At this stage the foregoing is probably somewhat difficult to understand, therefore, working

through an example will help to clarify the meaning. You will have to jump the gun a little and

follow some procedures without explanation. The detail of the procedures will be covered later

but at the moment only be concerned with the file system navigation involved.

Selecting Append or Link opens the File Viewer allowing you to navigate to the Blender file you

wish to select elements from. You can Append anything, including cameras, lights, meshes,

materials, textures, scenes, and Strokes (Objects).

By appending Objects, any materials,

textures and animations that are linked to that object will automatically be imported with the

Object. Clicking LMB on an Object will select it. Pressing the A key will deselect.

To clarify this procedure start a new Blender file (open Blender) with the default 2D Animation

Workspace. Select the Append command as previously described and navigate to the file

My_Blender_File.blend. Open the Object directory (the Objects folder, Figure 15.16). Click on

the Object named Stroke to highlight it, then click on the Append button in the lower RH corner

of the Viewer (Figure 15.17).

Strokes Appended in

the 2D Viewport

Editor.

You may Append any Object from any Blender file.

Figure 15.17

15.14 Importing Objects

In Chapter 6 – 6.8 you were shown how to Add 3D Objects into the 2D Workspace by selecting

one of several Object Types included in the Blender program.

Besides the included Objects Blender will accept several generic types of 3D files from other

programs. One example is: The .dae Collada file format used by the Make Human program,

which creates models of the human figure. The Make Human program is freely available.

3D programs usually save files in a format specific to the program but may also give the option to

export in another format. You will have to find the Export command in the program and match up

the file type with one of the file types in Blender’s import menu.

As an example a human figure exported from the Make Human program will be imported into the

2D Viewport Editor in the 2D Animation Workspace.

Importing 3D Objects is a way of enhancing a Scene in a 2D Animation.

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