E-Portfolio of 3D Modeling
The teacher introduced the first semester learning content and some student works in class, which required us to understand the module topics. It also taught us how to install the Blender software and demonstrated the basic operations of Blender.
Week 2：Learn Blender
LEARN：
1. We can start building the model with basic geometry (such as cubes, spheres, etc.), and then use tools such as extrusion, scaling, rotation, etc. to adjust the shape. You can also combine or cut different geometries through Boolean operations to create complex shapes.
Use the mirror tool to quickly create symmetrical models and improve modeling efficiency.
2. Add simple materials to the model, such as color, roughness, etc., to make the model more realistic. You can choose from preset materials or adjust the parameters yourself.
Apply texture maps, such as picture textures, to add detail to your model.
3. You can quickly render and view the final effect of the model. Rendering settings such as resolution, lighting, etc. can be adjusted for better image quality.
Modeling related:
• G: Move the selected element.
• R: Rotate selected elements.
• S: Scale the selected element.
• E: Extrude operation, you can extrude faces or edges to increase model details.
EXERCISE 1
Shape and style:
- The octopus I designed adopts a very rounded geometric shape. The main body is a round head, surrounded by a circle of spheres, giving people a soft and cute feeling. I decided that this design would make the character look very friendly and suitable for use in cute games or cartoon characters.
- The golden hat on the head adds some unique features, which may symbolize power or the character's unique identity, bringing a bit of conflict to the overall design, making it more eye-catching.
Color matching:
- The main body has a soft pinkish-purple hue that contrasts with the surrounding crimson spheres. The color choices are very warm and muted, enhancing the character's lovable attributes.
- The golden hat forms a visual focus with other parts, which can guide the viewer's attention. The black eyes are simple and effective, contrasting well with the character's other colors and making the facial expression very striking.
Expression design:
- The expression is very simple, with two oval-shaped black eyes and an opening resembling a small mouth, conveying an emotion of surprise or innocence. This expression is suitable for expressing cute, harmless characters, and allows the viewer to easily connect emotionally.
1. 3D modeling workflow
• Destructive modeling: Changes to model geometry directly and permanently affect the object, often used for delicate work such as game assets, product design, or complex surface modeling.
• Symmetry modeling technique: Create one half of a model and mirror it on one or more axes to achieve symmetry, often used in character modeling.
2. Basic operations
• Creation of basic bodies and initial settings: basic geometric shapes such as cubes, spheres, etc., and parameters can be set during creation.
• Polygon components: including vertices, edges, and faces. Faces include triangles, quadrilaterals, and polygons. Different types have different characteristics.
• Object mode vs. Edit mode: Object mode is used to select and transform entire objects, and Edit mode is used to change individual components of the mesh.
• Component selection: Single selection, multiple selection, and edge loop and edge loop selection are available.
• Component transformation and orientation: components can be moved, rotated, and scaled, with global and local coordinate axes available.
• Snapping: Precisely snap components to meshes, vertices, and more.
• Scale Editing: Used to smoothly transform components, affecting surrounding vertices.
3. Destructive modeling tools
• Loop Cut and Slide: Add edge loops to refine the geometry.
• Extrude: Expand a face, edge, or vertex outward.
• Inset: Inflates or expands within a face to create a new face.
• Bevel: Rounds sharp edges or corners.
• Bridge: Connects two edge rings.
• Fill: Fill edge loops or gaps between vertices.
• Knife: Manually cut edges to create new vertices.
4. Non-destructive tools (for destructive workflows)
• Subdivision Modifier: The subdivision mesh maintains its original shape.
• Bevel Modifier: Adds bevels to edges non-destructively.
• Mirror modifier: Create symmetrical models.
• Boolean modifier: Combines or subtracts the geometry of two objects.
• Crease Technique: Defines areas that remain sharp when using the Subdivision modifier.
• Vertex and edge sliding: Move vertices or edges without changing the overall shape.
