Jonathan and I meet just about every week for a couple hour long Skype call. Usually on our punch list is to discuss lesson goals and topics, how can we bring new things to the site, and to see how each others dogs are doing.
Both of us realized that our education topic lists are starting to get on the short side and need your help to fill them back up. So we ask the question…
What would you like to learn?
Did you see something specific in a movie that you would like to recreate? (*Note, yes we would all love to have a tutorial on how to recreate Avatar 
) Or did see a neat 3D affect in a commercial, game, or in a viral video? Or if you are more interested in the fundamentals of topology, texturing, or rendering.
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haha, made me laugh when it said.
“continuing to help build Max Cookie into one of the best Max education sites around!”
I was hoping it was for Blender.
Doh, caught me doing some copy/paste..
Corrected this mug is for Blender!
Aircraft design. Do you havee Vertacopter?
Sent in my request. It concerns creating glow effects with radiocity and composite nodes.
I thought I might add, I think a lot of us would like to see maybe a quick tip on how to create a nice 2D title logo that gently fades in and out at the beginning of an animation. It would be nice to be able to do this in Blender Internal rather than having to create it in some other program.
I just want to thank you for all the great tutorials you’re hosting on the site, really, it’s the best CG Tutorial website I’ve ever used. Keep up the good work!
I want to thank you as well, great site, come to it every day because of the great tutorials.
I would really like a tutorial on how to cover advanced character modeling techniques.
would you guys ever consider publishing some of your more popular tutorials as pages instead of vids? I like the video format, but it can be difficult to work with on a slow connection and it’s terrible for when you need to go back and check on something. I mean, Vimeo is nice and all, but scrubbing through a 45 video tut to find that one shortcut that you missed can be a big waste of time.
Just a though. That’s when my brain is craving at the moment…
Projection Painting, I always get seams how do I get rid of them?
I’m pretty sure that you can download all of the tutorials as video files that way you don’t have to feed them.
First of all, this is a wonderful site, on which I hang around every day. It helped me a lot, and I really appreciate your work!
Being inspired from Jonathan’s Porsche tutorials, I’m modelling a 2006 Mercedes S-Class, applying the techniques learned. I’ve progressed a lot, but I can’t find the proper material, to feature it.
A detailed tutorial about realistic car painting (including headlights) would be great. The last part of the Porsche series, perhaps?
P.S. Sorry for my english, if I’ve misspelled something, I’m hungarian.
Well, I don’t have a specific request, but some advanced tutorials about texturing would be great. There are a lot of great modeling tutorials, but the texture bit could use some work. Not to complain (I really do mean that I’m not complaining, but I do pay for the site and it would be nice to see a nice nodes texturing tutorial with all of it done in 2.5. I have been trying to figure out the new system and I have problems with stuff. It might even help just to be shown where the buttons are now for some of the features. I’m thinking texture the stuff that’s already there, such as mechanic and Porsche. Also maybe UnityCookie in the future.
One of the best survey that I ever made
My principal concerns are about modeling with nice edge flow and how to make it pop by lighting (rendering) it correctly.
Oh god I would be one happy person if i saw a tutorial on blender’s game engine. I just feel so lost on how to use it. Creating games for me is one strong passion and not being able to use what is in front of me just makes me want to cry. But I can always hope
hehe dont push your luck on that. You can make simple games with the default cube but when i tried putting my own models and animations into the game it was to much for my computer and it seemed to crash.:( so i highly recommend a computer with a good graphics card for tutorials like that. but yea game engine tutorials would be nice.
God. If you asked me I would have wanted a lot!
-techniques/tips for proper deformation of characters in animation especially in problem areas like shoulders and crotch.
-rigging technique/tips for special areas like tails, tentacles, wings, and the like.
-creating special effects like explosions, smoke, waves, etc. for stills and animation.
-Hair and fur! And not only the basics(there are lots of it out there), but also on advanced things like varied fur in one character (like rough in one area then blends to smooth in another area), styling hair (braid, curly, wavy, pompadour, etc.) and more.
-Realistic texturing of skin, especially for the head. Well I’m not craving for it, but would be very nice.
-Proper lighting. This is one thing that I could not get very well. Lots of problems.
-Compositing and post production. Blender can do that right?
Oh I should stop cause the list is very long.
I would like to a materials / texturing advanced tutorials. Maybe something in depth on how to use node based editors.
