Blender 4: The Modular And Kitbash Environment Guide

Dive into the world of 3D modeling and environment creation. Learn how to create modular & kitbash city packs

What you'll learn

• Master the Art of Grey Boxing: Learn to efficiently plan and structure 3D environments using grey boxing techniques.

• Lighting and Ambient Occlusion Setup: Set up basic lighting and ambient occlusion to add depth and realism to your 3D scenes.

• Comprehensive Reference Library: Build and utilize a detailed reference library to guide your modeling process.

• Modular Part Creation: Create over 50 modular parts, including roofs, supports, and water features.

• Advanced Geometry Nodes: Understand and apply advanced geometry nodes for efficient procedural modeling.

• Jungle and Vegetation Crafting: Craft realistic jungles and vegetation using weight painting and particle systems.

• Dynamic Lighting Setups: Learn to create dynamic day and night lighting setups, including sun, moon, and star environments.

• Shader Creation and Animation: Become proficient in shader creation, mastering both basic setups and complex animations using drivers and colour ramps.

• UV Unwrapping Techniques: Master UV unwrapping, from simple models to complex structures.

• Polygon Optimization: Optimize polygon counts and performance for large, detailed scenes.

• Asset Management: Organize assets effectively using Blender’s asset manager and collections.

• High-Quality Rendering: Render high-quality images using both Eevee and Cycles render engines.

• Professional Portfolio Renders: Create professional portfolio renders with advanced compositing techniques in Blender.

• Effective Scene Composition: Develop storytelling skills through effective scene composition and design.

• Camera Techniques and Presentations: Master camera techniques, including turntables.

Requirements

• To own a computer (Microsoft, Linux or Mac)

• To have downloaded Blender

• The course is designed for all levels, so no previous experience in Blender or 3D modelling is necessary.

• A thirst to learn and excitement about 3D modelling, game art, and lighting to take your portfolio to the next level

