3D modelling theory lesson (level 3 media)

1. 3D THEORY

2. Which different areas of media production
use 3D?
What do they use it for? Why do they choose to use 3D
modelling rather than practical effects or 2D animation?
1. Games: assets, environments, characters
2. Animation: quicker, less creative work, can use
technology for animating movement
3. Film: visual effects, cheaper, quicker and less
dangerous than practical effects

3. 3D DEV SOFTWARE:
• What is Blender?
• What are it’s strengths?
• What are it’s weaknesses?
• What can you do in Blender?
• What different features does it have?

4. Add-ons
Add-ons (or plug-ins) are additional features which you can
add to the software which allow the user to do new things,
or do things in a quicker or more efficient way.
• Add Sapling
• Rigify
• Cycles
• EEvee

5. File formats
.OBJ
Geometry data (shape)
vertices, faces, edges
.BLEND
 Geometry data (shape)
 vertices, faces, edges
 Texture files
 Materials
 Animations
 Game data
 Lighting & camera data

6. Geometry theory
A 3d model is made of many different elements, including
vertices, edges, polygons and surfaces.

7. Geometry theory
Vertex (or vertices if more than one)
• Single point in space

8. Geometry theory
Lines / edges
• A line connecting 2 points

9. Geometry theory
Polygon
• A plane with at least three edges.
Face
• A plane with at least four edges

10. Geometry Theory
Vertices, edges and faces all
describe the shape of the
model in 3D space. All of these
together are described as a
wireframe or mesh.

11. Surface
The models surface, or its
material, is defined by how
reflective or absorbent of light the
model is, and how bumpy or
smooth it is.
It may also have an image file
mapped across the surface as a
texture.

12. Geometry theory
Primitive
• A simple 3D model, which you can
begin modeling from.
• Cube, sphere, cone, torus etc…
• Meant to be adapted by the user to
create an object for their 3D scene.

13. Cartesian co-ordinates
• A 3d model is basically
describing a shape using a set
of co-ordinates in space.
• 2D co-ordinate theory can
describe a shape using the X &
Y axis

14. Cartesian co-ordinates
• 3D co-ordinate theory (or
cartesian coordinates) can
describe a shape using the X &
Y axis but also the Z axis

15. Box modeling
Box modeling is where we start with a box primitive (cube)
and then extrude new faces out of it.

16. Next week
Rendering & the graphics pipeline.