CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #5 (Feb 1, 2018): The class is officially closed! Thanks to all who participated. Be sure to check page 43 for the closing "statement" and commendations.
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #4 (Jan 30, 2018): The timing worked out where this week's homework stretch is 10 days instead of the usual 7. So you've got extra time to complete the assignment! I'll look for submission through tomorrow, the 31st, and then I'll do a final post to close out the class.
BTW week 4's live event is archived if you missed it.
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #3 (Jan 15, 2018): Week 2 is done - We're halfway through the class! Today WEEK 3 begins where the focus is digital sculpting. This is a far more artistic method of shaping 3D models, so if you struggled in week 2, week 3 should be refreshing.
- Only 1 course to watch this week: Fundamentals of Digital Sculpting
- Live Event tomorrow at 2pm EST
- Please submit homework anytime between Jan 15 - Jan 21 with "BC1-1801 Week 3 Homework Submission" at the top of your post.
Keep up the awesome work, Class! So much creativity and hard work being contributed from everyone 🤘
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #2 (Jan 8, 2018): Week one is accomplished! Today WEEK 2 begins. We're moving forward from basic viewport interaction and into mesh modeling; into Edit Mode and the modifier stack.
- Reminder that you have 2 courses to watch this week: Mesh Modeling Fundamentals and Modeling with Modifiers.
- Live Event tomorrow at 2pm EST
- Please submit homework anytime between Jan 8 - Jan 14 with "BC1-1801 Week 2 Homework Submission" at the top of your post.
As always, don't hesitate to ask questions in this thread!
CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #1 (Jan 2, 2018): The class has officially started! Today we held the first live event to kick things off. The recording will be published by tomorrow at the latest is now available in "Past Events".
That means it's now up to you to watch the Blender Basics Course and submit your homework to this thread. Please add a big, bold title to your homework submission reply so I can easily tell. Like this:
"BC1-1801 Week 1 Homework Submission"Also don't hesitate to ask questions along the way. I'll be checking this thread daily to answer questions, give advice, check homework.
This thread is for CG Cookie Citizens that are participating in the "Getting Started with 3D Modeling and Blender" class! Its purpose is to serve as central communication for all participating Citizens (excluding Hobby plan Citizens) to ask me and each other questions and to post homework. As the instructor of the class, I will be monitoring this thread on a daily basis (especially Mon-Thurs) throughout the month of January to review homework and answer questions.
This thread is intended only for Citizens who are participating in the class. Free members are welcome to observe the thread but please respect that communication is reserved for Citizens.
Welcome to the CGCookie Class: Getting Started with 3D Modeling & Blender! This is the first "Class" format where Citizen members are invited to focus together on a particular topic/skill together for a month. Participation is this:
It will take place from January 2nd through January 31st and the topic is for beginners that want to get into 3D modeling. The class is based on pre-recorded courses that students are expected to watch each week along with weekly Live Events.
Download the latest official version of Blender and watch the Blender Basics course. The goal this week is to simply get familiar with the application. We’ve all been there: Opening Blender (or any 3D package), gazing at all the crazy UI, trying to orbit in the viewport, crying...Ok, maybe you were stronger than me and didn’t cry. But the reality is 3D software is daunting. There’s SO MUCH to digest especially when you’re a beginner.
This first week we’re going to overview Blender and 3D from an absolutely beginner perspective. What is Blender for? What can it do? Wait, this isn’t a juicing seminar?
During the Live Event we're also going to open the floor, ask me anything (AMA) style, so I can answer all your questions about getting started with Blender.
HOMEWORK: Create a scene out of primitive shapes. It can be anything from a landscape to a spaceship to a character. Just get comfortable with creating and positioning mesh objects. Here's an example:
Take a screenshot of your scene and post it in a reply to this thread *during the week of Jan 1-6*.
Enter the world of mesh modeling! The oldest form of building objects in 3D, in the computer. We’ll discuss the technical art of “pushing and pulling verts” as modelers often call it. First, watch the Mesh Modeling Fundamentals and Modeling with Modifiers courses to be introduced to this wild, geometric world.
Practice makes perfect here and during this week's Live Event we’ll be mesh-modeling a few objects to demonstrate tools and workflow available with Blender. It’s ideal if you practice along with me!
HOMEWORK: Model either 1, 2, or 3 unique objects using mesh-modeling techniques. They can be as simple or as complex as you like, but they can't be primitives. I want to see that you've used mesh tools to significantly customize your shapes. For example, you could model a hammer, a cell phone, a keyboard, a game controller, a picture frame, a coffee cup - choose something fun!
Take a screenshot of your shaded model + wireframe-over shaded (as pictured above) and post it in a reply to this thread *during the week of Jan 7-14*.
Digital sculpting is the more artistically intuitive method of 3D modeling. If pushing and pulling verts felt like the hard way of doing things, sculpting will be a welcomed alternative! Watch the Fundamentals of Digital Sculpting course this week.
