alter: but the reason of this is, that a tyranny is an indeterminate government; and, according to him, every state ought to alter into the first, and most perfect, thus the continuity and circle would be preserved. But one tyranny often changed into another; as at Syria, from Myron’s to Clisthenes’; or into an oligarchy, as was Antileo’s at Chalcas; or into a democracy, as was Gelo’s at Syracuse; or into an aristocracy, as was Charilaus’s at Lacedaemon, and at Carthage. An oligarchy is also changed into a tyranny; such was the rise of most of the ancient tyrannies in Sicily; at Leontini, into the tyranny of Panaetius; at Gela, into that of Cleander; at Rhegium into that of Anaxilaus; changed into an oligarchy because those who are in power are avaricious and greedy of money, that those who have nothing should have an equal share in the rule of the state with themselves, and there are many laws to prevent it. But in Carthage, which is a democracy, money-getting is creditable, and yet their form of government remains unaltered. It is also absurd to say, that in an oligarchy there are two cities, one of the poor and another of the rich; for why should this happen to them more than to the Lacedaemonians, or any other state where all possess not equal property, or where all are not equally good? for though no one member of the community should be poorer than he was before, yet a democracy might nevertheless change into an oligarchy; if the rich should be more powerful than the poor, and the one too negligent, and the other attentive: and though these changes are owing to many causes, yet he mentions but one only, that the citizens become poor by luxury, and paying interest-money; as if at first they were all rich, or the greater part of them: but this is not so, but when some of those who have the principal management of public nothing of consequence will follow, nor when such states do alter is there any more reason for their altering into a democracy than any other. Besides, though some of the members of the community may not have spent their fortunes, yet if they share not in the honours of the state, or if they are ill-used and insulted, they will endeavour to raise seditions, and bring about a revolution, that they may be allowed to do as they like; which, Plato says, arises from too much liberty. Although there are many oligarchies and democracies, yet Socrates, when he is treating of the changes they may undergo, speaks of them as if there was but one of each sort. BOOK 6 CHAPTER 1 We have already shown what is the nature of the supreme council in the state, and wherein one may differ from another, and how the different magistrates should be regulated; and also to what causes both the destruction and preservation of governments are owing. As there are very many species of democracies, as well as of other states, it will not be amiss to consider at the same time anything which we may have omitted to mention concerning either of them, and also to inquire into the combinations of all these different modes of government as from an aristocracy to be an oligarchy, and from a free state to be a democracy. Now, I mean by those combinations of government (which I ought to examine into, but have not yet done), namely, whether the deliberative department and the election of magistrates is regulated in a manner correspondent to an oligarchy, or the judicial to an aristocracy, or the deliberative part only to an oligarchy, and the election of magistrates to an aristocracy, or whether, in any other manner, everything is not regulated according to the nature of the government. But we will first consider what particular sort of democracy is fitted to a particular city, to what. It is also necessary to show clearly, not only which of these governments is best for a state, but also how it ought to be established there, and other things we will treat of briefly. And first, we will speak of a democracy; and this will at the same time show clearly the nature of its opposite which some persons call an oligarchy; and in doing this we must examine into all the parts of a democracy, and everything that is connected therewith; for from the manner in which these are compounded together different species of democracies arise: and hence it is that they are more than one, and of various natures. Now, there are two causes which occasion there being so many democracies; one of which is that which we have already mentioned; namely, there being different sorts of people; for in one country the majority are husbandmen, in another mechanics, and hired servants; if the first of these is added to the second, and the third to both of them, that it will be no longer the same government; the other is that which we will now speak of. The different things which are connected with democracies and seem to make part of these states, do, from their being joined to them, render them different from others: this attending a few, that more, and another all. It is necessary that he who would found any state which he may happen to approve of, or correct one, should be acquainted with all these particulars. All founders of states endeavour to comprehend within their own plan everything of nearly the same kind with it; but in doing this they err, in the manner I have already described in treating of the preservation and destruction of governments. I will now speak of these first principles and manners, and whatever else a democratical state requires. CHAPTER 2 this as if here only liberty was to be found; for they affirm that this is the end proposed by every democracy. But one part of liberty is to govern and be governed alternately; for, according to democratical justice, equality is measured by numbers, and not by worth: and this being just, it is necessary that the supreme power should be vested in the people at large; and that what the majority determine should be final: so that in a democracy the poor ought to have more power than the rich, as being the greater number; for this is one mark of liberty which all framers of a democracy lay down as a criterion of that state; another is, to live as every one likes; for this, they say, is a right which liberty gives, since he is a slave who must live as he likes not. This, then, is another criterion of a democracy. Hence arises the claim to be under no command whatsoever to any one, upon any account, any otherwise than by rotation, and that just as far only as demands. These things being premised, and such being the government, it follows that such rules as the following should be observed in it, that all the magistrates should be chosen out of all the people, and all to command each, and each in his turn all: that all the magistrates should be chosen by lot, except to those offices only which required some particular knowledge and skill: that no census, or a very small one, should be required to qualify a man for any office: that none should be in the same employment twice, or very few, and very seldom, except in the army: that the whole community should be qualified to judge in all causes whatsoever, let the object be ever so extensive, ever so interesting, or of ever so high a nature; and decide concerning public affairs as well as private contracts: that the supreme power should be in the public assembly; and that no magistrate should be allowed any discretionary power but in a few instances, and of no consequence to public business. Of all magistrates a senate is best suited to a democracy, where the whole community is not paid for giving their attendance; for in that case it loses its power; for then the people will bring all causes before them, by appeal, as we have already mentioned in a former book. In the next place, there should, if possible, be a fund to pay all the citizens—who have any share in the management of public affairs, either as members of the assembly, judges, and magistrates; but if this cannot be done, at least the magistrates, the judges the senators, and members of the supreme assembly, and also those officers who are obliged to eat at a common table ought to be paid. Moreover, as an oligarchy is said to be a government of men of family, fortune, and education; so, on the contrary, a democracy is a government in the hands of men of no birth, indigent circumstances, and mechanical employments. In this state also no office should be for life; and, if any such should remain after the government has been long changed into a democracy, they should endeavour by degrees to all democracies; namely, to be established on that principle of justice which is homogeneous to those governments; that is, that all the members of the state, by number, should enjoy an equality, which seems chiefly to constitute a democracy, or government of the people: for it seems perfectly equal that the rich should have no more share in the government than the poor, nor be alone in power; but that all should be equal, according to number; for thus, they think, the equality and liberty of the state best preserved. CHAPTER 3 In the next place we must inquire how this equality is to be procured. Shall the qualifications be divided so that five hundred rich should be equal to a thousand poor, or shall the thousand have equal power with the five hundred? or shall we not establish our equality in this manner? but divide indeed thus, and afterwards taking an equal number both out of the five hundred and the thousand, invest them with the power of creating the magistrates and judges. Is this state then established according to perfect democratical justice, or rather that which is guided by numbers only? For the defenders of a democracy say, that that is just which the majority approve of: but the favourers of an oligarchy say, that that is just which those who have most approve of; and that we ought to be directed by the value of property. for if it should happen that an individual should have more than the rest who are rich, according to oligarchical justice, this man alone has a right to the supreme power; but if superiority of numbers is to prevail, injustice will then be done by confiscating the property of the rich, who be collected from the definition of right which is common to them both; for they both say that what the majority of the state approves of ought to be established. Be it so; but not entirely: but since a city happens to be made up of two different ranks of people, the rich and the poor, let that be established which is approved of by both these, or the greater part: but should there be opposite sentiments, let that be established which shall be approved of by the greater part: but let this be according to the census; for instance, if there should be ten of the rich and twenty of the poor, and six of the first and fifteen of the last should agree upon any measure, and the remaining census when added together should determine which opinion should be law, and should these happen to be equal, it should be regarded as a case similar to an assembly or court of justice dividing equally upon any question that comes before them, who either determine it by lot or some such method. But although, with respect to what is equal and just, it may be very difficult to establish the truth, yet it is much easier to do than to persuade those who have it in their power to encroach upon others to be guided thereby; for the weak always desire what is equal and just, but the powerful pay no regard thereunto. CHAPTER 4 There are four kinds of democracies. The best is that which is composed of those first in order, one would place so, was he to divide the people; for the best part of these are the husbandmen. We as their property is but small, they will not be at leisure perpetually to hold public assemblies, but will be continually employed in following their own business, not having otherwise the means of living; nor will they be desirous of what another enjoys, but will rather like to follow their own business than meddle with state affairs and accept the offices of government, which will be attended with no great profit; for the major part of mankind are rather desirous of riches than honour (a proof of this is, that they submitted to the tyrannies in ancient times, and do now submit to the oligarchies, if no one hinders them in their usual occupations, or deprives them of their property; for some of them soon get rich, others are removed from poverty); besides, their having the right of election and calling their magistrates to account for their conduct when they come out of office, will satisfy their desire of honours, if any
of them entertain that passion: for in some states, though the commonalty have not the right of electing the magistrates, yet it is vested in part of that body chosen to represent them: and it is sufficient for the people at large to possess the deliberative power: and this ought to be considered as a species of democracy; such was that formerly at Mantinsea: for which reason it is proper for the democracy we have been now treating of to have a power (and it has been usual for them to have it) of censuring their magistrates when out of office, and sitting in judgment upon all causes: but that the chief magistrates should be elected, and according to a certain census, which should vary with the rank of their office, or else not by a census, but according to their abilities for their respective appointments. A state thus constituted must be well constituted; for the magistracies will be always filled with the best men with the approbation of the people; who will not envy their superiors: and these and the nobles should be content with this part in the administration; for they will not be governed by their inferiors. They will be also careful to use conduct; for it is very serviceable to the state to have them dependent upon others, and not to be permitted to do whatsoever they choose; for with such a liberty there would be no check to that evil particle there is in every one: therefore it is necessary and most for the benefit of the are unblemished, and that the people are not oppressed. It is now evident that this is the best species of democracy, and on what account; because the people are such and have such powers as they ought to have. To establish a democracy of husbandmen some of those laws which were observed in many ancient states are universally useful; as, for instance, on no account to permit any one to possess more than a certain quantity of land, or within a certain distance from the city. Formerly also, in some states, no one was allowed to sell their original lot of land. They also mention a law of one Oxylus, which forbade any one to add to their patrimony by usury. We ought also to follow the law of the Aphutaeans, as useful to direct us in this particular we are now speaking of; for they having but very little ground, while they were a numerous people, and at the same time were all husbandmen, did not include all their lands within the census, but divided them in such a manner that, according to the census, the poor had more power than the rich. Next to the commonalty of husbandmen is one of shepherds and herdsmen; for they have many things in common with them, and, by their way of life, are excellently qualified to make good soldiers, whom other democracies are composed are much worse than these; for their lives are wretched nor have they any business with virtue in anything they do; these are your mechanics, your exchange-men, and hired servants; as all these sorts of men frequent the exchange and the citadel, they can readily attend the public assembly; whereas the husbandmen, being more dispersed in the country, cannot so easily meet together; nor are they equally desirous of doing it with these others! When a country happens to be so situated that a great part of the land lies at a distance from the city, there it is easy to establish a good democracy or a free state for the people in general will be obliged to live in the country; so that it will be necessary in such a democracy, though there may be an exchange-mob at hand, never to allow a legal assembly without the inhabitants of the country attend. We have shown in what manner the first and best democracy ought to be established, and it will be equally evident as to the rest, for from these we should proceed as a guide, and always separate the meanest of the people from the rest. But the last and worst, which gives to every citizen without distinction a share in every part of the administration, is what and manners. We have already noticed almost every cause that can destroy either this or any other state. Those who have taken the lead in such a democracy have endeavoured to support it, and freedom, not only legitimately but naturally born, and also if either of their parents were citizens, that is to say, if either their father or mother; and this method is better suited to this state than any other: and thus the demagogues have usually managed. They ought, however, to take rank, and then stop; for, if they proceed still further, they will make the state disorderly, and the nobles will ill brook the power of the common people, and be full of resentment against it; which was the cause of an insurrection at Cyrene: for a little evil is overlooked, but when it becomes a great one it strikes the eye. It is, moreover, very-useful in such a state to do as Clisthenes did at Athens, when he was desirous of increasing the power of the people, and as those did who established the democracy in Cyrene; that is, to institute many tribes and fraternities, and to make the religious rites of private persons few, and those common; and every means is to be contrived to associate and blend the people together as much as possible; and that all former customs be broken through. Moreover, whatsoever is practised in a tyranny seems adapted to a democracy of this species; as, for instance, the licentiousness of the slaves, the women, and the children; for this to a certain degree is useful in such a state; and also to overlook every one’s living as they choose; for many will support such a government: for it is more agreeable to many to live without any control than as prudence would direct. CHAPTER 5 It is also the business of the legislator and all those who would support a government of this sort not to make it too great a work, or too perfect; but to aim only to render it stable: for, let a state be constituted ever so badly, there is by all those ways which we have described in assigning the causes of the preservation and destruction of governments; avoiding what is hurtful, and by framing such laws, written and unwritten, as contain those things which chiefly tend to the preservation of the state; nor to suppose that that is useful either for a democratic or an oligarchic form of government which contributes to make them more purely so, but what will contribute to their duration: but our demagogues at present, to flatter the people, occasion frequent confiscations in the courts; for which reason those who have the welfare of the state really at heart should act directly opposite to what they do, and enact a law to prevent forfeitures from being divided amongst the people or paid into the treasury, but to have them set apart for sacred uses: for those who are of a bad disposition would not then be the less cautious, as their punishment would be the same; and the nothing by it: they should also take care that the causes which are brought before the public should be as few as possible, and punish with the utmost severity those who rashly brought an action against any one; for it is not the commons but the nobles who are generally prosecuted: for in all things the citizens of the same state ought to be affectionate to each other, at least not to treat those who have the chief power in it as their enemies. Now, as the democracies which have been lately established are very numerous, and it is difficult to get the common people to attend the public assemblies without they are paid for it, this, when there is not a sufficient by taxes, confiscations, and fines imposed by corrupt courts of justice: which things have already destroyed many democracies. Whenever, then, the revenues of the state are small, there should be but few public assemblies and but few courts of justice: these, however, should have rich would not fear the expense, although they should receive nothing for their attendance, though the poor did; and judgment also would be given much better; for the rich will not choose to be long absent from their own affairs, but will willingly be so for a short time: and, when there follow; for now they divide the surplus of the public money amongst the poor; these receive it and again want the same supply, while the giving it is like pouring water into a sieve: but the true patriot in a democracy ought to take care that the majority of the community are not too poor, for this is the cause of rapacity in that government; he therefore should endeavour that they may enjoy perpetual plenty; and as this also is advantageous to the rich, what can be saved out of the public money should be put by, and then divided at once amongst the poor, if possible, in such a quantity as may enable every one of them to purchase a little field, and, if that cannot be done, at least to give each of them enough to procure the implements of trade and husbandry; and if there is not enough for all to receive so much at once, then to divide it according to tribes or any other allotment. In the meantime let the rich pay them for necessary services, but not be obliged to find them in useless amusements. And something like this was the manner in which they managed at Carthage, and preserved the affections of the people; for by continually sending some of their community into colonies they procured plenty. It is also with what is necessary, induce them to work; or to imitate the conduct of the people at Tarentum: for they, permitting the poor to partake in common of everything which is needful for them, gain the affections of the commonalty. They have also two different ways of electing their magistrates; for some are chosen by vote, others by lot; by the last, that the people at large may have some share in the administration; by the former, that the state may be well governed: the same may be accomplished if of the same magistrates you choose some by vote, others by lot. And thus much for the manner in which democracies ought to be established. CHAPTER 6 What has been already said will almost of itself sufficiently show how an oligarchy ought to be founded; for he who would frame such a state should have in his view a democracy to oppose it; for every species of oligarchy should be founded on principles diametrically opposite to some species of democracy. The first and best-framed oligarchy is that which approaches near to what we call a free state; in which there ought to be two different census, the one high, the other low: from the former the supreme magistrates: nor should any one be excluded from a part of the administration who was within the census; which should be so regulated that the commonalty who are included in it should by means thereof be superior to those who have no share in the government; of the better sort of the people. Much in the same manner ought that oligarchy to be established which is next in order: but as to that which is most opposite to a pure democracy, and approaches nearest to a dynasty and a tyranny, as it is of all others the worst, so it requires the greatest care and caution to preserve it: for as bodies of sound and healthy constitutions and ships which are well manned and well found for sailing can bear many injuries without perishing, while a diseased body or a leaky ship with an indifferent crew cannot support the least shock; is the preservation of a democracy; for these are opposed to those rights which are founded in rank: on the contrary, the preservation of an oligarchy depends upon the due regulation of the different orders in the society. CHAPTER 7 As the greater part of the community are divided into four sorts of people; husbandmen, mechanics, traders, and hired servants; and as those who are employed in war may likewise be divided into four; the horsemen, the heavy-armed soldier, the light-armed, and the sailor, where the nature of the country can admit a great number of horse; there a powerful oligarchy may but those who can support the expense of horsemen must be persons of some considerable fortune. may be established; for the heavy-armed are rather made up of men of substance than the poor: but the is very great and a sedition arises, the other parts of the community fight at a disadvantage; but a remedy for this evil is to be learned from skilful generals, who always mix a proper number of light-armed soldiers with their horse and heavy-armed: for it is with those that the populace get the better of the men of fortune in an insurrection; for these being lighter are easily a match for the horse and the heavy-armed: so that for an oligarchy to form a body of troops some young and some old, the fathers should teach their sons, while they were very young, a light and easy exercise; but, when they are grown up, they should be perfect in every warlike exercise. Now, the admission of the people to any share in the government should either be (as I said before) regulated by a census, or else, as at Thebes, allowed to those who for a certain time have ceased from any mechanic employment, or as at Massalia, where they are chosen according to their worth, whether citizens or foreigners. With respect to the magistrates of the highest rank which it may be necessary to have in a state, the services they are bound to do the public should be expressly laid down, to prevent the common people from being desirous of accepting their employments, and also to induce them to regard their magistrates with favour when they know what a price they pay for their honours. It is also necessary that the magistrates, upon entering into their offices, should make magnificent sacrifices and erect some public structure, that the people partaking of the entertainment, and seeing the city ornamented with votive gifts in their temples and public structures, may see with pleasure the stability of the government: add to this also, that the nobles will have their generosity recorded: but now this is not the conduct which those who are at present at the head of an oligarchy pursue, but the contrary; for they are not more desirous of honour than of gain; for which reason such oligarchies may more properly be called little democracies. Thus we have explained on what principles a democracy and an oligarchy ought to be established. CHAPTER 8 After what has been said I proceed next to treat particularly of the magistrates; of what nature they should be, how many, and for what purpose, as I have already mentioned: for without necessary magistrates no state can exist, nor without those which contribute to its dignity and good order can exist happily: now it is necessary that in small states the magistrates should be few; in a