Reflection:
Although I understand the principles and uses of various tools, my actual operating experience may be insufficient. For some complex tools, such as Boolean modifiers, you may encounter the problem of how to accurately control the combination or subtraction of geometric shapes in actual modeling, and you are not sure whether you can use it proficiently to achieve the ideal model effect.
When facing the assignment requirements for the second document, although I understood that I needed to use tools such as extrusion and chamfering to model cylindrical objects, I was still confused about how to skillfully use these tools to accurately restore the details and features of the objects. Maybe not completely sure.
In the future, I can study and research the details in depth and consult more professional materials about 3D modeling, including books, online tutorials, etc., to explore the concepts and technical details in depth. For example, for the problem of normal adjustment, you can find relevant cases and tutorials to learn more about the processing methods and techniques of normals in different types of models.
EXERCISE 2
This week we are going to think in terms of cylindrical shapes such as plates, bottles, etc. and use several different objects to form a composition.Obtain reference materials such as blueprints or images of the selected object.Model the object using a primitive cylinder and using modeling tools such as extrusion, chamfer, inset, and looping. Apply the Smooth modifier and adjust the sharpness or smoothness of corners using various techniques.
Week 5：Box Modeling
In the fifth week, the teacher taught us how to use blender to make a car model.
EXERCISE 3
I used the modeling knowledge I learned in class to complete Exercise 3 this week. I designed a speaker.
Week 6-7 ：Modeling a karambit
This week we start working on e4.This is a summary of the requirements for Exercise 4 in 3D Modeling, focused on creating a karambit:
1.Download the Blueprint:
Use the provided reference image as a guide.
2.Modeling:
Use organic modeling techniques in Blender (like Extrude, Inset, Loop Cut, Knife, and Symmetry tools) to create the karambit.
3.Materials and Colors:
Apply basic materials and colors to the model.
4.Rendering:
Render the final output in Blender with viewport rendering. Set the output size to 1280 x 720 in PNG format.
5.Final Images:
Submit two PNG images – one with and one without a wireframe.
6.Documentation:
Provide an explanation on your e-portfolio and add the link to the TIMES platform.
7.Upload Blender File:
Submit the Blender file with the model.
8.Deadline:
The submission is due by November 6, 2024.
The teacher taught us how to make this design in class
Project 1 - Hard Surface Modeling
Proportion of total grade: 20%
Week 9 ：(P2) THEMED SCENE-BASED MODELING
This course mainly explains the related operations of 3D modeling and rendering, including scene construction, lighting settings, material adjustment, rendering parameter optimization, and project task introduction, etc., to help students master the skills of creating realistic scenes and objects.
1. 3D modeling and rendering operations
• Scene construction and editing: The instructor demonstrated how to create a simple room scene in 3D software, such as adjusting the size and shape of objects, inserting and deleting faces, etc.
• Lighting setting skills
• Explain the characteristics and usage of different types of lights (such as point lights, spotlights, and area lights), and simulate different lighting effects by adjusting lighting parameters (such as intensity, color, angle, radius, etc.).
• Emphasize setting the direction, intensity, and color of the light to create a realistic lighting environment, such as setting the point light to a sun-like effect and adjusting the spot size and fusion of the spotlight.
• Material adjustment and application
• Introduce the impact of material properties (such as metalness, roughness, refractive index, etc.) on the appearance of objects, and demonstrate how to give objects different materials (such as metal, glass, plastic) and adjust parameters to achieve different effects.
• Take the Chrome ball as an example to show the effect of the change of metalness and roughness parameters on the gloss and reflection effect of the object; for glass materials, adjust the refractive index and roughness to achieve different transparency and reflection effects.
• Rendering parameter optimization
• Explain the effect of parameters (such as sampling rate, noise reduction) on image quality and rendering time during the rendering process, speed up the rendering speed by reducing the sampling rate, and turn on the noise reduction function to reduce image noise.