Description

Unlock Your Creative Potential with ‘Blender 4: The Modular and Kitbash Environment Guide’!Dive deep into the world of 3D modeling and environment creation with our ambitious course, ‘Blender 4: The Modular and Kitbash Environment Guide’.Whether you're just starting or looking to elevate your skills, this course is designed to take you from basic modeling to professional-level environment design in Blender.Are you ready to master the art of 3D environment creation?This summer, we're launching a new course that will take you deep into the heart of an Aztec temple, surrounded by the lush and untamed beauty of an ancient world.‘Blender 4: The Modular and Kitbash Environment Guide’ unlocks the full potential of Blender’s powerful toolkit. Whether you're looking to create stunning 3D environments for games, films, or your portfolio, this course is your gateway to mastering professional-level modeling.We're not just talking about any old environment here. Imagine intricate Aztec architecture, with sprawling terraces and grand staircases, all rendered in exquisite detail.Now, what if you could create this yourself?In our upcoming course, you'll learn to harness the power of Blender’s Geometry Nodes to breathe life into this scene with rich foliage and dynamic environments.‘Blender 4: The Modular and Kitbash Environment Guide’ is here to equip you with the tools and techniques needed to create expansive, dynamic environments. This comprehensive course will guide you step-by-step, from the fundamentals of grey boxing to advanced geometry nodes and shader creation.Top 6 Points about ‘Blender 4: The Modular and Kitbash Environment Guide’:Master Grey Boxing: Learn to efficiently plan and structure 3D environments with grey boxing techniques, ensuring your scenes are well-organized and functional from the start.Comprehensive Resource Pack: Supercharge your creativity with nearly 100 high-quality assets, including trees, vines, foliage, terrain plants, custom shaders, and geometry nodes—everything you need to streamline your workflow.Create 50+ Modular Parts: Design a wide variety of modular elements, from roofs to water features, enabling you to kitbash intricate Aztec temples and sprawling towns.Advanced Geometry Nodes: Unlock the power of geometry nodes for efficient procedural modeling, drastically speeding up your project creation.Professional-Grade Lighting: Master dynamic day and night lighting setups, including sun, moon, and star environments, to elevate the realism of your scenes.Advanced Compositing Techniques: Take your renders to the next level with Blender’s compositor, integrating passes like ambient occlusion, gloss, and colour balance for professional-quality results.With over 50 modular parts, advanced geometry nodes, and a massive resource pack included, you'll have everything you need to build stunning 3D worlds!Course Highlights‘Blender 4: The Modular and Kitbash Environment Guide’ will take you on a spellbinding exploration of an Aztec temple, enshrouded in the mystical glow of the moonlight and secluded by the dense foliage of an untouched jungle.Each element is meticulously placed to tell a story of ancient grandeur and forgotten worlds.Your objective for this project is to design and model a large-scale, detailed 3D environment. You will start from the ground up, building, assembling, and bringing to life the modular assets and kitbash techniques taught in the course.Blender Basics:Introduction to Blender’s interface and essential tools.Familiarize yourself with the extensive resource pack, including human reference models, material shaders, and custom geometry nodes.As you venture closer, the towering temple rises majestically against a backdrop of starry skies, its ancient stones casting long shadows over intricately carved staircases that lead to forgotten sanctuaries.Grey Boxing and Scene Setup:Master grey boxing techniques to block out scenes and set up basic lighting.Use ambient occlusion materials to add depth to your scenes from the start.The temple, lit by flickering torches and the luminous moon overhead, reveals a series of platforms and terraces, each telling a story of civilizations long past but not forgotten.Modular Part Creation:Learn to create over 50 modular parts, such as roofs, supports, and intricate water features, to build expansive environments.Apply advanced techniques for sculpting and detailing modular assets.Enveloped in a thick jungle canopy, the sounds of the nocturnal wilderness blend with the visual feast of flora that drapes over the weathered architecture.Advanced Geometry Nodes:Dive deep into geometry nodes, understanding their function and how to use parameters to control them.· Using Blender's powerful Geometry Nodes, this course will teach you to populate scenes with rich plant life effortlessly. You'll learn to generate realistic flora dynamically, perfecting scenes that feel alive and breathing.Implement these nodes to drastically speed up your workflow, all included for free in the resource pack.With each module of this course, you’ll learn to harness the power of Blender to breathe life into such enthralling scenes—manipulating light and texture to emphasize the eerie yet captivating atmosphere of a moonlit jungle.Shader Creation and Animation:Build and animate shaders replicating materials like water, wood, and stone.Master everything from basic setups to complex shader animations using drivers and colour ramps.This isn't just a course—it's an adventure into the heart of a mysterious civilization!Lighting and Compositing:Create dynamic lighting setups for day and night scenes, utilizing Blender’s powerful toolkit.Elevate your renders with advanced compositing, integrating multiple passes for professional-quality images.These final images reveal the temple in its full glory, surrounded by lush vegetation and a mystical aura under the night sky.Asset Management and Rendering:Organize and manage assets like a pro using Blender’s asset manager and collections.Learn to use both Eevee and Cycles render engines to achieve stunning results.Resource PackReceive a comprehensive resource pack to support your learning journey, including:Nearly 100 trees, vines, foliage, and terrain plants.A high-resolution moon image and two animated waterfalls with custom shaders.A detailed human reference model and 24 material shaders.8 custom geometry nodes, including fire, stackers, stone blocks, stairs, archways, planks, and foliage scatter.Summing it All UpImagine standing amidst a dense jungle, the air filled with the whispers of ancient spirits. Your path, lit only by the moon's glow, leads to an awe-inspiring Aztec temple.By the end of ‘Blender 4: The Modular and Kitbash Environment Guide’, you'll have the skills to create detailed, optimized, and expansive environments in Blender. Transform your 3D modeling aspirations into reality with this course and take your portfolio to the next level.Start with ‘Blender 4: The Modular and Kitbash Environment Guide’ and begin your journey to becoming a 3D modeling expert.Unveil the secrets hidden within these ancient walls and teach you how to create digital environments that are not only visually stunning but also rich in story and atmosphere.Your journey to mastering Aztec-inspired 3D environments begins here!The adventure awaits…Until next time, happy modeling everyone!Neil – 3D Tudor

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Section 2: Section 2: Getting Started with Blender and Resources