large one, many: also to know well what offices may be joined together, and what ought to be separated. certain magistrate should be appointed to inspect their contracts and preserve good order; for of necessity, in almost every city there must be both buyers and sellers to supply each other’s mutual wants: and this is what is most productive of the comforts of life; for the sake of which men seem to have joined together in one community. A second care, and nearly related to the first, is to have an eye both to the public and private edifices in the city, that they may be an ornament; and also to take care of all buildings which are likely to fall: and to see that the highways are kept in proper repair; and also that the landmarks between different estates are preserved, that there may be no disputes on that account; and all other business of the same nature. Now, this business may be divided into several branches, over each of which in populous cities they appoint a separate person; one to inspect the buildings, another the fountains, another the harbours; and they are called the inspectors of the city. A third, which is very like the last, and conversant nearly about the same objects, only in the country, is to take care of what is done out of the city. The officers who have this employment we call inspectors of the lands, or inspectors of the woods; but the business of all three of them is the same. There must also be other officers appointed to receive the public revenue and to deliver it out to those who are in the different departments of the state: these are called receivers or quaestors. There must also be another, before whom all private contracts and sentences of courts should be enrolled, as well as proceedings and declarations. Sometimes this employment is divided amongst many, but there is an officer whose business is of all others the most necessary, and yet most difficult; namely, to take care that sentence is executed upon those who are condemned; and that every one pays the fines laid on him; and also to have the charge of those who are in prison. This office is very made very profitable, or, if they do, will they be willing to execute it according to law; but it is most necessary, as it is of no service to pass judgment in any cause without that judgment is carried into execution: for without this human society could not subsist: for which reason it is best that this office should not be executed by one person, but by some of the magistrates of the other courts. In like manner, the taking care that those fines which are ordered by the judges are levied should be divided amongst different persons. And as different magistrates judge different causes, let the causes of the young be heard by the young: and as to those which are already brought to a hearing, let one person pass sentence, and another see it executed: as, for instance, let the magistrates who have the care of the public buildings execute the sentence which the inspectors of the markets have passed, and the like in other cases: for by so much the less odium attends those who carry the laws into execution, by so much the easier will they be properly put in force: therefore for the same persons to pass the sentence and to execute it will subject them to general hatred; and if they pass it upon all, they will be considered as the enemies of all. Thus one person has often the custody of the prisoner’s body, while another sees the sentence against him executed, as the eleven did at Athens: for which reason it is prudent to separate these offices, and to give great attention thereunto as equally necessary with anything we have already mentioned; for it will certainly happen that men of character will decline accepting this office, and worthless persons cannot properly be entrusted with it, as having themselves rather an occasion to be a separate office from others; nor should it be continually allotted to any individuals, but the young men; where there is a city-guard, the youths ought in turns to take these offices upon them. These, then, as the most necessary magistrates, ought to be first mentioned: next to these are others no less necessary, but of much higher rank, for they ought to be men of great skill and fidelity. These are they who have the guard of the city, and provide everything that is and to take care to muster and marshal the citizens. Over all these there are sometimes general or polemarch; but where there are horse and light-armed troops, and bowmen, and sailors, they sometimes put distinct commanders over each of these; who again have others under them, and thus much for this department. Since some of the magistrates, if not all, have business with the public money, it is necessary that there should be other officers, whose employment should be nothing else than to take an account of what they have, and correct any mismanagement therein. But besides all these magistrates there is one who is supreme over them all, who very often has in his own power the disposal of the public revenue and taxes; who presides over the people when the supreme power is in them; for there must be some magistrate who has a power to summon them together, and to preside as head of the state. These are sometimes called preadvisers; but where there are many, more properly a council. These are nearly the civil magistrates which are requisite to a government: but there are other persons whose business is confined to religion; as the priests, and those who are to take care of the temples, that they are kept in proper repair, or, if they fall down, that they may be rebuilt; and whatever else belongs to public worship. This charge is sometimes entrusted to one person, as in very small cities: in others it is delegated to many, and these distinct from the priesthood, as the builders or keepers of holy places, and officers of the sacred revenue. Next to these are those who are appointed to have the general care of all those public sacrifices to the tutelar god of the state, which the laws do not entrust to the priests: and these in different states have different appellations. To enumerate in few words the different departments of all those magistrates who are necessary: these are either religion, war, taxes, expenditures, markets, public buildings, harbours, highways. Belonging to the courts of justice there are scribes to enroll private contracts; and there must also be guards set over the prisoners, others to see the law is executed, council on either side, and also others to watch over the conduct of those who are to decide the causes. Amongst the magistrates also may finally be reckoned those who are to give their advice in public affairs. But separate states, who are peculiarly happy and have leisure to attend to more minute particulars, and are very attentive to good order, require particular magistrates for themselves; such as those who have the government of the women; who are to see the laws are executed; who take care of the boys and preside over their education. To these may be added those who have the care of their gymnastic exercises, their theatres, and every other public spectacle which there may happen to be. Some of these, however, are not of general use; as the governors of the women: for the poor are obliged to employ their wives and children in servile offices for want of slaves. As there are three magistrates to whom some states entrust the supreme power; namely, guardians of the laws, preadvisers, and senators; guardians of the laws suit best to an aristocracy, preadvisers to an oligarchy, and a senate to a democracy. And thus much briefly concerning all magistrates. BOOK 7 CHAPTER 1 He who proposes to make that inquiry which is necessary concerning what government is best, ought first to determine what manner of living is most eligible; for while this remains uncertain it interfere, it is highly probable, that those who enjoy the best government will live the most of life is most desirable for all; and afterwards whether this life is the same to the man and the citizen, or different. As I imagine that I have already sufficiently shown what sort of life is best in my popular discourses on that subject, I think I may very properly repeat the same here; as most certainly no one ever called in question the propriety of one of the divisions; namely, that as the body, and what to the soul, it is evident that all these must conspire to make a man happy: for no one would say that a man was happy who had no fortitude, no temperance, no justice, no prudence; was either hungry or dry, or would murder his dearest friend for a farthing; and also was in every particular as wanting in his understanding as an infant or an idiot. These truths are so evident that all must agree to them; though some may dispute about the quantity and the degree: for they may think, that a very little virtue is sufficient for happiness; but for riches, property, power, honour, and all such things, they endeavour to increase them without bounds: but to such we reply, that it is easy to prove from what experience teaches us in these cases, be found in pleasure or virtue or both, certain it is, that those whose morals are most pure, and whose understandings are best cultivated, will enjoy more of it, although their fortune is but moderate than those do who own an exuberance of wealth, are deficient in those; and this utility any one who reflects may easily convince himself of; for whatsoever is external has its boundary, as a machine, and whatsoever is useful in its excess is either necessarily hurtful, or at best useless to the possessor; but every good quality of the soul the higher it is in degree, so much the more useful it is, if it is permitted on this subject to use the word useful as well as noble. It is also very evident, that the accidents of each subject take place of each other, so that if the soul is more noble than any outward possession, as the body, both in itself and with respect to us, it must be admitted of course that the best accidents of each must follow the same analogy. Besides, it is for the sake of the soul that these things are desirable; and it is on this that every one enjoys as much happiness as he possesses virtue and wisdom, and acts according not from any external good, but in Himself, and because such is His nature. For good fortune is something different from happiness, as every good which depends not on the mind is owing to chance or fortune; but it is not from fortune that any one is wise and just: hence it follows, that that city is happiest which is the best and acts best: for no one can do well who acts not well; nor can the deeds either of man or city be praiseworthy without virtue and wisdom; for whatsoever is just, or wise, or prudent in a man, the same things are just, wise, and prudent in a city. not go through a complete investigation of it, as it properly belongs to another question: let us at present suppose so much, that a man’s happiest life, both as an individual and as a citizen, is a who are not convinced by what I have said, their doubts shall be answered hereafter, at present we shall proceed according to our intended method. CHAPTER 2 It now remains for us to say whether the happiness of any individual man and the city is the same or must place the happiness of the city in riches if it possesses them; those who prefer a life which enjoys a tyrannic power over others will also think, that the city which has many others under its command is most happy: thus also if any one approves a man for his virtue, he will think the most worthy city the happiest: but here there are two particulars which require of the community and enjoy the rights of a citizen, or whether to live as a stranger, without interfering in public affairs; and also what form of government is to be preferred, and what disposition of the state is best; whether the whole community should be eligible to a share in the administration, or only the greater part, and some only: as this, therefore, is a subject of political examination and speculation, and not what concerns the individual, and the first of these is what we are at present engaged in, the one of these I am not obliged to speak to, the other is the proper business of my present design. It is evident that government must be the best which is so established, that every one therein may have it in his power to act virtuously and live happily: but some, who admit that a life of virtue is most eligible, still doubt which is preferable a public life of active virtue, or one entirely disengaged from what is without and spent in contemplation; which some say is the only one worthy of a philosopher; and one of these two different modes of life both now and formerly seem to have been chosen by all those who were the most virtuous men; I mean the public or philosophic. And yet it is of no little consequence on which side the truth lies; for a man of sense must naturally incline to the better choice; both as an individual and a citizen. Some think that a tyrannic government over those near us is the greatest injustice; but that a political one is not unjust: but that still is a restraint public and active life is the only life for man: for that private persons have no opportunity of practising any one virtue, more than they have who are engaged in public life the management of the state. These are their sentiments; others say, that a tyrannical and despotical mode of government is the only happy one; for even amongst some free states the object of their laws seems to be to tyrannise over their neighbours: so that the generality of political institutions, wheresoever dispersed, if they have any one common object in view, have all of them this, well as by the manner in which they educated their children, that all which they had in view was to make them soldiers: besides, among all nations, those who have power enough and reduce others to servitude are honoured on that account; as were the Scythians, Persians, Thracians, and Gauls: with some there are laws to heighten the virtue of courage; thus they tell us that at Carthage they allowed every person to wear as many rings for distinction as he had served campaigns. There was a halter; among the Scythians, at a festival, none were permitted to drink out of the cup was carried about who had not done the same thing. Among the Iberians, a warlike nation, they fixed as many columns upon a man’s tomb as he had slain enemies: and among different nations different things of absurd to those who are willing to take this subject into their consideration to inquire govern and tyrannise over its neighbours, whether they will, or will not: for how can that belong not only justly, but unjustly also: for a conquest may be unjustly made. But we see nothing of this in the arts: for it is the business neither of the physician nor the pilot to use either persuasion or force, the one to his patients, the other to his passengers: and yet many seem to think a despotic government is a political one, and what they would not allow to be just or proper, if exercised over themselves, they will not blush to exercise over others; for they endeavour to be wisely governed themselves, but think it of no consequence whether others are so or not: but a despotic power is absurd, except only where nature has framed the one party for dominion, the other for subordination; and therefore no one ought to assume it over all in general, but those only which are the proper objects thereof: thus no one should hunt men either for food or sacrifice, but what is fit for those purposes, and these are wild animals which are eatable. laws, although it should happen to be so situated as to have no connection with any other state, though its constitution should not be framed for war or conquest; for it would then have no occasion for these. It is evident therefore that the business of war is to be considered as commendable, not as a final end, but as the means of procuring it. It is the duty of a good partake of every intercourse, of a good life, and of the happiness which results from it: and in this respect some laws and customs differ from others. It is also the duty of a legislator, if he has any neighbouring states to consider in what manner he shall oppose each of them, will be considered hereafter. CHAPTER 3 We will now speak to those who, while they agree that a life of virtue is most eligible, yet differ in the use of it addressing ourselves to both these parties; for there are some who disapprove of all political governments, and think that the life of one who is really free is different from the life of a citizen, and of all others most eligible: others again think that the citizen is the best; and that it is impossible for him who does nothing to be well employed; but that virtuous activity and happiness are the same thing. Now both parties in some particulars say what is right, in others what is wrong, thus, that the life of a freeman is better than the life of a slave is true, for a slave, as a slave, is employed in nothing honourable; for the common servile employments which he is commanded to perform have nothing virtuous in them; but, on the other hand, it is not true that a submission to all sorts of governments is slavery; for the government of freemen differs not more from the government of slaves than slavery and freedom differ from each other in their nature; and how they do has been already mentioned. To prefer doing of nothing to virtuous activity is also wrong, for happiness consists in action, and many noble ends are produced by the actions of the just and wise. From what we have already determined on this subject, some one probably may think, that supreme power is of all things best, as that will enable a man to command very many useful services from others; so that he who can obtain this ought not to give it up to another, but rather to seize it: and, for this purpose, the father should have no attention or regard for the son, or the son for the father, or friend for friend; for what is best is most eligible: but to be a member of the community and be in felicity is best. What these persons advance might probably be true, if the supreme good was certainly theirs who plunder and use violence to others: but it is most unlikely that it should be so; for it is a mere supposition: for it does not follow that their actions are honourable who thus assume the a father to a child, a master to a slave: so that he who so far forsakes the paths of virtue can never return back from whence he departed from them: for amongst equals whatever is fair and just ought to be reciprocal; for this is equal and right; but that equals should not partake of what is equal, or like to like, is contrary to nature: but whatever is contrary to nature is not right; therefore, if there is any one superior to the rest of the community in virtue and abilities for active life, him it is proper to follow, him it is right to obey, but the one alone will not do, but must be joined to the other also: and, if we are right in what we have now said, it follows that happiness consists in virtuous activity, and that both with respect to the community as well as the individual an active life is the happiest: not that an active life must necessarily refer to other persons, as some think, or that those studies alone are practical which are pursued to teach others what to do; for those are much more so whose final object is in themselves, and to improve the judgment and understanding of the man; for virtuous activity has an end, therefore is something practical; nay, those who contrive the plan which others follow are more particularly said to act, and are superior to the workmen who execute their designs. But it is not necessary that states which choose to have no intercourse with others should remain inactive; for the several members thereof may have mutual intercourse with each other; for there are many opportunities for this among the different citizens; the same thing is true of every individual: for, was it otherwise, neither could the Deity nor the universe be perfect; to neither of whom can anything external separately exist. Hence it is evident that that very same life which is happy for each individual is happy also for the state and every member of it. CHAPTER 4 As I have now finished it now remains that I should first say what ought to be the establishment of a city which one should form according to one’s wish; for no good state can exist without a moderate proportion of what as are impossible: I mean relative to the number of citizens and the extent of the territory: for as other artificers, such as the weaver and the shipwright, ought to have such materials as are fit for their work, since so much the better they are, by so much superior will the work itself necessarily be; so also ought the legislator and politician endeavour to procure proper materials for the business they have in hand. Now the first and principal instrument of the politician is the number of the people; he should therefore know how many, and what they naturally ought to be: in like manner the country, how large, and what it is. Most persons think that it is necessary for a city to be large to be happy: but, should this be true, they cannot tell what is a large one and what a small one; for according to the multitude of the inhabitants they estimate the greatness of it; but they ought rather to consider its strength than its numbers; for a state has a certain object in view, and from the power which it has in itself of accomplishing it, its greatness ought to be estimated; as a person might say, that Hippocrates was a greater physician, though not a greater man, than one that exceeded him in the size of his body: but if it was proper to determine the strength of the city from the number of the inhabitants, it should never be collected from the multitude in general who may happen to be in it; for in a city there must necessarily be many slaves, sojourners, and foreigners; but from those who are really part of the city and properly constitute its members; a multitude of these is indeed a proof of a large city, but in a state where a large number of mechanics inhabit, and but few soldiers, such a state cannot be great; for the greatness of the city, and the number of men in it, are not the same thing. This too is evident from fact, that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to govern properly a very numerous body of men; for of all the states which appear well governed we find not one where the rights of a citizen are open to an indiscriminate multitude. And this is also evident from the nature of the thing; for as law is a certain order, so good law is of course a that DIVINE POWER which comprehends the universe. Not but that, as quantity and variety are usually essential to beauty, the perfection of a city consists in the largeness of it as far as that largeness is consistent with that order already mentioned: but still there is a determinate size to all cities, as well as everything else, whether animals, plants, or machines, for each of these, due growth, or are badly constructed, as a ship a span long is not properly a ship, nor one of two may be quite useless: so is it with a city; one that is too small has not in itself the power of self-defence, but this is essential to a city: one that is too large is capable of self-defence in what is necessary; but then it is a nation and not a city: for it will be very difficult to accommodate a form of government to it: for who would choose to be the general of such an unwieldy multitude, or who could be their herald but a stentor? The first thing therefore necessary is, that a city should consist of such numbers as will be sufficient to enable the inhabitants to live happily in their political community: and it follows, that the more the inhabitants exceed that necessary number the greater will the city be: but this must not be, as we have already said, without collected from the actions both of the governors and the governed. Now, as it belongs to the first to direct the inferior magistrates and to act as judges, it follows that they can neither determine causes with justice nor issue their orders with propriety without they know the characters of their fellow-citizens: so that whenever this happens not to be done in these two particulars, the state must of necessity be badly managed; for in both of them it is not right to determine too hastily and without proper knowledge, which must evidently be the case where the number of the citizens is too many: besides, it is more easy for strangers and sojourners to assume the rights of citizens, as they will easily escape detection in so great a multitude. It is evident, that they may be the better able to be sufficient in themselves, while at the same time they are not too large to be under the eye and government of the magistrates. And thus let us determine the extent of a city. CHAPTER 5 What we have said concerning a city may nearly be applied to a country; for as to what soil it should be, every one evidently will commend it if it is such as is sufficient in itself to furnish what will make the inhabitants happy; for which purpose it must be able to supply them with all the necessaries of life; for it is the having these in plenty, without any want, which makes them content. As to its extent, it should be such as may enable the inhabitants to live at their ease with freedom and temperance. Whether we have done right or wrong in fixing this limit to the territory shall be considered more minutely hereafter, when we come particularly to inquire into property, and what fortune is requisite for a man to live on, and how and in what manner they ought to employ it; for there are many doubts upon this question, while each party insists upon their own plan of life being carried to an excess, the one of severity, the other of indulgence. What the situation of the country should be it is not difficult to determine, in some particulars respecting that we ought to be advised by those who are skilful in military affairs. It should be difficult of access to an enemy, but easy to the inhabitants: and as we said, that the number of inhabitants ought to be such as can come under the eye of the magistrate, so should it be with the country; for then it is easily defended. As to the position of the city, if one could place it to one’s wish, it is convenient to fix it on the seaside: with respect to the country, one situation which it ought to have has been already mentioned, namely, that it should be so placed as easily to give assistance to all places, and also to receive the necessaries of life from all parts, and also wood, or any other materials which may happen to be in the country. CHAPTER 6 But with respect to placing a city in the neighbourhood of the sea, there are some who have many doubts whether it is serviceable or hurtful to a well-regulated state; for they say, that the resort of persons brought up under their numbers; for a multitude of merchants must necessarily arise from their trafficking backward and