How to insert image reference in the background ? [SOLVED]

[Cellulo]

How to insert image reference in the background ? i'm forcing to use the reference texture apply on a plane ? or i can put it directly in the grid of the background? There is a menu for that ?

I ask this question because i have see a old tutorial to make a ant in 3Dsmax 2.5, and it say to load the ant reference image in Background image menu and after lock the image, it is possible to make the same thing in tS Modelside?

[Emmanuel]

To model something from a picture, the best way is to apply your image reference on a plane : this allows to keep the image scale whatever the window size.

You can use a bitmap as background also (set your bitmap in the Display Options panel).
But if you move your view, the object may not match the picture, and it is sometimes hard to get back to the original position. If you decide to work this way, open a new view Window, set its size according to your picture ratio, and save your layout in case you need to get back to it later.

[Cellulo]

Thanks Emmanuel.

EDIT: i found this cool tutorial: https://forum.thegamecreators.com/thread/149180

[Fenerit]

Also the Draw Panel is useful: with it you can trace (NURBS) the image profile...

[bitkar]

its good to have a 2D poly plane and use rotoscope.tsx by Chikara Kojima, very helpful for this.

[Draise]

Blender can import images as planes, and you can export them as FBX's and they import nicely with the texture using Clinton's FBX importer.

Another option is using Pureref (free) which allows you to overlay images in your OS, then you can make it transparent, and continue to work. I use this method ALL the time (as I don't like random planes in my workspace).

Or you could just create a plane, set the dimension to the correct aspect ratio, paint texture on with a constant texture shader and do it manually..

There are.. many ways to skin a cat.

[Emmanuel]

Also the Draw Panel is useful: with it you can trace (NURBS) the image profile...

That's right. I forgot this one : it is a very simple way to insert image reference for modeling.
One issue is that the image reference is lost when you exit the scene : the image information/path is not saved in the scene file.

The background of a new View Window is saved with the scene ; that's probably the reason why I prefer this method...

[Cellulo]

Thanks all for these useful tips.