Lecture 2 Lesson 1 - Introduction to [Resource Pack] for Aztec City Modeling

Lecture 3 Lesson 2 - Mastering Basic Blender Navigation Techniques

Lecture 4 Lesson 3 - Complete Guide to Referencing in Blender

Lecture 5 Lesson 4 - Setting Up References for the Aztec Scene in Blender

Lecture 6 Lesson 5 - Blender Basics: Introduction to 3D Modeling

Section 3: Section 3: Greyboxing the Aztec Temple

Lecture 7 Lesson 6 - Starting the Aztec Temple: Greyboxing the Stairs

Lecture 8 Lesson 7 - Modeling Simple Arches in Greybox

Lecture 9 Lesson 8 - Using Circles in Greyboxing for Aztec Architecture

Lecture 10 Lesson 9 - Ambient Occlusion Shaders Setup in Blender

Lecture 11 Lesson 10 - Creating Pillars in the Aztec Greybox

Section 4: Section 4: Expanding the Aztec City Greybox

Lecture 12 Lesson 11 - Finishing the Greybox Temple Front

Lecture 13 Lesson 12 - Greyboxing the East Wing of the Aztec City

Lecture 14 Lesson 13 - Incorporating Realism into Greyboxing

Lecture 15 Lesson 14 - Designing the Temple Pool in Greybox

Lecture 16 Lesson 15 - Understanding Levels in 3D Modeling

Section 5: Section 5: Finalizing the Greybox and Reference Setup

Lecture 17 Lesson 16 - Completing the East Wing Greybox

Lecture 18 Lesson 17 - Starting the Aztec Market Area: Greybox Techniques

Lecture 19 Lesson 18 - Building Complexity in the Greybox Model

Lecture 20 Lesson 19 - Creating Realistic Working Environments in Blender

Lecture 21 Lesson 20 - Finishing the West Wing of the Temple Greybox

Section 6: Section 6: Building Modular Assets

Lecture 22 Lesson 21 - Enhancing the Interest in Your Scene

Lecture 23 Lesson 22 - Finalizing the Greybox Model

Lecture 24 Lesson 23 - Exploring Different Perspectives and Angles in Blender

Lecture 25 Lesson 24 - Completing the Greybox for the Aztec Scene

Lecture 26 Lesson 25 - Setting Up and Using References in Blender

Section 7: Section 7: Asset Management and Initial Assembly

Lecture 27 Lesson 26 - Creating Your First Modular Pieces in Blender

Lecture 28 Lesson 27 - Working with Seams and Sharps in Blender

Lecture 29 Lesson 28 - Introduction to Blender Shaders

Lecture 30 Lesson 29 - How to Create a Sky Texture in Blender

Lecture 31 Lesson 30 - Blender UV Mapping Techniques

Section 8: Section 8: Advanced Modeling Techniques

Lecture 32 Lesson 31 - Organizing with Blender Collections

Lecture 33 Lesson 32 - Tutorial on Blender's Asset Manager

Lecture 34 Lesson 33 - Creating Initial Asset Manager Parts

Lecture 35 Lesson 34 - Crafting the Pillars for the Aztec City

Lecture 36 Lesson 35 - How to Create Stone Slabs in Blender

Section 9: Section 9: Working with Arches and Complex Structures

Lecture 37 Lesson 36 - Cleaning Up Your Asset Pack in Blender

Lecture 38 Lesson 37 - Exploring Geometry Nodes in Blender

Lecture 39 Lesson 38 - Easy Techniques for Creating Stairs in Blender

Lecture 40 Lesson 39 - Bringing Models to Life with Details

Lecture 41 Lesson 40 - Key Modular Pieces and Supports in Blender

Section 10: Section 10: Utilizing Booleans and Geometry Nodes

Lecture 42 Lesson 41 - Modeling Angles for Aztec Architecture

Lecture 43 Lesson 42 - Integrating Modular Pieces into the Scene

Lecture 44 Lesson 43 - Planning and Creating Arches in Blender

Lecture 45 Lesson 44 - Managing Polygon Count in 3D Models

Lecture 46 Lesson 45 - Creating Arches with Geometry Nodes

Section 11: Section 11: Roof Construction and Texturing

Lecture 47 Lesson 46 - Working with Booleans in Blender

Lecture 48 Lesson 47 - Creating More Complex Meshes in Blender

Lecture 49 Lesson 48 - Finalizing the Arches Pack for the Aztec City

Lecture 50 Lesson 49 - Working with GeoStacker in Blender

