My Favorite Modeling Techniques for Beginners in Blender
Head to squarespace.com/kaizentutorials to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code kaizentutorials.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⛩️ Join the Patreon to support the channel; / kaizentutorials ⛩️
Free 3D models: than.gs/u/1157780
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🧠 If you want to learn more about modeling in Blender check out these vids/channels;
Boolean Modeling - @JoshGambrell
Sculpting - • Blender Sculpting Tuto...
Subdivision - • Why THIS is my Favorit...
Procedural Modeling - • Blender: procedural bu...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
📚 My Favourite Courses to learn Blender:
CG Boost Courses - cgboost.com/kaizen
Intro To Motion Graphics - bit.ly/MotionGraphicsDucky
Alive! Animation Course in Blender - bit.ly/3XbwfxE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
➕ Addons You Need:
Fractal Machine - bit.ly/bnfractal
Sanctus Material Library - bit.ly/3TWhKMe
Botaniq Foliage Library - bit.ly/BotaniqKaizen
Physical Celestial Objects - bit.ly/PCOkaizen
Physical Starlight Atmosphere - bit.ly/PSAkaizen
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:13 Technique #1 - Boolean Modeling
02:01 Technique #2 - Sculpting
05:09 Technique #3 - Subdivision Modeling
06:49 Technique #4 - Procedural Modeling
08:22 Outro
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🗣️ Socials:
Insta - @Kaizentutorials
Twitter - @kaizentutorials
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🎶 Music:
Epidemic Sound
share.epidemicsound.com/73h5ua
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thumbnail credit Jonas Ronnegaard
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some links are affiliate links on which I receive a kickback
⚠DANGER! READ THIS NOW!⚠ Me and @smeaf are having a little wager on who's reaching 100K first. And he's on the winning side! We can't let this happen CAN WE? If he wins I have to buy him a LARGE pepperoni pizza 🍕 which are really FREAKING expensive where he lives. If I win, I get a selection of my countries finest beers. I love beer and I'm thirsty as hell. 🍺 These last few days the channel's been doing amazing and we're getting closer than ever. So let's keep that momentum going and take OVER! 💪🏆
I can smell the dough and peppy cups already 😋🍕
@@Smeaf I'll have them put some vegemite on it though!
i subscribe you and smeaf...so im in the middle side (～￣▽￣)～
I’ll just sub to both so my sub won’t count 🗿
@@KaizenTutorials As a fellow Aussie I agree
It's worth mentioning that these modeling methods are not mutually exclusive, meaning that when you start a model you don't have to pick one method and use only that method for the whole model. You can mix and match to suit the needs of the model. The earbuds example is a good case for multiple techniques. Maybe boolean is best for some of the more angular components of the earbuds, and subsurf is better for some of the more curvy parts. Maybe even throw in some sculpting if there are more organic things you want to add to them, like scratches and wear-and-tear marks. Try them all!
Absolutely! In fact the techniques usually enhance eachother for a more satisfying and functional modeling experience. Trying to do everything with just 1 technique can be frustrating!
For example, booleans and subsurf are available as node types within Geometry Nodes.
Plus 10 for the Cell thumbnail!
Winbush! Good to see you here dude! Yeah it's an amazing artwork. Love the details!
Real author of the thumbnail is Jonas Ronnegard.
minus 10 for removing the Cell thumbnail!
I wanna make
@@matiasguisado3714 THANK YOU! O WAS LOOKING FOR THAT
To get sharper edges in subdivision modelling I usually just press Shift+E to add a crease. Great video tho!!
That is another great option! But I often run into shading issues with creases. Plus if you want to change the crease strength it's annoyign to have to reselect edges, and change it with the same command. The bevel is more non destructive and easy to change up in my opinion!
@@KaizenTutorials Yeah I get that! I switch between the two depending on what I want :)
@@KaizenTutorials that's just a skill issue
💀@@MichiganGaminglevrai
Just bookmarking the bit at 6:08 for your good tip on sub-d modeling: add a bevel modifier above the sub-d mod, then change Limit Method to Weight and then select the edges, hitting N to open item menu, then increase the Mean Bevel Weight, and then increase the bevel segments.
Box is very underrated, but definitely better suited for lowpoly and retro styles.
True. I think Box is like the default version of sub D.
Worth noting: Edge creases work too in the subdivision modelling workflow. By using Shift+E on selected edges, you can influence how edges are averaged out in the subdivision, giving you sharper edges right where you need them.