I would personally love to see some timelapses. I always learn alot from those. And it seems that they’re quite rare.
wow, not really sure what I’d like to see in a tutorial. I think I’m gonna have to get back to you on that
actually i would like tutorial about everything.
Hey, since you’re offering, how about a tutorial on how to recreate Avatar.
On a more serious note, I appreciate the format of a lot of these tutorials, basically taking us step by step though a project (like the mechanic and the alien and the Porsche). I think what I need is a little pointing in the right direction.
And as artists, we can take it where we want to go. I agree with Redmole that perhaps taking the present projects and pushing them to a more completed state. Like why not model the interior or the engine or add a logo or something to the Porsche or take the mechanic all the way to a fully textured and rigged character. Those two projects alone would be tons of material for tutorials. I know there would be issues with some getting bored working on the same stuff for months and months on end. But really, after going through such a process, the end result would be satisfying and educational.
Sorry for the rambling.
I agree that some of the work may become tedious, but thats what being a cg artist is all about some times. It’s kinda like the old “If you can’t stand the heat”line. Just to be realistic, if you can’t make it through one project then maybe cg isn’t the place for you. So I think pushing the projects is the right way to go. Plus, I agree about the end result. For a long time I had no end result and all these seemingly unrelated skills. When I got my first completed model I felt much better. Great work all instructors on the site. I can’t wait to see more.
I didn’t mention the following when replying to the survey. So, let me add this :
Would it be possible to put online some of the tutorials (not all of course) organized a bit like a class? For example, on a given topic, make a series of tutorials with the level of each gradually increasing. This could be within a category of general knowliedge (several level stages witihn beginner, intermediate or advanced tuts for instance) or a series or levels from beginner to advanced or so regarding one topic. I guess organizing kind of self-study curriculum for some series of tutorials would be a great help.
Your site is awsome and plenty of good educational stuff. However, the more you gather and provide, the more confused could be some learners when seaching for tutorials or for those who’d like to know whether they have really improved. I think that some people, even after learning via several tutos, don’t actually know about their global or specific level regarding the use of Blender.
@Jonathan & Wes, guys make whatever you want. It’s always great
I’ve learned so much about blender at this page. It’s in my bookmarklist on the fist place
Please keep doing good work.
Dominik from Germany
Thank you for the wonderful tutorials, you guys definitely rock. I would like to see a tutorial showing a white water rafting sequence… so modelling and rendering with special effects using the game engine. Also how does one render an animation of these effects if they are made using the game engine?
Thanks again,
Vickie
You guys are busting our in-boxes, over 200 tutorial suggestions have flown in via this internet tube. Keep em comin!
First of all, this site has some wickedly rockin’ tutorials. Second, since you’re asking what kind of tutorial would be nice, I would like to see a tutorial on how to do something like an animation of cutting through something (e.g. a battle axe piercing a character or say something like a knife cutting a steak).
this is a good idea.
I would agree with Will.
dear 3d-cookie cookers
I just droped you a suggestion on what craves my brain
using the web-form above.
It’s becoming a bit “boring” to watch tutorials on special
topics which are already covered by a vast number of
tutorials e.g. on projection painting, character rigging,
modeling techniques, etc. etc.
don’t get me wrong: your tutorials are absolutely great!!
but I would like to see how really complex animations can
be done in an efficient way starting off with a fully rigged
character. I suggested an animation shot in my submission
and maybe you can make up something like this…
It would be very nice if you guys could come up with a tutorial
on this very topic.
kind regards to jonathan, wes, kernon, dave and all the other
people at blendercookie,
meikel…
Wow, I think it’s amazing to see how this site and it’s content are driven by it’s community! Thank you for taking the time to ask for our opinions and suggestion. Keep up the good work! =D
PS: I hope you don’t mind multiple entries per person? 0:-)
PPS: I hope your dogs are doing fine! =P
Yeah a more complete set of tutorials would be very nice, as I could see the tutorials available is concentrated more on modeling. Little or not entirely in focus or complete in the tutorials are texturing, rigging, skinning, animating, compositing, post production, and lighting. There is almost none on effects, particles, cloth, soft bodies, game engine, hair and fur. That is the tutorials are too biased toward modeling.
I would also like a tutorial that would end as a complete project. Maybe on the line of making a still image, and animation, a game, etc. with the intention of showing how it is done from start to finish. That way we could see how those separate tutorials on different subjects work out together. I would also like to see difficulties that arises in certain situations that requires creative solutions and how it was tackled.
