[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.


  • Pavel Mazanik(nekronavt) replied

    @theluthier Are we allowed to do some texturing work in Substance Painter for week 2 homework? Or it's better to limit yourself with mesh modeling?

  • Julian B(bsdwerbeagentur) replied


    nekronavt I  wanted to ask the exact same thing soon, would be interested in doing that too!

  • Kent Trammell replied

    shiennar If you can manage, I would absolutely love to see more homework reels! Such a cool way to open each stream. The chat was loving it.

    Also, I harbor an aspiration to do my video editing with the Sequence Editor. You've inspired me 👍

  • Kent Trammell replied

    ssmurfmier1985 Yes, good catch. That Monday and Tuesday I'll be out of the office. I need to make sure to tell everyone during the next stream. Thanks for the reminder!

  • Kent Trammell replied

    nekronavt Since there's at least 3 people asking the same as you, sure you can do some texturing for week 2. Try to keep the focus heavier on modeling: 50-50 at most. I guess I'd like to see it NOT turn into a texturing-heavy week with like 20% of a week 2 submission being modeling and 80% on texturing.

  • Pavel Mazanik(nekronavt) replied


    @theluthier got it. I think I'll do 100% modeling and 10% texturing :D

  • silentheart00 replied

    Is there a way to assign different shaders to different parts of a mesh in 2.8?  I feel like there was a way, and I just forgot.

  • Kent Trammell replied

    silentheart00 As far as I can tell, it's the same method as in 2.7x

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    silentheart00 What @theluthier said, it's the same way as in 2.79.

  • silentheart00 replied

    thecabbagedetective It's Big Kent!

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    silentheart00 Big Kent is watching you...

  • silentheart00 replied
  • smurfmier1985 replied

    thecabbagedetective Oh my, his omnipotent eye is back! 😱😱

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    AW HELL YEAH GET HYPED


  • smurfmier1985 replied

    thecabbagedetective Yes!! YES!! Just RSVP't! Gotta get some shading learning under my belt after this class to prepare for the next one, I was thinking about shader forge and the pancake hobo courses 😁 

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    ssmurfmier1985 Haven't taken the Pancake Hobo course but the shader forge is great, albeit a tiny bit outdated due to the principled BSDF but it's very easy to replace some of the nodes they use with it.

  • smurfmier1985 replied

    thecabbagedetective Wow, I got big nostrils 😮

  • silentheart00 replied

    ssmurfmier1985 Now a big Miranda!

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    A moth keeps divebombing my monitor and jumpscaring the hell outta me whilst I try to work. Mother Nature just hates CG I guess, but her attempts are futile.

  • silentheart00 replied

    thecabbagedetective Tell Mother Nature to knock that off and give that moth a whack lol