Very true! Thanks for sharing.
Hey mate, I'm just starting in 3D and I love the style of your videos, some I saved for later as they are to high for my current stage. But you give a great overview of all the features in blender at a whole, that I would never have heard of otherwise. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for the kind words. Always great to hear such feedbacj!k!
His English has gotten better over time it wild and really cool to see
Thanks!
I fully agree that these are great techniques. Some people might confuse the technique with the tool, but in a lot of cases you’ll likely use multiple techniques in a single project. I don’t know just guessing here. I really like your videos.
Thank you, appreciate it!
this video was actually more usefull than all those tutorial videos on the internet i downloaded blender 2 days ago and i don't even know how to 3d model untill i see this video now i can finally do 3d modeling with combining the things i learned from the other 30 tutorials
Glad I could help!
Getting these videos in my feed after trying to use UEFN is amazing ❤
Happy to hear that!
I just started learning Blender. I just now realized how big the possibilities are and how much I have to learn and practice. It's quite daunting, but I trust that it will get easier.
I completely understand! It is daunting and it will keep on being daunting for quite a while tbh. But with experience comes ease and with ease comes the skill to create what you want and with that things become less daunting!
I'm excited as hell Your videos r AMAZING 😍
Thank you so much 😀
Enjoyed this!
Thanks!
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger !
Work is never over!
Working harder makes it better
Thank you. These hot keys are really usefull.
Ahhh so you add some geometry and boolean doesn't do that weird shading thing? i didn't know that. thanks man!
Yep, it's not all fixing, but it gets a lot of the issues solved.
I usually only use subdivision or manually extruding every poly the old fashioned way. Although I only set subdiv to 2 or 3 because I'm not a madman.
😂
3:49 Thank you. This is really helpful and I needed to hear that!
No problem, glad I could help!
Ig you will win, and thanks for all the tutorials!!
Thank you and you're very welcome! love making them!
Thx for the vid, I always struggled with mak8ng my sculpts detailed and not lose geometry the more I extruded/built out.
Glad to help :-)
Thank you so much I finally learn some new method
Happy to help!
Funnily enough a modern sculpting is using all of these. Using separate objects to get the base shape, some made by hand, others using procedural assets via the asset library for premade models and vdms, and occasionally geometry nodes presets, sculpting tools because, obviously, and a combination of box and edge modeling for the retopology.
That is very true! The pro's tend to blend these all together anyways. It's usually fastest and easiest that way!
There are so many things you go into Blender. The list is forever
Yes it is!
This is what I have been looking for
Awesome!
this is interesting stuff I did not think of using subdisivion with beval for madeling Ill have to look into doing that!. overall very informative.
Thanks, glad to hear so!
Wow. Great tut!
Thank you!
Damn, thx for showing me the way for learning ❤
You're very welcome!
Best tutorial channel fr
Thank you! 🤗
Aaaaaaaaaand subscribed! I really like your content! I´ve started with Blender about 2-3 Years ago and theres always something new to learn even if you think you know for example how to use subdivision modeling. The crease feature for booleans was kinda new to me 😅
Thank you! And yeah you're absolutely right, there's always new things to learn for anyone, no matter their experience!
I have been using Box cutter and Hardops for a while and these two in combination with Mesh Machine are the greatest toolset in modeling with blender and help a lot. Just consider before them I hated modeling and since using them I LOVE modeling
Nice! I think having the right tools can make something not-fun become FUN!
How would you recommend learning these two addons?
I found boxcutter to be mostly useless. It is better to create your own cutters. I can't understand how people can tolerate boxcutter, it just messes Blender up completely.
@@KaizenTutorials Absolutly True
@@killrat3D You can start with Blender Bros tutorial. They have two free complete courses that makes a real master in hard surface modeling out of any beginner or even experts. So much fun and very perfect courses. Highly recommended @PonteRyuurui
7:21 omfg the owl in the nodes. Amazing joke xD That's definitely how it feels as someone who doesn't understand much about nodes yet.
Haha 😂
Beautiful ❤
Thank you! 😊
Looking forward to trying out weight beveling its unbelievable how many ways to model blender has
So many ways to Rome, for sure!
Another modelling technic around is to use metaballs. It's a bit non-intuitive, but looks very powerful.
