6 key principles for 3D modeling

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If you're getting started with modeling in Blender, these are the 6 key tips you have to know to get your skills to the next level.

There is a lot of noise when it comes to 3D modeling in Blender, but it can all be simplified into a few basic rules that apply to *any* model you are creating.

1. Form (0:28)
The first thing that you want to think about when modeling in Blender is the overall shape of what it is that you want to create. This might seem obvious, but it’s the most important and often the most tricky part to get right.

Any form in Blender can be made up of simple adjustments to cubes, spheres, and the other primitives. You don’t always have to block out your model first, but doing so may help you get unstuck. Even if the primitive blockout is unusable in final production, it will help you understand the underlying structure of what you’re making.

2. Detail (3:06)
So you’ve got the overall form down, and now you’re ready to really push your object to the next level. But when it comes to detail in 3D modeling, it’s important to know exactly how much and what kind to make. Whether you’re modeling for a mobile phone game, desktop game engine or for a short film that will take hours to render makes a huge difference in what you can model.

3. Scale (5:11)
Try to model to real world scale whenever possible. The size of your model makes a lot of subtle differences, from how the lights in your scene behave to how simulations will interact. Most importantly though, it forces you to be consistent. Exporting to other programs, adding procedural textures, adding bevels, or appending objects from another project will all just work like you would expect.

4. Adaptation (6:37)
In short, your mesh needs to be easily adaptable to design changes and to however it will be animated.

5. Reuse (7:56)
I don’t think anyone enjoys doing work twice, so we’re definitely not going to like doing it 300 times. To save time, reuse as much of your mesh as you can. This can mean using a mirror or array modifier, using Alt+D instead of Shift+D to make an instance instead of a duplicate, or duplicating and altering an existing object instead of starting from scratch.

6. Surface Quality (9:25)
This is how your object looks when rendered. Because of how rendering works, how you model your object has a big impact on how light interacts with its surface. Be on the lookout for bumps, pinches, and warped areas. These are signs that your topology isn’t supporting the form of your object.

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[DPDK]

20 years ago ... well ... 16 years ago (I shouldn't age myself more than necessary) when I first started working in 3D, I had an accomplished modeler (guaranteed 85% of you have seen his work) gave me the most valuable piece of advice that has saved my sanity in the years since. - " *Your model details need only fit the use of the model. If a deck of cards will only sit on the table in a stack, why model all 52 cards* ?" Sometimes we get caught up in the challenge of modeling highly detailed models. If you model strictly for the challenge then by all means model every single card in the deck. But if your model has a purpose, such as an animation prop, a game content prop, or detail for a "still" then consider how much detail is actually necessary for that model to fulfill it's purpose. If a car rumbles past in the background, you don't need to model the interior. You probably don't need to detail a lot of the trim of the car and let the applied texture do most of the work. Maybe you will know the car doesn't actually have chrome trim around the windows included in the mesh, but no one else will know that.

[arson_carson]

Finally!
A tutorial with no obnoxious intro, no "WhAtS uP guYs ItS yA bOy hERe TodAY wE arE LeaRninG X"
And no screaming into the mic.
Just a chill, straightforward tutorial.
Thank you!

[davidroddick]

Reuse is an excellent tip. I finally got sick of creating a mesh with proper face topology and a rig (I prefer to use my own) every time I create a new character. So I made a blender file with a topologized face mesh that I can shrink wrap to a sculpt. It also has a basic body mesh which I can modify as needed, and a full rig with IK and bone shapes. There are two different styles of teeth -- cartoony and more realistic. I combine everything together and apply the rig, getting rid of anything I'm not using. Now I can make a new character, fully rigged, in about half the time it used to take, because I've eliminated all the repetitive tasks.

[liambuffat]

Always helpful. I'm just a hobbyist but remain addicted to Blender. Your tutorials are always the best.

Thanks

[kovra]

Well said, I am a begginer to 3d and it can get way to complicated very fast. Keep it simple and don't give up. Thank you.

[hyperian_one]

Been involved in this for 25 years now, and just wanted to say your video tutorials are extremely well done.

[MrMcJazzhands]

I'm actually working on learning 3d modeling with the hopes of getting a degree in character modeling, so these points are really helpful! I'm relatively familiar with them already thanks to the course work I've done, but seeing them in action in a condensed video really helps drive it home. So thanks for that! I'll have to look into the mesh modeling bootcamp after I get home from work.

[jordz]

Thanks for putting all the extra info in the description and breaking down each part of the video into chapters

[nottinghasm]

Brilliantly straightforward tut with really valuable information.

[raytry]

Your intro anim is so professional! Simple. Short. No annoying long music. Half of the youtuberts could learn such simple basic things from you.
Your contents also one of the bests.

[saikopiratos]

"DO YOU WANNA LEARN HOW TO DRAW AND BLOW PEOPLES MIND?"

[VeryTori]

I just started learning 3d modeling yesterday. I tried learning it once but got overwhelmed. There’s an open world game jam I found on the internet that I’m using as a way to learn the basics to unity and blender and to make my first 3D game, even if all I can do is walk in it. So far I have followed a tutorial for a basic road, and I made the basic structure of a simple house by myself last night. I still have so much to learn, but as a gamer, I’m excited to be able to make my own worlds and stuff

[ernestj]

Excellent lesson and great pacing. I've followed your tutorials since the early 2000s through your Digital Tutors era and this best practice video is amongst the best.

[ChristopherHemsworthCreative]

I really appreciate this video, thanks for putting it together!

[lawrencedoliveiro]

6:53 Design for adaptation can apply to materials, too. For example, using shared node groups for related materials. So for example if you want to change the shininess for all those materials, you can do it just once in the node group and have it immediately take effect everywhere that node group is instanced.


So the next time you select a whole bunch of nodes and go shift-D, consider turning it into a node group instead.

[katamas]

I tried the tip of first making a rougher draft and then going into the details and made my previous horrible attempt into a pretty good looking one, this video is really helpful, thanks ^^

[XanderZne]

Been doing this for 4 years but this is still helpful thanks lol!

[BillZebubproductions]

I just subscribed. My path has just started. Years ago I learned Poser and Bryce and was going to graduate to Maya and Lightwave but I had to choose other areas of learning. I recently learned about Blender and I finally have time to learn it. Your teaching style is perfect. Thanks for making it free.

[Fxnarji]

Can we all just take a minute to admire the detail in 8:28?

[deepatterson]

Thank you for the advice, going to apply these principles in my future modeling!