3D modeling
September 2024 - January 2025
Homework 1 - Humanoid sculpture
The first homework assignment required creating a humanoid 3D model in Sculptris and importing it into Mixamo for character rigging and animation.
Homework 2 - Blender basics and composition
The main goal of this homework was to get to know Blender and create a scene inside a cube using basic shapes, lights, and materials.
We had to deliver 3 renders each with different lighting or composition. On top of the requirements, I also created a simple animation with rotating rings and added a fog volume.
Homework 3 - Polygonal Modeling
This assignment had two parts: model a chair using premade references and model a house object with my own references.
An optional task was to write down the time estimate and the actual time it took to create the models and take some notes on the process.
Chair
- Estimated time: 3 hrs
- Actual time: ~3.5hrs
- I really struggled with the hole in the back
- Overall I am happy with the result
Dog table
- Estimated time: 2hrs
- Actual time: ~4hrs
- I struggled with joining different parts that have different curvatures
- My references were far from optimal. Because of this I had the middle part of the model physically next to me and tried to look at the small details that way. Next time I will try to get the references correct at the start so that I don’t have to deal with problems with them along the way.
- I used a different approach for creating holes in this model (for the chair, I utilized the LoopTools addon, while for the table, I used insets with creases on the outside), and I like it better.
- I am satisfied with the result but if I were to start over I would do the middle part of the table differently.
- Overall, it was more difficult to deal with subdivision than I had anticipated.
Homework 4 - Retopology
For this assignment, my task was to create a retopology of a phone using a minimum amount of faces from a high-poly version.
In the end, I felt that my model did not exactly match the reference and would need a bit more work but I am glad that I had the chance to learn a lot about how the pipeline of retopology works and mainly its pitfalls.
Homework 5 - Materials and textures
For this assignment, the main goal was to become comfortable with creating and using materials and textures. I enjoyed the process, as it helped me learn about workflows that go beyond basic materials or simple color textures. Previously, my experience was limited, and I had little knowledge of using advanced elements like normal maps and other texture types. This assignment allowed me to explore and apply these concepts, deepening my understanding of materials and textures.
Homework 6 - Robot
This assignment intended for us to explore the entire process of 3D modeling, from initial sketches to creating a complete final scene. Specifically, our task was to design a robot, model it, create materials, and place it within a cohesive scene. I decided to create a robot inspired by those found in Risk of Rain 2. I’m really pleased with the outcome and enjoyed the opportunity to present my creation to the class. It also gave me a chance to revisit working with PowerPoint, which I missed.
Homework 7 - Animation
The final assignment was open-ended: create an animation using any technique of your choice. I decided to create a warehouse flythrough featuring robots from a previous project as the main characters. This project allowed me to explore BlenderKit for asset sourcing and experiment with Blender’s video editor for basic video editing.
