[ENDED] BC1-1808 - August 2018 Class Homepage - Getting Started with 3D Modeling & Blender 2.8

Collaborations
Kent Trammell


Announcement #5 (9/4/18): This class if officially over. See page 26 for the closing post and don't forget to fill out the questionnaire


Announcement #4 (8/27/18): REMINDER that this week's stream is on Wednesday, NOT Tuesday. I'm out of the office Monday (8/27) and Tuesday (8/28) but will be back in full grading force on Wednesday.


Announcement #3 (8/6/18): New way to Submit Homework. Please create a unique forum thread to contain all your homework submissions for the month, rather than everyone submitting in this main thread. More info on page 12.


Announcement #2 (8/7/18): Zsolt has done it again. He's prepared the report card document for this month. Feel free to monitor your grades there throughout the next 4-5 weeks.


Announcement #1 (8/6/18): Class is officially in session!


**Experienced Blender users are Welcome! Clarification about involvement on page 2 of this thread.


SYLLABUS


Welcome to the CGCookie Class: Getting Started with 3D Modeling & Blender 2.8! If you're interested in computer graphics, 3D modeling, and you're new to Blender / new to Blender 2.8, this class is where you need to be.

This "Class" format invites all Citizen members to focus together on a particular topic/skill for a month. Participation looks like this:

  • RSVP and attend the Live Events
  • Watch the pre-recorded education outlined below
  • Ask questions
  • Submit homework by creating a unique forum thread to contain all your homework submissions for the month.
  • Generally be active in this thread

WHEN? The class will take place from August 6th - September 4th.

✅ WEEK 1: First Time with Blender 2.8 (August 6-12)


Abstract: 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 2.8 and 3D from an absolutely beginner perspective. What is Blender for? What can it do? Wait, this isn’t a juicing seminar?

Goal of the Week: Get comfortable with Blender 2.8's UI, viewport navigation, creation and position objects.

Pre-recorded course to watch:

Week 1 Live Event (Remember to RSVP!)

Homework:

✅ WEEK 2: Pushing & Pulling Verts (August 13-19)


Abstract: Enter the world of mesh modeling: The oldest form of building 3D objects with your computer. We’ll discuss the technical art of “pushing and pulling verts” as modelers often call it. Welcome to this wild, geometric world!

Goal of the Week: Practicing editing a polygonal mesh's components to create a custom 3D model.

Pre-recorded courses to watch:

Week 2 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)

Homework:

  • Model a 3D object using mesh modeling techniques [post image(s) to this thread]

✅WEEK 3: Digital Clay (August 20-26)

Abstract: 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!

Goal of the Week: Practice digital sculpting.

Pre-recorded courses to watch:

Article to Read: Big Idea: Digital Tablets

Week 3 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)

Homework:

  • Do the Melvin sculpting exercise [post a link to your submission in a reply to this thread]
  • Sculpt 3 primitives as demo'd in the live stream [post screenshots]
    • Cube from a sphere
    • Sphere from a cube
    • Cone from a sphere
  • EXTRA CREDIT: Pick on of these options:
    • Sculpt a human face [post a screenshot]
    • Sculpt *something* of your choice [post a screenshot]
           

✅WEEK 4: Next Steps as a Blender Modeler (August 27-September 2)

Abstract: At this point, you've been introduced to the key 3D modeling methods. Meaning that you have the tools you need to MODEL STUFF! This is where practice will make perfect. This is where you build stuff.

Goal of the Week: Be inspired to continue modeling and spend the week modeling or sculpting a challenging object.

Pre-recorded courses to watch: Modeling in Blender Learning Flow

Week 4 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)

Homework:

  • Model and/or sculpt something challenging this week! Try tackling a character, a vehicle, a houshold object, whatever. Show me what you've learned. Show me what you're capable of! [post image(s) to this thread]

✅Class Wrap-Up Stream (First Tuesday in September)

We'll be doing a 5th live stream to close out the class, review week 4 homework, and possibly a special guest.

This thread is reserved for CG Cookie Citizens that are participating in the "Getting Started with 3D Modeling & Blender 2.8" class. Its purpose is to serve as central communication for all participating Citizens (excluding Hobby plan Citizens) to ask Kent and fellow participants questions and to post homework. As the instructor of the class, Kent will be monitoring this thread on a daily basis (especially Mon-Thurs) throughout the month of Auguest to review homework and answer questions.

