Sketchbook: BlazefuryX

BlazefuryX

Hello everyone, my name is BlazefuryX and I will be sharing daily updates on my modeling journey. I would love to get as many constructive criticisms as possible. I will be working on simple models around me and I hope I can work on something complex later on.

BlazefuryX

Today marks the 72nd day of my 180-Day topology improvement journey. As you may know, I’ve been practicing on Blender every day and sharing my progress with you. However, today was a bit different. A power outage hit my area and lasted for more than 12 hours! 😱

But did I let that stop me from learning? Of course not! I used the time to rewatch the John Dickinson Topotalk series on my mobile device and take notes of useful techniques. John Dickinson is a master of topology and his series is a must-watch for anyone who wants to level up their game.👍

I managed to complete 7 episodes today and I learned a lot from them. In this post, I’ll share with you some of what I learned from the first episode.

Polyquilt: an add-on with many functions. It helps with merging vertices and deleting edges. 

Machine tools Smart faces: a tool that helps to add new faces to a mesh. 

Edge flow: an add-on to improve the flow and distribution of edges on a surface.

These tools and techniques are very useful for creating good topology in Blender. They can save you time and effort, and give you more control over your mesh. If you want to see them in action, you can watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/B8dfa6awEXk. I highly recommend it if you want to learn more about topology.👍

That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. If you did, please give me a thumbs up, leave a comment, and share this post with your friends. And don’t forget to follow me for more updates on my 180-Day topology improvement journey. Thanks for reading and happy modeling! 😊

BlazefuryX

Hey there, fellow artists! 🎨 Welcome to Day 73 of my 180-Day Topology Improvement Journey. Buckle up, because today was an absolute topology rollercoaster! 🎢 I dived into SnSmntns' mind-blowing video on spiraling Topology, and oh boy, did my brain soak up some serious knowledge! 🧠💡

But hold on tight, because SnSmntns didn't stop there. In his video, he dropped a game-changing recommendation: "Pushing Points" by the one and only William Vaughan. 📚🔥 Trust me, this book is like a treasure chest overflowing with pure gold! 🏆🌟

I've scoured the realm of topology resources, but nothing comes close to the brilliance of "Pushing Points." It's an all-in-one guide that will take your skills to soaring heights! 🚀

Thanks for joining me on this epic journey, and don't worry—I'll be back tomorrow with more mind-blowing updates. Until then, keep pushing boundaries, keep refining those topologies, and keep shining as the true artists you are! 🌟🎉 

killnpc

Hi BlazefuryX,
I enjoy your updates, keep it up. Here's some general unsolicited advice that might help with your life studies.

1. Be aware of zoom-in blindness. You must look at your reference, this must happen. But be aware that when focusing intently on a feature, it creates blind spots.


2. Find repeating shapes or measures in landmarks. Here I notice a similar size relationship of the cord with thin blue panel. This technique can help pull a larger form closer to "what you see" (rather than "what you know"). A good example of this technique would be; "A comic book character is 8 heads high"


3. Look for and compare edge thicknesses. The edge of a shape, and its relation to neighboring shapes, will describe the inner form more than its surface can. Tuning the thicknesses of your edges to match your reference will capture subconscious characteristics that can often go unseen.

BlazefuryX

Thanks you for following along. Thanks for the feedback, I will carefully study all of them

BlazefuryX

Today was supposed to be day 74 of my 180 day topology improvement in Blender, but I have decided to make some changes. I will be extending it to 360 days and I’ll call it “Blaze Art Challenge - 360 days of learning.” Welcome to Day 74 of my 360 days art challenge. Today, I learned that there are three different types of image references. The first one is technical drawing. The second one is using blueprints and the third one is using photos (which are mostly not 100% orthographic). I also learned that technical drawings are the best type of references, followed by blueprints and lastly photos.

BlazefuryX

Hello everyone, this is Day 75 of my 360 days art challenge. One of the things I realized today was how important it is to have more than one reference image when modeling. As you can see in the image below, these models all fit the reference image in the front view, but they look very different when you check them in other views. This shows how much variation there can be in modeling and how careful you have to be when matching the reference. I hope you find this useful and interesting. Feel free to comment and critique. 

BlazefuryX

Day 76/360 of my art challenge: I explored the Coordinate system in Blender. Blender uses a right-angled “Cartesian” coordinate system with the Z axis pointing upwards. The Cartesian coordinate system defines the position and orientation of any object in 3D space using three numbers: x, y, and z. The X-axis indicates side-to-side movement, the Y-axis indicates front-to-back movement, and the Z-axis indicates top-to-bottom movement. 

BlazefuryX

I learned something new today. When you extrude a quad, you create 4 E and N Poles. E poles are Extrude poles (5 edges) and N poles are Nose poles (3 edges). I’m not sure if those are the right names though 😅

BlazefuryX

Hi, Polycounters! Welcome to Day 77 of my epic 360-Day Art challenge, and I’m still improving my torch model. Today, I tackled some obstacles while setting it up in the viewport, but I managed them. I also outlined the topology for some extra details and evaluated some possibilities. Don’t miss out on more updates!