Lecture 51 Lesson 50 - Finishing the Bamboo Roofs in the Aztec Scene

Section 12: Section 12: Completing Roofs and Structural Supports

Lecture 52 Lesson 51 - Starting the Roof Pack in Blender

Lecture 53 Lesson 52 - Crafting More Complex Roof Structures

Lecture 54 Lesson 53 - Using the Knife Tool for Precision Modeling

Lecture 55 Lesson 54 - Creating Roof Parts that Fit Together Seamlessly

Lecture 56 Lesson 55 - Understanding Normals and Their Usage in Blender

Section 13: Section 13: Modeling Windows and Bridges

Lecture 57 Lesson 56 - Adding Materials to the Roof Structures

Lecture 58 Lesson 57 - Completing the Roof Pack for the Aztec City

Lecture 59 Lesson 58 - Integrating Supports into the Greybox Model

Lecture 60 Lesson 59 - Working with Stone Blocks for Aztec Architecture

Lecture 61 Lesson 60 - Utilizing Modular Pieces Effectively in Blender

Section 14: Section 14: Creating and Texturing Props

Lecture 62 Lesson 61 - Modeling Windows for the Aztec Scene

Lecture 63 Lesson 62 - Naming and Finalizing the Window Models

Lecture 64 Lesson 63 - Creating Bridges in Blender for the Aztec City

Lecture 65 Lesson 64 - Completing the Bamboo Bridge Model

Lecture 66 Lesson 65 - Creating Stone Floors with Geometry Nodes

Section 15: Section 15: Finalizing the Prop Pack

Lecture 67 Lesson 66 - Starting the Prop Pack for the Aztec Scene

Lecture 68 Lesson 67 - Easy Techniques for Creating Vases in Blender

Lecture 69 Lesson 68 - Modeling Unique Props for the Aztec City

Lecture 70 Lesson 69 - The Best Way to Create Barrels in Blender

Lecture 71 Lesson 70 - Applying Materials to the Prop Models

Section 16: Section 16: Animating and Enhancing Water Features

Lecture 72 Lesson 71 - Dealing with Seams in Blender

Lecture 73 Lesson 72 - Finalizing the Prop Pack for the Aztec City

Lecture 74 Lesson 73 - Creating the Swimming Pool for the Aztec Temple

Lecture 75 Lesson 74 - Utilizing Volume Shaders for Water Effects

Lecture 76 Lesson 75 - Designing an Aztec Fountain in Blender

Section 17: Section 17: Developing the Temple Interior and Pool Area

Lecture 77 Lesson 76 - Fixing Geometry Nodes Issues in Blender

Lecture 78 Lesson 77 - In-depth Discussion on Waterfall Shaders

Lecture 79 Lesson 78 - Animating Shaders for Dynamic Effects

Lecture 80 Lesson 79 - Creating a Waterfall Feature in Blender

Lecture 81 Lesson 80 - Finalizing the Water Feature Pack

Section 18: Section 18: Detailing the Aztec Architecture

Lecture 82 Lesson 81 - Integrating Water Features into the Aztec Environment

Lecture 83 Lesson 82 - Designing Internal Spaces for the Aztec Temple

Lecture 84 Lesson 83 - Finishing the Pool Area in the Aztec Scene

Lecture 85 Lesson 84 - Adding the Temple Base to the Scene

Lecture 86 Lesson 85 - Integrating Roof Structures into the Scene

Section 19: Section 19: Finishing the Temple Structures

Lecture 87 Lesson 86 - Modeling Doors for the Aztec Architecture

Lecture 88 Lesson 87 - Maintaining the Aztec Aesthetic in Modeling

Lecture 89 Lesson 88 - Troubleshooting Door Shader Issues

Lecture 90 Lesson 89 - Crafting the Temple Door for the Aztec City

Lecture 91 Lesson 90 - Breaking Models into Parts for Optimization

Section 20: Section 20: Large Market and Warehouse Construction

Lecture 92 Lesson 91 - Finalizing the Temple Door Model

Lecture 93 Lesson 92 - Starting the Market Pack for the Aztec City

Lecture 94 Lesson 93 - Modeling the Small Market Building

Lecture 95 Lesson 94 - Basic Guide to Sculpting Cloth in Blender

Lecture 96 Lesson 95 - Finishing the Small Market Building

Section 21: Section 21: Detailing and Texturing Market Elements

Lecture 97 Lesson 96 - Starting the Large Market Building

Lecture 98 Lesson 97 - Creating Doorways for the Market Building

