5 Steps to Make a Blender Render Anime with No Shading

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of anime with Blender as your creative canvas. In this comprehensive guide, we will embark on a transformative journey, exploring the secrets of crafting stunning anime-style renders without the complexities of shading. Prepare to witness the enchantment unfold as we delve into the depths of Blender’s versatile tools, unlocking a realm of limitless possibilities.

Initially, we will establish a solid foundation upon which our anime masterpiece will take shape. By customizing the viewport display and importing essential assets, we will lay the groundwork for a seamless and efficient workflow. As we progress, we will meticulously adjust lighting and camera parameters, capturing the essence of anime aesthetics. Transitioning smoothly into the core techniques, we will uncover the power of Freestyle and NPR modifiers, transforming our renders into captivating anime-inspired creations.

Furthermore, we will venture into the realm of compositing, where we will refine and enhance our renders. Utilizing blend modes, filters, and other post-processing tools, we will elevate our creations to new heights of visual splendor. Each step will be meticulously explained, ensuring that you fully grasp the transformative power of Blender. By the culmination of this guide, you will possess the knowledge and skills to craft your own exquisite anime renders, leaving an indelible mark on the digital art landscape. Let us begin this artistic odyssey and witness the breathtaking metamorphosis of your Blender projects into captivating anime masterpieces.

Understanding the Basics of Blender

Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite that offers a vast array of tools for modeling, animation, rendering, and more. Understanding the basic concepts of Blender is crucial before delving into the intricacies of anime rendering.

Workspace Navigation and Tools

The Blender interface consists of several key areas:

3D Viewport: Provides a visual representation of your scene.
Outliner: Displays a hierarchical list of all objects in the scene.
Properties Editor: Allows you to modify the properties of selected objects.
Toolbar: Provides quick access to commonly used tools.

Navigation Controls

Left Mouse Button + Drag: Rotates the viewport.
Middle Mouse Button + Drag: Pans the viewport.
Right Mouse Button + Drag: Zooms the viewport.
"Numpad +" / "-": Zooms in / out.
"Home": Looks front-on at the scene.

Tool Selection

"G": Grab (move) tool.
"R": Rotate tool.
"S": Scale tool.
"Shift + S": Snap tool.
"Ctrl + Tab": Cycles through different modes (Object, Edit, etc.).

Importing Your Reference Image

In order to create a reference image for your anime render, you will need to first import an image into Blender. To do this, follow these steps:

Open Blender and click on the “File” menu.
Select “Import” and then “Images”.
Navigate to the location of the image you want to import and click on it.
Click on the “Import Image” button.

The image will now be imported into Blender and will appear in the “Outliner” window. You can now use this image as a reference when creating your anime render.

Positioning the Reference Image

Once you have imported your reference image, you will need to position it so that it is visible when you are creating your render. To do this, follow these steps:

Select the image in the “Outliner” window.
Click on the “Object” menu and then select “Set Origin” and then “Origin to Center of Mass”.
Click on the “View” menu and then select “Camera” and then “Perspective”.
Move the camera so that the reference image is visible.

You can now use the reference image to help you create your anime render.

Scaling and Rotating the Reference Image

You may need to scale or rotate the reference image in order to fit it into your render. To do this, follow these steps:

Select the image in the “Outliner” window.
Click on the “Object” menu and then select “Transform” and then “Scale”.
Enter the desired scale factor into the “Scale” field.
Click on the “Object” menu and then select “Transform” and then “Rotate”.
Enter the desired rotation angle into the “Rotation” field.

You can now use the reference image to help you create your anime render.

Modeling the Character

To begin, we will create a simple base mesh for our anime character. This involves defining the overall shape and proportions of the character.

Next, we will add details to the mesh using sculpting tools. This includes defining the facial features, hair, and clothing. It is important to pay attention to the contours of the body and the subtle details that give an anime character its distinct look.

Finally, we will create a low-poly version of the mesh for rendering. This involves reducing the number of polygons while maintaining the overall shape and details of the character. This is essential for creating a lightweight model that can be animated effectively.