BlazefuryX

Welcome to Day 78 of my 360-Day Art challenge! Today, I dedicated several hours to honing my skills in the viewport, exploring new techniques and tools. As I delved into SnSmNtNs YouTube tutorials, I made fascinating observations on his go-to tools: Smooth Vertices, Snapping tools, F to fill, V to rip vertices, miror modifier, and Shift N to recalculate normals. Stay tuned for more exciting discoveries. 

BlazefuryX

Hey there, art enthusiasts! Welcome to Day 79 of my 360-Day Art challenge. Today, I dedicated several hours to honing my skills in the viewport. Explored a friend's recommendation, the Guide mesh workflow. It involves using the shrinkwrap modifier extensively. Excitingly, I strategized the topology for other sections of my torch model. Familiar with guidemesh? A regular in your creative arsenal?

BlazefuryX

Day 80/360: I learned about quadrilaterals and worked on my Torch Model today. Despite some challenges, I made progress. What do you think?

BlazefuryX

Day 81/360: Today, I decided to start fresh with my Torch Model after receiving feedback on its quality. To improve my skills, I turned to YouTube for guidemesh workflow tutorials, organized my references, and began the modeling process. Stay tuned for updates! 

BlazefuryX

Day 82/360 - I think I need to see more approaches to modeling. I started watching a video by mx2.

BlazefuryX

Random shape I made today

BlazefuryX

Day 83/360: Today, I started watching a tutorial on how to model a gun, just to learn different techniques. I chose one of the tutorials from this helpful site that has a collection of tutorials. https://stylizedstation.com/article/blender-tutorial-bible/

BlazefuryX

Then, I did a random shape. I just saw the 6 pole XD

BlazefuryX

I did a little practice while reading through Frank Polygon's Sketchbook in Polycount

killnpc

Great work, Blade. You're on the right path with these studies, you're doing good.

BlazefuryX

Thanks @killnpc

BlazefuryX

Day 84/360: I studied and practiced some approaches to modeling, using Frank Polygon’s Sketchbook as a guide. I also made progress on my Torch Light Model. I am gradually learning to accept Ngons. 

I also received the new mouse I ordered. My previous mouse had a defect. Because of the faulty scroll wheel, I had to learn the shortcut Ctrl + middle mb + drag mouse ⬆⬇ to zoom in and out.

BlazefuryX

Day 85/360: Today, I did some research to look for possible learning opportunities. Then, I worked on my Torch Light Model. I wanted to add a specific detail to it, but there was not enough geometry. So, I applied one level of subdivision. I also tried adding some other details, but they did not work out. I will definitely get back to it tomorrow. Thank you for your time.

BlazefuryX

Day 86/360: Today, I did some research to find 3D learning opportunities. I also browsed Frank Polygon’s Sketchbook and practiced as much as I could. I’ll definitely continue tomorrow and try out more interesting ideas. Thank you for your time.

BlazefuryX

Frank mentioned that edge tension is not always negative and that increasing the smoothing stress can sometimes reduce smoothing artifacts. Is this one of those cases? 🤔

https://twitter.com/GreenDevX/status/1676976447313833984?s=20

BlazefuryX

Also, I observed that many YouTubers disable the loop slide option and set the shape option of the bevel to 1. I think I understand the reason for that now.

https://twitter.com/GreenDevX/status/1676977429963845632?s=20

BlazefuryX

SnSmNtNs created a video for me that explained his approach and I learned a lot from it. I now have a clearer idea of how to tackle something like this in the future. 

BlazefuryX

Day 87/360: Today, I searched for 3D learning opportunities. I also studied Frank Polygon’s Sketchbook and practiced a lot. I experimented with using a low and high geometry and observed the difference.

BlazefuryX

Day 88/360: Today, I studied Frank Polygon’s Sketchbook. I learned that most corners are either boxed or mitered. I tried to understand each example he used by modeling them myself and carefully reading the concepts. Thanks for reading.

BlazefuryX

In Blender, you should pay attention to how making insets affects your mesh. Sometimes, you might have to disable the OFFSET EVEN option and use the EDGE RAIL option instead.

https://twitter.com/GreenDevX/status/1677700157377265664?s=20

BlazefuryX

Day 89/360: Today, I tried to resume my torch model from where I left off, but I didn’t like what I had. I decided to start over. I noticed a problem that I had previously ignored. The reference was very confusing. I didn’t have any trouble with modeling this shape, but I had some issues with the reference. Question: In the image below, should I match the circle to the curve indicated by the reference or not? (I also shared an image of a part I tried modeling). 

BlazefuryX

Day 90/360: I attempted to work on my Torch Model today, but I was unsuccessful. I switched to watching a tutorial on modeling headphones by Derek Elliott. I also learned how to create isometric scenes from another tutorial. I will give it another try tomorrow. 