forward upon the seas, which will hinder the well-governing of the city: but if this inconvenience should not arise, it is evident that it is better, both on account of safety and also for the easier acquisition of the necessaries of life, that both the city and the country should be near the sea; for it is necessary that those who are to sustain the attack of the enemy should be ready with their assistance both by land and by sea, and to oppose any inroad, both ways if possible but if not, at least where they are most powerful, which they may do while they possess both. A maritime situation is also useful for receiving from others what your own country will not produce, and exporting those necessaries of your own growth which are more than you have occasion for; but a city ought to traffic to supply its own wants, and not the wants of others; for those who themselves furnish an open market for every one, do it for the sake of gain; which it is not proper for a well-established state to do, neither should they encourage such a commerce. Now, as we see that many places and cities have docks and harbours lying very convenient for the city, while those who frequent them have no communication with the citadel, and yet they are that if any good arises from such an intercourse the city will receive it, but if anything hurtful, it will be easy to restrain it by a law declaring and deputing whom the state will allow to have an intercourse with each other, and whom not. As to a naval power, it is by no means doubtful that it is necessary to have one to a certain degree; and this not only for the sake of the city itself, but also because it may be necessary to appear formidable to some of the neighbouring states, or to be able to assist them as well by sea as by land; but to know how great that force should be, the health of the state should be inquired into, and if that appears vigorous and enables her to take the lead of other communities, it is necessary that her force should correspond with her actions. As for that multitude of people which a maritime power creates, they are by no means necessary to a state, nor ought they to make a part of the citizens; for the mariners and infantry, who have the command, are freemen, and upon these depends a naval engagement: but when there are many servants and husbandmen, there they will always have a number of sailors, though the extent of their city is much inferior to some others. And thus we determine concerning the country, the port, the city, the sea, and a maritime power: as to the number of the citizens, what that ought to be we have already said. CHAPTER 7 to be of: but this any one will easily perceive who will cast his eye over the states of Greece, Those who live in cold countries, as the north of Europe, are full of courage, but wanting in not being politicians, they cannot reduce their neighbours under their power: but the Asiatics, whose understandings are quick, and who are conversant in the arts, are deficient in courage; and therefore are always conquered and the slaves of others: but the Grecians, placed as it were between these two boundaries, so partake of them both as to be at the same time both courageous and sensible; for which reason Greece continues free, and governed in the best manner possible, and capable of commanding the whole world, could they agree upon one system of policy. Now this is the difference between the Grecians and other nations, that the latter have but one of these qualities, whereas in the former they are both happily blended together. Hence it is evident, that those persons ought to be both sensible and courageous who will readily obey a legislator, the object of whose laws is virtue. As to what some persons say, that the military must be mild and tender to those they know, but severe and cruel to those they know not, it is courage which makes any one lovely; rises higher against our friends and acquaintance than against those we know not: for which reason Archilaus accusing his friends says very properly to himself, Shall my friends insult me? The spirit of freedom and command also is what all inherit who are of this disposition for courage is commanding and invincible. It also is not right for any one to say, that you should be severe to those you know not; for this behaviour is proper for no one: nor are those who are of a noble disposition harsh in their manners, excepting only to the wicked; and when they are particularly so, it is, as has been already said, against their friends, when they think they have injured them; which is agreeable to reason: for when those who think they ought to receive a favour from any one do not receive it, beside the injury done them, they consider what they are deprived of: hence the saying, “Cruel are the wars of brothers;” and this, “Those who have greatly loved do greatly hate.” And thus we have nearly determined how many the inhabitants of a city ought to be, and what their natural disposition, and also the country how large, and of what sort is necessary; I say nearly, because it is needless to endeavour at as great accuracy in those things which are CHAPTER 8 As in natural bodies those things are not admitted to be parts of them without which the whole would not exist, so also it is evident that in a political state everything that is necessary thereunto is not to be considered as a part of it, nor any other community from whence one whole is made; for one thing ought to be common and the same to the community, whether they partake of it equally person, and another for the benefit of another, in this there is nothing like a community, excepting that one makes it and the other uses it; as, for instance, between any instrument employed in making any work, and the workmen, as there is nothing common between the house and the builder, but the art of the builder is employed on the house. Thus property is necessary for states, but property is no part of the state, though many species of it have life; but a city is a community of equals, for the purpose of enjoying the best life possible: but the happiest life is the best which consists in the perfect practice of virtuous energies: as therefore some persons have great, others little or no opportunity of being employed in these, it is evident that this is the cause of the difference there is between the different cities and communities there are to be found; for while each of these endeavour to acquire what is best by various and different means, they give rise to different modes of living and different forms of government. We are now to consider what those things are without which a city cannot possibly exist; for what we call parts of the things necessary to a city: first, the inhabitants must have food: secondly, arts, for many an armed force within themselves, both to support their government against those of their own body it from without: fourthly, a certain revenue, as well for the internal necessities of the state as for the business of war: fifthly, which is indeed the chief concern, a religious establishment: sixthly in order, but first of all in necessity, a court to determine both criminal and civil causes. These things are absolutely necessary, so to speak, in every state; for a city is a number of people not accidentally met together, but with a purpose of ensuring to themselves sufficient independency and self-protection; and if anything necessary for these purposes is wanting, it is impossible that in such a situation these ends can be obtained. It is necessary therefore that a city should be capable of acquiring all these things: for this purpose a proper number of husbandmen are necessary to procure food, also artificers and soldiers, and rich men, and priests and judges, to determine what is right and proper. CHAPTER 9 shall be open to all; for it is possible to continue the same persons always husbandmen, employments which we have already mentioned; or shall some of them be appropriated to particulars, for, as we have already said, it is possible that all may be common to all, or not, but only common to some; and this is the difference between one government and another: Since we are inquiring what is the best government possible, and it is admitted to be that in which the citizens are happy; and that, as we have already said, it is impossible to obtain really men of intrinsic and not relative goodness, none of them should be permitted to exercise any mechanic employment or follow merchandise, as being ignoble and destructive to virtue; neither should they be husband-men, that they may be at leisure to improve in virtue and perform the duty they owe to the state. With respect to the employments of a soldier, a senator, and a judge, which are evidently necessary to the community, shall they be allotted to different persons, for in some cases the same persons may execute them, in others they should be different, where the different employments require different abilities, as when courage is wanting for one, judgment for the other, there they should be allotted to different persons; but when it is their own terms, to be always under command; there these different employments should be trusted to one person; for those who have arms in their hands have it in their option whether they will or will not assume the supreme power: to these two (namely, those who have courage and judgment) the government must be entrusted; but not in the same manner, but as nature directs; what requires courage to the young, what requires judgment to the old; for with the young is courage, with the old is wisdom: thus each will be allotted the part they are fit for according to their different merits. It is also necessary that the landed property should belong to these men; for no mechanic ought to be admitted to the rights of a citizen, nor any other sort of people whose employment is not entirely noble, honourable, and virtuous; this is evident from the principle we at first set out with; for to be happy it is necessary to be virtuous; and no one should say that a city is happy while he considers only one part of its citizens, but for that purpose he ought to examine into all of them. It is evident, therefore, that the landed property should belong to these, though it may be necessary for them to have husbandmen, either slaves, barbarians, or servants. There remains of the different classes of the people whom we have enumerated, the priests, for these evidently compose a rank by themselves; for neither are they to be reckoned amongst the husbandmen nor the mechanics; for reverence to the gods is highly becoming every state: and since the citizens have been divided into orders, the military and the council, and it is proper to offer due worship to the gods, and since it is necessary that those who are employed in their service should have nothing else to do, let the business of the priesthood be allotted to parts it consists, and that husbandmen, mechanic, and mercenary servants are necessary to a city; but that the parts of it are soldiers and sailors, and that these are always different from those, but from each other only occasionally. CHAPTER 10 It seems neither now nor very lately to have been known to those philosophers who have made politics their study, that a city ought to be divided by families into different orders of men; and that the husbandmen and soldiers should be kept separate from each other; which custom is even to this day preserved in Egypt and in Crete; also Sesostris having founded it in Egypt, Minos in Crete. Common meals seem also to have been an ancient regulation, and to have been established in Crete during the reign of Minos, and in a still more remote period in Italy; for those who are the best judges in that country say that one Italus being king of Aenotria., from whom the people, changing their names, were called Italians instead of Aenotrians, and that part of Europe was called Italy which is bounded by the Scylletic Gulf on the one side and the Lametic on the other, the distance between which is about half a day’s journey. This Italus, they relate, made the Aenotrians, who were formerly shepherds, husbandmen, and gave them different laws from what they had before, and to have been the first who established common meals, for which reason some of his descendants still use them, and observe some of his laws. The Opici inhabit that part which lies towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, who both now are and formerly were called Ausonians. The Chones inhabited the part toward Iapigia and the Ionian Sea which is called Syrtis. These Chones were descended from the Aenotrians. Hence arose the custom of common meals, but the separation of the citizens into different families from Egypt: for the reign of Sesostris is of much higher antiquity than that of Minos. As we ought to think that most other things were found out in a long, nay, even in a boundless time (reason teaching us that want would make us first invent that which was necessary, and, when that was obtained, then those things which were requisite for the conveniences and ornament of life), so should we conclude the same with respect to a political state; now everything in Egypt bears the marks of the most remote antiquity, for these people seem to be the most ancient of all others, and to have acquired laws and political order; we should therefore make a proper use of what is told us of them, and endeavour to find out what they have omitted. We have already said, that the landed property ought to belong to the military and those who partake of the government of the state; and that therefore the husbandmen should be a separate order of people; and how large and of what nature the country ought to be: we will first treat of the division of the land, and of the husbandmen, how many and of what sort they ought to be; since we by no means hold that property ought to be common, as some persons have said, only thus far, in friendship, it should be their custom to let no citizen want subsistence. As to common meals, it is in general agreed that they are proper in well-regulated cities; my reasons for approving of them shall be mentioned hereafter: they are what all the citizens ought to partake of; but it will not be easy for the poor, out of what is their own, to furnish as much as they are ordered to do, and supply their own house besides. The expense also of religious worship should be defrayed by the whole state. Of necessity therefore the land ought to be divided into two parts, one of which should belong to the community in general, the other to the individuals separately; and each of these parts should again be subdivided into two: half of that which belongs to the public should be appropriated to maintain the worship of the gods, the other half to support the common meals. Half of that which belongs to the individuals should be at the extremity of the country, the other half near the city, so that these two portions being allotted to each person, all would partake of land in both places, which would be both equal and right; and induce them to act in concert with greater harmony in any war with their neighbours: for when the land is not divided in this manner, much consequence and more than is necessary; for which reason in some places there is a law which forbids the inhabitants of the borders to have any vote in the council when they are debating upon a war which is made against them as their private interest might prevent their voting impartially. Thus therefore the country ought to be divided and for the reasons before mentioned. Could one have one’s choice, the husbandmen should by all means be slaves, not of the same nation, or men of any spirit; for thus they would be laborious in their business, and safe from attempting any novelties: next to these barbarian servants are to be preferred, similar in natural disposition to these we have already mentioned. Of these, let those who are to cultivate the private property belong to the public. In what manner these slaves ought to be used, and for what reason it is very proper that they should have the promise of their liberty made them, as a reward for their services, shall be mentioned hereafter. CHAPTER 11 We have already mentioned that both the city and all the country should communicate both with the be particularly desirous of in the position of the city with respect to itself: in the first place, health is to be consulted as the first thing necessary: now a city which fronts the east and receives the winds which blow from thence is esteemed most healthful; next to this that which has a northern position is to be preferred, as best in winter. It should next be contrived that it may have a proper situation for the business of government and for defence in war: that in war the citizens may have easy access to it; but that it may be difficult of access to, and hardly to be taken by, the enemy. In the next place particularly, that there may be plenty of water, save rain-water, so that there may be no want of it in case they should be driven into the town in time of war. And as great care should be taken of the health of the inhabitants, the first thing that they may have good water to drink; and this not be negligently taken care of; for what we chiefly and most frequently use for the support of the body must principally influence the health of governments the waters ought to be appropriated to different purposes, and if they are not equally from that which is for other uses. As to fortified places, what is proper for some governments is not proper for all; as, for instance, a lofty citadel is proper for a monarchy and an oligarchy; a city built upon a plain suits a democracy; neither of these for an aristocracy, but rather many strong places. As to the form of private houses, those are thought to be best and most useful for their different purposes which are distinct and separate from each other, and built in the modern manner, after the plan of Hippodamus: but for safety in time of war, on the contrary, they should be built as they formerly were; for they were such that strangers could not easily find their way out of them, and the method of access to them such as an enemy could with difficulty find out if he which may easily be contrived if any one will so regulate them as the planters do their rows of vines; not that the buildings throughout the city should be detached from each other, only in some parts of it; thus elegance and safety will be equally consulted. With respect to walls, those who say that a courageous people ought not to have any, pay too much respect to obsolete notions; particularly as we may see those who pride themselves therein continually confuted by take refuge within their walls—but since it very often happens, that those who make the attack are too powerful for the bravery and courage of those few who oppose them to resist, if you would not suffer the calamities of war and the insolence of the enemy, it must be thought the part of a good soldier to seek for safety under the shelter and protection of walls more especially since so many missile weapons and machines have been most ingeniously invented to besiege cities with. Indeed to neglect surrounding a city with a wall would be similar to choosing a country which is easy of access to an enemy, or levelling the eminences of it; or as if an individual should not have a wall to his house lest it should be thought that the owner of it was a coward: nor should this be left unconsidered, that those who have a city surrounded with walls may act both ways, either as not only necessary to have walls, but care must be taken that they may be a proper ornament to the city, as well as a defence in time of war; not only according to the old methods, but the modern improvements also: for as those who make offensive war endeavour by every way possible to gain advantages over their adversaries, so should those who are upon the defensive employ all the means already
known, and such new ones as philosophy can invent, to defend themselves: for those who are well prepared are seldom first attacked. CHAPTER 12 necessary that the walls should have bulwarks and towers in proper places and at proper distances, it is evident that it will be very necessary to have some of these in the towers; let the buildings for this purpose be made the ornaments of the walls. As to temples for public worship, in proper places, and contiguous to each other, except those temples which the law or the oracle orders to be separate from all other buildings; and let these be in such a conspicuous eminence, that they may have every advantage of situation, and in the neighbourhood of that part of the city which is best fortified. Adjoining to this place there ought to be a large square, like that which they call in Thessaly The Square of Freedom, in which nothing is permitted to be bought or sold; into which no mechanic nor husbandman, nor any such person, should be permitted to enter, unless commanded by the magistrates. It will also be an ornament to this place if the gymnastic exercises of the elders are performed in it. It is also proper, that for performing these exercises the citizens should be divided into distinct classes, according to their ages, and that the young persons should have proper officers to be with them, and that the seniors should be with the magistrates; for having them before their eyes would greatly inspire true modesty and ingenuous fear. There ought to be another square separate from this for buying and selling, which should be so situated as to be commodious for the reception of goods both by sea and land. As the citizens may be divided into magistrates and priests, it is proper that the public tables of the priests should be in buildings near the temples. Those of the magistrates who preside over contracts, indictments, and such-like, and also over the markets, and the public streets near the square, the other for those who are at leisure, and this for necessary business. The same order which I the surveyors of the woods and overseers of the grounds, must necessarily have their common tables and their towers, for the purpose of protection against an enemy. There ought also to be temples erected at proper places, both to the gods and the heroes; but it is unnecessary to dwell longer and most minutely on these particulars—for it is by no means difficult to plan these things, it is rather so to carry them into execution; for the theory is the child of our wishes, but the practical part must depend upon fortune; for which reason we shall decline saying anything farther upon these subjects. CHAPTER 13 We will now show of what numbers and of what sort of people a government ought to consist, that the state may be happy and well administered. As there are two particulars on which the excellence and the other, that the means to accomplish it should be adapted to that purpose; for it may happen that these may either agree or disagree with each other; for the end we propose may be good, but in taking the means to obtain it we may err; at other times we may have the right and proper of medicine the physician does not sometimes know in what situation the body ought to be, to be healthy; nor what to do to procure the end he aims at. In every art and science, therefore, we should be master of this knowledge, namely, the proper end, and the means to obtain it. Now it is evident that all persons are desirous to live well and be happy; but that some have the means thereof in their own power, others not; and this either through nature or fortune; for many ingredients are necessary to a happy life; but fewer to those who are of a good than to those who are of a bad disposition. There are others who continually have the means of happiness in their own power, by which a state may be best administered, and that state is best administered where the people are the happiest, it is evident that happiness is a thing we should not be unacquainted with. Now, I have already said in my treatise on Morals (if I may here make any use of what I have there shown), that happiness consists in the energy and perfect practice of virtue; and this not relatively, but simply; I mean by relatively, what is necessary in some certain circumstances; by simply, what for they arise from virtue and are necessary, and on that account are virtuous; though it is more desirable that neither any state nor any individual should stand in need of them; but those actions which are intended either to procure honour or wealth are simply good; the others eligible only to remove an evil; these, on the contrary, are the foundation and means of relative good. A worthy man indeed will bear poverty, disease, and other unfortunate accidents with a noble mind; but happiness consists in the contrary to these (now we have already determined in our what is simply good; it is evident, therefore, that all the actions of such a one must be worthy and simply good): this has led some persons to conclude, that the cause of happiness was external goods; which would be as if any one should suppose that the playing well upon the lyre was owing to the instrument, and not to the art. It necessarily follows from what has been said, that some things city we earnestly wish that there may be plenty of those things which are supposed to be under the dominion of fortune (for some things we admit her to be mistress over); but for a state to be worthy and great is not only the work of fortune but of knowledge and judgment also. But for a state to be worthy it is necessary that those citizens which are in the administration should be worthy also; but as in our city every citizen is to be so, we must consider how this may be accomplished; for if this is what every one could be, and not some individuals only, it would be more desirable; good three ways; by nature, by custom, by reason. In the first place, a man ought to be born a man, and not any other animal; that is to say, he ought to have both a body and soul; but it avails not to be only born with some things, for custom makes great alterations; for there are some things in nature capable of alteration either way which are fixed by custom, either for the better or the worse. Now, other animals live chiefly a life of nature; and in very few things according to to make all these accord with each other; for if men followed reason, and were persuaded that it was best to obey her, they would act in many respects contrary to nature and custom. What men ought naturally to be, to make good members of a community, I have already determined; the rest of this discourse therefore shall be upon education; for some things are acquired by habit, As every political community consists of those who govern and of those who are governed, let us consider whether during the continuance of their lives they ought to be the same persons or different; for it is evident that the mode of education should be adapted to this distinction. Now, if one man differed from another as much, as we believe, the gods and heroes differ from men: in the first place, being far