Let's talk about 2020.
It lasted about 3 years and was the source of some of humanity's most glorious moments, like the Tiger King series.
As well as some of the worst...like these two new coffee creamer flavors:
Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Funfetti, seriously? I'm calling the police...
Anyway - it's over and there's no way 2021 is going to be worse, so let's take a deep breath and recap!
Here is what went down at CG Cookie in the past 12 months...
Putting the Fun in Fundamentals: The Five 'Basics' Courses
In 2020, we dug into the very fundamentals of 3d creation.
We released 5 new courses covering essential skills every CG artist needs in their arsenal.
- Fundamentals of Digital Sculpting
- Fundamentals of 3d Mesh Modeling
- Fundamentals of Animation
- Fundamentals of Digital Lighting
- Fundamentals of Shading and Materials
These "hero courses" cover nearly the essential aspects of nearly all Blender workflows: creating models, making them look good...and making them move.
But we didn't stop there...
Sometimes, we get that itch to show you a workflow that leads to a super fun outcome and covers a whole range of different workflows.
In 2020, this resulted in 5 project-oriented courses:
- Creating Clouds with Blender and Eevee
- Directing the Blender Camera
- Creating a Forest Environment
- Animating a Halloween Spider
- Let's Build a Blender Snowman
These were so fun!
The best part was seeing our community's artwork inspired by these courses in our Gallery throughout the year.
Blender Tutorials: Which one was the most-watched?
We dropped quite a few Blender tutorials this year, from painting stylized skin in Blender to motion-tracking a plane.
The most-viewed tutorial was this one: Creating Chain Links in Blender.
Who knew a simple chain would top the most-watched list?
Our Best Blender Videos on YouTube
Our YouTube channel was 🔥 this year!
With nearly 300,000 subscribers and 6 million video views, this whole YouTube thing is getting real.
In 2020, we launched two new shows on YouTube.
Let's Build it in Blender covers short, to-the-point workflows
In 2020, we built 11 everyday objects, from a desk lamp to a bonsai tree.
The most-watched video from the Let's Build it in Blender show was a subway cart!
Really, the subway cart got more views than making a pizza in Blender? Un-ex-pec-ted!
(Watch all the "Let's Build it in Blender" videos)
Blender Sci-Fi Blitz is our "build-under-pressure" show
With a 1-hour time limit, our host Chris models a sci-fi scene of your choosing (based on Community voting).
Sandworm Encounter got the most views of the series.
(Watch all the Sci-Fi Blitz videos)
You also loved these tutorials...
Superhero Landing Effect
It's safe to say that anyone who made it through 2020 is a bit of a superhero.
With this tutorial, you can land like one, too.
Creating Procedural Volumetric Clouds
From stormy clouds to silver linings, 2020 was the year of clouds. Is that why so many of you loved this tutorial?
Either way, volumetric clouds are always going to be a must for any outdoorsy Blender scene.
Every Trick for Shading Glass in Eevee
And, of course, shading glass! With this tutorial, we declared war on glass that looks like it's been washed with puddle water.
If anything, your Blender characters deserve to sip their beverage of choice from sparkling clear crystal.
Best of all: The Love in our Gallery ❤️
This year, we saw more incredible artwork in our Gallery than ever.
Showing all of our favorite creations of the year would be impossible, so here is a flavor of just a few.
Although dozens and dozens of stunning Blender artwork got our "Staff Pick" award in 2020, sometimes it's the simplest projects done by total beginners that can be the most satisfying to see.
And that's a wrap!
Thank you for being here with CG Cookie - after 10+ years of bringing you delicious Blender goodies, we're just getting started!
In 2021, we have amazing training in the works for you.
You might have heard some UFO-related rumors...and they are true.
First-ever preview of the horrors that await...
@charmn-one Haha very true! Thanks for your support ;)
"Anyway - it's over and there's no way 2021 is going to be worse, so let's take a deep breath and recap!" 😱 No jinxing! 🤗Thanks you guys for keeping us busy this past year.
;), Thanks for all the excellent courses and tutorials.
Thank you CGCookie. I am new here and your fundamental courses is really on another level. Cheers to a better 2021!