3d | Curtision 🧿

🚀 Quick Start (If You’re Brand New)

3D is like digital sculpture and digital Lego combined. You shape a model, give it surfaces (materials), and then show it in an engine (like Unreal) or render it as an image/video.

What is a 3D model?

A mesh is the object made of tiny polygons (usually triangles/quads).
Topology is how those polygons are arranged (important for animation).
UVs are a “flattened map” so you can paint textures onto the mesh.
Textures are images that define color, roughness, and details.

What is sculpting vs modeling?

Sculpting = push/pull clay (great for characters, creatures, organic shapes).
Modeling = building clean shapes (great for robots, props, architecture, hard surfaces).
Most real projects use both: sculpt for form, model for clean parts.

What is an engine?

Unreal Engine and Godot are real-time engines (games/cinematics).
They handle lighting, materials, animation playback, and interactive logic.
“Real-time” means you see results instantly, not after long rendering.

What you’ll build first

Start with a simple prop: coin, crate, sword, or cabin.
Then try a character: base mesh → sculpt → retopo → rig → animate.
Don’t start with perfection. Start with momentum.

📘 Mini Glossary (So You Understand the Page)

Mesh

The 3D object made from polygons (the “geometry”).

Topology

How polygons flow. Clean topology matters for deformation (bending elbows, knees, faces).

Subdivision

A smoothing method that adds polygons and rounds shapes. Needs good edges to stay sharp.

Retopology (Retopo)

Rebuilding a high-detail sculpt into a clean, animation-ready mesh.

UV Unwrap

Flattening a 3D surface into a 2D “map” so textures can be applied correctly.

Baking

Transferring details from a high poly sculpt to a low poly mesh (via texture maps).

Normal Map

A texture that fakes tiny surface detail (creases, bevels, dents) without extra polygons.

Rigging

Adding a skeleton to a mesh so it can be posed and animated.

🎬 Videos & Asset Drops

These clips show assets and experiments. Click a card to load the player (it stays fast until you click).

Search

🧰 The Software (Explained Simply)

You don’t need every program. Think of these as “specialist tools” in a workshop. Choose what solves your current step.

🤖 Meshy AI

What it is: AI that can generate a rough 3D model from text/images.

How beginners use it: get a starting shape fast, then clean it in Blender or ZBrush.

Great for prototypes and quick idea exploration.
Often needs cleanup for animation (topology).

🧱 Tinkercad

What it is: super-simple browser-based modeling using primitives (boxes/cylinders).

How beginners use it: build clean blocky shapes fast (robots, props, mechanical parts).

Think “digital cardboard + glue”.
Export, then refine in Blender/ZBrush.

🌀 Blender

What it is: a free all-in-one 3D suite.

How beginners use it: learn one tool that can do almost everything.

Modeling, sculpting, UVs, texturing, animation, rendering.
Excellent for “finish and export” workflows.

🧩 Maya

What it is: a professional industry tool for animation and rigging.

How beginners use it: usually later, when aiming for studio pipelines.

Very strong character animation workflows.
Great for larger projects and collaboration.

🪓 ZBrush

What it is: a dedicated digital sculpting powerhouse.

How beginners use it: sculpt characters/creatures fast once the basics “click”.

Best-in-class sculpt speed + detailing.
Interface feels weird at first — totally normal.

🧬 Houdini

What it is: node-based procedural 3D (non-destructive workflows).

How beginners use it: build systems that generate variations (rocks, buildings, scatters).

Instead of “doing steps manually”, you build a recipe.
Change a parameter → whole output updates.

⚡ Unreal Engine

What it is: real-time engine for games and cinematic visuals.

How beginners use it: import a model, apply materials, light a scene, render instantly.

Looks amazing fast (lighting + post-processing).
Blueprints allow logic without deep coding.

🌱 Godot

What it is: a lightweight game engine.

How beginners use it: quick prototypes and smaller games with clean structure.