their superiors in body; and, secondly, in the soul: so that the superiority of the governors over the governed might be evident beyond a doubt, it is certain that it would be better for the one always to govern, the other always to be governed: but, as this is not easy to obtain, and kings are not so superior to those they govern as Scylax informs us they are in India, it is evident that for many reasons it is necessary that all in their turns should both govern and be governed: for it is just that those who are equal should have everything alike; and it is difficult for a state to continue which is founded in injustice; for all those in the country who are desirous of innovation will apply themselves to those who are under the government of the rest, and such will be their numbers in the state, that it will be impossible for the magistrates to get the better of them. But that the governors ought to excel the governed is beyond a doubt; the legislator therefore ought to consider how this shall be, and how it may be contrived that all shall have their equal share in the administration. Now, with respect to this it will be first said, that nature herself has directed us in our choice, becomes to obey, the latter to command; for no one when he is young is offended at his being under government, or thinks himself too good for it; more especially when he considers that he himself shall receive the same honours which he pays when he shall arrive at a proper age. In some respects it must be acknowledged that the governors and the governed are the same, in others they are different; it is therefore necessary that their education should be in some respect the same, in others different: as they say, that he will be a good governor who has first learnt to obey. Now of governments, as we have already said, some are instituted for the sake of him who commands; others for him who obeys: of the first sort is that of the master over the servant; of the latter, that of freemen over each other. Now some things which are commanded differ from others; not in the business, but in the end proposed thereby: for which reason many works, even of a servile nature, are not disgraceful for young freemen to perform; for many things which are ordered to be done are not honourable or dishonourable so much in their own nature as in the end which is proposed, and the reason for which they are undertaken. Since then we have determined, that the virtue of a good citizen and good governor is the same as of a good man; and that every one before he commands should have first obeyed, it is the business of the legislator to consider how his citizens may be good men, what education is necessary to that purpose, and what is the final object of a good life. The soul of man may be divided into two parts; that which has reason in itself, and that which hath not, but is capable of obeying its dictates: and according to the virtues of these two parts a man is said to be good: but of those virtues which are the ends, it will not be difficult for those to determine who and this is equally evident both in the works of art as well as in those of nature; but that is superior which has reason. Reason itself also is divided into two parts, in the manner we usually divide it; the theoretic and the practical; which division therefore seems necessary for this part also: the same analogy holds good with respect to actions; of which those which are of a superior eligible to every one which will procure the best ends. Now life is divided into labour and rest, war and peace; and of what we do the objects are partly necessary and useful, partly noble: and we should give the same preference to these that we do to the different parts of the soul and its actions, as war to procure peace; labour, rest; and the useful, the noble. The politician, the different parts of the soul and their actions; more particularly to those things which are of a superior nature and ends; and, in the same manner, to the lives of men and their different actions. They ought to be fitted both for labour and war, but rather for rest and peace; and also to do what is necessary and useful, but rather what is fair and noble. It is to those objects that the education of the children ought to tend, and of all the youths who want instruction. All the Grecian states which now seem best governed, and the legislators who founded those states, in their laws and education; but eagerly to have attended to what is useful and productive of gain: and nearly of the same opinion with these are some persons who have written lately, who, by praising and victory the end of his government. But how contrary to reason this is, is easily proved by extensive command, that they may have everything desirable in the greater abundance; so Thibron and others who have written on that state seem to approve of their legislator for having procured them an extensive command by continually enuring them to all sorts of dangers and hardships): for it is evident, since the Lacedemonians have now no hope that the supreme power will be in their own hand, that neither are they happy nor was their legislator wise. This also is ridiculous, that while they preserved an obedience to their laws, and no one opposed their being governed by them, they lost the means of being honourable: but these people understand not rightly what sort of government it is which ought to reflect honour on the legislator; for a government of freemen is nobler than despotic power, and more consonant to virtue. Moreover, neither should a city be thought happy, nor should a legislator be commended, because he has so trained the people as to conquer their neighbours; for in this there is a great inconvenience: since it is evident that upon this principle every citizen who can will endeavour to procure the supreme power in his own city; which crime the Lacedaemonians accuse Pausanias of, though he enjoyed such great honours. Such reasoning and such laws are neither political, useful nor true: but a legislator ought to instil those laws on the minds of men which are most useful for them, both in their public and private capacities. The rendering a people fit for war, that they may enslave their inferiors ought not to be the care of the legislator; but that they may not themselves be reduced to slavery by others. In the next place, he should take care that the object of his government is the safety of those who are under it, and not a despotism over all: in the third place, that those only are slaves who are fit to be only so. Reason indeed concurs with experience in showing that all the attention which the legislator pays to the business of war, and all other rules which he lays down, should have for their object rest and peace; since most of those states (which we usually see) are preserved by war; but, after they have acquired a supreme power over those around them, are ruined; for during peace, who never taught them how to be at rest. CHAPTER 15 As there is one end common to a man both as an individual and a citizen, it is evident that a good man and a good citizen must have the same object in view; it is evident that all the virtues which lead to rest are necessary; for, as we have often said, the end of war is peace, of labour, rest; but those virtues whose object is rest, and those also whose object is labour, are necessary for a liberal life and rest; for we want a supply of many necessary things that we may be at rest. A city therefore ought to be temperate, brave, and patient; for, according to the proverb, “Rest is not for slaves;” but those who cannot bravely face danger are the slaves of those who attack them. Bravery, therefore, and patience are necessary for labour, philosophy for rest, and temperance and justice in both; but these chiefly in time of peace and rest; for war obliges men to be just and temperate; but the enjoyment of pleasure, with the rest of peace, is more apt to produce insolence; those indeed who are easy in their circumstances, and enjoy everything that can make them happy, have great occasion for the virtues of temperance and justice. Thus if there are, as the poets tell us, any inhabitants in the happy isles, to these a higher degree of philosophy, temperance, and justice will be necessary, as they live at their ease in the full plenty of every sensual pleasure. It is evident, therefore, that these virtues are necessary in every state that would be happy or worthy; for he who is worthless can never enjoy real good, much less is he qualified to be at rest; but can appear good only by labour and being at war, but in peace and at rest the meanest of creatures. For which reason virtue should not be cultivated as the Lacedaemonians did; for they did was to be procured by a particular virtue; but since there are greater goods than those of war, it is evident that the enjoyment of those which are valuable in themselves should be desired, rather than those virtues which are useful in war; but how and by what means this is to be nature, custom, and reason, arid shown what sort of men nature must produce for this purpose; it remains then that we determine which we shall first begin by in education, reason or custom, for these ought always to preserve the most entire harmony with each other; for it may happen that reason may err from the end proposed, and be corrected by custom. In the first place, it is evident that in this as in other things, its beginning or production arises from some principle, and its end also arises from another principle, which is itself an end. Now, with us, reason and intelligence are the end of nature; our production, therefore, and our manners ought to be accommodated to both these. In the next place, as the soul and the body are two distinct things, so also we see that the soul is divided into two parts, the reasoning and not-reasoning, with their habits which are two in number, one belonging to each, namely appetite and intelligence; and as the body is in production before the soul, so is the not-reasoning part of the soul before the reasoning; and this is evident; for anger, will and desire are to be seen in children nearly as soon as they are born; but reason and before the soul; next the appetites for the sake of the mind; the body for the sake of the soul. CHAPTER 16 If then the legislator ought to take care to matrimony; at what time and in what situation it is proper that the citizens should engage in the nuptial contract. Now, with respect to this alliance, the legislator ought both to consider the parties and their time of life, that they may grow old at the same part of time, and that their bodily powers may not be different; that is to say, the man being able to have children, but the woman too old to bear them; or, on the contrary, the woman be young enough to produce children, but the man too old to be a father; for from such a situation discords and disputes continually arise. In the next place, with respect to the succession of children, there ought not to be too great an interval of time between them and their parents; for when there is, the parent can receive no benefit from his child’s affection, or the child any advantage from his father’s protection; neither should the difference in years be too little, as great inconveniences may arise from it; as it prevents that proper reverence being shown to a father by a boy who considers him as nearly to return from this digression, care ought to be taken that the bodies of the children may be such as will answer the expectations of the legislator; this also will be affected by the same means. Since season for the production of children is determined (not exactly, but to speak in general), namely, for the man till seventy years, and the woman till fifty, the entering into the marriage state, as far as time is concerned, should be regulated by these periods. It is extremely bad for the children when the father is too young; for in all animals whatsoever the parts of the young are imperfect, and are more likely to be productive of females than males, and diminutive also in size; the same thing of course necessarily holds true in men; as a proof of this you may see in those cities where the men and women usually marry very young, the people in general are very small and ill framed; in child-birth also the women suffer more, and many of them die. And thus some persons tell us the oracle of Traezenium should be explained, as if it referred to the many women who were destroyed by too early marriages, and not their gathering their fruits too soon. It is also conducive to temperance not to marry too soon; for women who do so are apt to be intemperate. It also prevents the bodies of men from acquiring their full size if they marry before their growth is completed; for this is the determinate period, which prevents any further increase; for which reason the proper time for a woman to marry is eighteen, for a man thirty-seven, a little more or less; for when they marry at that time their bodies are in perfection, and they will also cease to have children at a proper time; reasonably be expected, they will be just arriving into perfection when their parents are sinking down under the load of seventy years. And thus much for the time which is proper for marriage; but moreover a proper season of the year should be observed, as many persons do now, and appropriate the winter for this business. The married couple ought also to regard the precepts of physicians and naturalists, each of whom have treated on these subjects. What is the fit disposition of the body will be better mentioned when we come to speak of the education of the child; we will just body of a wrestler to be either a good citizen, or to enjoy a good constitution, or to be the father of healthy children; neither should he be infirm or too much dispirited by misfortunes, but between both these. He ought to have a habit of labour, but not of too violent labour; nor should that be confined to one object only, as the wrestler’s is; but to such things as are proper for freemen. These things are equally necessary both for men and women. Women with child should also take care the legislator to effect if he commands them once every day to repair to the worship of the gods who are supposed to preside over matrimony. But, contrary to what is proper for the body, the mind ought to be kept as tranquil as possible; for as plants partake of the nature of the soil, so does the child receive much of the disposition of the mother. With respect to the exposing or bringing up of children, let it be a law, that nothing imperfect or maimed shall be brought up,………. As the proper time has been pointed out for a man and a woman to enter into the marriage state, so also let us determine how long it is advantageous for the community that they should have children; for as the children of those who are too young are imperfect both in body and mind, so also those whose parents are too old are weak in both: while therefore the body continues in perfection, which (as some poets say, who reckon the different periods of life by sevens) is till fifty years, past that age it is better they should have no more. With respect to any connection between a man and a woman, or a woman and a man, when either of the parties are betrothed, let it be held in utter detestation on any pretext whatsoever; but should any one be guilty of such CHAPTER 17 When a child is born it must be supposed that the strength of its body will depend greatly upon the quality of its food. Now whoever will examine into the nature of animals, and also observe those people who are very desirous their children should acquire a warlike habit, will find that they feed them chiefly with milk, as being best accommodated to their bodies, but without wine, to prevent any distempers: those motions also which are on account of their extreme ductility, some people even now use particular machines that their bodies for this is very serviceable for their health; and also to enure them to the business of war; for which reason it is customary with many of the barbarians to dip their children in rivers when the water is cold; with others to clothe them very slightly, as among the Celts; for whatever it is possible to accustom children to, it is best to accustom them to it at first, of the heat. These, then, and such-like things ought to be the first object of our attention: teach him nothing at all, not even necessary labour, lest it should hinder his growth; but he should be accustomed to use so much motion as not to acquire a lazy habit of body; which he will get by various means and by play also: his play also ought to be neither illiberal nor too laborious nor lazy. Their governors and preceptors also should take care what sort of tales and stories it may be proper for them to hear; for all these ought to pave the way for their future instruction: for which reason the generality of their play should be imitations of what they are afterwards to do seriously. They too do wrong who forbid by laws the disputes between boys and their for the struggles of the heart and the compression of the spirits give strength to those who labour, their manner of life, and those with whom they converse; and to take care that they are never in the company of slaves. At this time and till they are seven years old it is necessary that they everything which is illiberal and the like. Indeed it is as much the business of the legislator as anything else, to banish every indecent expression out of the state: for from a permission to speak whatever is shameful, very quickly arises the doing it, and this particularly with young people: for which reason let them never speak nor hear any such thing: but if it appears that any freeman has done or said anything that is forbidden before he is of age to be thought fit to partake of the let him be treated as you would a slave, on account of his being infamous. Since we forbid his speaking everything which is forbidden, it is necessary that he neither sees obscene stories nor pictures; the magistrates therefore are to take care that there are no statues or pictures of anything of this nature, except only to those gods to whom the law permits them, and to which the law allows persons of a certain age to pay their devotions, for themselves, their wives, and children. It should also be illegal for young persons to be present either at iambics or comedies before they are arrived at that age when they are allowed to partake of the pleasures of the table: indeed a good education will preserve them from all the evils which attend on these things. We have at present just touched upon this subject; it will be our business hereafter, when we properly come to it, to determine whether this care of children is unnecessary, or, if necessary, in what manner it must be done; at present we have only mentioned it as necessary. Probably the saying of Theodoras, the tragic actor, was not a bad one: That he would permit no one, not even the meanest actor, to go upon the stage before him, that he might first engage the ear of the audience. The same thing happens both in our connections with men and things: what we meet with first pleases best; for which reason children should be kept strangers to everything which is accomplished, the two next may be very properly employed in being spectators of those exercises they will afterwards have to learn. There are two periods into which education ought to be divided, according to the age of the child; the one is from his being seven years of age to the time of puberty; the other from thence till he is one-and-twenty: for those who divide ages by the number seven are in general wrong: it is much better to follow the division of nature; must first consider if any regulation whatsoever is requisite for children; in the next place, if it is advantageous to make it a common care, or that every one should act therein as he pleases, BOOK 8 CHAPTER 1 No one can doubt that the magistrate ought greatly to interest himself in the care of youth; for its particular nature; for the form and manners of each government are peculiar to itself; and these, as they originally established it, so they usually still preserve it. For instance, democratic forms and manners a democracy; oligarchic, an oligarchy: but, universally, the best manners produce the best government. Besides, as in every business and art there are some things which men are to learn first and be made accustomed to, which are necessary to perform their several works; so it is evident that the same thing is necessary in the practice of virtue. As there is one end in view in every city, it is evident that education ought to be one and the same in each; and that this should be a common care, and not the individual’s, as it now is, when every one takes care of his own children separately; and their instructions are particular also, each person teaching them as they please; but what ought to be engaged in ought to be common to all. Besides, no one ought to think that any citizen belongs to him in particular, but to the state in general; for each one is a part of the state, and it is the natural duty of each part to regard the good of the whole: and for this the Lacedaemonians may be praised; for they give the greatest attention to education, and make it public. It is evident, then, that there should be laws concerning education, and that it should be public. CHAPTER 2 What education is, and how children ought to be instructed, is what should be well known; they would have a child taught, both with respect to their improvement in virtue and a happy life: nor is it clear whether the object of it should be to improve the reason or rectify the morals. From the present mode of education we cannot determine with certainty to which men incline, whether to instruct a child in what will be useful to him in life; or what tends to virtue, and what is excellent: for all these things have their separate defenders. As to virtue, there is no particular in which they all agree: for as all do not equally esteem all virtues, it reasonably follows that they will not cultivate the same. It is evident that what is necessary ought to be taught to all: but that which is necessary for one is not necessary for all; for there ought to be a distinction between the employment of a freeman and a slave. The first of these should be taught everything useful which will not make those who know it mean. Every work is to be esteemed mean, and every art and every discipline which renders the body, the mind, or the understanding of freemen unfit for the habit and practice of virtue: for which reason all those arts which tend to deform the body are called mean, and all those employments which are exercised for gain; for they take off from the freedom of the mind and render it sordid. There are also some liberal arts which are not improper for freemen to apply to in a certain degree; but to endeavour to acquire a perfect skill in them is exposed to the faults I have just mentioned; for there is a great deal of difference in the reason for which any one does or learns anything: for it is not illiberal to engage in it for one’s self, one’s friend, or in the cause of virtue; while, at the same time, to do it for the sake of another may seem to be acting the part of a servant and a slave. The mode of instruction which now prevails seems to partake of both parts. to teach children—reading, gymnastic exercises, and music, to which (in the fourth place) some add painting. Reading and painting are both of them of singular use in life, and gymnastic exercises, as productive of courage. As to music, some persons may doubt, as most persons now use it for the sake of pleasure: but those who originally made it part of education did it because, as has been already said, nature requires that we should not only be properly employed, but to be able to enjoy leisure honourably: for this (to repeat what I have already said) is of all things the principal. But, though both labour and rest are necessary, yet the latter is preferable to the first; and by all means we ought to learn what we should do when at rest: for we ought not to employ that time at play; for then play would be the necessary business of our lives. But if this cannot be, play is more necessary for those who labour than those who are at rest: for he who labours requires relaxation; which play will supply: for as labour is attended with pain and continued exertion, it is necessary that play should be introduced, under proper regulations, as a medicine: for such an employment of the mind is a relaxation to it, and eases with pleasure. Now rest itself seems to partake of pleasure, of happiness, and an agreeable life: but this cannot be theirs who labour, but theirs who are at rest; for he who labours, labours for the sake of some end which he has not: but happiness is an end which all persons think is attended with pleasure and not with pain: but all persons do not agree in making this pleasure consist in the same thing; for each one has his particular standard, correspondent to his own habits; but the best man proposes the best pleasure, and that which arises from the noblest actions. But it is evident, that to live a life of rest there are some things which a man must learn and be instructed in; and that the object of this which is given for labour has for its object other things; for which reason the ancients made music a part of education; not as a thing necessary, for it is not of that nature, nor as a thing useful, as reading, in the common course of life, or for managing of a family, or for learning anything as useful in public life. Painting also seems useful to enable a man to judge more accurately of the productions of the finer arts: nor is it like the gymnastic exercises, which contribute to health and strength; for neither of these things do we see produced by music; there remains for it then to be the employment of our rest, which they had in view who introduced it; and, thinking it a proper employment for freemen, to them they allotted it; as Homer sings: “How right to call Thalia to the feast:” and of some others he says: “The bard was call’d, to ravish every ear:” and, in another place, he makes Ulysses say the happiest part of man’s life is “When at the festal board, in order plac’d, They hear the song.” It is evident, then, that there is a certain education in which a child may be instructed, not as useful nor as necessary, but as noble and liberal: but whether this is one or more than one, and of what sort they are, and how to be taught, shall be considered hereafter: we are now got so far on our way as to show that we have the testimony of the ancients in our favour, by what they have delivered down upon education—for music makes this plain. Moreover, it is necessary to instruct children in what is useful, not only on account of its being useful in itself, as, of instruction: thus they should be instructed in painting, not only to prevent their being mistaken in purchasing pictures, or in buying or selling of vases, but rather as it makes them