During the months of August, September, and October I took up the challenge of learning how to make objects and animations on the open-source tool Blender, which supports the entire 3d-designing pipeline from modeling, animation to video editing. To begin my exploration journey I browsed through the net to look for resources that could help me understand the software and learn new skill sets. I found several tutorials on youtube going in-depth about the majority of tools and techniques required in Blender. From the start of this challenge I was aware of the versatility of Blender and thus took up a goal to create a fully rigged – as in with artificial bones – and animated robot inside this virtual space. I also started my own online store selling all the 3d-models I created during the span of this project ” Makers-Manor | CGTrader“
LO1
Through daily practice, I was able to understand the software and also my own strengths and weaknesses. I learned that I had a good sense for objects that were parametric or rigid although when It came to designing natural-looking objects I lagged behind. I was also able to understand how small details here and there can impact the overall quality of the animations or models. It was important that I understood my weaknesses so that I could improve my skills and post better projects and products on my store. This also helped me to gain valuable insight into the models and my skills. Once understood my weakness I started improving on it by challenging myself to go out of my comfort zone and try new skills and techniques even though I did not find them useful at that time as I understood that one day these skills that I have learned will help me.
LO2
The most challenging part of this experience was developing the problem-solving skills required to make things right. Blender is vast and complex software, so more often than not something or the other is bound to go wrong. In the beginning, it was incredibly frustrating to see major errors in my models which I could not fix for some or other reason. Although with enough practice and skill I was soon able to identify what gave rise to such notorious issues and solve them without much frustration. The past skill which helped me the most during this time was my long experience with another 3d-modeling software “Fusion 360”. The spatial and design flow skills that I learned through Fusion 360 helped me get a headstart in Blender and made the experience much more enjoyable. I feel incredible once I completed this challenge, I had learned a valuable skill, understood the ins and outs of the 3d-modeling workflow, and also started to make an income out of my skills. It is important that we learn new skills so that we keep challenging our minds and continue adapting ourselves to the changing world.
LO4
Learning blender in the initial stage is a time-consuming process. I learned that soon enough as It took about an hour or two of my day. Initially, it was strenuous to work for such extended periods of time although once I invested me in major projects and got the hang of it was much more easily able to give the required amount of time from my day.
