11 ms·

Blockbench – A low-poly 3D model editor

340 points by u2077 4y ago

grepLeigh 4y ago
This is so cool, I'd never heard of it before but can't wait to try it out. I'm going to check out the PWA version on an M2 iPad, which is quickly becoming my favorite 3D model editing device.
- darkteflon 4y ago
  Same - personally it feels so much more intuitive than a Wacom. The new pen proximity animation is really nice.
marktangotango 4y ago
This project looks really cool. Maybe someone reading this can answer this question. I've been wondering what the in-browser options are for easy to use low poly modeling? Are there any application you'd recommend?
- 2III7 4y ago
  SketchUp Free is easy and good for low-medium poly modelling.
- 5mixer 4y ago
  Assuming you missed it, blockbench is available in-browser: https://web.blockbench.net/ https://web.blockbench.net/ There's even session sharing! File > Edit Sharing...
dxuh 4y ago
As it might take a few clicks, this is a tutorial from their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbyCbA1c8BM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbyCbA1c8BM It gives a much better quick impression of what this tool is like.
- throwntoday 4y ago
  I watched this and the workflow looks identical to blender. I don't see the benefit over just using blender.
  - remram 4y ago
    It runs in the browser, for one. Not that it needs to be better than Blender to be interesting.
    - throwntoday 4y ago
      Why on earth would you want to run your 3D modeling software in a browser window?
      - danuker 4y ago
        Loading a page is easier than installing software. Whether the sacrifices make it worth it, depends on circumstances.
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
      - diceduckmonk 4y ago
        If it works, it works. Then, all else being equal, the browser is more convenient. Also, see Adobe’s acquisition of Figma.
  - tomtheelder 4y ago
    The benefit is that it's extremely streamlined and simplified to suit the specific type of assets it is designed to create. It is designed for hobbyists- people creating assets for things like Minecraft and Roblox, or indie games- not for people who already know how to use something like Blender. If you already know how to use Blender then, yes, do that.
    - 4y ago
_HMCB_ 4y ago
I wholeheartedly approve.
Mikeb85 4y ago
Wow haven't seen this before. Very cool.
guntherhermann 4y ago
This looks really, really cool. I especially enjoy the "unfiltered textures" (not sure what it's actually called) style, reminiscent of the PS1
- whiskers 4y ago
  It's usually called "Nearest Neighbour"!
- noio 4y ago
  “Pixel art 3D” is often used as well..
  - dym_sh 4y ago
    im into 3d models im into pixel art im into combination 3d models pixel art
    - bee_rider 4y ago
      This is the second this decade old, fairly niche(?) song I’ve seen today.
swayvil 4y ago
This might be a little bit too cool for me.
- darkteflon 4y ago
  That’s a pretty uncharitable thing to say. A tool like this makes modelling approachable for people who might not have any experience - including kids. Trying to reproduce in Blender, for example, the workflows that this tool easily enables is loads more work - potentially months of learning.
  - swayvil 4y ago
    Interpretation-wise, you have several options. But you choose the smelliest. I think you just prefer that particular smell. It's a popular smell.
arriu 4y ago
How does something like this compare to doing low poly work within Blender? I imagine this is easier but I’m not an artist
- r_hoods_ghost 4y ago
  I've only played around with it for a few minutes, but if I wanted to quickly produce a bunch of low poly assets in this style I'd be tempted to go with this and then import them into Blender. This is because it is set up for the low poly workflow out of the box, whereas you'd have to do a bit of faffing around with shaders etc. to get good looking results in Blender. And I say that as someone who has been using Blender for more than a decade. Being forced to work within the constraints that a tool like this imposes is often a good thing from an artist's point of view, as it reduces the decision space down and allows you to focus on the outcome rather than the tool.
  - washadjeffmad 4y ago
    This is why we included 3D Builder as part of our workflow. It requires a lower threshold of expertise to do simple actions like joining models (eg- from 3D scans), which is a much more complex action in Blender and reduces the amount of time our 3D techs spend cleaning up models they receive. If Blockbench does the handful of things we need, we'll use it instead to agnosticize platform dependency for customers, who increasingly don't have access to Windows.
    - dicknuckle 4y ago
      Can you recommend any videos for basic cleanup in 3D Builder? I'm already using it for basic engineering models to 3d print.