judges of the beauties of the human form; for to be always hunting after the profitable ill agrees with great and freeborn souls. As it is evident whether a boy should be first taught morals or reasoning, and whether his body or his understanding should be first cultivated, it is plain that boys should be first put under the care of the different masters of the gymnastic arts, both to form their Now those states which seem to take the greatest care of their children’s education, bestow their chief attention on wrestling, though it both prevents the increase of the body and hurts the form of it. This fault the Lacedaemonians did not fall into, for they made their children fierce by painful labour, as chiefly useful to inspire them with courage: though, as we have already often said, this is neither the only thing nor the principal thing necessary to attend to; and even with respect to this they may not thus attain their end; for we do not find either in other animals, or other nations, that courage necessarily attends the most cruel, but rather the milder, and those who have the dispositions of lions: for there are many people who are eager both to kill men and to devour human flesh, as the Achaeans and Heniochi in Pontus, and many but are men of no courage. Nay, we know that the Lacedaemonians themselves, while they continued both in war and gymnastic exercises), did not acquire their superiority by training their youth to these exercises, but because those who were disciplined opposed those who were not disciplined at all. What is fair and honourable ought then to take place in education of what is fierce and cruel: for it is not a wolf, nor any other wild beast, which will brave any noble danger, while they do not take care to instruct them in what is necessary to do, to speak the real truth, render them mean and vile, accomplished only in one duty of a citizen, and in every other respect, what we see at present: for now they have rivals in their mode of education, whereas formerly they had not. That gymnastic exercises are useful, and in what manner, is admitted; for during youth it is very proper to go through a course of those which are most gentle, omitting that violent diet and those painful exercises which are prescribed as necessary; that they may not prevent the growth of the body: and it is no small proof that they have this effect, that amongst the Olympic candidates we can scarce find two or three who have gained a victory both when boys and men: because the necessary exercises they went through when young deprived them of their strength. When they have allotted three years from the time of puberty to other parts of education, they are then of a proper age to submit to labour and a regulated diet; for it is impossible for the mind and body both to labour at the same time, as they are productive of contrary evils to each other; the labour of the body preventing the progress of the mind, and the mind of the body. CHAPTER 5 With respect to music we have already spoken a little in a doubtful manner upon this subject. It will be proper to go over again more particularly what we then said, which may serve as an introduction to what any other person may choose to offer thereon; for it is no easy matter to distinctly point out what power it has, nor on what accounts one should apply it, whether as an amusement and refreshment, as sleep or wine; as these are nothing serious, but pleasing, and the killers of care, as Euripides says; for which reason they class in the same order and use for the same purpose all these, namely, sleep, wine, and music, to which some add dancing; or shall we rather suppose that music tends to be productive of virtue, having a power, as the gymnastic exercises have to form the body in a certain way, to influence the manners so as to accustom its professors to rejoice rightly? or shall we say, that it is of any service in the conduct of life, and an assistant to prudence? for this also is a third property which has been attributed to it. Now that boys are not to be instructed in it as play is evident; for those who learn don’t play, for to learn is rather troublesome; neither is no means fit for what is as yet imperfect; but it may be thought that the earnest attention of boys in this art is for the sake of that amusement they will enjoy when they come to be men and completely formed; but, if this is the case, why are they themselves to learn it, and not follow the practice of the kings of the Medes and Persians, who enjoy the pleasure of music by hearing others who make this science their particular study and business, than those who have only spent so much time at it as was sufficient just to learn the principles of it. But if this is a reason for a child’s being taught anything, they ought also to learn the art of cookery, but this is absurd. The same doubt occurs if music has a power of improving the manners; for why should they on this a judgment on the merits of the performance by hearing others, as the Lacedaemonians; for they, without having ever learnt music, are yet able to judge accurately what is good and what is bad; the same reasoning may be applied if music is supposed to be the amusement of those who live an elegant and easy life, why should they learn themselves, and not rather enjoy the benefit of others’ skill. Let us here consider what is our belief of the immortal gods in this particular. Now we find the poets never represent Jupiter himself as singing and playing; nay, we ourselves treat the a buffoon. But probably we may consider this subject more at large hereafter. The first question is, whether music is or is not to make a part of education? and of those three things which have been assigned as its proper employment, which is the right? Is it to instruct, to amuse, or to employ the vacant hours of those who live at rest? or may not all three be properly allotted to it? for it appears to partake of them all; for play is necessary for relaxation, and relaxation pleasant, as it is a medicine for that uneasiness which arises from labour. It is admitted also that a happy life must be an honourable one, and a pleasant one too, since happiness consists in both these; and we all agree that music is one of the most pleasing things, whether alone or accompanied with a voice; as Musseus says, “Music’s the sweetest joy of man;” for which reason it is joy. So that from this any one may suppose that it is necessary to instruct young persons in it; for all those pleasures which are harmless are not only conducive to the final end of life, they often cease from their labour and apply to amusement, with no further view than to acquire the pleasure attending it. It is therefore useful to enjoy such pleasures as these. There are some but not what should be; but while men seek the one they accept the other for it; because there is some likeness in human actions to the end; for the end is pursued for the sake of nothing else that attends it; but for itself only; and pleasures like these are sought for, not on account of what follows them, but on account of what has gone before them, as labour and grief; for which reason they seek for happiness in these sort of pleasures; and that this is the reason as it is very serviceable during the hours of relaxation from labour, probably no one doubts; we should also inquire whether besides this use it may not also have another of nobler nature—and we ought not only to partake of the common pleasure arising from it (which all have the sensation of, for music naturally gives pleasure, therefore the use of it is agreeable to all ages and all dispositions); but also to examine if it tends anything to improve our manners and our souls. And this will be easily known if we feel our dispositions any way influenced thereby; and that they are so is evident from many other instances, as well as the music at the Olympic games; and this confessedly fills the soul with enthusiasm; but enthusiasm is an affection of the soul which therewith; and this when they are conveyed even without rhythm or verse. Moreover, as music is one of those things which are pleasant, and as virtue itself consists in rightly enjoying, loving, and hating, it is evident that we ought not to learn or accustom ourselves to anything so much as to judge right and rejoice in honourable manners and noble actions. But anger and mildness, courage and modesty, and their contraries, as well as all other dispositions of the mind, are most naturally imitated by music and poetry; which is plain by experience, for when we hear these our very soul is altered; and he who is affected either with joy or grief by the imitation of any objects, is in very nearly the same situation as if he was affected by the objects themselves; thus, if any person is pleased with seeing a statue of any one on no other account but its beauty, now it happens in the other senses there is no imitation of manners; that is to say, in the touch and the taste; in the objects of sight, a very little; for these are merely representations of things, and the perceptions which they excite are in a manner common to all. Besides, statues and paintings are not properly imitations of manners, but rather signs and marks which show the body is affected by some passion. However, the difference is not great, yet young men ought not to view the paintings of Pauso, but of Polygnotus, or any other painter or statuary who expresses manners. But in poetry and music there are imitations of manners; and this is evident, for different harmonies differ from each other so much by nature, that those who hear them are differently affected, and are not in the same disposition of mind when one is performed as when another is; the one, for instance, occasions grief 13406 and contracts the soul, as the mixed Lydian: others soften the mind, and as it were dissolve the heart: others fix it in a firm and settled state, such is the power of the Doric music only; while the Phrygian fills the soul with enthusiasm, as has been well described by those who have written philosophically upon this part of education; for they bring examples of what they advance from the things themselves. The same holds true with respect to rhythm; some fix the disposition, others occasion a change in it; influence music has over the disposition of the mind, and how variously it can fascinate it: and if it can do this, most certainly it is what youth ought to be instructed in. And indeed the learning of music is particularly adapted to their disposition; for at their time of life they do not willingly attend to anything which is not agreeable; but music is naturally one of the most agreeable things; and there seems to be a certain connection between harmony and rhythm; for which reason some wise men held the soul itself to be harmony; others, that it contains it. CHAPTER 6 We will now determine whether it is proper that children should be taught to sing, and play upon any instrument, which we have before made a matter of doubt. Now, it is well known that it makes a great deal of difference when you it is a thing very difficult, if not impossible, for a man to be a good judge of what he himself cannot do. It is also very necessary that children should have some employment which will amuse them; for which reason the rattle of Archytas seems well contrived, which they give children to play with, cannot sit still: this therefore is well adapted to infants, as instruction ought to be their rattle as they grow up; hence it is evident that they should be so taught music as to be able to practise it. Nor is it difficult to say what is becoming or unbecoming of their place, it is necessary for them to practise, that they may be judges of the art: for which reason this should be done when they are young; but when they are grown older the practical part may be dropped; while they will still continue judges of what is excellent in the art, and take a proper pleasure therein, from the knowledge they acquired of it in their youth. As to the censure which some persons throw upon music, as something mean and low, it is not difficult to answer that, if we will but consider how far we propose those who are to be educated so as to become good citizens and also what instruments they should play upon; for in these there is probably a difference. Such then is the proper answer to that censure: for it must be admitted, that in some cases nothing can prevent music being attended, to a certain degree, with the bad effects which are ascribed to it; it is therefore clear that the learning of it should never prevent the business of riper years; nor render the body effeminate, and unfit for the business of war or the state; but it should be practised by the young, judged of by the old. That children may learn music properly, it is necessary that they should not be employed in those parts of it which are the objects of dispute between the masters in that science; nor should they perform such pieces as are wondered at from the difficulty of their execution; and which, from being first exhibited in the public games, are now become a part of education; but let them learn so much of it as to be able to receive proper pleasure from excellent music and rhythms; and not that only which music must make should use; thus, they should never be taught to play upon the flute, or any other instrument which requires great skill, as the harp or the like, but on such as will make them good judges of music, or any other instruction: besides, the flute is not a moral instrument, but rather one that will inflame the passions, and is therefore rather to be used when the soul is to be animated than when instruction is intended. Let me add also, that there is something therein which is for which reason our forefathers very properly forbade the use of it to youth and freemen, though they themselves at first used it; for when their riches procured them greater leisure, they grew more animated in the cause of virtue; and both before and after the Median war their noble actions so exalted their minds that they attended to every part of education; selecting no one in particular, but endeavouring to collect the whole: for which reason they introduced the flute also, as one of the instruments they were to learn to play on. At Lacedaemon the choregus himself played on the flute; and it was so common at Athens that almost every freeman understood it, as is evident from the tablet which Thrasippus dedicated when he was choregus; but afterwards they rejected it as dangerous; having become better judges of what tended to promote virtue and what did not. For the same reason many of the ancient instruments were thrown aside, as the dulcimer and the lyre; as also those which were to inspire those who played on them with pleasure, and which required a nice finger and great skill to play well on. What the ancients tell us, by way of fable, of the flute is indeed very rational; namely, that after Minerva had found it, she threw it away: nor are they wrong who say that the goddess disliked it for deforming the face of him who played thereon: not but that it is more probable that she rejected it as the knowledge thereof contributed nothing to the improvement of the mind. Now, we regard Minerva as the inventress of arts and sciences. As we disapprove of a child’s being taught to understand instruments, and to play like a master (which we would have confined to those who are candidates for the prize in that science; for they play not to improve themselves in virtue, but to please those who hear them, and gratify their confined to those who are paid for doing it; for it usually gives people sordid notions, for the end they have in view is bad: for the impertinent spectator is accustomed to make them change their music; so that the artists who attend to him regulate their bodies according to his motions. CHAPTER 7 We are now to enter into an or whether some peculiar ones are to be selected; and also whether we should give the same directions to those who are engaged in music as part of education, or whether there is something different from these two. Now, as all music consists in melody and rhythm, we ought not to be unacquainted with the power which each of these has in education; and whether we should rather choose music in which melody prevails, or rhythm: but when I consider how many things have been well written upon these subjects, not only by some musicians of the present age, but also by some philosophers who are perfectly skilled in that part of music which belongs to education; we will refer those who desire a very particular knowledge therein to those writers, and shall only treat of it in general terms, without descending to particulars. Melody is divided by some philosophers, whose notions we approve of, into moral, practical, and that which fills the mind with enthusiasm: they also allot to each of these a particular kind of harmony which but many; both for instruction and purifying the soul (now I use the word purifying at third place, as an agreeable manner of spending the time and a relaxation from the uneasiness of moral in education: but to please the ear, when others play, the most active and enthusiastic; for that passion which is to be found very strong in some souls is to be met with also in all; but the difference in different persons consists in its being in a less or greater degree, as pity, fear, and enthusiasm also; which latter is so powerful in some as to overpower the soul: sedate and composed as if they had employed the art of the physician: and this must necessarily happen to the compassionate, the fearful, and all those who are subdued by their passions: nay, all persons, as far as they are affected with those passions, admit of the same cure, and are restored to tranquillity with pleasure. In the same manner, all music which has the power of purifying the soul affords a harmless pleasure to man. Such, therefore, should be the harmony and such the music which those who contend with each other in the theatre should exhibit: but as the audience is composed of two sorts of people, the free and the well-instructed, the rude the mean mechanics, and hired servants, and a long collection of the like, there must be some music and some spectacles to please and soothe them; for as their minds are as it were perverted from their natural habits, so also is there an unnatural harmony, and overcharged music which is accommodated to their taste: but what is according to nature gives pleasure to every one, therefore those who are to contend upon the theatre should be allowed to use this species of music. But in education ethic melody and ethic harmony should be used, which is the Doric, as we have already said, or any other which those philosophers who are skilful in that music which is to be employed in education shall approve of. But Socrates, in Plato’s Republic, is very wrong when he permits only the Phrygian music to be used as well as the Doric, particularly as amongst other instruments he banishes the flute; for they are both pathetic and raise the mind: and this the practice of the poets proves; for in their bacchanal songs, or whenever they describe any violent emotions of the mind, the flute is the instrument they chiefly use: and the Phrygian harmony is most suitable to these subjects. Now, that the dithyrambic measure is Phrygian is allowed by general consent; when Philoxenus endeavoured to compose dithyrambic music for Doric harmony, he naturally fell back again into Phrygian, as being fittest for that purpose; as every one indeed agrees, the middle as being between the two extremes, and the Doric has this relation with respect to other harmonies, it is evident that is what the youth ought to be instructed in. There are two things to be taken into consideration, both what is possible and what is proper; every one then should chiefly endeavour to attain those things which contain both these qualities: but this is to be regulated by different times of life; for instance, it is not easy for those who are advanced in years to sing such pieces of music as require very high notes, for nature points out to them those which are gentle and require little strength of voice (for which reason some who are skilful in music justly find fault with Socrates for forbidding the youth to be instructed in gentle harmony; as if, like wine, it would make them drunk, whereas the effect of that is to render men bacchanals, and not make them languid): these therefore are what should employ those who are grown old. Moreover, if there is any harmony which is proper for a child’s age, as being at the same time elegant and instructive, as the Lydian of all others seems chiefly to be-These then are as it were the three boundaries of education, moderation, possibility, and decorum. as fishermen at Tarentum and Byzantium, masters of galleys at Athens, merchants at AEgina and Chios, there may be. As for gentlemen, they are such as are distinguished either by their fortune, their but that both shall share it. For if liberty and equality, as some persons suppose, are chiefly in it should be eligible, but as soon as he was below it should lose that right. Another sort is, like these in other particulars, but there the people govern, and not the law: and this takes is uncertain. When the people possess this power they desire monarchs in a tyranny: for their manners are the same, and they both hold a despotic power support they give to each other, the flatterer to the tyrant, the demagogue to the people: and to opinions they entirely direct; for these are they whom the multitude obey. Besides, those who accuse in the votes of the people cannot, properly speaking, be a democracy: for their decrees majority, have no share in it; while all those who are included therein take part in the management and this chiefly happens when there has been any alteration in the government; people which I have enumerated must have a share in the government, or some only, and others not; for these reasons, therefore, this government is a species of democracy. Another species paid to those who go to the public assemblies. A third species is where every freeman has a right the poorest people were at leisure to attend to them, as they received wages for so doing; nay, the different sorts of democracies, and such are the causes which necessarily gave birth to them. affairs, and as they are not powerful enough to govern without law, they will make a law for that class of democracies. CHAPTER 7 that differ both from oligarchies and free states, wherein not only the rich but also the virtuous There is also a third, which is, whenever a free state inclines to the dominion of a few. to place that free state here is, because this, as well as those aristocracies already mentioned, for this reason that also, as I have said, will be taken into consideration in its proper place. good, there the laws should not be good, but bad; or, on the contrary, that where the government is being the best relative to the particular state, or the best absolutely. An aristocracy seems most and this will at the same time show what are the proper boundaries of both these governments, to be observed in a free state which is composed of both. This, then, is one way in which they may when a person may properly call the same state a democracy and an oligarchy. It is evident that in the bringing up of their children, for the rich and poor are brought up in the same manner; preservation in itself, and not without; and when I say in itself, I do not mean that it should owe if possible, than both the other; or, if that cannot be, at least than either of them separate; others. What has been said will show us why of so many free states some have changed to democracies, either the rich get the better of the poor, or the poor of the rich, neither of them will establish a established either democracies or oligarchies, not considering what was serviceable to the state, but it follows that we should now show what particular form of government is most now it may happen that quality may exist in one of those parts of which the city is composed, of family, the number of the poor than that of the rich; but not so that the quantity of the one and the democracy will be a particular species according to that class of men which may happen of any other set between these two. But when the rich and the noble prevail more by their quality to these they should be entrusted; and whenever their number exceeds that of the two others, the rich and the poor should agree to conspire together against them, for neither of these will for not attending; with respect to offices, in permitting the poor to swear off, but not granting those where kingly power was established, were governed by the military. First of all the horse, and which properly attended to the state must necessarily be happy; and according to the of goods, and to call the magistrates to account for their behaviour when in office. Now these to some: to entrust all to all is in the spirit of a democracy, for the people aim at equality. them execute them by turn, and not altogether, as was done by Tellecles, the Milesian, in his state. war or peace, and inquiring into the conduct of their magistrates, while the remaining part of the if they do not attend, so should they reward the poor for coming to the public assemblies: the common people in the state are very numerous, either not to pay every one for his attendance, should be referred back again to the magistrates: whereas the contrary takes place in republics; to serve the public in so numerous a society, where some may be passed over for a long time, attention of one person, than when that attention is divided amongst many; but in small states it we find others to succeed them in turn? Small states will sometimes want the same magistrates how many different offices one might assign to one magistrate. It is also necessary to and also what things should always come under the cognisance of the same magistrate; as, the offices of the state are allotted to those who are well educated; in an oligarchy to those The pre-advisers indeed must always be few for they are peculiar to an oligarchy: and where business is to control the manners of the boys, or women, or who takes any department similar to at large of the establishment of magistrates, beginning from first principles. Now, they family, or virtue, or some other rule (as at Megara, where the right of election was different methods of electing the magistrates, without blending the two together. Of these there some by vote, some by lot, others by both: by lot is most correspondent to that form of government. of a magistrate, what should be his particular province, as the management of the finances or Of the three parts of which a government is formed, we now come to consider the judicial; and shall be the whole people, or some particulars; by for what causes I mean, how many different for murder, and those wherein strangers are the parties, let us particularly treat of those courts more which is the inequality: thus most states, though they have some notion of what is just, yet but not when those who are unequal are treated in a different manner correspondent to that aim after an equality are the cause of seditions. Equality is twofold, either in number or value. is by proportion as two exceeds one, and three two by the same number-thus by proportion four that is to say, half. Now, all agree in what is absolutely and simply just; but, as we have there being in no place a hundred of the first to be met with, but enough of the last everywhere. unjust, when