• Compare the rendering effects under different sampling rates and noise reduction settings to let students understand how to improve rendering efficiency while ensuring image quality, such as reducing the sampling rate from 4000 to 32 or 16, and observe the change of noise.
2. Project 2 Task Introduction（week 9-12）
• Project theme and requirements: Students need to choose a specific theme (such as science fiction, steampunk, medieval, etc.) to create a scene, which is required to be presented in a three-dimensional model or isometric composition. Indoor or outdoor scenes can be selected. The deadline is December 11.
In Project 2, which starts in Week 10, we have to model a theme scene, which accounts for 20% of the total score. Based on the given theme, use the learned techniques to make a scene model, and the final product is a three-dimensional model or isometric composition. You have to find reference pictures or design drawings first, then use polygon tools to model, apply materials and textures to the model, and then use Eevee or Cycle in Blender to set up lighting and rendering. The final output image size is 1280 x 720, and the format is png. After completion, upload the work to your electronic folder, and then update the link on the TIMES platform to submit it. The submission time is Week 12.
Reflection：
During the scene construction process, some operations were not smooth enough. For example, when editing complex objects, I needed to spend more time looking for suitable tools and commands, which affected the modeling efficiency. I think I need to practice more in the future to familiarize myself with the software operation interface and function shortcuts to improve the operation speed. In addition, when adjusting the lighting and material parameters, I could not quickly find the best effect. I needed to try different values repeatedly. I lacked a keen intuition about the relationship between parameter changes and effects, which may lead to a lot of time wasted on unnecessary debugging in actual projects.
And I think I don’t have a deep understanding of theoretical knowledge. I don’t have a deep understanding of the physical principles of material properties (such as metalness, roughness, refractive index, etc.). I only stay at the adjustment of surface parameters. I don’t know how the optical principles behind it affect the performance of objects under different lighting conditions. This may limit my innovation ability and accurate grasp of materials when creating special material effects. I have a vague understanding of the complex relationship between rendering algorithms and parameters. Although I know that sampling rate and denoising have an impact on rendering results, I don’t understand the calculation principles behind them. It is difficult to flexibly choose the optimal rendering solution when facing different scene requirements, which may lead to unsatisfactory rendering results or long rendering time.
I need to strengthen my operation practice in the future, develop a detailed software operation practice plan, conduct special exercises for key operations such as scene construction, lighting settings, material adjustment, etc., and arrange a certain amount of time for operation training every day to improve my operation proficiency and speed. I also need to learn and memorize the shortcut keys for common operations to form muscle memory and reduce the time spent searching for tools and commands during the operation. At the same time, I need to learn more efficient operation skills through online tutorials, forums and other channels to continuously optimize the workflow.
Week 10 ：Character modeling preparation
This course continues to focus on 3D modeling, focusing on the preliminary preparation of character modeling, body modeling, head modeling, limb modeling and related precautions, such as reference image import, object creation and editing, symmetry line utilization, origin setting, component connection and other operating skills, to help us gradually master the process and methods of character modeling.
1. Preliminary preparation for character modeling
• Reference image processing: Demonstrate how to select and crop the required front and side images of the character from multi-angle photos, and adjust the image format (such as saving as JPEG) for subsequent import into 3D modeling software.
• Software settings and import: In Blender, it explains in detail how to switch to the front view and side view, add image references, adjust the transparency of the reference image (reduced to 0.3) for better observation, and ensure that the image is projected from the correct direction (such as the negative X direction) to avoid the problem of mismatch between the model and the reference due to the wrong image direction.
• Workspace preparation: Create a new collection (such as named "reference"), put the image reference into it, and lock the reference by setting selectivity to prevent misoperation during the modeling process and free up space for subsequent modeling.
2. Body modeling process
• Basic shape creation: Take the cylinder as an example to create the basic shape of the character's body, emphasizing the importance of the number of segments of the cylinder (such as 16 segments) for subsequent symmetry operations and shape adjustments.