  - darkteflon 4y ago
    This is such a great answer for newer artists to hear, thanks. I love Blender, but have found myself doing most of my voxel modelling in Voxel Max before exporting to Blender for more advanced workflows. I couldn’t really articulate why, but “smaller decision space” feels exactly right.
yowlingcat 4y ago
Looks very cool. I wonder if there's anything that can't be done in Blender, or if it's primarily the constraints and simplified workflow that would make this useful to work with. Maybe the latter; there's a parallel to pixel graphic editors vs Photoshop to be made here. Sure you can use Photoshop to do 8-bit art, but some folks use the dedicated 8-bit painter tools regardless.
- noio 4y ago
  The fact that you don’t need to UV unwrap is something that “can’t be done” in Blender. Though I guess technically the same results can definitely be reached :)
IYasha 4y ago
Web-app? No, thanks. I'll stick to ms3d ))
- Cyberdog 4y ago
  And unsurprisingly the downloadable version uses Electron.
  - taneq 4y ago
    Is there a viable alternative for running a web app offline as a “native-ish” application?
    - sirwhinesalot 4y ago
      Tauri, Wails, Neutralinojs, Saucer, Webview, Pywebview, Ultralight, embedding CEF directly... Most of them rely on the native OS browser engine, so much lighter in resources at the expense of (possibly) inconsistent rendering. Ultralight uses its own customized WebKit version, lacks some features, isn't open source, but is a lot lighter than electron. Embedding CEF directly can be better than Electron as it does not require node.js. Lots of options.
- rebane2001 4y ago
  Web-app makes it better. You can still download it to run offline, but you can run the browser version without trusting the binaries to be safe, and you can also get it up and running really fast if you switch computers or need someone else to check it out.
EamonnMR 4y ago
This style has been getting a lot if support lately. Sprytile is big, but my favorite is Union Bytes Painter.
- darkteflon 4y ago
  As someone familiar with Blender, Sprytile looks great, but it also looks as though there hasn’t been a release since 2020. Anyone know if this project is still alive?
  - mcdirty 4y ago
    Currently incompatible from the main repo for blender 3.x, there are forks but YMMV.
  - whateveracct 4y ago
    https://github.com/Sprytile/Sprytile/issues/144 https://github.com/Sprytile/Sprytile/issues/144
marmakoide 4y ago
I just installed it and followed the tutorial. After an hour, I was able to model things, paint them and animate them. I never felt angry, to the contrary. My battery didn't take a big hit. Excellent job.
noio 4y ago
The main thing that makes this nicer to work in than Blender (for these “pixel art 3D” models) is that you don’t need to UV-unwrap your models. That and the fact that working with “pixel art” painting in Blender is inconvenient at best.. I’m actually working on a plug-in for Blender to enable some of this workflow where you can just straight paint on your models :)
- darkteflon 4y ago
  Love to see a link to your plugin!
- Daub 4y ago
  I teach Blender. UV unwrapping is something the students have a lot of trouble with. For those that don’t know, UV-less painting is usually vertex painting, where each vertex is assigned a color. In this way the resolution of the outcome is dependent on that of the model. In the case of this app, a UV map is generated, but seems to be quite crude. Two options are presented: per-face and box. I assume box is derived from tri-planar projection. If so, then I assume that it would be impossible to assign a color to anything that is invisible to the projection, such as underhangs. I will play with it and see.
- mcdirty 4y ago
  I had high hopes for Sprytile, but it seems to have not kept up with the 3.x transition. https://jeiel.itch.io/sprytile https://jeiel.itch.io/sprytile
  - whateveracct 4y ago
    Looks like there are forks that work! https://github.com/Sprytile/Sprytile/issues/144 https://github.com/Sprytile/Sprytile/issues/144
djmips 4y ago
The web app viewer is very slow for me. Local problem? Or is it super slow to rotate a model for others?
jperoutek 4y ago
Been using this for minecraft mods for a while, main benefit of this program vs something like blender is the exports

340 points by u2077 4y ago

This is so cool, I'd never heard of it before but can't wait to try it out. I'm going to check out the PWA version on an M2 iPad, which is quickly becoming my favorite 3D model editing device.

darkteflon 4y ago
Same - personally it feels so much more intuitive than a Wacom. The new pen proximity animation is really nice.

marktangotango 4y ago

This project looks really cool. Maybe someone reading this can answer this question. I've been wondering what the in-browser options are for easy to use low poly modeling? Are there any application you'd recommend?