those who are equal are so, that they may be superior. These, then, are the situations but influencing in a different manner; for profit and honour sharpen men against each other; for when the magistrates are haughty and endeavour to make greater profits than their office gives it ought to increase proportion-ably to preserve its symmetry, which would otherwise be destroyed; it might otherwise be changed into an animal of a different form, if it increase beyond proportion was turned into a democracy; and at Argos, where so many of the citizens were killed by Cleomenes Revolutions also sometimes take place in a democracy, though seldomer; for where the different nations, till their differences are blended together and undistinguishable; for reason all those republics which have hitherto been originally composed of different people The Appolloniats, in the Euxine Sea, having admitted their sojourners to the freedom of seditions in oligarchies because they think themselves ill-used in not sharing the honours to them. The situation of the place will also sometimes occasion disturbances in the state when of the phalanx to fluctuate, so any trifling disagreement will be the cause of seditions; greatest consequences when they arise between persons of the first distinction in the state, for the beginning is said to be half of the business, so that what was then but a little the other’s having concealed part of the effects, and some money which his father had found, engaged of great evils, and a war with the Athenians, in which Paches took their city, for Timophanes, sacred war. The government too of Epidamnus was changed from a quarrel that arose from an intended great credit by the battle of Mantinea against the Lacedaemonians, endeavoured to dissolve the a state being powerful, whether private persons, or magistrates, a certain tribe, or any particular by informing against men of property, they induce them to join together through self-defence, for a entered into a combination with each other. And at Rhodes the demagogues, by distributing of bribes, drove out the nobles, till the number of those who were banished was considerable, who, returning, will endeavour with all their power to make the people superior even to the laws. To prevent this no share in the administration, which is in the hands of a very few indeed: and this happened at younger also: for in some places the father and son are never in office at the same time; of a free state. At Ister it was changed into a democracy; in Heraclea, instead of being in the as we have just mentioned, if the father was in office, the son could not; or, if there were many formerly at Erithria, during the oligarchy of the Basilides, although the state flourished greatly in every oligarchy where the magistrates do not elect themselves, but are chosen out of AEgina a certain person who brought an action against Chares attempted on that account to alter power in general was in the hands of a very few out of whom a senate was chosen, consisting but the army will very often assume the tyranny, as Timophanes did at Corinth; and if they appoint when the city grows rich, through peace or some other happy cause, it becomes so little that every and the causes to which they are owing: and indeed both democracies and oligarchies sometimes alter, CHAPTER 7 Commotions also arise in aristocracies, an oligarchy; or the contrary, an aristocracy may change into a democracy (for the poor, please. Thus the city of the Locrians was ruined from an alliance with Dionysius; which state was fresh alterations that were making, they found that they could do nothing, for the whole form the Lacedaemonians are a proof; for the one, when conquerors everywhere destroyed the oligarchies; in governments. CHAPTER 8 we have assigned for their destruction, we know also the means of their preservation; other. In well-tempered governments it requires as much care as anything whatsoever, that nothing be false argument; if every part is little, then the whole is little: now, this in one sense is true, of most consequence amongst them into office; nor disgracing those who are desirous of honour; state establish a tyranny, as the demagogues in the one, the dynasties in the other, or the as well as to prevent those who are not already engaged in them from taking a part therein; prosperity: but if this rule is not observed, let not those honours which were conferred all at once those seditions which arise from an inequality of condition. But above all, in every state it is nor even the produce of them, which in some states is done unperceivably. It would be also expensive public entertainments of plays, music, processions, and the like. In an oligarchy it the rich in a democracy, to the poor in an oligarchy: but still all the principal offices constitution; second place, abilities every way completely equal to the business of their office; than the generality are possessed of, but only that knowledge which is common to all. It may though they know them and love themselves, so nothing will prevent their serving the public and thus by setting them at variance with the rich, dividing one city into two; whereas they if that is by law established; of an oligarchy, if that is; for if there are bad morals in one man, but so as they may be able to conduct either of these forms of governments. But now the children hardy with exercise and labour; so that they are both desirous of and able to promote innovations. the reason of which is, that they define liberty wrong: now, there are two things which seem to be that is in such a democracy every one may live as he likes; “as his inclination guides,” in the government, but protection. Thus I have mentioned the causes of corruption in different states, were established in this manner after the cities were considerably enlarged—others before that for formerly the people appointed officers for life, who came to be at the head of civil and according to worth, as either virtue, family, beneficent actions, or these joined with power; has no regard to the common good, except for his own advantage; his only object is them of the use of arms: it is also common to them both to persecute the populace, to drive to govern and those who desire not to be slaves; hence arose Periander’s advice to Thrasybulus to on them for that purpose: sometimes it is owing to their being deprived of their private fortunes. who are under the influence of that passion will join in a conspiracy, not for the sake of their having seen him spinning with his wife, if what is related of him is true, or if not of him, his death sufficiently glorious. A tyranny also is exposed to the same destruction as all other for instance, those who raised themselves to the supreme power generally preserved it; for, falling into an effeminate way of life, they soon grew despicable, and generally fell admitted upon great occasions: but where many are equal, and there are none in any respect so much are naturally proper objects of contempt only: another is, that they are insolent while their Lacedaemonians from their government’s being from the beginning divided into two parts, and support slavery; and to endeavour to know what every one who is under their power does and says; is the less chance of its being concealed; and to endeavour that the whole community should mutually his subjects into his own coffers. A tyrant also should endeavour to engage his subjects in a war, by his friends, but a tyrant is of all persons the man who can place no confidence in friends, as these are his enemies, but the others have no design against him. These and such-like are be comprehended in three divisions, for there are three objects which a tyranny has in view; one then, are the three objects which the inclinations of tyrants desire to see accomplished; for all have mutual confidence, power, nor spirit. This, then, is one of the two methods of preserving supreme power of the state in your own hands. It is also much better for those tyrants who and not a tyrant; and, moreover., always to seem particularly attentive to the worship of the gods; more particularly from corporal punishment; which you must be most cautious never to exercise over when anything affects their property, so are men of honour and principle when they receive any manner in which a father would correct his son, and not with contempt; and, upon the whole, but that the tyrant should attach to himself that party which is the most powerful; which, if he but it was not continual: for Pisistratus himself was twice expelled; so that out of thirty-three what changes the best and first governments are liable to; for he only assigns the general cause, to all other forms, and indeed to all other things that exist? and in respect to his assigned time, and the like in many other cities. It is absurd also to suppose, that a state is and not because those who are by far richer than their fellow citizens think it unfair who possess so much-for in many oligarchies it is not allowable to be employed in money-getting, affairs lose their fortunes, they will endeavour to bring about a revolution; but when others do, and also the judicial department, and what is best suited to what state; and to allot to each that mode of conduct which is peculiar to and advantageous for them; which we have mentioned; for as these are blended together the government is altered, and also what particular oligarchy to a particular people; and of other states, what is advantageous the democracy will not only differ in the particular of better or worse, but in this, Now the foundation of a democratical state is liberty, and people have been accustomed to say that person is, in his turn, under his also. This also is conducive to that equality which liberty that all their appointments should be limited to a very short time, or at least as many as possible: as at Athens, where the people at large judge the magistrates when they come out of office, to diminish the power; and also elect by lot instead of vote. These things, then, appertain Both the propositions are unjust; for if we agree with what the few propose we erect a tyranny: are few, as we have already said. What then that equality is, which both parties will admit, must four of the rich should join with the remaining five of the poor in opposing it, that party whose as we have already said, and this also is the most ancient of any. I call that the first which every see, then, that a democracy may be framed where the majority live by tillage or pasturage; for, their power with moderation, as there are others to whom full power is delegated to censure their state that the offices thereof should be filled by the principal persons in it, whose characters stout in body, and able to continue in the open air all night. The generality of the people of few citizens can bear, nor is it easy to preserve for any long time, unless well supported by laws make the people powerful by collecting together as many persons as they could and giving them their care, and do this no longer than the common people are superior to the nobles and those of the middle no difficulty in its continuing a few days: they should therefore endeavour to procure its safety community would not be so ready to condemn those whom they sat in judgment on when they were to get public revenue, is fatal to the nobles; for the deficiencies therein must be necessarily made up very extensive jurisdictions, but should continue sitting a few days only, for by this means the are sufficient revenues, a different conduct ought to be pursued from what the demagogues at present worthy of a sensible and generous nobility to divide the poor amongst them, and supplying them from those who are within the latter the ordinary officers of the state ought to be chosen; for those who are to have the management of public affairs ought always to be chosen out so the worst-established governments want most looking after. A number of citizens be easily established: for the safety of the inhabitants depends upon a force of that sort; Where the troops are chiefly heavy-armed, there an oligarchy, inferior in power to the other, light-armed and the sailors always contribute to support a democracy: but where the number of these from these is to form it against itself: but as a city is composed of persons of different ages, The first thing necessary is to establish proper regulators in the markets; for which purpose a is one supreme over the rest; these are called proctors, notaries, and the like. Next to these disagreeable on account of the odium attending it, so that no one will engage therein without it is for a guard than being qualified to guard others. This, therefore, ought by no means necessary for war; whose business it is, both in war and peace, to defend the walls and the gates, more officers, sometimes fewer: thus in little cities there is only one whom they call either according to their different divisions; all of which join together to make one military body: will also be equally uncertain what government is best: for, provided no unexpected accidents happily according to their circumstances; he ought, therefore, first to know what manner what is good, relative to man, may be divided into three sorts, what is external, what appertains to but was afraid of the flies that flew round him: nor would abstain from the meanest theft if he that these external goods produce not virtue, but virtue them. As to a happy life, whether it is to as the subjects themselves, of which we allow they are accidents, differ from each other in value; account that wise men should desire them, not the soul for them. Let us therefore be well assured, to their dictates; since for this we have the example of GOD Himself, who is completely happy, Thus much by way of introduction; for I could not but just touch upon this subject, though I could life of virtue, accompanied with those enjoyments which virtue usually procures. If there are any different: but this also is evident; for whosoever supposes that riches will make a person happy, consideration, one of which is, whether it is the most eligible life to be a member on the pleasures and tranquillity of life. Others hold the quite contrary opinion, and think that a to conquer and govern. It is evident, both from the laws of the Lacedaemonians and Cretans, as also a law in Macedonia, that a man who had not himself killed an enemy should be obliged to wear this sort prevail, some of them established by law, others by custom. Probably it may seem too whether it is the business of a legislator to be able to point out by what means a state may either to the politician or legislator which is unlawful? for that cannot be lawful which is done Now a city which is well governed might be very happy in itself while it enjoyed a good system of legislator to examine carefully into his state; and the nature of the people, and how they may or what good offices he shall show them. But what should be the final end of the best governments supreme power over others, without they were by nature as superior to them as a man to a woman, what was introductory to this subject, and considered at large the nature of other states, is necessary. Many things therefore ought to be forethought of as desirable, but none of them such certain good order: but too large a multitude are incapable of this, unless under the government of if they are neither too little nor too big, have their proper powers; but when they have not their furlongs length, but when it is of a fit size; for either from its smallness or from its largeness it bounds; but what is its proper limit experience will easily show, and this experience is to be then, that the best boundary for a city is that wherein the numbers are the greatest possible, a different system of government is disserviceable to the state, as well by impeding the laws as by not too far off, but are surrounded by walls and such-like fortifications, it is evident, as we now see happens to some states, as in Heraclea, where they man many triremes, We now proceed to point out what natural disposition the members of the community ought of all others the most celebrated, and also the other different nations of this habitable world. understanding and the arts: therefore they are very tenacious of their liberty; but, for that is the faculty of the soul which we most admire: as a proof of this, our resentment the objects of the senses as in those which are inquired into by the understanding only. or unequally, as, for instance, food, land, or the like; but when one thing is for the benefit of one city must of necessity inhere in it: and this we shall plainly understand, if we know the number of instruments are necessary in life: thirdly, arms, for it is necessary that the community should have who might refuse obedience to it, and also to defend it from those who might attempt to attack Having determined thus far, it remains that we consider whether all these different employments artificers, judges, or counsellors; or shall we appoint different persons to each of those and others of course common to all? but this does not take place in every state, for in democracies the whole community partakes of everything, but in oligarchies it is different. happiness without virtue; it follows, that in the best-governed states, where the citizens are or shall the same person execute both? This question, too, is easily answered: evident, that it is impossible to oblige those who have arms in their hands, and can insist on for it is necessary that the citizens should be rich, and these are the men proper for citizens; those who are in years. We have now shown what is necessary to the existence of a city, and of what one party neglects the inroads of the enemy on the borders, the other makes it a matter of too of the individual belong to that individual, and those who are to cultivate the public territory sea and the continent as much as possible. There are these four things which we should and rivers near at hand: but if those cannot be found, very large cisterns must be prepared to to be attended to is, that the city should have a good situation and a good position; the second is, it; and this influence is what the air and water naturally have: for which reason in all wise good, and if there is not a plenty of necessary water, that which is to drink should be separated proposed to besiege them. A city therefore should have both these sorts of buildings, facts. It is indeed disreputable for those who are equal, or nearly so, to the enemy, to endeavour to if it had or as if it had not; but where it has not they cannot do this. If this is true, it is As the citizens in general are to eat at public tables in certain companies, and it is and the hall for the public tables of the chief magistrates, they ought to be built or some public way, I mean the square where things are bought and sold; for I intended have directed here should be observed also in the country; for there also their magistrates such as perfection of everything depend, one of these is, that the object and end proposed should be proper; means in our power, but the end may be bad, and sometimes we may mistake in both; as in the art but do not rightly apply them. Since we propose to inquire what government is best, namely, that is good and fair in itself: of the first sort are just punishments, and restraints in a just cause; treatise on Morals, that he is a man of worth who considers what is good because it is virtuous as should be ready at hand and others procured by the legislator; for which reason in founding a for then it would follow, that what might be done by one might be done by all. Men are worthy and custom; but man lives according to reason also, which he alone is endowed with; wherefore he ought others by hearing them. CHAPTER 14 laying down the selfsame thing when she has made some young, others old: the first of whom it adopt the division I have already given; for the inferior is always for the sake of the superior; nature ought always to be chosen by those who have it in their power; for that is always most therefore, who composes a body of laws ought to extend his views to everything; appear not to have framed their polity with a view to the best end, or to every virtue, the Lacedaemonian state, show they approve of the intention of the legislator in making war argument, and has already been proved by facts (but as the generality of men desire to have an like a sword, they lose their brightness: the fault of which lies in the legislator, not differ from others in their opinion concerning the supreme good, but in imagining this good acquired is now to be considered. We have already assigned three causes on which it will depend; intelligence spring up as they grow to maturity. The body, therefore, necessarily demands our care that the bodies of the children are as perfect as possible, his first attention ought to be given his equal in age, and also from the disputes it occasions in the economy of the family. But, and moreover with respect to the succession of the children, if they have them at the time which may slightly mention a few particulars. Now, there is no occasion that any one should have the habit of that their diet is not too sparing, and that they use sufficient exercise; which it will be easy for or four or five more, the children may be equally perfect; but when the parents are a thing after the marriage is consummated, let his infamy be as great as his guilt deserves. natural to their age are very serviceable; and to prevent any of their limbs from being crooked, may not be distorted. It is also useful to enure them to the cold when they are very little; but to do it by degrees: besides, boys have naturally a habit of loving the cold, on account the next age to this continues till the child is five years old; during which time it is best to quarrels, for they contribute to increase their growth—as they are a sort of exercise to the body: which happens to boys in their disputes. The preceptors also ought to have an eye upon should be educated at home. It is also very proper to banish, both from their hearing and sight, common meals, let him be punished by disgrace and stripes; but if a person above that age does so, bad, more particularly whatsoever is loose and offensive to good manners. When five years are for every art and every instruction is intended to complete what nature has left defective: we which is the general practice in most cities; in the third place, what it ought to be. where it is neglected it is hurtful to the city, for every state ought to be governed according to for there are doubts concerning the business of it, as all people do not agree in those things CHAPTER 3 There are four things which it is usual learning and this instruction centres in their acquisition: but the learning and instruction for instance, to learn to read, but also as the means of acquiring other different sorts bodies and teach them their exercises. CHAPTER 4 others in Asia, some of whom are as bad, others worse than these, who indeed live by tyranny, those painful labours, and were superior to all others (though now they are inferior to many, but rather a good man. So that those who permit boys to engage too earnestly in these exercises, as reason evinces, good for nothing. Nor should we form our judgments from past events, but from it proper to permit boys at their age to enjoy perfect leisure; for to cease to improve is by play, and being shown its beauties by them; for of necessity those must be better skilled therein account themselves learn it, and not reap every advantage of regulating the passions or forming professors of these arts as mean people, and say that no one would practise them but a drunkard or justly admitted into every company and every happy life, as having the power of inspiring but serve also as relaxations; and, as men are but rarely in the attainment of that final end, persons who make play and amusement their end, and probably that end has some pleasure annexed to it, any one may easily perceive. That music should be pursued, not on this account only, but also strongly agitates the disposition. Besides, all those who hear any imitations sympathise it is evident that the sight of the original from whence it was taken would also be pleasing; some act more violently, others more liberally. From what has been said it is evident what an would qualify any one in any art, for the person himself to learn the practical part of it; for to prevent their breaking those things which are about the house; for at their age they age, or to answer the objections which some make to this employment as mean and low. In the first should be instructed in this art, and what music and what rhythms they should be acquainted with; all animals feel, and also slaves and boys, but more. It is therefore plain what instruments they quite contrary to what education requires; as the player on the flute is prevented from speaking: importunity); therefore we think the practice of it unfit for freemen; but then it should be inquiry concerning harmony and rhythm; whether all sorts of these are to be employed in education, naturally corresponds therewith: and we say that music should not be applied to one purpose only, present without any explanation, but shall speak more at large of it in my Poetics); and, in the the mind. It is evident that all harmonies are to be used; but not for all purposes; but the most and yet we see those persons, by the application of sacred music to soothe their mind, rendered as for the Phrygian music has the same power in harmony as the flute has amongst the instruments; and those who are conversant in studies of this sort bring many proofs of it; as, for instance, that the Doric music is most serious, and fittest to inspire courage: and, as we always commend
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This news broadcast covers a range of topics, primarily focusing on Bangladesh. Key issues include the potential trial of Sheikh Hasina for crimes against humanity, challenges in reforming the education system, and discussions surrounding upcoming elections. Additionally, the broadcast addresses corruption allegations, tax policy debates, and the state of the shipbreaking industry. International news features, including the US and Israel’s stance on Gaza reconstruction and President Trump’s address to Congress, are also presented. Finally, there is a section dedicated to sports news, specifically concerning cricket and Steven Smith’s retirement from ODI.