Fast iteration, efficient workflows.
Great for indie-style projects.

🗺️ The Full Workflow (From Nothing to Finished)

Step 1 — Reference & Planning

Pick a target: game asset (low poly) or cinematic (high detail).
Collect references: front/side, materials, and lighting mood.
Decide what matters: silhouette, detail, realism, style.

Step 2 — Blockout (Big Shapes)

Create the simplest version that reads well at a distance.
Characters: start with a base mesh or mannequin.
Hard surface: primitives first (boxes/cylinders), then refine.

Step 3 — Sculpt / Model (Mid Forms)

Define anatomy groups, clothing folds, armor plates, panel lines.
Don’t do pores or scratches yet — that’s later.
Always rotate the model: check it from every angle.

Step 4 — Details (Surface Story)

Add micro detail: scratches, wear, damage, stamps, pores.
Make it believable: wear happens on edges and contact points.
Be consistent: detail scale should match the model scale.

Step 5 — Retopo (If Needed)

For animation and games, you usually need clean topology.
High-detail sculpts are often too dense and chaotic for rigs.
Retopo creates clean loops around joints and face areas.

Step 6 — UVs, Baking, Textures

UV unwrap so textures can sit correctly on the mesh.
Bake high-detail into maps (normal/AO) for low-poly meshes.
Then texture: color, roughness, metalness, dirt.

Step 7 — Rig & Animate

Rigging = skeleton. Skinning = attaching mesh to bones.
Use shortcuts: Mixamo auto-rig + animation library.
Test bending early (arms/legs/face) before final polishing.

Step 8 — Import to Unreal / Godot

Apply materials, set lighting, add post-processing.
Use real-time rendering for fast cinematic looks.
Export your final shots or build gameplay.

Beginner focus: Learn Blockout → Clean Shapes → Simple Materials → Good Lighting. Detail can come later — lighting makes “basic” models look expensive.

🪓 Sculpting Brushes (Beginner Map)

Core Brushes (Use These First)

Move / Grab: fix proportions, silhouette, and gesture.
Clay / Clay Buildup: add volume like real clay.
Smooth: soften transitions (use lightly).
Crease / Dam Standard: cut lines and define folds.
Trim / Flatten: make planes and sharp transitions.

How to Practice (Fast Results)

Only use Move + Clay + Smooth for the first hour.
Get the head/torso/limbs proportions right first.
Then introduce Crease/Trim for definition.
Keep checking silhouette (zoom out).

Big rule: If the model doesn’t look right at low detail, adding more detail won’t fix it.

🧲 Hard Surface Modeling (Beginner-Friendly)

Keeping Sharp Edges With Subdivision

Subdivision smooths everything — so you must “support” edges.
Add support loops near an edge to keep it sharp.
Or use bevels + good shading (weighted normals) for game assets.

Boolean Details the Safe Way

Booleans are great for holes and cuts — but topology can get messy.
For games, often you bake boolean details into normals instead.
Strategy: clean base mesh + baked details = fast and stable.

ZBrush Hard Surface (Not Just Organic)

Use masking + extract for armor plates.
Use Trim/Polish style brushes for planar shapes.
Use Dynamesh to explore, then clean later for production.

Blender Hard Surface Cheats

Bevel modifier + weighted normals can look “high-end” fast.
Use mirror modifier for symmetry (save time).
Keep things modular: panels as separate pieces.

🧍 Rigging & Animation (Easy Options)

Fastest: Mixamo

Upload your character mesh.
Place markers (chin, wrists, elbows, knees).
Download auto-rigged character + animations.
Import into Unreal / Blender.

Unreal: Control Rig

Rig and animate directly inside Unreal.
Great for realtime filmmaking and quick iteration.
Combine with Sequencer for cinematic timelines.

Beginner win: Use Mixamo to learn the pipeline first. Once you understand “rig → animation → import”, you can graduate to custom rigs.