Check out my
3D Modeling Projects
From ceramics and building houses to baking bread, I have always enjoyed working with my hands. My major in computer science and love of technology also helps define me. The marriage of those two ideas is found in 3D modeling.
As you can see above what I have created is minimal compared to what is possible. However, my aspirations are large and I look forward to working on new projects in the future. A common first project people perform in 3D modeling and in Blender is learning to make a donut. You can see the final product of my donut and coffee cup in the shared video. That's not to say it didn't take time and effort when the tutorial assigned me homework between videos. You can see the finished product off to the side.
To learn 3D modeling I use a free program called Blender. The picture to the side shows a chair and I modeled by hand following a tutorial. Below you can see the final render that hopefully looks much better than the model alone. It's a potent software that can perform simulations of all types. In the coming weeks, I plan on learning how to use the cloth simulator. I really look forward to creating new projects because it's been awesome to overcome the challenges I've encountered so far and it's easy to get lost in time while using this medium of art.
More recently, my mother requested that I create a Zoom background for her. The time of the Covid Pandemic has led to the remote meeting market skyrocketing in use and popularity. My mom was getting tired of the highway outside of her office window being her backdrop. I set off to work. She works for Texas Roadhouse and asked for the logo to be in the image somewhere. That seemed self-explanatory. That got me thinking more about the vibe you might expect when you enter a Texas Roadhouse restaurant. That feeling of an old-time saloon mixed with a modern pop-country feel popped into my head. I tried to capture that vibe in the image below, and this is the iteration that I personally thought was my favorite. Everything in the photo is hand-modeled by me except for the various succulents. I’m confident I could have made those plants, but that’s about 30 hours of work per plant that I was not willing to do. The wooden background, the hardwood shelves held up by cast-iron bars, and the succulents are there to give that western feel that I believe Texas Roadhouse is famous for. Then the sign on the right side is there to give a dichotomy in a sense with its sort of dated neon sign look. I think I personally did a really great job here capturing what I envisioned as well as what my mom wanted. She uses this background every day.
I have now moved on to a bigger fish. I want to create an animation. The full vision has not been realized yet, but I'm going to make a "tiny factory" animation that will be some sort of safe opening up to a small factory inside producing something. The goal is to make the video simple, clean, and colorful. I hope I can also achieve a perfect loop as well as making it enjoyable and satisfying to watch. I think this is going to be the most challenging thing I have tackled so far, but I believe I will create something genuinely fun and enjoyable to view.