BlazefuryX

Day 91/360: Today, I watched Derek Elliot’s tutorial on modeling headphones and shoes. I spent some time modeling a random shape, and then I tried a different approach for my torch model. Thank you for your time 😊

BlazefuryX

Day 92 of #360dayofart

🌟I worked on my torch light model.
🌟I downloaded some YouTube videos on modeling by CRNT Designers, Derek Elliot, and some other content creators.
🌟I responded to some feedbacks I received on my recent content.

https://twitter.com/GreenDevX/status/1680608995814375424?s=20

BlazefuryX

Here are some images 

BlazefuryX

Day 93 of #360daysofart

🚀 I worked on my torchlight model.

🚀 I reached out to artists on Discord, Twitter and Facebook to ask about beginner videos on texturing in Blender

🚀 I downloaded some YouTube videos on texturing using Blender

BlazefuryX

Day 94 of #360daysofart

🟦 I watched two modeling videos, one by SnSmNtNs (Pillow Patterns tutorial) and the other by John Dickinson (Barrel Bolt tutorial)

🟦 I fixed some parts in the torch light models to properly match the reference

🟦 I studied the cover part of my torch-light model and made several attempts to model it, but I couldn't figure out the boolean part. I'll try harder tomorrow

BlazefuryX

Day 95 of #360dayofart

🌻I worked on the lens cover of my torch light model. I could not match the exact detail, but it is good enough.

🌻I watched some videos on radial array in Blender.

🌻I responded to all the feedback that I received.

BlazefuryX

Day 96 of #360daysofart

🌟 Today, I worked on the bulb of my Torchlight model. Thanks to SnSmNtNs I was able to complete it 🥹

🌟I watched some videos on Texturing in Blender 

🌟I replied to all feedbacks from other artists

BlazefuryX

Day 97 of #360daysofart

🔆 Today, I watched several videos on texturing (Blenderguru, Grant Abbitt, etc.) 

🔆 I practiced using a free texture from Poliigon and one of my previous models 

🔆 I replied to all the feedback I received from my previous post

BlazefuryX

Day 98 of #360daysofart

🔵 I corrected the topology of my deodorant model. 

🔵 Because of the unstable power supply, I watched several videos on UV mapping (CG Infinite, Darrin Lile, etc.). 

🔵 I worked on the UV map of my deodorant model.

BlazefuryX

Day 99 of #360daysofart

🟡 I read some articles on uv unwrapping, normal maps and texturing from the Artisticrender blog and @StylizedStation on Twitter.
🟡 I downloaded several HDRI files from Polyhaven and textures from ambientcg to practice texturing my deodorant model. I’ll definitely work harder on it tomorrow.

BlazefuryX

Day 100 of #360daysofart

🏆 I watched videos on product design in Blender (Derek Elliot & Creative Sav)

🏆 I did some research on creating textures for 3D Models

🏆 I watched SnSmNtNs model a sci-fi head in Blender

🏆 I took some shots of my torch model to show how cool it is

BlazefuryX

Day 101 of #360daysofart

🔷 I spent hours trying to remake the lotion cream model, but I couldn't figure out what happened on the side view.
🔷 I read 3 blogs on focal lengths in cameras.
🔷 I read 2 blogs on cameras in Blender.

BlazefuryX

Day 102 of #360daysofart (1/2)

⚫ I read about 2-3 articles on how to take photos of references for 3D modeling from sources such as CGIFurniture and Welpix

⚫ I checked out an article on sites to get reference images from All3DP

⚫ I watched two videos @FlippedNormals YouTube channel

BlazefuryX

Day 102 of #360daysofart (2/2)

🍒 I noticed some improvements in my understanding of topology.

🍒 I worked on my Lotion Model and I am satisfied with what I have.

🍒 I replied to all the feedback I received on my previous post.

BlazefuryX

Day 103 of #360daysofart

🏮This time, I did not eyeball my deodorant model. I took photos and used them in the viewport. I learned more about threads from John Dickinson's TopoTalk part 2. 

🏮I did more research on UV unwrapping and texturing.

BlazefuryX

Day 104 of #360daysofart

🪴I made some corrections to my model after receiving feedback from Discord and Facebook

🪴I watched some videos on how to UV Unwrap bottles in Blender

🪴I did some research on the best software for designing the texture for the deodorant model

BlazefuryX

Day 105 of #360daysofart

📗 I tried to improve my deodorant model after I got some feedback, but I couldn’t get the result I wanted.

📗 I took a break and tried to model something weird.

📗 I replied to all the feedback I got on Twitter, Facebook, Discord, LinkedIn, Instagram and Reddit.

BlazefuryX

I downloaded and tried out some of custom Matcap shared by Jan Van Den Hemel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJSfb3tby6o&feature=youtu.be

BlazefuryX

Day 106 of my 360 days of art

🟩I downloaded Gimp and researched about Bevels

🟩I experimented with some custom matcaps

🟩I had some back pains, so I couldn't work on PC. So, I watched some YT videos (Chocofur and Elementza)

🟩 I found a new topology approach related to threads