Oh yeah! The future is SDF modeling, which is super functional metaballs basically!
such a good video😭
Thank you!
This is a great tutorial to bring us up to speed, Thanks. Subscribed! p.s. anybody recommend a reasonable drawing tablet & Pen for sculpts?
Thanks for the sub! Tablets I'd go with Wacom or any other bigger brand. I have an XP Pen tablet myself and that works just fine aswell and is reasonably priced. I have the Medium bundle!
you should rec fluent and fluent materializer as well its really cool for modeling.
Ok, I'll look into it!
Amazing video
Glad you think so!
Great Video Kaizen! I hope you get your beer!😂
Thank you and yeah, I hope so too haha! ;-)
would definitely be interested to know your take on CAD modelling
I once began my 3D journey in Solidworks, but haven’t done any CAD stuff in Blender. I know it’s a possibility, but since I don’t need CAD modeling in my day to day work I don’t do it.
@@KaizenTutorials cool, thanks
Instead of adding more edge loops to help define a shape, you can use Edge Crease (Ctrl + E, Edge Crease) to make the selected edges run closer what they are un-Subdivided. If you're going to retopologize later it doesn't matter, but if that's your final model, it can save you a lot of faces.
Good addition! I don't like creasing because it causes a lot of shading artifacts in my experience, but you're right it is a valid option to define shape!
@@KaizenTutorials does it still add the artifacts if you crease an entire loop?
Sometimes yeah for me atleast
@@KaizenTutorials thanks.
Great video! I hope you create video about currently existing CAD plugins/extensions for Blender. I've learned to use Blender and I've been trying to learn Fusion 360 later and even though Fusion 360 allows easy CAD style design, it's lacking a lot of feature I miss from Blender. If Blender had usable CAD tools I think it would be overall better solution for 3D modeling.
Thanks! I have basically no knowledge of CAD in Blender, so I'm probably not the right person to do a vid on it. I just know it's possible. I've only ever done CAD in Solidworks myself.
@KaizenTutorials (or anyone else) do you have any info you can point me towards with the laser animation with Geometry Nodes at 8:13? Thanks!
I sortof know but I forgot haha and I can't seem to find it anymore...
Hope u win the bet and I wish u the best of everything 🥰♥️
Thank you! Appreciate it ❤
more with cad modeling please
Maybe, thanks!
My man is closer to 100 k 😁😁😁
Eyoooo almost there!
Great, thanks :) 👍
No problem 👍
Awesome.
Thank you! Cheers!
oooh now i understand how they made big city with tall builds fast, i alway wonder how they spend much time xD
Exactly! It can be a real timesaver for those types of projects.
People told me i was too ugly to be a model but........ah man, ruin my dad joke like 5 seconds into your video!
I love using edge creases with subdivision modelling, if only they didn't disappear randomly Idk why that keeps happening recently
I havent had them disapear. Does it happen all the time?
I've never had that either. Once applied, the only way to remove the crease was by hand as far as I know!
In my project they keep disapearing everytime I open it, Idk why
@@Mart-E12 interesting. Is it only the one project.
@@wadeeliason969 yeah I'm not sure if it's the problem with using alt+d to duplicate assets or what
U forgot one.. the poly by poly modeling ! These people are existing 😂
😂😂
I realize that "box modelling" might not be very "chic" if You want to "strut Your knowledge" but for anyone "starting out" I would argue that it most definitively is a technique that You should "master" as one of the first ones, as it can serve as a "base" for so many of the others. At least that's my view. Best regards
I agree. I just feel that sub d modeling is a more fleshed out and functional version of box modeling. So why not just learn that? But thanks for sharing your insight!
I was not expecting Espinas at 2:21
uh oh, yeah didn't know she was well known, apparently a bad person too
Make tutorial for wall environment plss
There are already many tutorials for walls and even free addons I think
Yeah you can create walls pretty easily! There's even a Blender built in addon for it I think.
Im new in blender, just to start for fun, but also thinking about the future career development. May i know what is possible in terms of career if i learn blender?
Cool! There's tons of things you could do when youre good with Blender. Anywhere from freelance 3D artist, to working in the game or movie industry, or being a fashion designer, product designer, product engineer, engineer, architect. So many things I can't even name them all!
Appreciate yoi
Thanks!
damn people really be doing literally anything but Shift+E mark crease when it comes to subdivision workflow
I think creasing is finicky and gets weird results. Smart bevels are a lot better in my opinion!
