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*.
BC1-1801 Week 2 Homework Submission
I call this "Tire, Rim, Coffee Cup #7." I know, breaking apart the tire is soooo derivative... Didn't get wrapped up in realism so much as getting comfortable with working with the tools again. Learning a lot! One thing that was reeeaaally difficult for me this week was to stay on task and concentrate on working within (maybe a little beyond) my bounds. Such incredible work out of so many attendees, it's easy to get overwhelmed and attempt something that would just lead to frustration, doom, broken vertices, and oh yeah, no submission at this point. Just buckled down, redid the coffee cup project from the demo then focused on doing the tire. Didn't really play around with the lattice much but got a lot of use out of the Array, curve, subdivision surf modifiers. Used both crease values and holding edges. Was interesting to note that there were a few instances when using crease instead of a holding edge led to a weird pinch in the mesh. When I would reset the problem edge to 0.0 crease and use a holding edge the issue would generally clear up. Thanks for the tip on using this for the exercise submission to Kent. Wagon ho!
"BC1-1801 Week 2 Homework Submission"
This is my 2nd week homework. I guess there's no much to say of this other than I now feel a bit less shy of mesh modeling and modifiers.
Haven't had much time to browse this thread since past week (at the time I'm writing) but from what I saw I feel there's so much skill and dedication on this class as seen from your homework and insightful comments. Awesome work guys!
FLEX!!! hee hee hee. Sorry, couldn't help myself. Beautiful scene. Really
Good work, I like the fact you put the emblem on the shield. I also like Zelda, and anything to do with swords(weapons).
BC1-1801 Week 2 Homework Submission
Hasn't been a good week for me (blah blah blah whine whine whine). Well... flu kept me off the laptop for a couple days and then 6 hours (YES SIX!!) wasted trying to figure out how on God's green earth to manipulate a bezier curve to use an array modifier on. Unfortunately, the resulting submission is nowhere near the imaginative and detailed models that I've seen posted so far this week. I've gone through my office and picked out things that I've always been wanting to model and for whatever reason haven't. I tried to tell a story from those few items, so here goes...
This table is comprised of 4 parts: top; runners (which you can't see); table supports; and a crossmember. I used a "mirror" on the top and legs (supports). Found out the hard way on the legs that you don't work from a smaller piece and try to grow to a larger piece. I was coming up with faces that didn't work a play well with me. Better part of a day screwing around with this, but it came out well. The table top is meant to come apart to accept leaves.
The chair back support is what cost me dearly in timw trying to manipulate a bezier curve. If anyone has any pointers, I'm all ears I wound up using a bezier circle and appied the modifiers and in edit mode cut the damn thing in half and manipulated what was left to form the back. There are two kinks that I'm not happy with. The smaller back posts are all inset into holes I made in the seat (thank you shrinkwrap modifier). Most of the chair was constructed in mirror mode. Again separate parts for the seat, back legs and supports.
The candle, holder, and flame are all separate objects. I realized afterward that the lattice modifier would have been extremely helpful in modifying each candle (but I was too late - will practice that later). For lighting in the scene I placed point lights in each candle flame.
Dice bag is just a sphere that I played with (moocho proportional editing). And with that, I give you...
Pretty cool Scott! Makes me want to sit down and play right now! Nice light on the candles.
BC1-1801 Week 2 Homework Submission
Hi everyone, wow... you guys rock! really great work.
i have small work for submission and some questions.
The modifiers i have used were Subsurf, Bevel, Curve, Array.
and after applying Array, Curve and Subsurf. mod. i got "bad geometry" :
how is better to handle with this mistakes?
and second questions, when i delete faces how to leave on general face straight form of rectangles?
BC1-1801 Week 2
Here is the first of two models I did for this exercise:
A little Comet goes a long ways. lol. Nice texturing and great design.
Beautiful work, 
shiennar 👏 I love the details in the table. All your topology is super clean and uniform. You model very well. And no, I don't consider this flexing for the sake of 'showing off'. I sense that you're participating in the assignments at your level and that's perfectly fine. Thanks for submitting and sharing details about your worfklow! A+
Only thing I can think of off the top of my head, in the "array modifier" did you have the "Merge" checkbox activated? That might solve it, not sure.
Splendid submission ljsstudio! You absolutely nailed the tire exercise along with the coffee cup. Even added the rim for good measure. All your topology is clean and uniform. In other words: You crushed it this week: easy A 👊
Didn't get wrapped up in realism so much as getting comfortable with working with the tools again
You made the right choice. Good job focusing on getting comfy with the tools. Obsessing over realism can come later 🤓
Thanks for submitting and for sharing about your experience this week!
Weapons. Weapons. Weapons.
From a series I've read many times over 30 years. Guesses?