Step	Description
1	Create a base mesh
2	Add details using sculpting
3	Create a low-poly version for rendering

Creating the Materials

Understanding the Principled BSDF Shader

The Principled BSDF shader is a complex material model that can simulate a wide variety of materials. It has a number of parameters that control its appearance, including:

Base Color: The base color of the material.
Metallic: The amount of metallic reflection in the material.
Roughness: The roughness of the material’s surface.
Transmission: The amount of light that passes through the material.

Setting Up the Base Material

Create a new material.
In the **Surface** tab, select the **Principled BSDF** shader.
Set the **Base Color** to a solid color.
Set the **Metallic** value to 0.
Set the **Roughness** value to 0.
Set the **Transmission** value to 0.

Adding Glossy Reflections

To add glossy reflections to the material, increase the Roughness value. This will cause the material to reflect light more smoothly.

Adding Subsurface Scattering

Subsurface scattering is a phenomenon that occurs when light passes through a material and is scattered by particles within the material. This can give the material a soft, translucent appearance.

To add subsurface scattering to the material, increase the Transmission value. This will cause the material to transmit more light, and the scattered light will create a soft glow.

Creating a Table for Material Parameters

To easily compare and adjust the material parameters, create a table like this:

Parameter	Value
Base Color	[Solid Color]
Metallic	0
Roughness	0
Transmission	0

Setting Up the Lighting

In order to achieve an anime-style look, your lighting must be set up in a specific way. Here are some tips:

1. Use a Three-Point Lighting Setup

This is the most basic lighting setup, and it consists of a key light, a fill light, and a back light. The key light is the strongest light and is usually placed at a 45-degree angle to the subject. The fill light is used to fill in any shadows created by the key light, and is usually placed at a 90-degree angle to the subject. The back light is used to separate the subject from the background, and is usually placed behind the subject.

2. Use a Soft Light Source

Hard light sources, such as the sun or a spotlight, can create harsh shadows that are not ideal for anime-style visuals. Instead, use a soft light source, such as a diffuser or a softbox, to create a more even and flattering light.

3. Position the Lights Carefully

The placement of your lights is critical to achieving the desired look. Experiment with different positions until you find a setup that produces the results you want.

4. Use Color to Your Advantage

Color can be used to create a variety of moods and effects in your scenes. For example, you can use warm colors to create a cozy atmosphere or cool colors to create a more serious tone.

5. Consider Using Ambient Occlusion and Bloom

Ambient occlusion is a technique that adds shadows to the areas where objects intersect, which can help to create a more realistic look. Bloom is a technique that adds a soft glow to bright objects, which can help to create a more dreamlike atmosphere. You can adjust the settings for these effects in the Render Properties panel.

Setting	Value
Ambient Occlusion	On
Ambient Occlusion Factor	0.5
Bloom	On
Bloom Threshold	0.5

Adjusting the Camera

Adjusting the camera is crucial for creating the desired perspective and composition in your render. Here are the key considerations:

Camera Type:

Blender offers several camera types, including Perspective, Orthographic, and Panoramic. Perspective mimics the natural curvature of the human eye, while Orthographic provides a flat, undistorted view. Panoramic cameras are ideal for capturing wide-angle shots.

Lens Size:

The lens size determines the field of view (FOV), which affects the perspective and depth of field in your render. A smaller lens size results in a wider FOV, while a larger lens size narrows the FOV.

Position and Rotation:

Position the camera to frame your subject and set the rotation to adjust the angle. Use the manipulator widget to move and rotate the camera precisely.

Target:

Define a target point for the camera to look at. This helps maintain focus and composition, especially when animating the camera.

Focal Length:

The focal length controls the amount of perspective distortion in your render. A shorter focal length creates a wider-angle view, while a longer focal length gives a more telephoto effect.

Depth of Field:

Adjust the Depth of Field (DOF) settings to simulate the effect of a camera lens on the focus. A larger F-stop value increases the depth of field, keeping more of the scene in focus, while a smaller F-stop decreases the depth of field, blurring the background.

Optimizing the Render Settings

1. Turn Off Image Shading

Disable the “Shadows” and “Ambient Occlusion” options to remove all shading effects.

2. Use Ambient Lighting

Set the “World” lighting to “Ambient Occlusion” with a low “Strength” value to provide basic illumination.

3. Optimize Render Samples

Reduce the “Samples” value to minimize rendering time. Aim for a value between 2 and 5.