2III7 4y ago
SketchUp Free is easy and good for low-medium poly modelling.
5mixer 4y ago
Assuming you missed it, blockbench is available in-browser: https://web.blockbench.net/ https://web.blockbench.net/ There's even session sharing! File > Edit Sharing...

dxuh 4y ago

As it might take a few clicks, this is a tutorial from their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbyCbA1c8BM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbyCbA1c8BM It gives a much better quick impression of what this tool is like.

throwntoday 4y ago
I watched this and the workflow looks identical to blender. I don't see the benefit over just using blender.
- remram 4y ago
  It runs in the browser, for one. Not that it needs to be better than Blender to be interesting.
  - throwntoday 4y ago
    Why on earth would you want to run your 3D modeling software in a browser window?
    - danuker 4y ago
      Loading a page is easier than installing software. Whether the sacrifices make it worth it, depends on circumstances.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - diceduckmonk 4y ago
      If it works, it works. Then, all else being equal, the browser is more convenient. Also, see Adobe’s acquisition of Figma.
- tomtheelder 4y ago
  The benefit is that it's extremely streamlined and simplified to suit the specific type of assets it is designed to create. It is designed for hobbyists- people creating assets for things like Minecraft and Roblox, or indie games- not for people who already know how to use something like Blender. If you already know how to use Blender then, yes, do that.
  - 4y ago

_HMCB_ 4y ago

I wholeheartedly approve.

Mikeb85 4y ago

Wow haven't seen this before. Very cool.

guntherhermann 4y ago

This looks really, really cool. I especially enjoy the "unfiltered textures" (not sure what it's actually called) style, reminiscent of the PS1

whiskers 4y ago
It's usually called "Nearest Neighbour"!
noio 4y ago
“Pixel art 3D” is often used as well..
- dym_sh 4y ago
  im into 3d models im into pixel art im into combination 3d models pixel art
  - bee_rider 4y ago
    This is the second this decade old, fairly niche(?) song I’ve seen today.

swayvil 4y ago

This might be a little bit too cool for me.

darkteflon 4y ago
That’s a pretty uncharitable thing to say. A tool like this makes modelling approachable for people who might not have any experience - including kids. Trying to reproduce in Blender, for example, the workflows that this tool easily enables is loads more work - potentially months of learning.
- swayvil 4y ago
  Interpretation-wise, you have several options. But you choose the smelliest. I think you just prefer that particular smell. It's a popular smell.

arriu 4y ago

How does something like this compare to doing low poly work within Blender? I imagine this is easier but I’m not an artist

r_hoods_ghost 4y ago
I've only played around with it for a few minutes, but if I wanted to quickly produce a bunch of low poly assets in this style I'd be tempted to go with this and then import them into Blender. This is because it is set up for the low poly workflow out of the box, whereas you'd have to do a bit of faffing around with shaders etc. to get good looking results in Blender. And I say that as someone who has been using Blender for more than a decade. Being forced to work within the constraints that a tool like this imposes is often a good thing from an artist's point of view, as it reduces the decision space down and allows you to focus on the outcome rather than the tool.
- washadjeffmad 4y ago
  This is why we included 3D Builder as part of our workflow. It requires a lower threshold of expertise to do simple actions like joining models (eg- from 3D scans), which is a much more complex action in Blender and reduces the amount of time our 3D techs spend cleaning up models they receive. If Blockbench does the handful of things we need, we'll use it instead to agnosticize platform dependency for customers, who increasingly don't have access to Windows.
  - dicknuckle 4y ago
    Can you recommend any videos for basic cleanup in 3D Builder? I'm already using it for basic engineering models to 3d print.
- darkteflon 4y ago
  This is such a great answer for newer artists to hear, thanks. I love Blender, but have found myself doing most of my voxel modelling in Voxel Max before exporting to Blender for more advanced workflows. I couldn’t really articulate why, but “smaller decision space” feels exactly right.