Free members are welcome to observe the thread but please respect that communication and participation is reserved for Citizens.


  • William Miller(williamatics) replied

    yyukinoh1989 You can paint it with a brush, but I don't think you're allowed to.

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    williamatics Ah my bad, fair enough.

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    yyukinoh1989 If you disable the eye on the camera it just means that the physical manifestation of the camera disappears from the viewport but it still works like normal.


  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    yyukinoh1989 You can paint it with a brush but like williamatics said it's likely not allowed, because it involves textures. The other way would be to apply the materials to separate parts but that relies going into Edit Mode which as we've been told is a no-no (mostly)...



    HOWEVER!


    Using the power of Booleans there is a way - albeit crude, but still effective way - to do this. First get your sphere, equip it with the Boolean modifier and spawn a cube. try to get you cube as close as halfway through the cube as possible (using Orthographic mode might be a good idea here) and set the Boolean to Difference, then apply it.



    As you can see you now have a semi-circle.



    After that, duplicate the semi circle then rotate it 180 degrees (typically on the Y axis).



    Finally apply the appropriate material to each semi circle and you're done!


  • Pavel Mazanik(nekronavt) replied


    thecabbagedetective are we allowed to use modifiers in this homework? 

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    nekronavt  Boolean is considered fine, but I think the others are off limits.

  • yukino hatake(yukinoh1989) replied


    thecabbagedetective thanx a lot indeed that is a way to fix it. thanks for the help 

  • Pavel Mazanik(nekronavt) replied


    thecabbagedetective I think mirror is even more acceptable than boolean then, isn't it?

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    yyukinoh1989 Glad to be of assistance!

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    nekronavt  It'd certainly make sense considering it doesn't really affect the base mesh (same could be said of the Array modifier) it's just I've only heard Boolean given the all clear. Maybe @theluthier can give us some insight?

  • smurfmier1985 replied

    thecabbagedetective Kent replied this in curious' homework thread, so I guess modifiers are allowed now :)


  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    ssmurfmier1985  Ah, fair enough. If that's the case, go nuts people!

  • Darren McBain(oboshape) replied


    yyukinoh1989  it was purely a screenshot to indicate the visibility toggle buttons which are for each object in the outliner and what they do.  the highlightings that ive done were purely due to lack of space and information.  

    there may come a time down the blender learning journey where you may have multiple cameras, but for now i wouldnt worry about it, just be aware that each object has these toggles in the outliner.

  • yukino hatake(yukinoh1989) replied


    oboshape
    so multiple camera's is possible then :o what happens then when you press 0 to go to camera mode ?
    but i guess indeed i will maybe focus later on that and for now on the homework :)
    ssmurfmier1985  so we can use them this week too ? tought he meant starting in week 2

  • Morten Fjellheim(arev) replied

    Is there a way to connect geometry in sculpt mode? At a certain point i have a piece that is sculpted into the other, but not connected. I have tried to smooth, creased, pinched, added more clay and all the posible ways a noob can think of, but the gap is visible no matter what i do

  • Pavel Mazanik(nekronavt) replied

    aarev you can achieve what you want with some boolean modifier magick. Just append a sphere that covering seam and proceed with sculpt

    Seam:

    Sphere appended with boolean modifier

    Smooth the geometry with dyntopo. No seam

  • Morten Fjellheim(arev) replied


    nekronavt You mean add a sphere? And do i "union" it?

  • Pavel Mazanik(nekronavt) replied


    aarev yes. Do "union" operation to make this sphere the part of your sculpt, it will devour this seam. It's not necessary to be the sphere, any mesh with similar density as your sculpt will do.

  • Morten Fjellheim(arev) replied


    nekronavt I tried and it worked, allthough half of my mesh has a much darker colour now. Its really confusning, not sure why it happends. I cant supply a screenshot  because an error made me go back to the older version of the mesh. 

  • Pavel Mazanik(nekronavt) replied


    aarev maybe it's some normals direction fail. Go to edit mode, select all the mesh and do Ctrl-N (recalculate normals)