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Modeling in Blender : Winter Wonderland
The Lamp Post, The Wonderland and the Wardrobe
Learning to build 3D scenes in Blender can be extremely rewarding. There are a whole series of time saving tools that can speed up modeling, texturing, terrain creation and rapid placement of content into the scene. Best of all, many of these operations are “non-destructive” – not affecting your base geometry.
Blender is free, open-source and super capable but there is a learning curve along the way and Blender can feel overwhelming when first starting to learn.
In this course (this event is the introductory session), we’re looking to lead beginners and more seasoned Blender artists to build a beautiful Winter Wonderland scene, showing how to use all of these time saving tools to create something similar to the “Lantern Waste”, from the land of Narnia – one of the first scenes in “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.”.
In this introductory session (the first 30-40 minutes), we’ll look at modeling inside Blender to create a winter-styled London Street Lamp (see below) – the centrepiece of the Narnia “Lantern Waste” scene.
- Review of a few basics in Blender
- Find and source reference materials
- Hard Surface Modeling Basics
- Use Modifiers to make more complex Models
- Non-Destructive vs Destructive Modeling
Full Course Details : Scene Building in Blender – Winter Wonderland
Is this Course for you?
We’ve put together this new Blender coaching group so that you can:
1. Feel supported and guided through a robust step by step live Blender course.
2. Feel confident in creating an environmental render from start to finish.
3. Approach the learning of Blender without feeling overwhelmed.
This is for you if you are in one of these situations:
1. You’ve tried Blender in the past but you were burned by the user interface!
2. You learn more effectively in a group, rather than alone.
3. You’ve always been curious to learn Blender but have felt lost with relying on pre-recorded tutorials.
4. Need a patient and supportive coach to learn Blender at your own pace.
This is for you if you want to…
1. Learn basic and more intermediate Blender modeling and texturing techniques
2. Learn and practice building of natural scenes
3. Gain a basic understanding of Blender’s node systems. We’ll give you a few “cheats” to overcome some of the complexities!
5. Get an introduction and use cases of geometry nodes; the most powerful aspect of Blender.
6. Gain a good understanding of the render engines and lighting in Blender.
Duration and Start of Course?
We’ll run the course from Saturday 19th November. Each live meeting will be run on Saturdays at 19:00 GMT (London) / 11:00 PST (Los Angeles) / 14:00 EST (New York) and will last 1.5 hours.
We’ll have four weeks of learning (six weeks if you opt for the VIP course membership)
Areas of Artistic Growth
Over 4 weeks of learning, we’ll look at these aspects of Blender in a structured framework.
VIP members will have access to Weeks 5 and 6.Â
Week 1 : Modeling Main Objects
- Review of the basics in Blender
- Find and source reference materials
- Hard Surface Modeling Basics
- Use Modifiers to make more complex Models
- Non-Destructive vs Destructive Modeling
- Understand & Use Bevel Profiles
- Create a Simple Cloth Simulation
Assignment : Model your own London lamp post. Extra credit : model a scarf
Week 2 : Texturing the Models
- Find and resource texture materials
- Use Shader Nodes to Create & Mix Materials
- Use different UV projections
- Create Surface Imperfections & Wear
- Basic Introduction to the Power of Geometry Nodes
- Create a GeoNode system to generate a Custom Pine Tree
Assignment : Texture your lamp. Extra credit : Make a tree!
Week 3 : Building the Environment
- Generate a Terrain Mesh
- Mix Materials with Mask: Texture Painting
- Use Mesh Data to Mix Materials
- Model & Texture Simple Trees to Fit the Environment
- Scatter Assets: Geometry Nodes & Weight Painting
Assignment : Texture your lamp. Extra credit : Make a tree!
Week 4 : Finalise and Render Scene
- Add & Position Lights
- Create the Foggy look with Volumes
- Determine composition
- Best Practices for Render Settings
- Review creative achievements of class members
Assignment : Render out your scene
Week 5 : VIP Week 1 – Modeling and Texturing
- Practice Hard Surface Modeling (Wardrobe)
- Build a simple interior
- Practice Texturing Techniques
Assignment : Model Wardrobe & Room Interior and Texture Interior Models
Week 6 : VIP Week 2 – Combining the Scenes
- Add and Position lights for daytime interior scene
- Create Cutouts with Boolean Modifier
- Strategies to combining scenes
Assignment : Combine & Render Scene
VIP Membership
- Two extra training sessions
- Get AlanSmithee’s previous Blender course (12 hours of searchable video training)
- A new Blender model asset pack by AlanSmithee; includes terrains assets (heightmaps/models and textures) and uniquely designed set pieces that go along with this course.
About the Presenter : AlanSmithee
AlanSmithee is a visual artist based in Philadelphia, USA, with experience in filmmaking, photography, design, and art direction. Their day job involves project management, design for web and print, book covers, instructional design, and the creation of graphic assets. They are knowledgeable in the use of Blender, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere, After Effects, etc.), FlowScape & many other tools.
AlanSmithee began exploring FlowScape in 2019 and joined a welcoming community for artists looking to share, learn, and grow. They use Flowscape to create sci-fi and fantasy concept art, and as a showcase for the models and textures they create while honing their skills in professional 3D programs like Blender, Unity, and Unreal Engine.
In June 2020 AlanSmithee became a FlowScape community manager and official tutorial designer, creating guides to FlowScape’s basic functions, advanced techniques, and creative possibilities. They enjoy creating images in innovative ways and sharing their results & knowledge with the supportive FlowScape community.
See Alan’s creative works on YouTube and on ArtStation.
See a sample of Alan’s teaching style here:-