Who created the Nintendo 64 controller? @5:20
Amazing work by Xavier Flibotte; www.artstation.com/artwork/WmRGVv
*Brain Has crashed*
Sorry brain :-(
@@KaizenTutorials no probs I have been getting the hand of it now
you didn't show how you made that cool terrain out of the simple cube though =))) I expected there a displacement modifier)
Sculpting!
Kaizen! 😄
Yooo Uxed!🙏
I enjoy box modeling myself. I find that my polycount gets a little out of control too quickly with Sub-D modeling, and for booleans topology and edge flow just flies out the window. If im going to have to shrinkwrap box model on top of the darn thing afterwards anyway, id rather just get most of the base shapes through box modeling from the get go.
Thanks for sharing!
What's the source of the building generator at around 7:24? Is that an addon?
It's part of a movie studio. They built it for creating concept art for something I believe! You can watch the full talk about it here; kzhead.info/sun/asWJj7V5sKKZdYU/bejne.html
@@KaizenTutorials Oh wow! Thank you for the quick reply! I'll check that talk out, it's super intriguing!
There tons of modelling techniques is soo funny 😂
😁
a dude told me once avoid booleans as much as posible force ur brain to find the best options posible to implement the details u want in an optimized way. So i rarely use booleans it's been stuck in my head for years to the point i demonized booleans. But i think when it comes to model im very versatile but i also notice the hard surface is harder than organic shapes in my case maybe i should start using them properly(booleans).
Hmm yeah I had a similar experience with NGONs. Turns out theyre not that bad perse haha. Give booleans a try! I think theyre nice and efficient.
Stripe modeling with F2 is also beginners-friendly
Wait what!? I never heard of that before!
@@KaizenTutorials our studio usually train strioe modeling first to the newbies to enhance organic modeling and retopology.
The best modeling method: Metaballs
Lol! With the upcoming SDF volume modeling a similar technique to Metaballs, that might just become truth!
Can geometry nodes do boolean operations?
Yes! Both mathematically and geometrically.
7:19 how can I find more about this type of animation?
It's a very complicated Geometry Node setup. As far as I know there isn't any info on that exact animation, but basically you can just learn Geometry Nodes and watch animation related tutorials about that to learn similar techniques.
You can do CAD modelling in Blender?
Yeah! With proper addons you can do CAD modeling.
@@KaizenTutorials Cool! Do you have any videos on this?
I don't, sorry!
After years of practice and never been able to finish something, my prefered technique is to desinstall any kind of creation software, to live with social minima and stop trying to do anything constructive. Maybe it was an error to stop my job and waste almost 10 years to practice something I love, 15 hours a day, 365 days, hoping that one day I would earn at least a bit of money. Now I still don't see how I could earn money with all I have learned. I don't know what else to do so I continue trying, but it is a cycle, I waste month/years on project that I finally give up and I get depressed, and after some times I still don't know what to do so I try again until I give up.
Hmm I'm sorry to hear that. My best advice is to always try and set attainable goals for yourself, no matter how small they are. By setting goals and reaching them you're creating good habits and rewarding yourself for achieving the goals. This makes learning MORE fun and easier to maintain! Try a small project and get it done. Then move on to another project and do that! Maybe that helps. Good luck!
@@KaizenTutorials That doesn't help, but these kind words touch me 😉. Thanks
is there a tutorial on how to create the structure from the thumbnail?
Not that I know of no, sorry! I do know it was made using sculpting.
Would love to see a tutorial for that thumbnail scene if you're up for it!
It’s sculpting, but I haven’t made the artwork. But yeah maybe ill do something like that in the future. Thanks!
There's a full course on that scene up here: kzhead.info/sun/mLSDj5pufIihqJ8/bejne.html Very much worth a watch, JROTools does fantastic courses.
@@KaizenTutorials Also kinda highkey unprofessional to steal someone's course thumbnail for your video and not give credit
@@julm3141 Thank you very much!
@@julm3141 do you know who the original artist is?
Do you know the youtuber aleksey. His animations are insane. Can you which software is he using?
I do not! What is his full online alias? I will look it up!
@@KaizenTutorials look up and say
Any information on how to create something similar to the thumbnail's stunning rock formation?
Yes! Sculpting is your friend here. Block out a basic shape using simple extrusions and then take it into sculpting and get to work on creating those sharp, unique shapes!