• Shape adjustment and editing: By removing the top and bottom of the cylinder, turn on the X-ray mode to observe the reference image to ensure that the model is aligned with the symmetry line of the reference image; use Ctrl + R to add loop cutting, extrude (E key) and scale (S key) operations, and gradually shape the body, such as adjusting the size and contour of the waist, chest and other parts. At the same time, pay attention to observing the model contour from different views (front view and side view) to ensure that the proportions are coordinated and the lines are smooth.
3. Key points of head modeling
• Basic shape construction: First create a basic shape (such as keeping the top part of the cylinder), and then extend it upward through extrusion operations to leave space for subsequent head detail shaping.
• Layering and detail addition: Layer the top of the head (such as Ctrl + 2 subdivision), adjust the top and bottom shapes separately, and make them match the reference image through scaling, rotation, etc., for example, adjust the top shape to a hat-like shape, and pay attention to keeping the overall outline consistent with the reference.
4. Limb modeling skills
Arm modeling
• Create arms based on cylinders, rotate the cylinders to a suitable angle (such as - 90° or so) according to the character's posture, adjust the size and proportion, and delete unnecessary parts (such as the redundant parts at both ends of the arms).
• For the joints of the arms (such as the elbows), shape them through specific methods (such as using a sphere to merge with the arm parts), ensure that the joints transition naturally, and then use Ctrl + 1 subdivision to adjust the shape to make it round.
• Emphasize that before connecting the arm and the body, the relevant objects should be merged (join) first, and the bridge function should be used to connect the arm and the body. At the same time, pay attention to processing the vertices of the connection part to make the transition smooth and avoid gaps or overlaps; for the modeling of the other side of the arm, by setting the origin at the center position, use the symmetry line (mirror) function to quickly generate, improve modeling efficiency, and ensure the symmetry of the arms on both sides.
Leg modeling (similar method)
• Also based on the cylinder, adjust the parameters (such as the number of segments is 8), rotate to the appropriate angle, and match the body position and proportion.
• According to the shape requirements of the leg, delete or adjust some faces, connect with the body part, pay attention to merging objects before connection, use the bridge function to achieve seamless connection, and optimize the shape of the leg by adding subdivisions (such as Ctrl + 1) and adjusting the vertex position to make it more natural and smooth, such as shaping the curved shape of the knee and other parts to ensure that the overall style of the leg and the body are unified and the proportion is coordinated.
5. Precautions during modeling
• Avoid triangles: During modeling, it is emphasized that triangles should be avoided as much as possible, because triangles may have undesirable effects after smoothing, affecting the overall quality of the model. Quads should be used for modeling to ensure smooth transition of the model surface. When performing shape adjustment and editing operations, such as subdivision and extrusion, attention should be paid to maintaining the quadrilateral structure of the surface to avoid problems caused by triangles.
• Correct use of tools and commands: Students are reminded to pay attention to operation details many times, such as applying relevant settings (such as subdivision modifiers) in time after creating basic shapes, otherwise the model may cause problems in the subsequent editing process (such as returning to the initial shape). When performing operations such as merging and connecting objects, ensure that the operation order is correct, merge related objects first and then connect them, otherwise the expected effect cannot be achieved, affecting the modeling progress and model quality.
• Utilize symmetry lines and origin points: Emphasize the importance of symmetry lines in character modeling, especially when creating symmetrical structures (such as limbs). Make sure that the symmetry lines are set correctly so that the other side can be quickly generated through mirroring operations, improving modeling efficiency and reducing workload. At the same time, correctly setting the origin position (such as at the center of the model) is crucial for symmetry operations and applying modifiers (such as the mirror modifier). This ensures that the model’s symmetry effect is accurate and avoids problems such as offset or incorrect mirroring that affect the overall structure and proportion of the model.