Current Affairs Review: Bangladesh Interim Government and International News
Study Guide
This study guide is designed to help you review and understand the key events, figures, and issues discussed in the provided news excerpts. It includes a quiz, essay questions, and a glossary of terms.
Key Topics
Bangladesh Interim Government (circa 2024): Focus on key figures like Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus, Education Advisor CR Abrar, and NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan.
Political Situation: Allegations against Sheikh Hasina, election prospects, and the role of the interim government.
Economic Issues: Tax policies, market stability, and challenges facing the shipbreaking industry.
Social Issues: Education system reforms, labor rights, and environmental concerns.
International News: US foreign policy in the Middle East (specifically Gaza), Donald Trump’s domestic agenda, and sports news (cricket).
Quiz
Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each.
According to the news report, what allegations does Dr. Mohammad Yunus make against Sheikh Hasina?
What is CR Abrar’s primary challenge as the new Education Advisor?
What is Amir Khasur’s opinion on postponing elections?
Why are officials and employees of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSSC) protesting?
What assurance does NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan give regarding tax policies?
What did the US delegation want to learn about when visiting the International Crimes Tribunal?
What order did Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus give regarding labor law?
What demand did Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) make regarding river polluters?
What actions did the Dhaka North City Corporation take in the Gabtoli Beribandh area?
What are the primary issues facing the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Industry?
Quiz Answer Key
Dr. Mohammad Yunus alleges that Sheikh Hasina will have to stand trial for crimes against humanity, including genocide. He also claims that her family members and associates will also be tried.
CR Abrar sees restoring discipline in the education system as his biggest challenge. He wants to upgrade the education system to world standards, addressing issues like competition for managing committee positions.
Amir Khasur believes that the judicial process should not be used as an excuse to postpone elections. He asserts that an unelected government cannot solve the country’s current problems and that elections should proceed as scheduled.
BSSC officials and employees are protesting against the “autocratic decisions” of the commission led by Khandaker Rashed Maqsood. They are demanding the chairman’s resignation and have threatened to go on strike if their demands are not met.
NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan assures the public that the government will remove tax disparities in a discrimination-free Bangladesh. He also indicated that tax rates would be increased in some sectors, including the ready-made garment sector.
The US delegation wanted to learn about the July massacre, sleep murders of the last 15 years, and the trial processes of them. They also offered assistance to the Tribunal, showing interest in collecting information and helping to shape public opinion.
Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus ordered the reform of the country’s labor law, focusing on ensuring insurance and health care facilities for workers. This order was given in preparation for the upcoming International Labor Reform Organization session.
HRPB demanded that river polluters and encroachers be declared ineligible for elections through the law. They met with the Election Commission to discuss amending the Representation of the People Order.
The Dhaka North City Corporation started an eviction drive against illegal occupants in the Gabtoli Beribandh area. They demolished several shacks built on City Corporation land.
The Bangladesh Ship Recycling Industry faces declining imports of scrub ships, despite leading the sector for nine years. The industry requires government policy support to prevent its collapse, as it contributes significantly to the country’s economy.
Essay Questions
Analyze the political climate in Bangladesh as depicted in the news excerpts. What are the main sources of tension and conflict?
Discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the interim government in Bangladesh. How is it attempting to address key issues such as education reform, corruption, and economic stability?
Evaluate the role of international actors in the events discussed in the news excerpts. How do countries like India and the United States influence the political and economic landscape of Bangladesh?
Compare and contrast the domestic policies of Donald Trump as described in the news excerpt with those of a previous US presidential administration.
Based on the news excerpts, what are the most significant challenges and opportunities facing Bangladesh in the near future? Consider political, economic, and social factors in your response.
Glossary of Key Terms
Assalamu Alaikum: A greeting in Arabic, meaning “Peace be upon you.”
ATN Bangla: A Bangladeshi television channel.
Chief Advisor: The head of an interim, non-elected government.
Interim Government: A temporary government that holds power until an election can be held.
Genocide: The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.
Anti-Corruption Commission: An organization responsible for investigating and prosecuting corruption.
NBR (National Board of Revenue): The government agency responsible for tax collection in Bangladesh.
Pre-budget Discussion: Discussions held before the national budget is finalized, involving various stakeholders to gather input and address concerns.
International Crimes Tribunal: A court established to try individuals accused of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
ILO (International Labor Organization): A United Nations agency dealing with labor issues.
Scrub Ships: Ships that are at the end of their operational life and are recycled for their materials.
Shipbreaking Industry: The industry involved in dismantling ships for scrap metal and other materials.
Representation of the People Order: The law which governs the election process.
Eviction Drive: A campaign to remove illegal occupants from land.
BSSC (Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission): The regulatory body for the securities market in Bangladesh.
ODI (One Day International): A form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with each team batting for a fixed number of overs.
ATN Bangla News: Bangladesh Political and Economic Developments
Okay, here’s a briefing document summarizing the main themes and important information from the provided ATN Bangla News transcript:
Briefing Document: ATN Bangla News Summary
Date: (Implied: Early March 2024 based on the news content)
Source: ATN Bangla News Transcript (01.pdf)
Main Themes:
Political Transition and Accountability: The central theme revolves around the interim government, its actions, and the looming elections. A major point of contention is the potential trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for “crimes against humanity,” fueled by statements from Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus.
Education System Reform: A critical area of focus is the state of the education system, with the newly appointed education advisor, Professor CR Abrar, acknowledging the significant challenges in restoring order and quality.
Economic Concerns and Stability: Several news segments touch upon economic issues, including tax policies, market regulation, and the stability of industries like shipbreaking.
International Relations: The news covers international involvement in the region (India’s response to Sheikh Hasina’s return), and significant international events (US policy on Gaza, Trump’s speeches).
Law and Order: Mentions of a deteriorating law and order situation and the apprehension of looters highlight concerns about public safety and security.
Key Issues and Facts:
1. Political & Legal Developments:
Sheikh Hasina’s Potential Trial: Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus is quoted stating, “Sheikh Hasina will have to face trial for genocide. There is evidence against her. Not only Sheikh Hasina, but all those involved with her, starting from her family members to her associates, will also be tried.” He also mentions seeking her return from India.
Anti-Corruption Investigations: Allegations of financial corruption against Tulip Siddique (Sheikh Hasina’s niece) and Dr. Yunus Siddique are being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Election Concerns: Opposition figures, like Amir Khasur of BNP, emphasize that trials should not be used as a pretext to postpone elections. “There is no opportunity to postpone the election system. There is no chance to delay the democratic system.” The BNP also claims that the law and order situation has deteriorated and that the interim government hasn’t achieved meaningful reforms.
River Pollution Ineligibility for Elections: Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) is advocating for river polluters and encroachers to be declared ineligible for elections.
2. Education Sector:
New Education Advisor: Professor CR Abrar has taken the oath as the new Education Advisor, succeeding Wahid Uddin Mahmud. He acknowledges the need to “restore discipline in the education system” as the biggest challenge.
Challenges in Education: The outgoing advisor admitted to being unable to prevent chaos in the education sector and bowing to political pressure. He highlights the problem of individuals seeking positions on school management committees for reasons other than the school’s well-being.
Goal of Improvement: CR Abrar expresses a vision for “an education system where our students will see their future within the country and will lead the world from Bangladesh.” He aims to upgrade Bangladesh’s education system to world standards.
3. Economic and Business News:
Tax Policy: The NBR (National Board of Revenue) Chairman is in pre-budget discussions with traders, addressing concerns about tax exemptions and disparities. He wants to increase tax collection, aiming for a fairer system.
Capital Market Instability: Officers and employees of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSSC) were protesting and demanding the resignation of the commission chairman, Khandaker Rashed Maqsood, due to alleged autocratic decisions.
Shipbreaking Industry Issues: The Bangladesh Shipbreakers and Recycling Association is seeking government support to prevent the collapse of the industry, citing a decline in ship imports despite significant investment and turnover. They advocate for self-regulation.
Market Monitoring: Chittagong City Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain is monitoring markets to prevent price manipulation and ensure essential goods are sold at fixed prices.
4. International News:
Gaza Reconstruction: The US and Israel are rejecting Arab leaders’ proposals for the reconstruction of Gaza, with the US favoring evacuating Gazans to Jordan and Egypt and rebuilding a “Hamas-free Gaza.”
US “Golden Age”: President Trump claims a “golden age has begun in America” and announces a $5 million “gold card” for wealthy foreigners. He also states that “there will be no place for other genders in the United States.”
Russia-Ukraine War: Trump claims Russia is sincere in ending the war with Ukraine.
5. Law and Order:
Looting Incident: An incident of looting at the Gulshan residence of former MP Tanvir Imam is reported, highlighting concerns about law and order. Three individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Eviction Drive: Dhaka North City Corporation has started an eviction drive against illegal occupants in the Gabtoli Beribandh area.
Quotes:
Dr. Mohammad Yunus (Chief Advisor): “Sheikh Hasina will have to face trial for genocide. There is evidence against her. Not only Sheikh Hasina, but all those involved with her, starting from her family members to her associates, will also be tried.”
Amir Khasur (BNP): “There is no opportunity to postpone the election system. There is no chance to delay the democratic system.”
Professor CR Abrar (New Education Advisor): “I dream of an education system where our students will see their future within the country and will lead the world from Bangladesh.”
Donald Trump (US President): “America is Back” and “there will be no place for other genders in the United States.”
Overall Assessment:
The news report paints a picture of a country at a critical juncture, navigating a complex political landscape, striving for economic stability, and grappling with challenges in its education system. The potential trial of Sheikh Hasina casts a long shadow, while the interim government faces pressure to ensure free and fair elections. The news highlights the importance of reform and development across various sectors.
Bangladesh Current Affairs: Governance, Economy, and Justice
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What are the main allegations against Sheikh Hasina and what is the interim government’s stance on the matter?
The main allegation against Sheikh Hasina is that she will have to stand trial for crimes against humanity, with her family members and associates also implicated. The interim government, specifically Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus, has stated to British media outlets that there is no doubt Sheikh Hasina will face trial for genocide due to available evidence, and a letter has been formally sent to India requesting her return to face these charges. Even if she does not return, the government intends to pursue the trial.
2. What is the biggest challenge facing the education system in Bangladesh according to the newly appointed Education Advisor, and what steps are being taken to address it?
The biggest challenge is restoring discipline and order in the education system. The new Education Advisor, Professor CR Abrar, aims to upgrade the education system to world standards and has pledged to fulfill his duties with dedication. Initiatives will be taken to ensure that Bangladesh’s education system becomes a place where students see their future within the country and can lead the world from Bangladesh.
3. What concerns have been raised about postponing the elections and what is the position of BNP regarding this?
Amir Khasur commented that the unelected government cannot solve the current problems of the country. There is concern that the genocide trial is being used as a pretext to postpone the elections. BNP leaders, including Amir Khosu Mahmud Chowdhury and Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, have stated that there is no scope for postponing the elections or delaying the democratic process in the name of reforms, and that an elected political party should come to power to complete any remaining reforms.
4. Why were officers and employees of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) protesting, and what actions did they take?
The officers and employees of the BSEC were protesting against the autocratic decisions made by the commission led by Chairman Khandaker Rashed Maqsood. They demanded his resignation and announced a strike if their demand was not met. They had previously blocked the chairman and commissioners in protest of the compulsory retirement of a BSEC Executive Director.
5. What assurances has the National Board of Revenue (NBR) given regarding tax policies, and what concerns were raised during pre-budget discussions?
The NBR Chairman, Abdur Rahman Khan, assured that tax disparities would be eliminated in a non-discriminatory Bangladesh. He also mentioned increasing tax rates in other sectors including the ready-made garment sector. During pre-budget discussions, traders demanded more tax exemptions and highlighted issues related to business-friendly tax policies. The NBR Chairman also acknowledged the complaint that the benefit of giving up taxes does not directly reach consumers and the business remains in danger.
6. What kind of assistance was offered to the International Crimes Tribunal, and what were the key focuses of discussion with the visiting delegation?
Former US Ambassador William B. Mylam and diplomat John Danilo Fitch visited the International Crimes Tribunal and offered assistance. Discussions focused on the July massacre, sleep murders of the last 15 years, and the trial process of them. The delegation expressed interest in collecting information and helping to shape public opinion, and offered advice on the trial of crimes against humanity.
7. What measures are being taken to address market instability and high prices of essential goods, particularly in Chittagong City?
Chittagong City Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain visited the city’s Kazeri Deuri market to check the prices of daily necessities and warned shopkeepers against selling products at high prices. He called for selling open soybean oil at a specific price and bottled oil at the fixed price. He stated that strict action would be taken against those who try to destabilize the market by selling products at manipulated prices and that monitoring of markets would be conducted daily.
8. What is the state of the shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh, and what support are industry leaders seeking from the government?
The Bangladesh Shipbreakers and Recycling Association reported that the import of scrub ships has reached the lowest level, despite the country leading the ship recycling sector for nine consecutive years. Industry leaders sought government policy support to prevent the collapse of the industry, emphasizing its significant investment, annual turnover, and contribution to the country’s economy. They also asked for self-regulation as opposed to strict government control.
Sheikh Hasina’s Impending Trial for Crimes Against Humanity
Sheikh Hasina will have to stand trial for crimes against humanity, according to the chief advisor, Dr. Mohammad Yunus, who spoke to the British media in July.
Key points regarding the trial include:
Family members and associates involved in the crime of genocide will also be tried.
The trial will proceed whether or not Sheikh Hasina returns to Bangladesh.
India has received a formal request for Sheikh Hasina’s return, but has not yet responded.
The Anti-Corruption Commission is seriously investigating allegations of financial corruption against Tulip Siddique, Sheikh Hasina’s younger sister’s daughter.
BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosu Mahmud Chowdhury commented that Sheikh Hasina and Awami League leaders will be tried for every crime, but there is no scope to postpone the elections.
Dr. Mohammad Yunus stated that there is evidence against Sheikh Hasina.
Law enforcement forces opened indiscriminate fire on student crowds, killing at least 1,400 people and injuring many others during the July Revolution in 2024.
More than 250 murder cases were filed across the country in these incidents.
Bangladesh Education System Reform: Challenges and Future Plans
The reform of the education system is a significant topic in the news, with a focus on restoring order and upgrading the system to world standards.
Key points:
Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge is to restore order in the education system.
New Advisor: Professor CR Abrar, the new education advisor, took an oath to upgrade Bangladesh’s education system to world standards and pledged to fulfill his duties with dedication. The total number of advisors, including the chief advisor, in the interim government has reached 23.
Book Distribution: Assurance was given that books will be handed over by March 10.
Outgoing Advisor’s Remarks: The outgoing education advisor noted the lack of focus on education in educational institutions and the competition to occupy the managing committee. Economist Wahid Uddin Mahmud, who was previously responsible for the Ministry of Education, admitted that he could not prevent the chaos in the education sector and had to bow to political pressure.
Future Plans: The new education advisor expressed a dream of an education system where students will see their future within the country and lead the world from Bangladesh.
Views on Current State: BNP central leader Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu stated that nothing has been reformed, and the law and order situation in the country has deteriorated severely.
Bangladesh Tax Policy: NBR Pre-Budget Discussions
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman addressed demands for more tax exemptions during pre-budget discussions with traders. The chairman assured that tax discrimination will be eliminated in a non-discriminatory Bangladesh.
Key points from the discussion include:
Tax Disparities: The NBR Chairman, Abdur Rahman Khan, assured the removal of tax disparities and mentioned the potential increase of tax rates in sectors like the ready-made garment sector.
Digital vs. Cash Transactions: There is a perceived disadvantage in digital transactions due to the application of VAT and taxes compared to cash transactions.
Income Tax Umbrella: A proposal was made to bring one crore Bangladeshi traders under the income tax umbrella.
New Taxes: The NBR Chairman did not discuss imposing new taxes but indicated that tax collection would be increased in some new areas in the next budget.
Tax Benefits: Concerns were raised that a large part of the tax benefits does not directly benefit the consumers and can endanger businesses. The NBR Chairman suggested using the public’s insight to identify those who should contribute to taxes.
Taxpayer Equality: Emphasis was placed on ensuring that existing taxpayers are not continuously burdened while others avoid paying taxes. The NBR Chairman noted the registration of 28,000 new taxpayers in February.
Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission Strike
The officers and employees of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSSC) announced a strike, demanding the resignation of the commission led by its current chairman, Khandaker Rashed Maqsood.
Key points regarding the strike:
Demands for Resignation: The officers and employees of the agency demanded the resignation of the commission led by Khandaker Rashed Maqsood, and announced that they would go on strike if their demands were not met by today.
Autocratic Decisions: The commission led by Rashed Maqsood is accused of taking autocratic decisions.
Protest and Blockade: The chairman and commissioner of the agency were blocked from 11 am in protest of the compulsory retirement of BSC Executive Director Saifur Rahman.
Escalation: As the situation worsened, the chairman Khandaker Rashed Maqsood and the commissioners left the DSC at around 3:30 pm under the guard of the army.
Tax Disparities: In a discrimination- free Bangladesh National Board of Revenue Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan has assured to remove tax disparities.
Gaza Reconstruction Proposals: US, Israel, and Arab Leaders
The United States and Israel have rejected proposals from Arab leaders for the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza.
Key aspects of the situation include:
Uninhabitable Conditions: Gaza is currently uninhabitable due to rubble and unexploded ordnance.
US Plan: US President Donald Trump is holding to his plan to evacuate Gazans to Jordan and Egypt and rebuild a Hamas-free Gaza.
Arab Leaders’ Meeting: Arab world leaders held an emergency meeting in Cairo where Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proposed an interim government until the Palestinian Authority is reorganized and suggested that about 2 million residents need to leave their settlements to rebuild Gaza.
Saudi Arabia’s View: The Saudi foreign minister has called for the deployment of international security and peacekeeping forces in the Palestinian territories.
“Golden Age” Claim: The Saudi foreign minister is claiming that a golden age has begun in America and has announced the launch of a gold card in the United States for wealthy foreigners.
