3D Modelling / Exercises

29/8/2022 - 3/10/2022 / Week 1 - Week 6
Nurul Adlina Rizal / 0345429 / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
3D Modelling
Exercises

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JUMPLINKS

Lectures

Instructions

    > Exercise 1: Modelling from Primitive Object

    > Exercise 2: Non-Destructive Modelling

    > Exercise 3: Polygonal Modelling

    > Exercise 4: Modelling a Karambit

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LECTURES

Week 1: Module Briefing

Week 2: Blender Tutorial 

Blender User Interface

Top Bar, Area, Status Bar

In the top bar, we have the workspace.

In the workspace, we have scene & layout. 

Under workspace, we have area > new workspace > select preset > rename

In editor:

3D Viewport 

- properties

- timeline

View Axis

Fig 1.0: View Axis (9/10/2022)

navigating the viewport

1. middle mouse button

• click, hold, drag

1. track view

• shift + middle mouse

1. zoom in / out

• scroller
• ctrl + middle mouse button

maximize/minimize orthographic view (quad view)

Press N for the sidebar > quad view > unlock rotation

mouse hover over any orthographic view and press ctrl + alt + q to make it focus on one side of the view

transform object

x (red)

y (green)

z (blue)

MOVE

FREE

literally just drag it anywhere,,

AXIS DIRECTION

hover and click on either x,y,z arrow to lock it in its path

then drag it along the path :>

shortcut: G (grab)

make sure to select item first before pressing G

free transform

click either x,y,z to make it follow along the path

RESET

G + alt

ROTATE

same thing as move

shortcut key: R

SCALE

uniform

x,y,z

non-uniform

shortcut key: S

-will scale the whole thing uniformly

RESET

alt + S

TRANSFORM HIERARCHY

Using parent objects

Week 3: Blender Tutorial on Rendering

Viewport Shading and Rendering

1. assigning material

• select object
• properties editor - material properties
• scroll down to viewport display (to change color)

viewport display attributes

1. color
2. metalic (non metallic > full metallic)
3. roughness (shiny material > nonshiny material )

Rename the material for easier to be identified (double click)

all created material will be stored here as a material library click and find the created shader

changing the camera angle and frame in camera view

• view from camera
• press N to bring up properties shelf
• go to view lock
• lock camera to view
• change the view as you do in perspective
• disable camera to view if you’re happy and dont want to change it

Display the rule of thirds line of the viewport

• select camera
• object properties
• click second from bottom
• composition guides
• thirds (enable)

Week 4:

Polygonal Modelling

1. Array Modifier

original object and a series of duplicated objects from array modifier

setting: fit type = fixed count

count = set the number of duplication

you can add arrows to become new origins (just set it on the origin in the simple deform effect)

Note for Bend (Simple Deform)

• create plane
• apply modifier
  • subdivision
  • simple deform
  • set level viewport value (3)
  • off optimal display
  • ON wireframe display (under overlays)

Problem with simple deform bend

It only works on Z Axis.

X and Y have no influence.

How to solve this?

1. Rotate the plane up 90 degrees on X, facing front side
2. Apply all transformations
   • set all value to zero
   • select object (plane)
   • viewport menu > object > apply > all transformations
3. Now, apply simple deform with bend, it should work in all axes

Put array on the curve

• apply array on the object
• set the count number

Apply curve modifier

• select object
• modifier > deform: curve
• create curve and put it as the curve object

Create curve

• viewport menu > add > curve > bezier
• to manipulate the shape you need to access the edit mode by pressing TAB
  • use curve point to position
  • use curve handle to shape the curve

To extend curve point

• select curve point
• press E to extend it
• move to new curve point

To apply you need to select the curve object at curve modifier

(it should follow the curve direction

set the radius setting for the curve

• select curve
• access the edit mode
• select curve point > set the radius value

THE CURVE HAS TO BE AT THE SAME OG POINT AS THE CUBE !

Lattice

create cube

• apply subdivision modifier
• scale the cube to rectangle
• make sure the subdivision is enough

create lattice object

• viewport menu > add > lattice

(default shape for the lattice is a cube)

• scale and move the lattice to wrap around the object

add more subdivisions to the lattice

• select the lattice object
• properties editor (second from bottom - object data properties)

Week 5: Destructive Modelling

Polygonal Models

• Non-Destructive
  • Modifier
  • History
• Destructive
  • Non-Modifier
  • No-History

Poly-Gon

Poly = Many

Gon = Sides

Polygon Surface

4 sides - Quad

1 face - 3 sides - Triangle

‘N’ Gon - more than 4 sides

We need to subdivide to see the quality of the surface.

Low-Poly

• has limited amount of component

High Poly

‘LOD’ = Level of Detail

• using subdivide modifier

Modelling Process

Primitives

• sphere, cubes, cylinder, cone, pyramid

( add component - edge)

Week 6: Hard Surface Modelling

Planning for Symmetrical Modelling

Bodean

• Union (combine)
• Difference (removes the part chosen first)
• Intersection (only the ones that intersect)
• Slice (cuts the object)

Tool

1. Modifier
2. Add on

Edit > Preferences > Add-Ons > Bool Tool

object shape that will be cut out of a shape should extend a bit more than the one that need to be cut.

Eliminate the ‘N-Gon’

Select 2 opposite vertices

Viewport Menu > Vertex > Connect Vertex Path (J)

Step 2 (other than use Bool Tool)

Take a cylinder and inset, remove faces.

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INSTRUCTIONS

Exercises

Week 1 (29/8/2022)

Mr Kamal introduced himself and briefed us on the module. He reminded us to download Blender before the next class.

