Module 1: Intro to 3D and Blender
In this first module, we will learn the very basics of Blender and 3D overall, how texture maps work, navigation around in Blender, basic modeling and sculpting, and so on. Just to dip your feet in the water and set you up for the upcoming modules.
- Why use 3D in the first place?
- How 3D can be a powerful tool for artists
- Basics of Blender, navigation and layout
- Basic object editing & modeling
- Create your first asset: Ancient Pillar
- Using various tools & sculpting in 3D
- How to use and set up texture & UV maps
Module 2: Asset Creation and Our First Scene
Here we will create our very first and simple interior scene with some ancient pillars, we'll experiment with lighting, texturing, cameras, and volumetric fog.
- Create a full scene from scratch
- Extended asset creation
- Customize textures and light sources
- Learn to make realistic atmosphere with volumetrics
- Set up cameras for interesting perspective angles
Module 3: Epic Landscape Creation
This is where you'll learn about outdoors scenes – we'll create really cool mountains, rocks, go deeper into the Shader Editor and texturing, creating God Rays, how to turn a scene into night, making fire, water, and lots of stuff. We'll also work with some characters and character assets, like creating a sword.
- Set up a vast, realistic landscape scene
- Build naturalistic assets like rocks and hills
- Learn to add dynamic lighting and God Rays
- Atmospheric perspective & more volumetrics
- Add and pose characters to create story in your art
- Create assets such as a swords and fire
- How to set up day & night scenes
Module 4: Composition & Rendering
In Module 4, we'll explore a different take on the scene we made in Module 3, and make it even more epic, and just prepare it for final rendering and paintover. All the final tweaks and composition exploration happen here, and we'll look at rendering and render passes.
- Set up the perfect composition in Blender
- Experiment with lighting to highlight key areas and create expressive visuals
- Learn to create simple and realistic volumetric water
- Rendering settings and speeding up your renders
- Find the final shot for your render
Module 5: 3D Paintover
In the final module here we will take what we made in Blender, throw it into Photoshop for some quick compositing and start painting over it for our final illustration, Shining Fjords. You'll learn some cool techniques for taking away the "3D look" and making it look more artistic and painterly, so this is where we create our final illustration.
- Understand render passes and how they work
- Composing renders inside of Photoshop
- Painting techniques to remove the "3D-ness"
- Giving artistic expression to your artwork
- Using effective brush work
- Using matte painting techniques such as photo texturing
- Final touches & spicing up your environment art