Imprinting in Blender

August 26, 2008 11:48 AM

How to get an "imprint" of a model in Blender?

I have an object in Blender (a "chicklet" or "tile") with rounded edges.

I would like to make another object which "fits" this tile loosely. Imagine another squeezed cube with an imprint of the chicklet, with some room to fit, about the same width.

Is there an easy method in Blender for using my first object to make an imprint in a second object?

posted by Blazecock Pileon to computers & internet (5 answers total)

This will help you. Duplicate your tile, and enlarge it slightly to use as the other boolean. Then, nestle your original tile in the imprint.
posted by SansPoint at 12:05 PM on August 26, 2008

Here is a better link.
How did I make a double reply? Mods?
posted by SansPoint at 12:06 PM on August 26, 2008

I think you can set your brush in sculpt mode to be derived from your tile, then apply that brush to the second object.
posted by jedicus at 12:08 PM on August 26, 2008

Thanks, SansPoint!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:57 PM on August 26, 2008

As a secondary question, in case anyone is still reading, is there a good way to "simplify" a Blender mesh, perhaps to "hollow" or remove the non-visible portion of my chicklet?

I have read this tutorial, but the fill does two things:

1. It creates triangles that do not render properly (I see gaps in my surface)
2. The box selection seems to work on both sides ("top" and "bottom") of the object (presumably, to reduce the face count, I only want to fill in the top)

Here is an example of the objects I have when they are built the way I want.

When I do a fill and then render the red tile, there is a long thin rectangular strip missing from the top and bottom of the object.

When I export this object into an OpenGL array, I have roughly the same face count.

Are there good tricks for simplifying Blender objects?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:56 PM on August 26, 2008