Reply To: [ENDED] BC1-1801 – January Class Homepage – Getting Started with 3D Modeling & Blender

[Grady Pruitt]

I think I said something along these lines a couple of weeks ago, but in light of this week’s homework, I wanted to say it again.

For the last couple of weeks, we’ve learned how to model and sculpt individual objects.  With that knowledge, you now know nearly all you need to know to be able to do a complex scene such as a room.  Doing an entire room, well, is a long, time consuming process. but don’t let that scare you.

The key to understanding how to do a “large, complex” scene is to realize that a huge scene is nothing more than a collection of smaller pieces.  What makes it seem scary is that there is so much to do. Instead of focusing on an entire room needing to be done, simplify it.  Break it down. What goes in the room?  A table, chairs, lamp.. So focus on the individual pieces.  Model the table. Then when you get that done, model the chair. And so on. Each piece. One at a time.  Then, once you get enough pieces done, you can bring them together.  

And just like doing the sculpting, take it one layer at a time. Once you have the “big” pieces in place, look at it and see what else it needs. What goes on the tables? What else is needed in the scene? In response to @choyce7 ‘s post, I listed several questions that you might want to answer if you’re doing a scene.  The more of those kinds of questions  you answer, the better the scene will be.

Doing a character is more or less the same.  Answering the questions about who the character is, what he (or she) does for employment, what hobbies and interests they might have, and so on helps you to establish (if for no one else) in your mind what the character should look like, be wearing, and so on. And just take each part one at a time, adding detail and so on.

Finally, in regards to this assignment, if you’re looking for inspiration on what to do this week, what have you done that you can push further? What can you build a scene around?  Reusing assets is a very useful, and common, thing to do with 3D modeling, so keep that in mind this week.

I’ve seen a lot of great things come out even from those who are completely new, and I look forward to seeing what come up this week!