4. Set Film Resolution

Choose a resolution that balances image quality and rendering speed. Typically, 540p or 720p is sufficient for anime-style renders.

5. Enable Denoising

Turn on “Denoising” to reduce noise in the rendered image. Use the “OptiX” or “OpenImageDenoise” engine for best results.

6. Adjust Exposure and Contrast

Tweak the “Exposure” and “Contrast” settings in the “Color Management” tab to enhance the image’s visual impact.

7. Advanced Tweaks

Explore additional settings to fine-tune the render quality. Consider adjusting the following:

Clamp Indirect: Limit the brightness of indirect lighting.
Light Paths: Control the number of light bounces to optimize performance.
Baking Indirect Lighting: Pre-calculate indirect lighting for faster rendering times.

Exporting the Render

Step 8: Fine-Tuning the Exr Composite

Now that you have your EXR composite, you can fine-tune it to achieve the desired look. Here are some additional tips for tweaking your render:

Tip	Purpose
Adjust the exposure	Control the overall brightness of the render.
Modify the gamma	Adjust the contrast and brightness range.
Alter the white and black points	Set the brightest and darkest points in the image.
Perform color correction	Adjust the color balance and tone of the image.
Add a subtle vignette	Darken the edges of the image to draw attention to the center.
Sharpen the image	Enhance the details and clarity of the render.
Apply a noise reduction filter	Remove unwanted grain from the image.

Remember to make small, incremental adjustments and preview the changes carefully. By experimenting with these settings, you can create a polished and visually appealing anime-style render.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Missing Lines

If you don’t see any lines in your render, check the following:

Make sure you have selected the “Lines” render pass in the Render Layers tab.
Increase the “Line Thickness” value in the Freestyle settings.
Disable “Crease” in the Object Data panel.

Shading Appearing

If shading appears in your render, check the following:

Make sure you have disabled “Shading” in the Render Layers tab.
Disable “Ambient Occlusion” and “Screen Space Reflections” in the Render Properties panel.
Reduce the “Edge Threshold” value in the Freestyle settings.

Lines Are Not Smooth

If your lines are jagged or pixelated, try the following:

Increase the “Samples” value in the Render Properties panel.
Enable “Anti-aliasing” in the Freestyle settings.
Use a higher resolution render.

Refining the Render

Once you have a basic render, you can refine it to improve the quality and realism of the image. Here are some tips:

Increase the sample count. The sample count determines how many rays are cast to determine the color of each pixel. A higher sample count will result in a more accurate and less noisy image, but it will also take longer to render.
Use denoising. Denoising is a process that removes noise from an image. This can be helpful for reducing the amount of grain or speckling in the render.
Adjust the lighting. The lighting in your scene can have a significant impact on the look of the render. Experiment with different lighting setups to find the one that best suits your image.
Add post-processing effects. Post-processing effects can be used to enhance the look of the render. Some popular post-processing effects include color grading, sharpening, and depth of field.
Use compositing. Compositing is the process of combining multiple renders into a single image. This can be useful for creating complex scenes or adding effects that would be difficult to achieve in a single render.

Using AO to Approximate Soft Shadows

While Blender’s standard rendering engine doesn’t support soft shadows out of the box, there are ways to approximate the effect. One method is to use the ambient occlusion (AO) pass. AO simulates the way light bounces around a scene, and it can create the illusion of soft shadows without the need for complex lighting setups.

To enable AO, go to the Render Properties panel and select the “Ambient Occlusion” tab. Here, you can adjust the settings for the AO pass, such as the sample count and the radius of the occlusion.

AO Setting	Description
Sample Count	The number of rays to cast to determine the amount of occlusion at each pixel. A higher sample count will result in a more accurate and less noisy image, but it will also take longer to render.
Radius	The radius of the occlusion kernel. A larger radius will result in softer shadows, but it can also introduce noise.

How To Make Blender Render Anime No Shading

To make a Blender render with no shading, you will need to disable all of the shading options in the render settings. This includes disabling the Diffuse, Specular, and Ambient Occlusion options. You can also disable the Shadows option to prevent any shadows from being cast in the render.

Once you have disabled all of the shading options, you can render your scene as normal. The resulting render will have no shading, which will give it a flat, anime-like appearance.