Reflection：
In this 3D modeling course, I deeply realized many problems that I have. In terms of operation proficiency, basic operations such as loop cutting, extrusion and scaling are not only slow and not accurate enough, but also frequently rely on the mouse to find the menu, resulting in low modeling efficiency, which is significantly different from students who are proficient in using shortcut keys. The lack of spatial imagination makes it difficult for me to quickly grasp the morphological changes in three-dimensional space when shaping the model. When faced with complex structures and postures, I cannot independently build reasonable wiring and shape transitions, and can only rely on the instructor's examples, which seriously limits the innovation and diversity of the model. In terms of detail processing, after the overall completion of the model, there are unnatural and flawed parts such as joint turns and component connections. The sensitivity to capturing details of the reference image is low, and there is a deviation from the image, which affects the realism and beauty of the model.
In the face of these problems, I will actively improve. With the help of online resources, increase practice and improve operation speed and accuracy. In terms of spatial imagination cultivation, learn and apply relevant training methods, such as observing three-dimensional objects, drawing sketches and solving geometry problems, conceiving before modeling, and observing real human bodies and objects to accumulate experience. When improving detail processing, learn professional skills, such as sculpting tools and subdivision surface adjustment, refer to excellent works to analyze detail processing methods, develop the habit of carefully observing the details of reference images, pay attention to the adjustment of each vertex and face, and pursue high-quality modeling effects. I believe that through these efforts, I will be able to make greater progress in the field of 3D modeling.
Week 11 ：Facial Modeling
This course focuses on 3D character facial modeling, covering the modeling methods of the mouth, eyes and eyebrows, as well as the application and operation techniques of related materials. It also involves some model adjustment and scene setting content, which fully demonstrates the detailed process and key points of character facial modeling for students, and helps to improve our professional skills in 3D character modeling.
1. Facial modeling process
Mouth modeling
• Wiring planning and drawing: Emphasize the importance of understanding facial expressions for character modeling. Take the shaping of the mouth as an example. Draw the wireframe through the "Knife" tool in the edit mode. It does not need to be strictly isometric, but a ring structure (such as secular loop) around the mouth and eyes should be formed to facilitate subsequent deformation operations. After drawing, the wireframe position can be adjusted through the move tool to match the character's facial shape. When drawing, you can draw half first, and then use the mirror function to complete the other half to improve efficiency.
• Shaping and adding details: Select the inner wireframe of the mouth, push it inward to form the lip outline, use the "Inset" tool to create a hole inside, delete the inner face, and then use the "Knife" tool again to add more lines, such as creating a larger ring outside the lips, adding corners at specific locations, etc. Pay attention to the line layout to avoid large triangular faces. You can optimize the wiring by connecting vertices, dissolving edges, etc., so that the lines are continuous and smooth, providing a good foundation for subsequent deformation operations.
• Deformation operation and space creation: Use the "Proportional Editing" tool (combined with the mouse wheel to control the radius) to deform the mouth. For example, to create a smiling expression, select the inner ring line of the mouth and extrude it along the Y axis (press the E key and then press the Y key to lock the direction). Use the scaling (S key) operation to strengthen the edge ring structure. Pay attention to controlling the scaling direction and range to avoid model flipping. You can mark the selection point and switch the transformation view to "predictor", then press the S key and set the Y direction scaling value to 0 to achieve precise alignment to ensure the accuracy of the model shape. Then select the corresponding upper and lower vertices, press the F key to connect, add a ring line (Control + R) to merge the connected parts into a continuous surface, and create a hollow space inside the mouth. Pay attention to ensure that the number of upper and lower vertices is the same during the operation. If you cannot create the middle line at the same time, you can select the vertices one by one for connection.
Eye modeling
• Basic shape creation and adjustment: Use "uvsphere" to create the basic shape of the eye without setting a specific number of segments. Rotate (X axis - 90°) to make its triangle face forward. Adjust the position and size according to the reference image to make it fit the face. You can scale it in the local coordinate system to ensure that the proportion and position of the eye on the face are appropriate.
