How to Easily Self-Learn 3D Modeling
3D modeling is one of the fastest-growing industries in today’s world. Most businesses and organizations are hiring 3D designers to create 3D models and designs for their company's growth. Having seen the growth of 3D modeling in every field, most students and professionals have started to learn 3D modeling and most are doing it by themselves. But, 3D modeling is not an easy skill, you need a lot of time and resources especially if you don't want to take any step by step 3D modeling course. In this article, you will get to know about 3D modeling, its aspects, and how you can easily learn it by yourself.
What is 3D Modeling?
When you decide to learn any skill, you should know the basics of that skill so that you can learn and understand that skill with full clarity. So, before diving into the process of self-learning this skill, first, you should know what 3D modeling is. If you already know the basics of 3D modeling, then you can leave this part and continue from the second section.
3D modeling is the process of creating a three-dimensional representation of an object using a 3D modeling software. You can create any 3D object using the various types of 3D modeling techniques. You can create 3D models of existing items, as well as designs that have not been built in real life yet. You can also take the already designed models and modify them based on your needs.
3D modeling has its uses in various industries like engineering, architecture, movies, games, machinery, VFX, and designing. In architecture, 3D modeling is used to create 3D models of houses, buildings, and construction sites. In games, it is used to create 3D creatures and characters. Likewise, different industries have different uses for 3D modeling.
4 Steps to Self Learn 3D Modeling Easily Without Taking a 3D Modeling Course
- Ideation
- Modeling
- Lightning
- Rendering
1. Ideation
Ideas are the most essential thing for starting anything. If you don’t have an idea, you will get stuck in the middle of any process. If you’ve just started learning 3D modeling using any software or by watching videos on YouTube channels, you need to strategize your process. First, have an idea of what you will create while learning 3D modeling.
This means getting some reference 2D photos that you’re going to convert into 3D models. For example, if you’re going to create a 3D model of an airplane, then you should know what an airplane looks like. You’ll only know the structure of an airplane by seeing a picture of it.
After getting an idea, you can then start creating the 3D models using any specialized software.
2. 3D Modeling
This is the step where you actually create a 3D model of any object. As a beginner, you need to learn a lot of things to create a perfect 3D model. But you don’t have to create a perfect 3D model because this is just a starting point, and perfection will come only after you’ve had a lot of practice. So, don’t focus on perfection, just focus on learning the basics of 3D modeling.
To create a 3D model, the first and most important thing that you will need is a 3D modeling software. There are lots of software available on the internet such as SelfCAD, Blender, Onshape, TinkerCAD, 3D Slash, Fusion 360, and FreeCAD.
You may have a look at these best 3D modeling software for beginners so that you can get a brief knowledge of each 3D modeling software. As you know, there are lots of software available on the internet, but you should choose the one with a beginner-friendly interface so that you can learn it with much ease and in less time. One of the best 3D modeling software that you can use is SelfCAD. SelfCAD is an affordable and beginner-friendly 3D design software that can match any skill level. Whether you're a business person, freelancer, or student, you can use this software. It lets you create 3D objects and even prepare them for 3D rendering or 3D printing in less time than when you’re using traditional CAD software. It comes with a smple interface and it has been designed in such a way that the tools are well arranged on the and you can access them easily and navigating around the interface is easier too. The software comes with many resources to help users learn the program without much ease. For example, there are many interactive tutorials to help you learn by actually designing 3D models and you are guided in the entire process. If you are good in 3D designing, you can also create your own tutorials and share it with others. There is also SelfCAD academy to help you learn the basics of 3D modeling and SelfCAD in general and you don't need to take any 3D modeling course once you use it.
The easiest way to make a 3D model is to convert an image to 3D. By using SelfCAD, you can easily convert an image to a 3D model. Just import the image and let the tool convert it. You can create different designs in just minutes by using the special (image to 3D) feature of SelfCAD software.
