Week 1 was an introduction to using the main software for this course, Blender.

IN-CLASS

This week, We were given our first in-class exercise that required us to build a table and set of chairs, yet granting us the freedom to express our different levels of creativity through this mini project. As this was my first time using a higher-grade software compared to ones I have used in the past, I decided to go for a simple look for my table and chairs.

I built a rectangular table, along with a set of 4 chairs to accompany the table. Along with this, I decided to add a few items on the table such as plates etc. Unfortunately I ran out of time before I could add the color but I managed to get the model finished.

SNOWMAN HOMEWORK TASK

For the first week, we were given the task to create a snowman, using blender, animate the figure and add our own personalized background to the accompany the snowman.

I used primitive shapes when building my snowman, using mostly spheres and cylinders, and a cone shape for the nose. I used spheres to create the buttons as a fun personalization on my snowman. I then used the smooth effect to make each section more accurate and realistic.

Above is the colored version of my snowman model before I added in the rest. I picked a classic color scheme to keep it simple, but in future I would go a bit wild with the colors.

I wanted to design interesting background to go along with my snowman for the final animation, but kept it simple as this was my first time  creating a background in 3D. Once again I used basic shapes for the trees, igloo and snow on the ground. I used triangles for the tree leaves and cylinders for the trunk. Furthermore I used spheres for the igloo, even adding a darker sphere in the door to create depth.

I added a few torus shapes from the mesh menu to make it look like each object is buried into the snow, like in the snowman. I also added a few more spheres as snowballs along the igloo and left side, even at the back, smoothing them out like I did with the snowman. I avoided the smoothing effect on the trees and the igloo to create realistic texture, as seen on the tree trunks and igloo. The igloo is a good example as it looks like the igloo has been made with ice blocks.

I added a snowfall effect on the scene as a final touch. At first it was tricky to figure out, but after i got someone in the class to walk me through it, I understood how it worked. I used the particle system option in the side menu on a plane, and selected the emitter option. Then after that I played around and edited the emission settings to how I wanted it, making sure it looked as natural as possible.

My last steps were to add the camera and lighting and the keyframes for each object I wanted to animate. I decided to animate the snowman in a silly way, I created the effect of his hat falling off and him putting it back on in a clumsy way, then waving. I did this after i was unsuccessful at animating him taking the hat off and on, so I embraced the mistake and turned it into what’s on my final animation attached at the very bottom

Afterwards, I rendered it, and I was pleased with how the animation turned out. I also learned a lot of tricks and shortcuts during the process, and got myself comfortable with using blender for the first time.

Unfortunately the snow wouldn’t appear in the final rendered video but overall I’m not too annoyed as the rest came out well.