• Material application and mirror copying: Apply materials to the eyes. Create white and black materials in the material settings and apply them to the white part and pupil part of the eye respectively. Select the corresponding surface and click the material to assign it. Copy (Ctrl + D) and move (Shift + S cursor to the world origin), and then use the mirror function (make sure to switch to the correct coordinate system) to quickly create the other eye to ensure symmetry of both eyes.
Eyebrow modeling
• Position marking and shape creation: Use the "Q" tool to mark the eyebrow position, switch to object mode and create a new object at the marked position, adjust the shape by scaling to make it coordinated with the facial proportions, and first subdivide (Control + R), such as dividing it into 3 segments, and then rotate and adjust the direction as needed, and use the edge loop (Edge Loop) to make detailed adjustments, such as moving specific parts to change the shape of the eyebrows to make them more natural and vivid.
2. Model adjustment and optimization
• Smoothing and vertex control: After completing eye modeling, you can select specific vertices (such as the corners of the eyes), switch back to midpoint mode, turn on "Proportional Editing", drag the vertex to adjust the eye shape, and use the square mouse button to control the impact radius. If the radius is too large to affect the observation effect, you can first move the vertex to determine the approximate position, and then adjust the radius and move it again to achieve more precise shape adjustment and make the eye model more natural.
• Mirror function and origin setting: When modeling symmetrical parts of the face (such as eyes and eyebrows), make sure the origin is at the center of the model. Before applying the mirror modifier, be sure to place it below the subdivision modifier. If you want the mirror effect to be permanent, switch to object mode and apply the modifier first, then move and perform other operations. The X, Y, and Z axis mirror functions can quickly edit the symmetrical parts, improve modeling efficiency, and ensure model symmetry.
3. Scene and material related operations
• Material adjustment and display: In the process of applying the eye material, it is shown in detail how to create different color materials (white and black) in the material settings, and how to correctly display the material effects in the viewport, so that students can understand the basic process of material creation and application, and can accurately assign the corresponding materials according to the model requirements to enhance the realism and expressiveness of the model.
• Scene setting and element adjustment: Some scene-related operations are mentioned in the course. The scene elements can be adjusted through "window - composition". Although it is not expanded in detail, it provides the basic ideas and operation directions for scene setting, which helps to better integrate the characters and scenes in the subsequent modeling process and create a more complete and vivid 3D environment.
This course has given me a lot of experience in 3D character facial modeling. I learned the detailed modeling methods for the mouth, eyes and eyebrows, as well as the material application and model adjustment techniques. However, I also realized that I have many problems, such as lack of proficiency in operation, slow and inaccurate drawing of wireframes and adjustment of vertices; lack of spatial imagination, difficulty in quickly grasping the best effect in wiring planning and shape shaping; the ability to handle details needs to be improved, and there are still some unnatural features after the model is completed. In the future, I will strengthen practice, observe more excellent works to improve my aesthetics, study theoretical knowledge in depth, actively ask others for advice, and strive to improve my modeling level. I look forward to making significant progress in the next course.
Week 12 ：Facial Modeling(public holiday)
Today is a public holiday and we don't have classes. I worked on the character making of the final model this week. I made a little lion.
It is divided into two parts, the upper part is the little lion, and I added a small orange to the lower part.
Reflection
In the Adding Details stage, I understood the key role of Subdivision Surface and Sculpt Mode in character detail shaping. This not only helps me improve the realism and beauty of the character, but also gives me a deeper understanding of the functions of modeling tools.
The Lighting and Rendering section made me realize the importance of lighting settings for presenting character effects. Appropriate lighting can highlight the characteristics of the character and make the entire work more vivid.
Week 13 ：Facial Modeling （FAQ)
Today the teacher told us that we will be having a hybrid teaching mode this week, and we can take classes online and offline. If we have any questions about the project, we can ask him and he will give us some feedback, so I came to the school.
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