SelfCAD has some of the advanced tools that help you in creating 3D models easily, such as:
- 3D sketch
- Edit details tool
- Resolution tool
- Fillet tool
- Inset tool
- Add thickness tool
- Gear generator
- Spiral generator
- Screw & Nut generator
- And many more
You can use all these tools to create 3D models, and by using these tools, you can learn 3D modeling easily and very effectively.
3. Lighting
Lighting is one of the most important processes in 3D modeling. To be proficient in 3D modeling, you should also learn the principles of lighting. While learning 3D modeling by themselves, most beginners make this mistake. They simply learn the 3D modeling process and don't focus on its other aspects, like lighting.
Lighting in 3D modeling is where light is simulated in a computer-generated environment. Sometimes after you have finished 3D designing your model, the final product won’t look very good, and that might be because it requires some lighting to be applied before rendering. By using lighting techniques in any computer-generated scene, you can improve its appearance.
Generally, the lighting techniques used by designers are:
- Directional light
- Point or Omnidirectional light
- Area light
- Spot light
Lighting options in SelfCAD are found just below the rendering options. In the material option, there is a drop-down where you can see scene lights as well as world lighting.
4. Rendering
3D rendering is basically the process of converting 3D models into high-definition 2D images on a computer, and tuning the information in it. It is a creative process that is similar to photography. In photography, we capture images using a camera but in 3D rendering, you create 3D models using 3D CAD software, and then you render those 3D models. Learning 3D rendering is easier and you don't need to take any 3D modeling course as you can do it easily with SelfCAD, as shown in the video below.
Platforms to Self Learn 3D Modeling Easily
By now, you should know about the steps to easily learning 3D modeling, but you will also need some platforms to learn it by yourself. Below are some sites and platforms that can help you in learning 3D modeling.
SelfCAD Interactive Tutorials: The many interactive tutorials of SelfCAD are the first place we recommend for learning SelfCAD. Unlike the long guides and video tutorials, the interactive tutorials of SelfCAD make it easier for anyone, regardless of their experience with 3D modeling, to be able to get started easily. You learn by following the steps that you are given until you create the 3D model.
When using the interactive tutorials, you don’t have to struggle in locating where specific tools of the software are found because you will be directed and shown in every step. You can try them out and be able to create various 3D models much easily even if you don’t have any experience.
YouTube: We all know the power of YouTube. It is world-famous for its free content. You can learn anything on YouTube for free. To learn 3D modeling by yourself, you should watch the videos available on YouTube. 3D modeling for beginners playlist is a great place to start from as you will learn the basics of 3D modeling like navigating the workspace, transforming and deforming 3D objects, solving non-manifold issues in 3D designs and even learn advanced features by creating 3D models like that of a Japanese Lantern and even create organic shapes. There is also 3D modeling 101 series that can also help you learn 3D modeling with ease.
Instructables: Instructables is a website specializing in user-created and uploaded do-it-yourself projects. It is a community of people who like to make things. People from different industries publish the articles in the form of instructables on this website. There are many articles related to 3D modeling available on Instructables. You can follow the step-by-step processes on this website to learn how to design a 3D model.
Udemy: Udemy is an online learning and teaching marketplace with over 155000 courses and 40 million students. It is a marketplace where you can get courses in almost every field. Thousands of 3D modeling courses are available on Udemy and you can buy one specific to what you want to design. In premium 3D modeling courses, you get information easily as compared to free resources. In free resources, you have to search for different things, and you don’t find all the things you’re looking for at the same place.
Conclusion
Learning 3D modeling by yourself is not an easy task especially if you don't have a background or if you have never tried any 3D modeling course, but if you use the correct resources and software, then it will become easy for you. In this article, you have gotten information on how to self-learn 3D modeling easily and we have mentioned the steps you need to follow, and we have also included where you can get resources to learn 3D modeling.
Enjoy powerful modeling, rendering, and 3D printing tools without steep learning curve.
Need to learn 3D modeling? Get started with interactive tutorials.