During the Live Event, we'll discuss the pros and cons of digital sculpting as well as how it compares to mesh modeling. Again, practice makes perfect with any craft, and we will also practice sculpting. Be sure to have your pen and tablet ready!
HOMEWORK: *Submit during the week of Jan 15-21*
There’s still much more to learn about modeling with Blender. Remember, it’s a craft. Time + practice is the only way to develop your modeling skills.
This week your challenge is to dive into the Modeling in Blender Learning Flow. While the class gives you a boost, the Flow takes you further into intermediate and advanced modeling techniques/workflows. Test the waters and see how far you can go this week.
During the Live Event we'll discuss the journey of becoming a skilled modeler as well as the potential for turning it into a career. Finally, I’m going to sift through homework submissions to commend my favorites and offer critiques!
HOMEWORK: Model and/or sculpt something challenging this week! Try tackling a character or a complex vehicle, etc. Show me what you've learned; what you're capable of!
Take a screenshot of your shaded model and post it in a reply to this thread *during the week of Jan 21-31*.
Time's fun when you're having flies :D
If you're hoppy and you know it, clap your hands...
:D Cute.
One tip that can be helpful for those who may be interested in doing character stuff eventually but still not quite sure how to put the shapes together...
A couple of years ago, I was browsing the kids section at my local library and came across a book on clay modeling (think play dough) for kids. Flipping through the book, I quickly saw how many of the shapes used in the book could easily be made using just the techniques that we learned this week and last week. I took it home and did several of the projects digitally as a great exercise in putting the shapes together.
This is, for the most part, how I put together a "play dough" style Star Wars Fan Art scene later that year and I used a bit more simplified version of it late last year in previsualizing a scene that I wanted to do in more detail.
And at least for the modeling, this is exactly what I did to create the rustic bedroom scene I worked on last summer.
Don't be intimidated by a large scene. The key to doing a "big" scene is simply to break it down and realize that to make a large scene, all you need to do is put a bunch of "little" projects together. Take it one piece at a time, and you can do very detailed, complicated scenes, just with what you've learned so far.
For anyone interested, that clay modeling book I found was part of a series, Modeling Clay by Bernadette Cuxart. There are 3 that I know of, Animals, Fantasy Characters, and Spooky.
(And this is also a great example of how study in one form can inspire and help you in another ;) )
Check out that speadsheet! Brilliant. Any chance you can convert that to a Google Sheet to share with me 
csehz ?
Kent yes sure, I just wrote to you in CG Cookie with the link to that converted Google Sheet
Thank you for the nice feedbacks.
flies? hmm--at our pond there are also dragonflies
do frogs catch dragonflys? now i have a new challenge for the future:
find out-modeling-animate this littele scene-maybe. hopefully ;)
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A little question:
I try to handle the forums software.How can I answer directly to a member post?
I see, that there a responses assigned to the post and answers that are
located directly under the post. That is very clear but I can not figure out how
to do it. Sorry, for this but I did not find an answer on the help page.
I think that one would be fine. Just about any Wacom tablet would be a good starter one.
As for needing it.. it's not absolutely, 100% necessary, but it is HIGHLY recommended, because it is far easier and more natural than trying to do the same thing with a mouse, though if all you have is a mouse, it can still be done.
Just click where it says "x replies" and it will open up a text box that will attach the comment to a previous post.
Welcome mmonaloren! Your post is great, homework is great, English is great - everything great :) I love the personality of the frog and pink lillypads: A+ work
I'm glad you're part of the class!
That advice is golden gradyp. Thanks for sharing! I remember being very intimidated by big scenes when I got started. Back then no one explained it like that: Breaking everything down into smaller shapes. It would have helped immensely.
Like Grady said, anything from Wacom is a good option. Alternatively I like Huion as less expensive option while still being good quality. This one is only $30!
Having a tablet for sculpting makes sculpting much more practical. While a mouse can be used, it's far from ideal. I think of it like a hand saw VS a table saw. Technically I could rip-cut straight boards with a hand saw, but it's incomparably better to rip-cut straight boards with a circular saw.
If you're unsure about your capacity for sculpting, maybe wait for next week to watch the courses and live event, try sculpting with your mouse, then decide whether or not to get one. If you end up enjoying sculpting, you're going to want a tablet.
Somehow I always imagined that such Wacom tablet has some own operation system, the Blender needs to be installed there and like that doing the sculpting.
But thinking into that presumably it works like this:
- start Blender on the computer
- plug-in the Wacom through USB to the computer
- use the mouse as always, but as an additional input tool you can draw with a pen, also at anytime interacting with the mouse
Briefly so it works around like that?
That's a fantastic idea! I've been looking at tons of anatomy books, but that didn't really help translating the figure into modeling methods.
