Blender Grease Pencil course

15. Positioning Strokes in the Viewport

Objectives

  • Understand the importance of positioning strokes correctly in the 3D space.
  • Learn to use the Stroke Placement and Drawing Plane settings to achieve desired positioning.

1. Stroke Placement

This setting determines where your grease pencil strokes are placed in relation to existing geometry or elements in your 3D space.

Options:

  • Origin
  • The stroke will be placed at the object's origin.
  • Useful for doodles or annotations that pertain to the entire object.
  • 3D Cursor
  • Places the stroke at the position of the 3D cursor.
  • Tip: Shift right-click to quickly set the 3D cursor's location.
  • Surface
  • The stroke will adhere to the surface of the 3D objects you're drawing on.
  • Great for adding details or textures directly onto existing geometry.
  • Tip: Adjust the "Offset" slider to prevent z-fighting or strokes getting hidden beneath the surface.
  • Stroke
  • Strokes will be placed on previously drawn grease pencil strokes.
  • Allows for layering of lines and strokes effectively.

2. Drawing Plane

Determines the orientation of the strokes as you draw them, especially useful in 3D space where depth can be tricky.

Options:

  • View
  • Strokes will be oriented based on your current viewpoint.
  • Commonly used as it feels intuitive and strokes are always visible as you draw them.
  • Front
  • Strokes are drawn on a plane facing the front (Y-axis).
  • Useful for front-facing sketches or annotations.
  • Side
  • Strokes are oriented to the side (X-axis).
  • Useful for side profiles or detailing.
  • Top
  • Strokes are positioned from a top-down perspective (Z-axis).
  • Ideal for top-down diagrams or sketches.
  • Cursor
  • The drawing plane is based on the orientation of the 3D cursor.
  • Offers the most flexibility but requires setting up the 3D cursor's rotation.
  • Tip: Use the rotation tools to adjust the 3D cursor's orientation before drawing.

Key Takeaways

  1. Practice makes perfect: The more you use these settings, the more intuitive placing strokes will become.
  2. Utilize shortcuts: Remembering key shortcuts can greatly enhance your speed and efficiency with the Grease Pencil.
  3. Combine settings: Experiment by mixing Stroke Placement and Drawing Plane options to get unique results.