yowlingcat 4y ago

Looks very cool. I wonder if there's anything that can't be done in Blender, or if it's primarily the constraints and simplified workflow that would make this useful to work with. Maybe the latter; there's a parallel to pixel graphic editors vs Photoshop to be made here. Sure you can use Photoshop to do 8-bit art, but some folks use the dedicated 8-bit painter tools regardless.

noio 4y ago
The fact that you don’t need to UV unwrap is something that “can’t be done” in Blender. Though I guess technically the same results can definitely be reached :)

IYasha 4y ago

Web-app? No, thanks. I'll stick to ms3d ))

Cyberdog 4y ago
And unsurprisingly the downloadable version uses Electron.
- taneq 4y ago
  Is there a viable alternative for running a web app offline as a “native-ish” application?
  - sirwhinesalot 4y ago
    Tauri, Wails, Neutralinojs, Saucer, Webview, Pywebview, Ultralight, embedding CEF directly... Most of them rely on the native OS browser engine, so much lighter in resources at the expense of (possibly) inconsistent rendering. Ultralight uses its own customized WebKit version, lacks some features, isn't open source, but is a lot lighter than electron. Embedding CEF directly can be better than Electron as it does not require node.js. Lots of options.
rebane2001 4y ago
Web-app makes it better. You can still download it to run offline, but you can run the browser version without trusting the binaries to be safe, and you can also get it up and running really fast if you switch computers or need someone else to check it out.

EamonnMR 4y ago

This style has been getting a lot if support lately. Sprytile is big, but my favorite is Union Bytes Painter.

darkteflon 4y ago
As someone familiar with Blender, Sprytile looks great, but it also looks as though there hasn’t been a release since 2020. Anyone know if this project is still alive?
- mcdirty 4y ago
  Currently incompatible from the main repo for blender 3.x, there are forks but YMMV.
- whateveracct 4y ago
  https://github.com/Sprytile/Sprytile/issues/144 https://github.com/Sprytile/Sprytile/issues/144

marmakoide 4y ago

I just installed it and followed the tutorial. After an hour, I was able to model things, paint them and animate them. I never felt angry, to the contrary. My battery didn't take a big hit. Excellent job.

noio 4y ago

The main thing that makes this nicer to work in than Blender (for these “pixel art 3D” models) is that you don’t need to UV-unwrap your models. That and the fact that working with “pixel art” painting in Blender is inconvenient at best.. I’m actually working on a plug-in for Blender to enable some of this workflow where you can just straight paint on your models :)

darkteflon 4y ago
Love to see a link to your plugin!
Daub 4y ago
I teach Blender. UV unwrapping is something the students have a lot of trouble with. For those that don’t know, UV-less painting is usually vertex painting, where each vertex is assigned a color. In this way the resolution of the outcome is dependent on that of the model. In the case of this app, a UV map is generated, but seems to be quite crude. Two options are presented: per-face and box. I assume box is derived from tri-planar projection. If so, then I assume that it would be impossible to assign a color to anything that is invisible to the projection, such as underhangs. I will play with it and see.
mcdirty 4y ago
I had high hopes for Sprytile, but it seems to have not kept up with the 3.x transition. https://jeiel.itch.io/sprytile https://jeiel.itch.io/sprytile
- whateveracct 4y ago
  Looks like there are forks that work! https://github.com/Sprytile/Sprytile/issues/144 https://github.com/Sprytile/Sprytile/issues/144

djmips 4y ago

The web app viewer is very slow for me. Local problem? Or is it super slow to rotate a model for others?

jperoutek 4y ago

Been using this for minecraft mods for a while, main benefit of this program vs something like blender is the exports