Lecture 99 Lesson 98 - Texturing the Large Market Building

Lecture 100 Lesson 99 - Modeling the Warehouse for the Aztec City

Lecture 101 Lesson 100 - Creating Door Arches in Blender

Section 22: Section 22: Enhancing the Market Area

Lecture 102 Lesson 101 - Simulating Cloth as Door Overhang

Lecture 103 Lesson 102 - Adding Texture Detail to Door Overhang

Lecture 104 Lesson 103 - Placing Door Assets in the Scene

Lecture 105 Lesson 104 - Replacing Greybox Blocks with Final Assets

Lecture 106 Lesson 105 - Adding Pillar Supports to the Aztec Scene

Section 23: Section 23: Suspension Bridges and Structural Refinements

Lecture 107 Lesson 106 - Working on Balcony Placement in the Aztec City

Lecture 108 Lesson 107 - Adjusting Kitbash Blocks for Better Fit

Lecture 109 Lesson 108 - Continuing Work on Large Structure Pieces

Lecture 110 Lesson 109 - Detailing the Market Section of the Aztec City

Lecture 111 Lesson 110 - Adding Small Details and Props to the Market Area

Section 24: Section 24: Detailing and Texturing the Temple Entrance

Lecture 112 Lesson 111 - Integrating Suspension Bridge Attachments

Lecture 113 Lesson 112 - Placing Supports and Arches in the Aztec City

Lecture 114 Lesson 113 - Modeling Tower Details for the Aztec Temple

Lecture 115 Lesson 114 - Refining Indoor Parts and Door Placement

Lecture 116 Lesson 115 - 3D Modeling the Entrance for the Aztec Temple

Section 25: Section 25: Rooftops and Final Architectural Details

Lecture 117 Lesson 116 - Adding Detail to the Entrance Area

Lecture 118 Lesson 117 - Focusing on the Entrance Archway Design

Lecture 119 Lesson 118 - Creating Stone Face Decorations for the Door

Lecture 120 Lesson 119 - Adding Decorative Details to the Archway Top

Lecture 121 Lesson 120 - Texturing the Entrance Area in Blender

Section 26: Section 26: Completing and Placing Rooftops

Lecture 122 Lesson 121 - Creating Stone Borders for the Aztec City

Lecture 123 Lesson 122 - 3D Modeling the Rooftops in Blender

Lecture 124 Lesson 123 - Creating Variations of Rooftops for the Aztec Scene

Lecture 125 Lesson 124 - Designing Decorative Rooftops for the Aztec Temple

Lecture 126 Lesson 125 - Creating Radial Symmetrical Rooftop Decorations

Section 27: Section 27: Torch and Fire Elements Creation

Lecture 127 Lesson 126 - Texturing the Rooftops in Blender

Lecture 128 Lesson 127 - Placing Rooftops in the Aztec City Scene

Lecture 129 Lesson 128 - Plant Pot Placement in the Aztec Environment

Lecture 130 Lesson 129 - Using Boolean for Door Section Cutouts

Section 28: Section 28: Finalizing Torch Placement and Fire Effects

Lecture 131 Lesson 130 - Fixing Boolean Mesh Issues in Blender

Lecture 132 Lesson 131 - Connecting Blocks After Boolean Operations

Lecture 133 Lesson 132 - Fixing Additional Boolean Holes

Lecture 134 Lesson 133 - 3D Modeling a Torch and Brazier for the Aztec Scene

Lecture 135 Lesson 134 - Designing the Face of a Tiki Torch

Lecture 136 Lesson 135 - Adding Side Decorative Details to the Torch

Section 29: Section 29: Optimizing and Organizing Your Scene

Lecture 137 Lesson 136 - Crafting a Decorative Base for the Torch

Lecture 138 Lesson 137 - Creating Wall Attachments for the Torch

Lecture 139 Lesson 138 - Texturing Torches in Blender

Lecture 140 Lesson 139 - Placing Fire Geometry Nodes for Realism

Lecture 141 Lesson 140 - Tweaking Fire Geometry Node Parameters

Section 30: Section 30: Placing Foliage and Natural Elements

Lecture 142 Lesson 141 - Positioning Fire Torches in the Scene

Lecture 143 Lesson 142 - Using Array Modifiers for Fire Brazier Patterns

Lecture 144 Lesson 143 - Crafting Additional Decorative Supports

Lecture 145 Lesson 144 - Texturing the Fire Brazier

