Our first minimalistic Sessions project is this Planet scene. For a few reasons:

1. Space is cool. I think everyone can relate to the mystique and majesty of outer space.
   
   
2. I want you to see how possible it is to craft impactful renders with very simple ingredients. We’re talking spheres for models and a flat torus for the ring. It doesn’t get much more minimal than that.
   
   
3. By choosing black and white, we can focus on pure value gradients and how effective they are for achieving appealing lighting.

Having trouble keeping up?

Blender has a steep learning curve and it's a lot to keep track of, especially if you're new. Here's some tips for getting the most out of these lessons:

Slow down the playback

Our video player has the ability to slow down play back speed to 0.75x or 0.5x. This can be very useful for catching every detail of the workflow.

Watch each video twice

I highly recommend this approach to get the maximum informational value out of each lesson. Watch once for a broad grasp of the workflow, concepts, and techniques. You don't even need Blender open for this. Great for a commute or while you're prepping dinner.

Then watch through a second time with Blender open to follow along. Having an idea what's going to happen next will enable you to track the information much better.

Depending on how comfortable you are with Blender, you could even watch the entire chapter once before the second viewing.

Optional Pre-requisite Courses

Though this course is designed with Beginners in mind, it still assumes you're at least familiar with Blender's UI and basic concepts about 3D creation.

If this is your very first time opening Blender, it might be best if you watch some of these courses first:

1. Blender Basics
2. Learn Blender & Beyond
   
3. Fundamentals of Materials and Shading
4. Fundamentals of Digital Lighting

Learn more like this?

The seed that led to SESSIONS was actually planted years ago during livestreams. Kent recorded a bunch of projects to fit within a 2-hour streaming window and they're all collected in this Playlist! 👇