Week 2 (5/9/2022)

During Week 2, we tried out using Blender. Mr Kamal gave us a tutorial on the different tools and ways to organize the workspace. We made snowmen and a table with fruits on it. It only used the basic meshes - spheres, cylinders, and squares. 

Fig 1.1: Snowmen in Blender (5/9/2022)

The table model was used to teach us about parenting. This tool can help us make the sculpting process more effective. 

Fig 1.2: Table in Blender (5/9/2022)

Week 3 (12/9/2022)

We learned about shading and rendering our objects in Blender. We used the previous snowmen that we had created. 

Fig 1.3: Snowmen Rendered in PNG (12/9/2022)

We also touched a bit on non-destructive modeling where we block out shapes and deform simple meshes to create organic objects like animals. 

Exercise 1: Modelling from Primitive Objects

I was not sure what I could model from the primitive objects that Blender had provided. Initially, I made a lego brick and a modern smartphone but it was too simple.

Fig 1.4: Lego and iPhone (12/9/2022)

With that, I challenged myself to make a flip phone. An old generation of telephone that I remember I would have when I was only 10. It is a bit more complicated to make but I had fun. 

Fig 1.5: Pink Flip Phone (12/9/2022)

I added a backdrop to capture a better render image of the phone. 

FINAL IMAGES

Fig 1.6: Pink Flip Phone 3/4 View (18/9/2022)

Fig 1.7: Pink Flip Phone 3/4 View (18/9/2022)

Fig 1.8: Pink Flip Phone 3/4 View (18/9/2022)

Fig 1.9: Pink Flip Phone Front View (18/9/2022)

Fig 2.0: Pink Flip Phone Top View (18/9/2022)

Week 4 (19/9/2022)

We learned more about the use of polygonal modeling. We learned how to apply curves to an array of objects. 

Fig 2.1: Curved Block (19/9/2022)

Making a tail from an array of cubes and controlling the radius of the bezier curve to making it smaller on the ends. 

Fig 2.2: Snake Head (19/9/2022)

Created a snake head using a lattice on a cube. 

Exercise 2: Non-Destructive Modeling

Decided to create a snake for the non-destructive modeling exercise due to it being one of my favorite animals.

Fig 2.3: Sketch (24/9/2022)

I had used an array modifier on a cube and then put on the curve modifier for the tail. The head is a cuboid using a lattice to sculpt it. 

FINAL IMAGES

Fig 2.4: Snake 3/4 view (24/9/2022)

Fig 2.5: Snake Side View (24/9/2022)

Fig 2.6: Snake Side View (24/9/2022)

Fig 2.7: Top View (24/9/2022)

Exercise 3: Polygonal Modelling

Week 5 (26/9/2022)

We learned the destructive method of 3D Modelling. It was really interesting and we learned how to make objects from the cylinder mesh. 

A coke bottle, done in class. Later on, I moved on to create coke tins, a sprite bottle, glasses, and a paper cup with a straw. 

Fig 2.8: Coke Bottle without shade smooth (1/10/2022)

Fig 2.9: Coke Bottle with reference (1/10/2022)

Fig 3.0: Coke Bottle with wireframes on (1/10/2022)

References used: 

Fig 3.1: Coca-Cola Glass Reference (2/10/2022)

Fig 3.2: Coca-Cola Paper Cup Reference (2/10/2022)

Fig 3.3: Sprite Glass Bottle Reference (2/10/2022)

Fig 3.4: Coca-Cola Tin Can Reference (2/10/2022)

Camera Angles

Fig 3.5: Front (1/10/2022)

Fig 3.6: Left Side View (1/10/2022)

Fig 3.7: 3/4 Perspective View (1/10/2022)

Fig 3.8: Right Side View (1/10/2022)

Fig 3.9: Closeup (1/10/2022)

Fig 4.0: Top (1/10/2022)

Fig 4.1: Closeup 2 (1/10/2022)

Fig 4.2: Top View with Shadow (1/10/2022)

Fig 4.3: Front view with shadow (1/10/2022)

FINAL

Fig 4.4: Left side with shadow (1/10/2022)

Exercise 4: Modelling a Karambit

Week 6 (3/10/2022)

In this class, we learned about the Bool Tool. It can help us shape our 3D shapes better since it has options such as Difference, Union, Intersect and even Slice. We were tasked to create a Karambit - a hard surface model.

Reference:

Fig 4.5: Karambit Reference (3/10/2022)

Process

Fig 4.6: Creating the handle (3/10/2022)

Fig 4.7: Wireframe (3/10/2022)

Fig 4.8: Completed (3/10/2022)

FINAL IMAGES

Fig 4.9: Front View (3/10/2022)

Fig 5.0: Back View (3/10/2022)

Fig 5.1: Perspective View (3/10/2022)

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REFLECTIONS

Experience

My experience in 3D Modelling classes was good. I was able to learn about a lot of things and develop a passion for the art of creating digital 3D objects. I developed an initial interest in 3D Modelling during my Foundation years but being able to learn it in-depth in this module was fun. Since classes were physical, I was able to interact directly with my classmates and lecturer if I had any inquiries. Being able to see my peers' work also inspired me to do my best. 

Observation

I observed that I have a strength in destructive modelling rather than non-destructive modelling. This could be due to how comfortable I am with the destructive modelling method. I believe I should work on my weakness in non-destructive modelling method since it could benefit me later in future projects. As for the class itself, I do not have much to suggest or point out what could be improved because 3D Modelling is a lengthy topic that needs time and patience. Although classes are lengthy, it was vital in making sure we all understand the program's functions and the methods we should use. 

Findings

In conclusion, I learned many things such as Blender's interface, functions as well as the fundamentals of 3D modelling. I do believe that the stuff I learned in Exercises can benefit me with my future projects in this module. 

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