Announcement #5: This class has officially come to a close. Please check out the closing post and thank you for joining!
Announcement #4: Week 2 is officially complete! Thank you for submitting your homework on time. Let the grading commence.
Announcement #3: Week 1 is officially complete! I'll be grading 55 homework submissions by my count. Thank you for submitting on time. I'll be busy today :)
Announcement #2: First week's live stream recording is available and I've started filling out the homework roster. Feel free to keep an eye on the Report Card throughout the month if you'd like.
Announcement #1: Class is in session! We're all going to learn a lot and have fun the next 3 weeks. I wrote a kickoff post on page 3. See you tomorrow for the first stream!
Welcome to the CGCookie Class: Get Started Building Stuff with Blender 2.8! If you're interested in computer graphics, 3D modeling, and you're new to Blender or just new to 2.8, this class is where you need to be. Ushering in the modern era of Blender, we will familiarize ourselves with what's new as well as get up to speed with how to build STUFF in 3D.
This "Class" format invites all Citizen members to focus together on a particular topic/skill for a month. Participation looks like this:
WHEN? The class will take place from JULY 29th - AUGUST 20th.
This time the class curriculum is project-based. You will have the opportunity to choose between 3 assets to create throughout the month: A wooden sign, a barrel, a sword or a treasure chest. I chose these assets because they're fun to create but also conducive for teaching fundamental skills.
The goal week 1 is to get familiar with Blender 2.8 and model your chosen asset. If you're brand new to Blender it's very important that you spend time each day of this week getting comfortable with Blender's interface. Once you're comfortable, you will have a more enjoyable experience learning and practicing modeling.
Courses to watch:
Homework:
Plain gray models can be boring. So we paint them with colors! This is where "textures" work their magic. But before we can paint on our 3D models, we have to layout UVs. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry. After you watch the texturing course and the live event for this week, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
Course to watch: Treasure Chest Course (Chapter 2)
Homework: Layout UVs and paint textures for your sign, barrel, sword, or treasure chest.
Texturing introduces color to your models but materials make your model appear to be plastic, or wood, or metal, etc. If you're asking yourself "What's the difference", fear not! I will make sure you know the difference by the end of this week.
We will also be exploring the Eevee engine and how it works together with texturing and shading for a realtime workflow.
Pre-recorded courses to watch: Treasure Chest Course (Chapter 3)
Homework: Create materials and establish appealing lighting for your sign, barrel, sword, or treasure chest.
This thread is reserved for CG Cookie Citizens that are participating in the "Get Started Building Stuff with Blender 2.8" class. Its purpose is to serve as central communication for all participating Citizens (excluding Hobby plan Citizens) to ask me and fellow participants questions pertaining to the class. As the instructor of the class, I will be monitoring this thread on a daily basis (especially Mon-Thurs) throughout the month of August.
Free members are welcome to observe the thread but please respect that communication and participation is reserved for Citizens.
csehz That is a problem that occurs many times.
In this case, the keyhole looks fine.
But to make it smaller, one way is to apply the Mirror Modifier. Then fill the keyhole ( 'F', just an N-Gon is fine). Press 'I' to inset.
'X' to delete the Face( the N-Gon). You can get rid of the 'outer keyhole vertices' by merging them with the inner ones, if that makes sense;)
Now delete one half of the mesh and give it a new Mirror...
Maybe there is a better way to do this, but in this case this will work.
Interesting question 2#
Not clear how that could happen, but selecting that (it appears only at that one) particular object, going to its Edit mode it disappears :-)
csehz Here's how I would fix the size of the keyhole (minding the mirror modifier):
bburnarakiss Welcome to your first class, Burn! Here's an explanation from Tuesday's stream about how to submit homework.
csehz Are all your elements hidden in edit mode? Try ALT + H in edit mode to reveal hidden.
@theluthier That is brilliant Kent.
You solved both interesting questions in two minutes :D Of course that they were hidden in Edit mode.
spikeyxxx Also thanks for your tip of course!
Damn I'm starting to feel like I'll never be ready for sunday submission. I guess it's the worst when you're pretty noobish in Blender : Doing anything, even simple, takes you so much time...
otowa The first step is the hardest. Just learning where everything is take time, and that's okay. Keep at it, and you'll get faster. You got this.
I find it fascinating how even though almost all of us are making swords, every sword is different. (Has anyone chosen the sign?)
Hello,
I was wondering where we can get the reference image used for tuesday's class. I would like to follow along with it if possible.
Keeping traditions is a nice thing and especially for the new participants would like to mention, that here on CG Cookie there is a history already in Classes.
At the end of each completed class month Kent used to add the well deserved XPs to our profile, it is a kind of gamification to compensate the hard work, as it is really a challenge to sumbit homeworks on all the weeks.
This practice gives possibility for a small home competition, who were the best students in praticular CG Cookie Classes?
Here are the winners:
BC1-1801 - January Class - Katerina Novakova ( Sshiennar ) - 190 XP
BC2-1803 - March Class - Matthew Ullrey ( ullreym ) - 180 XP
BC3-1806 - June Class - Aaron Rudderham ( thecabbagedetective ) - 178 XP
BC1-1808 - August Class - Miranda van Elst & Aaron Rudderham ( smurfmier1985 & thecabbagedetective ) - 195 XP
BC4-1810 - October Class - Pavel Mazanik ( nekronavt ) - 176 XP
Miranda and Aaron are surely with us also this month, let's see who will be the best in BC1-1908 - August 2019 class :-)
otowa I am glad there are others who think that way. But we will learn a lot even if we get 1 XP. :-)
csehz oh man, that brings me back to some good memories! I see that 
thecabbagedetective and I also hold the record for most XP earned in a class 😛
Ok, I have to say it.
Seeing all people's thread, with some people doing several models at a time, with a scene, is very intimidating.
Let alone the XP contest mentionned above... This is turning way too competitive for a course for my fragile mind...
More seriously, it's crazy to see all this activity. You all people are on fire!
I don´t have a xp-competition ;)
For my opinion it does not say anything about your work. And so, I personly ignore it. I try to learn and have fun.
And if it gets too much for me and my brain goes crazy, I´ll take a break (hopefully) ;)
I read all the threads and its amazing what different things are comming out.
Great respect for the fantastic works.
As I mentioned in one thread I am learning a lot about swords;). But although we have only a few object to choose from, there are so many different ideas. For me it is very inspiring and motivating.
Also I learn a lot by reading this threads. A big thank you to all sharing there ideas, experience and questions.
This ist very helpful for me.
And a big apology because I am not be able to write a comment in every thread.
As I said, I am reading them all and I am very impressed.
So keep up the nice work and have fun.
May the vertices be with you
otowa The XP isn’t important. For some people it’s a motivational thing but for the most part it’s much more important to have fun, learn something and get inspired by your class mates.
You made an awesome car for the CGC Challenge, and now you can use those skills learned to make something new.
Ignore the XP, it really isn’t a competition, it’s all good and fun :)
Just do your best that’s all you can do, and enjoy the ride, you got this!
@theluthier csehz You guys make gif's like it's no biggy, yet it is a biggy cuz no one makes gif's just because. People search gif's, people post gif's, but make them entirely that is a rare gift.