Things I need to learn

Hello, here is a rough list of the things I would like to learn about to be able to create and print 3D visualizations.

• Modelling using modifiers - learning about all of the modifiers and the best instances to use them in. I will be exploring different tutorials on this subject.
  
• Learning to use a 3D printer - I will be using a printer here at TAFE and learning about the programs and materials available.
  
• Discovering the limitations of 3D printing - By doing various tests using the printer I can work out the best ways to achieve successful models and what design elements to avoid.
  
• Improving general modelling skill - By doing tutorials involving modifiers and building on ideas that I have devised I hope to become more proficient in making models in virtual space.
  
• Texturing in blender - I would like to learn how to quickly and effectively texture models so I can present items in a more attractive light. This is more of a secondary skill as I want to focus on the shapes and designs of the product.
  
• Prototyping - This a combination of being able to create unique items virtually and then building them using printers. This is a skill that requires technical and creative skills and links in with my conceptual development.

Rigging a 3D character

Hello there. Today I learnt how to rig a character in Blender using bone armatures. Here is a link to the tutorial I used.

http://cgi.tutsplus.com/tutorials/building-a-basic-low-poly-character-rig-in-blender--cg-16955

This tutorial was mostly straightforward. Setting up the armatures or bones was easy, they were parented to each other so they worked more like a skeleton. Then I had to set up a control structure using armatures set on the outside of the character. These bones act like handles to manipulate the character. Once that was done I used a feature called weight painting to avoid too much distortion of the character as well as giving the skin better relational movement between bones. It got a little complicated when moving between pose, edit and weight painting mode, but I'm sure I will improve with practice.

Hi there, in this blog I will be exploring and developing new skills that will help me to create various items and products that I have envisioned in a three dimensional environment.

I will be using the program Blender mostly so the tutorials I will look at will be for that program. As time progresses I will look at other programs such as Autodesk Maya and maybe a few other programs.