এটিএন বাংলার রাত ১০ টার সংবাদ | 05.03.2025 | BD News | Bangla Khobor | Ajker News | ATN Bangla
The Original Text
Assalamu Alaikum, I welcome everyone to ATN Bangla News. I am Firoz Toha. At the beginning, BRB only news headlines. Sheikh Hasina will have to stand trial for crimes against humanity. Her family members and associates will also be tried. The chief advisor told the British media. The biggest challenge is to restore order in the education system. The new advisor took the oath and assured everyone that books will be handed over by March 10. The outgoing advisor said that there is no opportunity to postpone the elections on the pretext of the genocide trial. Amir Khasur commented that the unelected government cannot solve the country’s current problems. The chairman of the commission was blocked all day demanding his resignation. After three and a half hours, he announced that he would go on strike from tomorrow if the rescue demand is not met. The officials and employees assured that tax discrimination will be eliminated in a non-discriminatory Bangladesh. The NBR chairman was listening to the demand for more tax exemptions in the pre-budget discussion. The news headlines are now in detail. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will have to stand trial for crimes against humanity. The chief advisor, Dr. Mohammad Yunus, told the British media in July. Hasina’s family members and associates involved in the crime of genocide will also be tried. India has not yet responded to Bangladesh’s letter seeking Sheikh Hasina’s return, expressing optimism about her return, Dr. Yunus Imdadullah Babu’s report said. During the July Revolution in 2024, law enforcement forces opened indiscriminate fire on student crowds, killing at least 1,400 people and injuring many others. More than 250 murder cases were filed across the country in these incidents. In an interview with UK-based news outlet Sky News, Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus said that Sheikh Hasina will have to face trial for genocide. There is no doubt that Sheikh Hasina will face trial for crimes against humanity. There is evidence against her. Not only Sheikh Hasina, but all those involved with her, starting from her family members to her associates, will also be tried. She is not in Bangladesh, so now the question is whether we can bring her back. It depends on India and the directives of international law. A letter has been formally sent to India to return Sheikh Hasina, but there has been no response yet. No matter what, Sheikh Hasina will have to face trial whether she comes to Bangladesh or not. The Anti-Corruption Commission is seriously investigating the allegations of financial corruption against Tulip Siddique, the daughter of Sheikh Hasina’s younger sister, Sheikh Rehana. Dr. Yunus Imdadullah Babu also said that the Anti-Corruption Commission has taken the matter of financial irregularities seriously regarding Dr. Yunus Siddique. He has kept a lot of property here, although he has a British passport. These losses have been seen in the mirror house built by the previous government. Calling the mirror house built by the previous government the ugliest thing, the chief advisor also said that the entire government was involved in that incident, so it takes time to find the culprits. Everyone was involved in the mirror house crime. The entire government was involved in it, so it is difficult to find out who committed these crimes with enthusiasm and who did these things on festive orders, so it takes time to identify them. However, the mirror house is an ugly thing that you can see, feel or observe. Although the mirror houses are in a protected area, they are also planned to be converted into an open museum for the public to see in the future. Dr. Yunus Imdadullah Babu, who is the education advisor to the Bengal Dhaka interim government, said Former Dhaka University professor CR Abrar took oath. President Mohammad Shahabuddin administered the oath to him at Bangabhaban in the morning. At the beginning of the oath-taking ceremony, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the great freedom fighters and martyrs of July-August. Professor CR Abrar will serve as the advisor to the Ministry of Education. A new advisor has been added. The total number of advisors, including the chief advisor, in the interim government has reached 23. The new education advisor, Professor CR Abrar, believes that restoring discipline in the education system is the biggest challenge. Taking charge of the ministry, he said that all kinds of initiatives will be taken to upgrade Bangladesh’s education system to world standards. He pledged to fulfill his duties with dedication. The outgoing education advisor said that there is no focus on education in educational institutions. There is a competition to occupy the managing committee. He said that it will be possible to provide all the books by March 10. He reported that Mahbub Kovid Chapal was replaced within seven months. One professor left, another professor took over. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar or CR Abrar, a retired professor of Dhaka University who works on immigration and international relations, has been given the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, although it is unexpected, but he wants to fulfill it honestly. The Honorable Chief Advisor called me four or five days ago. Many other things were discussed about the Malaysian labor market. After many other things, when he said that sir, he no longer wants to fulfill this responsibility, the first question he asked me was that I accepted this responsibility. I was really surprised. Economist Wahid Uddin Mahmud was given the responsibility of the Ministry of Education. He admitted that he could not prevent the chaos in the education sector and had to bow to political pressure. It is a huge chaotic situation. The political power that has come is again taking over the management. It cannot be managed. Many of those who want to come to the school’s managing committee are not with the school. When the education system is destroyed, it takes a long time to destroy it. It takes a long time to pull it back up. The new education advisor sitting next to him hears these bitter experiences, but he wants to take it as a challenge and tells about his future plans. When the Honorable Chief Advisor gave us this responsibility, I think it is an It’s a challenge. He is also telling me that during the time you are taking the responsibility, we have heard from Sir that he has fulfilled this responsibility with this and this team amidst the turbulent problems. I dream of an education system where our students will see their future within the country and will lead the world from Bangladesh. However, the people of the country are looking at how much change he can make in a short time. It will not happen in a day, it will not happen in a year. 10 Mahbub Kovid Chapal ATN Bangla Dhaka BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosu Mahmud Chowdhury has commented that the judicial process has nothing to do with the elections. He said that Sheikh Hasina and Awami League leaders will be tried for every crime, but there is no scope for these words or any excuse to postpone the elections. He said this after a round table meeting organized by the Ship Breaker and Recycling Association at a hotel in the capital. He said that an unelected government will not be able to solve the current crisis and problems of the country. He said that with the law and order forces and government officials It is not possible to run the country properly. We do not see any connection between elections and justice. The judicial process will continue. After this trial, it will stop on the judicial side. Even then, there is justice. There is justice for more people. The government has justice. Today will not be for this. Elections will not be for tomorrow. The day after tomorrow. How many times have we heard this talk? There is no opportunity to postpone the election system. There is no chance to delay the democratic system. BNP central leader Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu has once again called on the interim government not to delay the elections in the name of reforms. Stating that nothing has been reformed in the last seven and a half months, Dulu said, on the contrary, the law and order situation in the country has deteriorated severely. There is no security for people’s lives. He said these things while participating in a discussion and iftar mahfil organized by the Natore Local Market Traders’ Association. Stating that a national and international conspiracy has started against Bangladesh, the BNP leader also said, “The verdict of the people is that the elected political party will come to power and complete the remaining reforms.” Assalamu Alaikum. The law and order situation in the country has deteriorated severely. Today, everything has gone out of control. The slightest thing in people’s lives is being affected. There is no security, we want a very fair election. Please do not delay this reform in the name of reform. The capital market regulator Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission BSSC has demanded the resignation of the commission led by its current chairman Khandaker Rashed Maqsood. The officers and employees of the agency have also announced that they will go on strike from tomorrow if they do not resign by today. They also announced that they will go on strike on behalf of the officers and employees at a press conference in the afternoon. Executive Director Mahbubul Alam announced the strike on behalf of the officers and employees at this time. At this time, he said that the commission led by Rashed Maqsood is taking autocratic decisions. In view of this, the officers and employees presented several demands, but the commission did not give any specific statement on the matter. In view of this, a decision was taken to demand the resignation of the commission. Earlier, the chairman and commissioner of the agency were blocked from 11 am to protest the compulsory retirement of BSC Executive Director Saifur Rahman. As the situation worsened, the chairman Khandaker Rashed Maqsood and the commissioners left the DSC at around 3:30 pm under the guard of the army. In a discrimination- free Bangladesh National Board of Revenue Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan has assured to remove tax disparities. He also said that tax rates will be increased in other sectors including the ready-made garment sector. He also said that during the pre- budget discussion at the NBR building, traders demanded more tax exemptions. Sharful Alam’s report is coming. There is a lot of speculation about what the first budget of the interim government will be like. Especially the IBE account of this budget and what it contains for traders. However, pre-budget discussions have started with the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue, where traders are highlighting various issues of business-friendly tax policy and have various recommendations from the government. We can buy things cheaply using cash. When we buy something digitally, VAT comes. Tax comes. Everything comes. I will propose to you. I am giving it from Safe Cash. The pressure on them is increasing to some extent, but I still think that it is worth bringing one crore Bangladeshi traders under the income tax umbrella. The NBR Chairman said in the pre-budget discussion, but he did not talk about imposing new taxes. In the next budget, tax collection will be increased in some new places. The NBR Chairman said that the benefit of giving up taxes will be A large part of it does not go directly to the consumers and again the business remains in danger. This is a wide spread complaint. But if it is, we should use your eyes as the eyes of the NBR because everyone who has the ability should contribute something or the other. We will only put continuous pressure on our existing tax payers and those who do not pay will remain in the situation of not paying for the rest of their lives. This inequality cannot be allowed to continue for long and the country is suffering due to this. The NBR Chairman said that 28,000 new vets were registered in February. I am Sharful. ATN Bangla Dhaka met the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal. Former US Ambassador William B. Mylam and diplomat John Danilo Fitch visited the International Crimes Tribunal during this time. Later, Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said that the delegation wanted to know about the July massacre and the sleep murders of the last 15 years and the trial process of them. At the same time, they offered to assist the Tribunal. They are in the interest of justice. They are interested in collecting information and helping to shape public opinion. Today, the tribunal has ordered the submission of the investigation report against former OC Ashraf Uddin and Constable Akram Hossain and five former police officers in the Konabari murder case in Gazipur on June 15. In addition, Constable Akram Hossain has been allowed to be questioned on March 11. They have spoken openly with us about the progress of the trial process and whether there are any problems in the trial process. They said that they want to cooperate as much as possible in the trial of this crime against humanity in Bangladesh and have given all the advice that is needed from their side in that regard. They want that they say that we are not for anyone. We always want people to have their right to justice to be ensured. The financial advisor said that the price of Ramadan is slightly lower this year compared to last year, but the government is trying to reduce it further. After the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Secretariat Procurement, he also said that the interim government is giving importance to creating employment opportunities by increasing the scope of business and trade. If you compare it with last year, you will see it as a little comparative. What we call static analysis is today’s inflation, what was yesterday, what will happen tomorrow, we need to look at it a little bit dynamically. The price of current goods, which you were saying has decreased, look at one side. If it decreases for three or four consecutive months, then it will be in line with global standards. Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus has ordered the reform of the country’s labor law. He gave this order in a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Labor and Employment ahead of the upcoming 353rd session of the International Labor Reform Organization. At this time, he ordered to take measures to ensure insurance and health care facilities for the country’s workers. Dr. Yunus will lead the Bangladesh delegation to the Geneva ILO session from March 10 to 20. Labor and Employment Advisor M. Shakhawat Hossain Sirajganj sent three people arrested in the case of looting in the name of search at the Gulshan residence of former MP Tanvir Imam of four constituencies to jail. The court sent the three people arrested in the case to jail after the search at the Gulshan residence of former MP Tanvir Imam of Sirajganj four constituencies. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ziadur Rahman gave this order after the hearing on Wednesday. The accused are Shakil Khandaker Jewel Khandaker and Shakil Ahmed had earlier forced their way into the house of Gulshan 2, Road 81, on Tuesday midnight in the name of a search. Witnesses said that around 12:00 am, people entered the house ignoring the security personnel and looted it extensively for about half an hour. After a while, police and army members went to the spot and brought the situation under control. Tanvir Imam, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s late political advisor ST Imam, has demanded that river polluters and encroachers be declared ineligible for elections through the law. Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh HRPB has demanded that river polluters and encroachers be declared ineligible for elections through the law. An eight-member delegation of the organization met with the EC in the capital’s Agargaon Election Commission on the amendment of the Representation of the People Order. After the meeting, the organization’s president, Advocate Manzil Morshed, said that the Election Commission will take a final decision on this matter through the opinion of the Appellate Division. They have given such an opinion, but it is not in the law and you know that since there is an election ahead, the National Assembly election and the election Earlier, if there was no provision in our Public Procedure Act that says who will be disqualified, then the Election Commission cannot disqualify him there. That is why we have come today and appealed to the Election Commission that if they implement the provisions of the law, then those who want to vote in this place will refrain from occupying the river and polluting it. Dhaka North City Corporation has started an eviction drive against illegal occupants in the Gabtoli Beribandh area of the capital. The Dhaka North City Corporation has launched an eviction drive in the presence of DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz. The City Corporation’s Executive Malstrate conducted the eviction drive in the presence of DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz. At this time, several shacks built by occupying the City Corporation’s land were demolished. At one point, in the face of protests from the angry public, the drive was suspended after giving a seven-day deadline. City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Ejaz said that for a long time, the occupants have been occupying the City Corporation’s land and running other commercial activities including brick kilns. If the occupants do not remove their establishments within a week, they will conduct another drive. The City Corporation has about 30 acres of land behind me. There is 90 bighas of land and the road in front is blocked. Then we have about 150 acres of land in total. So, out of the 150 acres, we will rescue those parts that are filled and occupied. This rescue work has started today. The places behind me, the brick kilns and other commercial activities that you have seen, have been going on for a long time and they are not paying a single penny to the city for rent. If they try to destabilize the market by selling products at high prices through manipulation, strict action will be taken, warned Chittagong City Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain, who told reporters after visiting the city’s Kazeri Deuri market in the afternoon, he said. Earlier, the mayor visited Kazeri Deuri market to check the prices of daily necessities and warned shopkeepers not to sell products at high prices. At this time, he called for selling open soybean oil at 10 taka and bottled oil at the fixed price. He said that this campaign will not stop. We are monitoring every market every day, but our magistrates are monitoring it at 155 taka. No one will be able to sell more, no matter how expensive they buy, they will have to sell at the rate we have set tomorrow, otherwise the law will run its own course, they will have to be punished. Al Arafa Islami Bank Finance News The leaders of the Bangladesh Shipbreakers and Recycling Association have sought the government’s policy support to prevent the collapse of the country’s shipbreaking industry. They said that despite leading the ship recycling sector for nine consecutive years, currently the import of scrub ships has reached the lowest level. The leaders of the association said these things at a round table meeting titled “Challenges and Prospects of the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Industry” at a hotel in Banani, Bangladesh. The businessmen said that there is an investment of more than 10,000 crore taka in the shipbreaking and recycling industry. The annual turnover in this industry is 30,000 crore taka. They also said that this industry generates 1200 to 1400 crore taka as the basis of the country’s economy. They are a government but not a mere regulator. The main job of a government is to I am telling everyone to be prepared to self-regulate. If we have any opportunity in the future when the government changes, we will give all of them to the trade body wherever possible and they will self-regulate. The more government control is freed, the more India will continue to grow. International News The United States and Israel have rejected Arab leaders’ proposals for the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza. US National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement that Gaza is currently uninhabitable due to the rubble and unexploded ordnance. Therefore, US President Donald Trump is steadfast in his plan to evacuate Gazans to Jordan and Egypt and rebuild a Hamas-free Gaza. He also said that he wants to continue talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region. Earlier on Tuesday, Arab world leaders held an emergency meeting in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, at which Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proposed that an interim government would rule until the Palestinian Authority is reorganized. About 2 million residents need to leave their settlements to rebuild Gaza. Arab leaders also agreed that there is no such thing as a “golden age” in the Palestinian territories. The Saudi foreign minister has called for the deployment of international security and peacekeeping forces in the Palestinian territories. Claiming that a golden age has begun in America, the Saudi foreign minister has announced the launch of a gold card in the United States for wealthy foreigners. President Donald Trump has also given a clear message that there will be no place for other genders in the United States. In his first address to a joint session of Congress after taking office for his second term, he pledged to restore tiger freedom in the United States. President Trump also said that Russia is sincere in ending the war with Ukraine. The Republican leader also said that Shariful Islam began his speech to a joint session of Congress with the slogan “America is Back.” President Donald Trump began his speech to a joint session of Congress with the slogan “America is Back.” Republican members welcomed him with a standing ovation. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President J.D. were present during his speech to the joint session. Democrats in the House and Senate also promised to restore tiger freedom in the United States. Donald Trump announced the launch of a $5 million gold card for the US. Billionaire Trump claims that it will be better than the green card US citizenship it’s like the green card but better In a long speech, he criticized the Democrats, called Biden the worst president in American history, the Republican leader administration anything about it because there was so much money they couldn’t do anything about it the problem with it was that Biden didn’t enforce it he didn’t enforce it 50 billion dollars of purchases He also made it clear that there will be no place for people of the third gender except women and men He claimed that the student protests against the Israeli aggression were illegal Donald Trump The US president outlined his initiative to stop the war in Russia and Ukraine and his plan on marijuana The US president ended his nearly 100-minute speech by announcing that America will return to its golden age President Donald Trump Just Began Shariful Islam ATN Bangla This time Partex game news South Africa is batting against New Zealand in a battle of two chokers, batting for a target of 363 runs to win As of last news, the collection of Proteas is not 283 runs for the wicket. Earlier, New Zealand celebrated their run celebration against South Africa in the Champions Trophy final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson scored centuries. They scored a Champions Trophy record 362 runs for the loss of six wickets with their bat. The Kiwis had previously scored the highest score of the Champions Trophy of 356 after winning the toss and putting in to bat, New Zealand lost the wicket of Will Young for 48 runs. Then, Rachin Ravindra built a partnership of 164 runs off 154 balls with Kane Williamson. In the meantime, Rachin scored his fifth century of his career. Rachin returned to the dressing room after scoring 108 runs off 101 balls. He then scored 212 runs for two wickets and then was dismissed for 102 runs off 94 balls. Kane Williamson finally announced his retirement from ODI cricket after scoring a huge score of 362 runs for the loss of six wickets to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy semi-final against India. Two-time World Cup winner Steven Smith will not be seen in this edition. He has stepped down to prepare Australia for the highest stage of cricket. However, he will continue to play Test and T20 cricket. Stephen Smith also informed Parag Arman Dubai that he had told his teammates about his decision in the dressing room after Tuesday’s defeat. The 35- year-old OG captain Steven Smith said that the Champions Trophy match against India turned out to be Smith’s last match in ODIs. He said that he enjoyed every minute of it. He had a great time. He also has some great memories. The two World Cup victories with great teammates were the most notable. Now is the right time to start preparing for the 2027 World Cup. So it seems like the right time to step down. The right-handed batsman has played 170 matches in ODI cricket and has scored 5800 runs at an average of 4328 at a strike rate of 87. He is 12th in the list of highest runs by an Australian with 12 centuries and 35 fifties. Steve Smith’s journey in ODI cricket began in Melbourne in February. He won the ODI World Cup for Australia in 2015 and 2023. He also became the captain after Michael Clarke, but later lost the captaincy due to the ball tampering scandal. Smith was selected as the captain in the Champions Trophy after regular captain Pat Cummings was unable to play due to Steve Smith’s injury. He led the team in 64 matches, winning 32 and losing 28 matches. Saying goodbye to ODI cricket, Steve Smith now wants to focus on excelling in Test and T20 cricket. Before finishing ATN Bangla, BRB Ball News Headline Sheikh Hasina will have to stand trial for crimes against humanity once again. Family members and associates will also be tried. The chief advisor told the British media that restoring discipline in the education system is the biggest challenge. The new advisor took the oath and assured everyone that books will be handed over by March 10. There is no scope for postponing elections on the pretext of genocide trial in the advisory council, comments Amir Khasur, the unelected government cannot solve the country’s current problems, the chairman of the Security Commission, who is blocked with demands for resignation, has announced that he will go on strike from Thursday if his demand for three and a half hours of relief is not met, and he assures officials and employees that he will eliminate discrimination in a discrimination-free Bangladesh, NBR chairman demands more tax exemptions in the truck budget discussion, inviting traders to watch the next news, I conclude with this. Watch ATN Bangla news on YouTube, browse YouTube ATN Bangla News, thank you all.
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