Master the use of Blender and other supporting tools to create and design 3D models with this free online course.

This course will help you become more advanced in your use of the Blender software and highlights the use of complementary tools such as Rizom UV, Marmoset Toolbag, Substance Painter, and Photoshop in the creation of a 3D barrel as an illustration of 3D model development. Ever wonder how the environment features used by game developers are made? Look no further. The course begins with a module on creating assets where you will learn about how a 3D barrel can be created from scratch, using plain boards. You will learn how to create a barrel frame, sideboards, metal rings, tap, cork and stands using Blender. You will also learn how to carry out a UV unwrap of the 3D model. See how to prepare the resulting map for the Rizom UV tool, as well as how to effectively use it to complete the unwrapping process.

Furthermore, you will learn to texture surfaces. By showing you the process of texturing the wood materials of the barrel frame and the metal rings, you'll be guided on how to use the Substance Painter tool for the effective texturing of your 3D model. Texturing is considered one of the most enjoyable and engaging processes of 3D modelling. You will then be shown how to implement final adjustments and post effects on the models and texture maps before exporting for further processing. Also, master how to effectively combine maps using Photoshop. Finally, the course provides you with lessons on the Marmoset Toolbag, and how it can be used for the baking and rendering of all your model creation processes, as well as the final export.

Whether you are a graphic designer, artist, game developer, 3D animator, or any practitioner across the graphic-creative spectrum, one constant concern is that of being able to produce high-quality, detailed representations of the physical environment or elements thereof. This is exactly the kind of concern that Blender and the set of complementary tools discussed in this course help you resolve. It shows you how to effectively develop, texture and design a 3D model using Blender, Substance Painter, Rizom UV, Photoshop, and Marmoset Toolbag. There are also downloadable resources that will help facilitate learning by practice.