BB-8 Droid Fan Art

  • January 17, 2016
  • 1,274 Downloads
  • 9 Likes
  • Blender 2.7x
  • Render: Cycles
  • Creator: jjgignac
  • License: CC-BY
You must be logged in to download.

Description:

BB-8 droid from Star Wars. The material uses four image textures: colouring, depth, lights and dirt density (which is basically a blurred version of the depth). The actual dirt is generated procedurally. The zip file includes an SVG file with each texture on its own layer.

The sphere is rigged to roll using frame_change handler scripts. Note that this can't be done with drivers because the orientation doesn't just depend on the current position, but rather, on the entire history of positions. The blend file includes a simple animation to demonstrate that the ball orientation doesn't repeat when the droid follows a closed path.

To take advantage of the rig, attach your movement animation to the "BB-8" empty, and make sure its z-axis is always perpendicular to the surface that the robot is rolling along. The "Head" object can be rotated independently.

If you like this model, please comment or click the Like button! And let me know if you have any suggestions or if you need any help with the rigging.

Comments:

  • Italic_ profile picture
    Italic_

    That's a pretty awesome rig. I haven't gotten into python for interactive usage yet, but this is a great example. Thanks!

    Written January 19, 2016
  • jjgignac profile picture
    jjgignac

    Thanks!

    Edited January 19, 2016
  • Italic_ profile picture
    Italic_

    My only issue with doing the rotation this way is if you try to use motion blur for animation. It ends up calculating the current frame in relation to the starting rotation, not the frame before as they python math does. It ends up leaving a blur streak of the rotation from rest to current orientation. Seems to be fine without motion blur, though.

    Written March 07, 2016
  • sendinthejagdpanther profile picture
    sendinthejagdpanther

    How would similar dirt creation techniques be achieved in blender internal? looks great.

    Written January 19, 2016
  • jjgignac profile picture
    jjgignac

    You should be able to do it in Blender Internal. The basic idea is to multiply noise textures of different scales. That way, the high resolution noise provide the grittiness, and the low resolution noise randomizes the placement.

    Written January 20, 2016
  • sangoten profile picture
    sangoten

    good game

    Written February 06, 2016
  • sangoten profile picture
    sangoten

    What no texture

    Written February 07, 2016
  • Hatguy profile picture
    Hatguy

    I just used a modified version of this model in a video for MIT admissions - thank you so much, it made things a lot easier for me!

    Edited March 07, 2016
  • jjgignac profile picture
    jjgignac

    Wow, that video is amazing! Thanks for mentioning it here! Great job with the modifications, too!

    Written March 08, 2016
  • Avinashn profile picture
    Avinashn

    Awesome

    Written May 29, 2016
  • Avinashn profile picture
    Avinashn

    thank you very much my friend

    Written May 29, 2016
  • DeltaFrostX profile picture
    DeltaFrostX

    How would I apply the script to a different rig? For instance, could it work with wheels on a car model if I change some of the coding in the script? Sorry, but I have no clue how to work scripts in Blender XD. This is a fantastic rig by the way!

    Written July 27, 2016
  • DeltaFrostX profile picture
    DeltaFrostX

    Hey, I made a visual effects test with this rig! I credited you and thought that maybe you'd want to see it. You can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEIc5QHB-g4 Once again, you made an absolutely fantastic rig!!!

    Written August 12, 2016
  • Millard profile picture
    Millard

    Awesome! I wish I knew how to make rigs like that. The Materials are also really good.

    Written September 02, 2019
  • gilam profile picture
    gilam

    Many thanks, script is also very helpful

    Written December 18, 2020
  • gilam profile picture
    gilam

    Hi, again thanks for this very nice rig. However I am running into a weird problem: the rotation of the body works perfectly in the viewport but not when the scene is rendered, where it simply doesn't move. I realize this was done 4 years ago so it may be because of the version I am running (2.90) Any suggestion?

    Written December 22, 2020