I have Been unable to render a single image in all the years I’ve had Blender. Can anyone walk me through rendering from beginning to end.
For example of problem:
I select Render and get either a blank window or a very small corner of my viewport,
I can see that the render window has 4 menu items: the first menu has no name and has a drop down arrow, the next 2 menu items are both named ‘View’ and one has a dropdown,
the fourth menu item is Image and if I select it I can choose to save the image in the render window. However, this is where the problem starts for me.
In order to see the correct view I have to select from the 1st menu item in the list and choose 3D Viewport to see my work. Problem is, the Image Button is no longer visible. I can see my image in the render window because I choose 3D Viewport from the menu leaving me with no way to save the image in the render window. After one or two hours of trying to figure it out and going on line to see so many asking for help with this very issue, I just give up. Can someone please show me how to render in Blender 4.0. Thank you
You must have an active camera in your scene.
Render image are done by a camera…
Viewport is viewport
Type “blender active camera” in your search engine .
Other software renders the viewport. Blender renders its camera. You need to go into the cameras view to see where it is pointing. You move the camera (like a real world one) to capture the viewpoint you want in the scene. You can animate the cameras location and rotation to make videos.
This is the basic error you have. You are wrongly assuming viewport view = render view. In the standard 3D window press zero on the numpad to go into camera view. Press it again to leave camera view. Or in newer Blender versions click the camera icon on the right of the 3d view to go to camera view. Or View menu (your menu 3) → Cameras → Active Camera.
menu 1: This is the editor type. What the window is set to. Every window has this - with various icons.
menu 2: A submode of menu 1. It saves window space to have some related things together in one window.
menu 3 and 4: Are the standard menus for the render window. Or which ever window is active. Some windows have more menus, and the menus change depending on the Mode you are in.
There are another 2 or 4 (depending on version) menus on the right side of the render window as well.
Apart from watching the recommended videos you should read the manual available in the Help Menu. Its quicker to pick up the fundamentals from the manual than wandering around youtube.
Before I sent the request I was wondering if this had anything to do with the camera. Coming from years of bitmap editing
and designers like affinity I never run into things like this. Thank you
Glad to help. I remember my brother being super frustrated by the same thing. After years in the print industry and then using a different app for 3D he completely missed the basic point of blenders camera, and view Vs render.
BTW… this is super useful. Go into camera view, scroll to zoom in so the camera fills most of the 3D view then turn on Lock Camera to View. This lets you rotate and move to the spot you want the camera - with it following along.
Matakani,
I’m trying this and not understanding something. Is the image supposed to be in the center of the plane and is there supposed to be a camera showing on the screen?
When I first select 0 on the numpad the image flattens out and there is nothing in the 3D plane. Can you give me a place to send a video screener to show what I’m doing
because I’m falling back into the same hole again. I’m missing a step somewhere!
I’m off to the printers for approx 30 min…
Thanks for helping.
Dave
Hi again. You can share a link in your comment. So save the video in the cloud on youtube, google drive, drop box, or share on we transfer or meta. Etc etc…
in the 3d viewport YES (as you can see in the picture below i have two cameras and i can see them) unless that camera which an object too was hidden or the viewport was asked not to show cameras ( which is not the case in a blender new default scene which i recommend you start from until you understand those stuff)
blender will render the camera chosen in the scene options (default camera for the scene as you can see below) highlighted in the picture below
i did add another Camera hoping it will make you understand better… the camera will render what it’s looking at, so camera placement is important like in real world. to place your camera @Matakani did a good job explaining that already.
if you press 0 and the image flatten. maybe cause the camera was oriented in a way not looking at anything and 0numpad switched to it so now you see what the camera sees (nothing!!!)
second picture i switched to the second camera, not well placed and i see some of my object in the corner of the image (maybe that’s what happens to you)
move your camera in the 3d viewport as any object. or use the technique @Matakani explained. if after 0numpad image flatten =>press A to select all object and press “.” in the numpad to frame everything and take it from there, but the options (view Lock => camera to view explained above ) MUST be activated or you will exit camera view and go back to viewport view and any navigation you do will not affect the camera
The zip is clean and the vid is 800 MB uncompressed. I don’t have a compression app loaded…
You could use any file I suppose to show me… How much trouble would it take to give me a step by step
to render??
How about this…
I cannot place this computer live because the files are Supreme Court related… which means I have to give the information to
the other side which we don’t want to do. However, given that it’s becoming very difficult to get results while not using the standard
forum setting etc. You could do this for use here… Open our .blend file that we send to you…give us the step by step with numbers
on each step until you reach the render screen with our picture in it.
Step 1 has our image open with no selections applied … just the image (Take screenshot)
Step 2, shows the very next necessary step to set up cameras in the ui… etc and so on…
A series of full screen snapshots to the point of seeing the image in the render window correctly aligned.
That’s all we need! We are using Blender V 4.02
I understand that my needs are making it difficult to get help in the standard forum routine but there are rules
that state if I place any image on a public forum … the defendants have to be able to see the public interaction equally.
So if you are willing to give me the snapshots requested so I can record the events for the trial… I will hire you for the other issues
I also have with blender. I need someone that gives me exactly what I need … not what should or could be done.
If this can be done I will refer to you as our Blender Tech … 5 Questions = $100
Dude - that what the links to videos are that oo_1942 / Kim posted as the second reply to your original post…
It is not just point a camera and go. There are setting for the file type and size, lighting and more.
Which @cgPixel shall no doubt be explaining with his usual detail in your PM’s…
Thanks for trying everyone!
Please note that we are in our 70’s and it’s hard enough trying to figure out how to move around forums.
I tried to get back to the ‘Blender Forum’ to update the issue but I could find a way to do it…
There is a reason why I asked to speak with user’s from Vancouver… If I became lost, I could chat by
phone while both parties viewed the very same info on the computers. The person who is helping me now has listened
and shown me a result and hope with one response. We do as elders get many responses where we are sent to online
tutorials much of the time where the tutor assumes that the viewer knows the basics. I’ve learned from this experience that
users are more comfortable in showing their talents rather than assuming the role as tutor and of course it’s understandable.
Thank you, everyone for chiming in and I will remove the request or modify it once I know how…
