Hello there. My name is Justen Hootman. I have been using Blender to model for a long time, but I want to get into materials and shaders and with all of Blenders advancements, there has never been a better time to learn about texturing and shading it seems. The only problem is it's a little overwhelming. I want to become a master, but where do I begin? Is there a good place to start on CG Cookie and if so, can anyone send me in a good direction? Thanks in advance!
- Cheers
Hi Justen,
Maybe start with:
https://cgcookie.com/courses/fundamentals-of-blender-materials-and-shading
followed by:
https://cgcookie.com/courses/fundamentals-of-texturing-in-blender
and then also take:
https://cgcookie.com/courses/fundamentals-of-digital-lighting-in-blender
Yeah as Martin says, the best way is to start with the fundamentals, even if you've already have some experience. In fact maybe even the whole fundamentals, not just the shading and lighting ones. So just in case you consider it, here's a list of all the fundamentals:
https://cgcookie.com/playlists/15-track-the-fundamentals-to-become-a-skilled-blender-artist
Then there's courses that cover modeling, shading and lighting, here's a few of those:
https://cgcookie.com/courses/astray
https://cgcookie.com/courses/pothead-create-a-hard-surface-character-in-blender
https://cgcookie.com/courses/create-realistic-industrial-environments-with-blender-and-eevee
https://cgcookie.com/courses/modeling-texturing-and-shading-a-treasure-chest-in-blender-2-8
https://cgcookie.com/courses/modeling-a-sci-fi-helmet-in-blender
https://cgcookie.com/courses/shading-the-sci-fi-helmet
The sci-fi helmet is an old course, but filled with timeless knowledge that applies today.
Thank you to you both. The resources are super helpful and i'll be sure to check them out!
I will! I would love to take people on this journey with me and see what I can create. Wish me luck everyone.
Hello Guys! I am still continuing on with this journey. Just finished the fundamentals of shading course.
Thank you again for all the suggestions you guys. I'm having a lot of fun. Hopefully you guys enjoy my attempt and of course, feel free to give me any suggestions on areas I can improve or general thoughts you guys have. I would love to hear your opinions.
Looking good. Exercises are great practice, but when you feel confident enough what really levels you up is trying something for yourself, your own creation. Recently I've liked suggesting trying to model the original Nintendo Entertainment System with a cartridge and the controllers. It's blocky shape is a good starting practice.
Thanks so much for the awesome feedback you guys! This has been an awesome journey. I tried, but I can't drop the full render since the file is too big... I can link you to a project I made though https://cgcookie.com/projects/desk-project-fundamentals-of-shading
Thanks again for all the suggestions once again guys! I couldn't have gotten here without your help. Yea, I think tackling a big personal project might be a cool idea next. modeling the nes isn't a bad idea! I never thought of that :) It also let's me get creative and add any game cart I like as a texture. Thanks again.