@@KaizenTutorials Thanks! :D
Strange that Box Modelling wasn't on this list as it goes hand in hand with Sub-D.
I guess it's more or less the basis of SubD. But technically it's a standalone modeling technique, which to me is a lot less flexible, intuitive and 'dated' compared to SubD. Afaik in real Box modeling you don't use any subdivision modifiers. Just subdivide the geometry and transform the poly's to get the look you want.
@@KaizenTutorials Your not entirely wrong. Unless you are going for super low poly models (and even then this might not be true), you are going to need a Sub-D modifier at some point. When it comes to creating base meshes for Sculpting or Boolean workflows, you really can't pass by box modelling.
Damn you look like young blender guru
Lol you think so?
@@KaizenTutorials Yeah you remind me of him a lot
need to learn until what level just can get a jobs?
That's a bit of a broad question to answer. Some jobs require entry level skill, others require pro level skill. Just practice A LOT and when you feel confident you can do the things you see a company puts out, apply to a job with them.
@@KaizenTutorials thanks for your advice ,hope can watch more tutorial from your channel
8:20 where is this from?
oof I can't remember. Should've properly credited it, my bad.
나도 저런일 해보고 싶었는데..
무슨 뜻이에요?
I watched a video where a professional modeller didn't like the use of booleans ina gun model an amateur had created. Why would that be?
Because booleans tend to create NGONS. There's still a lot of different schools when it comes to topology. Generally speaking in games and VFX NGONS are very heavily frowned upon and good topology with a quadded up edge flow are expected. Booleans, without proper correction afterwards, will create terrible topology. That's probably why. Unless you know what you're doing booleans can be a pain.
Didn't mention Fluent at all for hard surface modeling?
I did not no, honestly I've never used it so no idea how it works and if it's any good!
@@KaizenTutorials It doesn't have all the features of Hardops/box cutter It is way easier to use though.
what is numpad??
The right part of a full size keyboard with numbers, the Numlock button and some other mathmatical symbols.
you gonna win against smeaf
I hope so! 🤞🏻
tfw you put in the time to sculpt a Toriyama character, only for it to announce that it's not even their final form.
Uh oh 😅
I thought he is going to teach about modelling the geometry shown in thumbnail
Techniques that can help you model the geometry in the thumbnail though!
Good tips for begginer but please does it require money to promote good topology on blender 😂
thanks and yes, it'll cost you about $500 to promote good topology 😂
With subdivision modeling you can actualy press shift+e for sharper edges.
Nice yeah, that’s creasing!
Okay so where is the video that details how to make the landscape in the thumbnail of this video?
💀
I have to laugh whenever I see polygon modelers get excited about supposedly new operations that have been present in solid modeling CAD software for many years... like Booleans.
eyy if its new to you, it's exciting right? :-)
There is a giant misconception on the internet that booleans cause shading artifacts. This is not true. An artifact happens when a polygon with more than three vertices is bent, or one of the vertices is misaligned with the others. The only polygon that doesn’t create artifacts is a triangle. Every other polygon can bend and create artifacts. So to fix shading issues with quads and ngons you either clamp the bend or move the vertex in question to the proper position.
You're very right! It's just easier to shout that Ngons and stuff like Booleans are the issue, since they are mostly responsible for such bended polygons!
Wait is your name “kaizen”? (Channel name) I learn fencing from this place called “kaizen academy” hmmmm
Haha yeah there's quite a few Kaizens. It's a Japanese word and it means 'continuous improvement', or to better yourself slightly every day!
Try our technique 😎
😎
R u blender guru😮? U look like him . Or r u him?
I am not! 😂😂
Is it normal for people to use other artists work for their thumbnails? your thumbnails is by the artist Jonas Ronnegard. He has his own tutorial on how he sculpted those rocks in your thumbnail. Just a misleading thumbnail, thought you'd be using your own art from your tutorial.
Fair point, but the thumbnail already does mention his name. I've also added it to the description.
Plus putting that one starting cube on the thumbnail just screams "low quality, clickbait"
I'm a 3d modeler and I'm struggling with earning money can someone suggest something.
There's this great video by Stylized Station that can help; kzhead.info/sun/ZruLqNqDqYSVl2w/bejne.html Their channel has quite a few of these types of videos that can inspire you to make money in some way with 3D or your art in general!
I strictly use metaballs. Everything else is trash. Pro tip.
Pro gamer move