Also, I would like to have more of advanced and intermediate level tutorials. Most of us are not beginners anymore and some are even are at an advanced level. We are not looking much anymore on how to use this feature, or how to create this thing but we are looking more on how to solve this problem. Problems that we encounter in real projects. I had encountered a lot of problems that is giving me a headache and I would give millions to anyone who knows or could make a solution. I’m sure someone out there would feel the same.
personaly id like to see a tutorial or sreies of tuts explaining how to get applied prcedural and image based materials/ textures to export from blender 2.49 into programs such as Poser, DAZ, Bryce, and the rest of the lower cost applications or at least an explanation as to why they will not export with blenders native code as it stands
also for a part of the porsche series one regarding “rigging” the doors, windows, hood, trunk, ect. to be able to pose the model for renders
Thanks again for all of the topic suggestions. We are not at over 300 suggestions, which is kick arse. Give us a bit to review and work to get some of these scheduled.
Shape Keys, please
More particles, boids (flocks) and stuff about metaballs!
Well guys , I would ,first like to thank you all for your great affords and time.
I would like to see a tutorial on , Things to watch out when exporting and importing to other 3d software platforms , These don’t have to be wild in depth tutorials . 3ds , FXB , Direct X are some I like to know how .
thanks again.
Hey guys, THANKS for car tutorial. Its very cool
Some new education ? Hm, we have here good head tutorial, but how about completely body tutorial with rigging and textures ?
I think it would be interesting to see some tutorials that focus on Nodes. It seems that Node tutorials are very rare within the world of blender.
Guys ? I not want that body tutorial with rigging, because next day i come to buy membership so.. i can download that good fat man tutorial
But only 2 things what i want to learn is car tutorial (Already added) and animation(Its coming with my membership) so… THANKS i dont want nothing
I reply to this news while thinking about the “Getting Started with Blender” article you posted , i mean blendercookie is doing really great , great stuff , great info , fantastic ! but i hope to se some good tutorial about all the rendering setup and how all the options about it work , i see very few tutorials on the web about good rendering setup to help your machine speed up things and help users to have short rendering time with good results. I think it’s very important to understand this before thinking about how good your work look =)
Thanks
Davide1982
I’m with you, man! I can buy Jeremy Birn’s lighting and rendering 10 times and still not know how and why to use render layers, how good raytracing works, how to speed it up, and, increasingly important, how to use Lux and Yafaray for good results, or how to use them period
I have 2 cores only and limited time, and most of it goes down the drain with – probably – wrong render settings. Especially for animations that can be crucial.
The Rest remains untouched tidbits, only accessible to the highest echelons of Blenderdom.
I’m also all for a comprehensive nodes training, also compositing is something that seems very important but is hardly touched anywhere. Many of up don’t just use 10% of their brains, but also only 10% of their Blender
I would like to know, after modeling and texture work is done . HOW do you save/leave the model for the animator . How do you set transform values of an complicated model that has parent child connections to zero , so the Animator would not have to deal with all that .
If everyone there keeps doing what they are doing I will be happy. But since you asked (That is awesome that you have) Here I go…
Skin textures are something I think needs some gaps filled.
Maqs’ skin texture node is sick but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to really use it.
HDR lighting is my favorite lighting and I would like to see some more stuff on that.
Why bake and not just keep it UV mapped (static images – not game or low poly versions)?
Gamma Corrections – Why and when. Mac VS IBM settings. Monitor Calibrate…etc
Creating your own maps: How, Why, What they do, and how to use them.
IOR’s and other basic material settings: Why, How… etc
Getting modeled lights to look like lights and not just clipped bright spots.
Getting Blender 2.5 to look like blender 2.49 instead of Maxwell. (Being cheeky)
What resolutions work best for what media? What codec’s work with those resolutions?
How to storyboard and are there any good collaboration sites or groups?
What to do with blender besides wish I was better at it. Ideas of ways to actually learn AND be productive.
How about starting a project that will take us the readers from step one to finished work. Not just a model but everything else as well. Background, details, lighting, walk cycle, rendering, file format, codec, modeling, composite, gamma correction, textures (making and applying), collaborating and overall coming together as a Blendercookie community to finish one project. Not Durian or anything but on a small scale. We can do online brainstorming, concept art, story boarding, writing, etc.. Maybe just a single scene or a very short … well short. You get the pic.
Just throwing things out there to see where the land. I know some of these are a bit ridiculous but felt like brainstorming and all that.
Thank you and everyone at Blendercookie (and other sites) for all the amazing things you do and Please keep it up!
