How to make a great 3D model
Building models in a 3D environment is not as technical as one might think. Once you get familiar with the principles of 3D modeling, things will start to make sense. In the end you only need a few tools to complete your model! These are the key items to remember on your way to mastering 3D modeling.
The first step is define your character
Don’t make your models generic! Search any 3D forum and you’ll find tons of perfectly naturalistic look-alikes. Nearly naked women holding swords, standing in the mountains, surrounded by thunder and lightning as they fight an evil monster. You have the opportunity to create your own unique, weird, interesting or funny world full of characters that no one has ever seen. Observe your surroundings. I bet it’s full of unique characters.
When you have an interesting situation or character in mind, write it down and move on to the next step.
Design your character or scene
Your design reflects the personality of your character. Does it have hard edges or a rounded silhouette, is it big or small? What is unique about him and how does it show his unique personality? Does he suffer from something?
Draw or photograph your character from as many perspectives as you like. The front and side views are essential, as they are the reference images for your 3D model.
3D modeling: start with a cube!
When modeling in 3D, always start by building a rough version of your model. This step is called “blocking.” Start with a cube and first model the silhouette from the front and side views. Try to keep it as simple as possible, then add details until your model is finished.
There is another approach to modeling, where you start with a small body part, detail it and finish it immediately and move on to the next.
I personally don’t recommend using the latter approach! It’s easy to get bogged down in details and lose the big picture of your model. In addition, it is difficult for beginners to guess how to interconnect the different detailed parts. To make it as easy as possible, build the foundation first, then add the details. Once you have finished your 3D model, it will still be gray. Now it’s time to add some color:
Add shaders and textures to your 3D model
A shader allows you to define surface attributes such as color, specularity, transparency, etc.
UV mapping unwraps the surface of your model into a two-dimensional square image. You can now paint textures in an image editing program and apply them to your model. Some 3D programs have tools to draw directly on your model, which is great because it’s so much more intuitive!
Conclusion
You’ve learned by now that 3D modeling isn’t just about pushing buttons! It requires a certain amount of planning and even drawing, taking pictures, or building a clay model. Once you start building your 3D model, stay away from details at first. “Lock in” the basic shape of your characters and only when you like the silhouette, start adding details to your model. To further refine character, add color with a shader and unwrap the surface with UV mapping to apply texture images.