Lecture 146 Lesson 145 - Adding Fire Geometry Nodes to the Brazier

Section 31: Section 31: Final Foliage Placement and Terrain Sculpting

Lecture 147 Lesson 146 - Torch Placement in the Aztec City Scene

Lecture 148 Lesson 147 - Continuing Light Placement for the Aztec Environment

Lecture 149 Lesson 148 - Blender Optimization Tutorial for Large Scenes

Lecture 150 Lesson 149 - Organizing Assets into Collections in Blender

Lecture 151 Lesson 150 - Continuing Asset Cleanup in Blender

Section 32: Section 32: Completing Terrain and Background Setup

Lecture 152 Lesson 151 - Foliage Placement in the Aztec Environment

Lecture 153 Lesson 152 - Positioning Vine Foliage on Overhangs

Lecture 154 Lesson 153 - Continuing Vine Placement in the Aztec City

Lecture 155 Lesson 154 - Plant Placement in Pots for the Aztec Scene

Lecture 156 Lesson 155 - Working with Fern Placement in Blender

Section 33: Section 33: Final Plant and Landscape Placement

Lecture 157 Lesson 156 - Final Foliage Placements in the Aztec City

Lecture 158 Lesson 157 - Adding Trees Within the Aztec City

Lecture 159 Lesson 158 - Sculpting the Terrain Platform in Blender

Lecture 160 Lesson 159 - Optimizing Terrain for Large Environments

Section 34: Section 34: Finalizing the Skydome and Lighting

Lecture 161 Lesson 160 - Vertex Painting the Terrain in Blender

Lecture 162 Lesson 161 - Weight Painting Plants onto the Platform

Lecture 163 Lesson 162 - Continuing Plant Placement in the Aztec Scene

Lecture 164 Lesson 163 - Camera Setup and Large Scale Landscape Design

Lecture 165 Lesson 164 - Modeling and Texturing Large Scale Terrain

Lecture 166 Lesson 165 - Weight Painting Trees for Realism

Section 35: Section 35: Rendering and Post-Processing

Lecture 167 Lesson 166 - Placing Small Terrain Platforms with Large Landscapes

Lecture 168 Lesson 167 - Working on the Skydome for the Aztec Scene

Lecture 169 Lesson 168 - Basics of Blender Eevee and Cycles Render

Lecture 170 Lesson 169 - Blender Camera Setup and Turntables Tutorial

Lecture 171 Lesson 170 - Creating a Day Scene Lighting in Blender

Section 36: Section 36: Final Touches and Scene Completion

Lecture 172 Lesson 171 - Designing Night Scene Lighting for the Aztec City

Lecture 173 Lesson 172 - Refining Night Scene Lighting and World Shader

Lecture 174 Lesson 173 - Rendering Out the Day Scene in Blender

Lecture 175 Lesson 174 - Compositing the Day Scene in Blender

Lecture 176 Lesson 175 - Enhancing Gloss and Glare in the Compositor

Section 37: Section 37: Compositing and Enhancing Visuals

Lecture 177 Lesson 176 - Color Correcting the Day Scene in Blender

Lecture 178 Lesson 177 - Compositing Night Scene Lighting Effects

• Aspiring Environment Artists: Anyone passionate about 3D modeling and environment creation in Blender.,• 3D Modelers and Visual Artists: Both beginners and seasoned artists looking to refine their skills in modular modeling, texture mapping, and environmental storytelling.,• Game Designers and Developers: Professionals and indie developers focused on creating detailed, immersive environments for games.,• Animation and VFX Professionals: Animators and visual effects artists who want to incorporate advanced 3D environment modeling and scene-building techniques into their workflows to improve visual storytelling.,• Educators and Academic Professionals: Instructors, professors, and educators who teach 3D modeling, game design, or digital art, and are looking for comprehensive, up-to-date material on Blender’s latest tools and techniques.,• DIY Creators and Hobbyists: Enthusiasts who enjoy building and visualizing intricate digital environments, from ancient temples to lush jungles.