The most common work I do is to create 3D TEXT, as a part of a multi-application work flow.
However, Blender seems to have many problems with text (odd artifacts, tri’s instead of quads, etc.). I’d like to see efficient text creation that overcomes the common problems.
Also, I’d like to be able to create abstract animations using MODIFIERS, but anomalies and abnormalities always crop up and I do not know how to counter them.
Hey, maybe some of the things in my list are already done, but I don’t know. Some great tutorials might be: Creating a game. A series all the way from creating the character, to rigging it, to making it fight things in the game. Maybe you could teach how to do things when players are inactive, such as the character looking at the camera, or crossing it’s arms. You could also go through making a person for a movie, maybe some animal, and rigging it, animating it, etc. Maybe you could go through making effects such as fire, lightning, etc. Going over how to make a logo would be great, as would backgrounds, and a tutorial on making hair. Thanks so much, and if you know of any tutorials covering these from 2.5, please notify me.
Hello. All that stuff you guys said would be awesome butt i think the blender team should teach us how to make online game with blender or a First Person Shooter game. Thanks for your time trying to read my post i bet there will be some bad grammar only because I am 11 years old and in Middle School. Bye.
The Modelling Tutes are great and always welcome, but it would be nice to get more in the way of Texturing & shading, light and rendering to get a nice final image.
tute topics:
Texturing/shading/render: Anything really.
A character: high res, or low res, toon or realistic, with clothes.
Specific items such as a chair, a Car, a guitar & amp, a cup, a glass,
Nature, trees, terrain,
A Building/city architecture, a Door, trash can, etc.
Texturing a dog and other animals.
Example on How to bake a displacement map and others as a texture and when is the best situation to use one or the other. (This and other topics similar to it would be useful for helping achieve productions that are do-able. Since most people have limited computer power and in order to realistically achieve their goals they need to learn not only how to do something, but how to do it efficiently with the limited tools they have. So tutes that show methods that cut down cpu usage and cheats, etc, would be helpful.
A study of how to achieve different rendering styles, such as photo real, semi-real, or other styles like “how to achieve a render similar to pixar or … etc ”
General workflow tips: Such as how and when to use proxies for a production, How to Organize and re-use elements of one scene for another, Organizing a production ( Ie short film, or ad etc). (maybe these aren’t sexy tutes, but useful I think).
The painful tutorials.
How to achieve long fairly realistic looking dynamic hair. (this maybe an all nigther for John haha).
How to achieve Clothing (using cloth sim) that doesn’t always catch on itself ( at least in my experience haha).
And, FInally as a different format to these specific tutorials. you might consider at some point to make a somewhat longer or complete training series that takes a scene from beginning to end model/texture/light/ and maybe some simple animation and simple camera moves (which would not only show camera technique but also how to light so that the scene works with the camera moves etc). This would show the integration and workflow that is needed.
Ok, Brain Freeze, That’s probably enough to chew on for now
,
Thanks guys for doing what you do,
Jason
How about the second part of the texturing series on the denim jeans? or maybe that could be picked up by concept cookie
Okay I would love to see a very simple (my brain has been craving orama on ) set up ,yes ,with particles (simple =low on cpu power )to do an afterburner like trust . thank you .
Some seem to learn by reading about something and then applying it to the project they are working with and others like me have learned mostly by seeing and then doing. Your tutorials that are movies are most helpful to me because I can see what moves to make next. The only bad thing is playing the movie several times to get a small proceure is quite time consuming. The blender versions are released much sooner than the revised tutorials and I seem to find buttons that don’t correspond with the tutorials. I am a new to blender and when I looked for an occlude button it took awhile. I know its hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Honestly I think your tuts are great, as Tony the tiger would say.
I’d love to get your view on the bmesh pros and cons. What are the real advantages, or does it just encourage sloppy topology? It would be great to get an expert modelers view on yet another potential change in blender functionality.
I would learned how to make a gameplan in a game like settler, with forest mountain and trees and some future house maby old house too. I Know this is a great task.
how about creating textures using the gimp software?, or photoshop? ( i dont have photoshop :/ but im sure lots others do!!)
The site is the best, It has help me a lot. I would like to see a bullet hit a character, with fluid, lighting, muzzle flash, or some cool mutation, resident evil style. It would help push a story to the max.
Scenery… any kind really. But no matter how many times I try, I can’t seem to make a room, that renders nicely, and looks like… a room… nor can I figure out how to do organic objects. Some tutorials on those subjects would be great.