So, you are interested in making modular environments?
This course is designed for students who have basic knowledge of Blender and have a passion for large scale environments. If you are new to Blender and have no 3D background, I fully recommend the ‘Creating 3D environments’ course.
Creating modular environments is our brand-new course, focusing on large scale environments. For a long time, we had this dream of building a scene that had multiple areas to highlight. The old approach was building a scene from one or two perspectives and make renders out of it. This new course lets you build villages, cities, and castles in a very efficient way. We achieve this by modular building design, already quite common in the gaming industry.
In 2018, I produced a game project called Batavia, which included a medieval city with different types of small and large buildings. By making modular building objects, it was possible to build a large environment scene in a short period of time. In the past two years, I refined the techniques and put all my knowledge into this modular environment course.
I know how to make a scene, but the next step scares me
If you reached the point of making a small environment scene with some buildings and vegetation, you know how much time this involves. Thinking about creating a small village or city can scare you because of the large number of buildings and terrain objects.
This course covers this creation process. In 8 chapters, you are able to design your own modular collection and build any type of building you can imagine in a very quick way. Each chapter covers a specific part of this process. It is a fun and easy-going course that won’t stress you.Â
But it’s not only about building design. The course also shows the story behind the scene: how to find a subject, work it out, and make it yours. From start to end, it will feel like an adventure that you don't want to stop. We care a lot about your development, therefor you can join the discourse masterclass for personal help.
Chapter 1
In this chapter, we start with some introductory lessons. We talk about planning, motivation, and field experience. There is no need to take action with Blender, just write down the things you want to remember. You get background information about modular building creation and how this works in 3D. At the end of this chapter, you will know exactly what to expect from the course.
Chapter 2
In this chapter, we make our way in Blender and start with introductory lessons on modular building. This is one of the most fun lessons I ever worked on and it could be a course in itself. We will design some simple modular objects and make a construction collection. After making a basic set of modular pieces, you can start building a simple medieval house. Everything will be explained step by step. After completing this chapter, you can start making brick building variations. I trapped myself making constructions because it was so simple and still so effective.
Chapter 3
From this point, we start with the building process. We will design some modular walls and other types of modular objects. In the end, we will build a simple medieval house. At the same time, we start with the shaping of the large environment by making a base map with some rough shapes. We will work on the master material shader and work with vertex paint to blend materials on the landscape. After this chapter, you can easily construct medieval modular constructions and outline and shape a landscape in Blender.
Chapter 4
From this point, we start with the building process. We will design some modular walls and other types of modular objects. In the end, we will build a simple medieval house. At the same time, we start with the shaping of the large environment by making a base map with some rough shapes. We will work on the master material shader and work with vertex paint to blend materials on the landscape. After this chapter, you can easily construct medieval modular constructions and outline and shape a landscape in Blender.
Chapter 5
We will continue with making some new modular walls, this time focusing on ornamental walls with a large window frame. With these new modular walls, you can construct a church that will be the hotspot of your village. After completing the church, we will design some pine and fir trees. There is no need for a plugin, we will create the trees from scratch in Blender
Chapter 6
In Chapter 6, we will design a new set of modular walls to construct a castle and a ruin complex. By making battlements and crenellations, you will have the freedom to build any type of castle you prefer. We offer a blueprint that helps you design the complex but feel free to make your own structure in this chapter. We will also work on two new tree types, the birch and maple tree. For this, we work with the free add-on M tree.
Chapter 7
Now that we have all the necessary modular building blocks, we will make some building variations. We will construct some more modular buildings, a fort, and a town hall to fill up the scene. For this purpose, we will import all the buildings and work out the main scene. We will add displacement maps on the terrain and add more details to enrich the scene. We end up making a final scene render in cycles.
Chapter 8
Now that we have a large landscape, we can pick some nice spots to make some nice-looking scene renders. We will make some new particle systems to add grass and reed. We will also import the animals and characters to fill up the scene and add multiple cameras to easily switch the camera position.
Example Curriculum
- Chapter_01_lecture_01 - Introduction (3:40)
- chapter_01_lecture_02 - Discourse community platform (1:23)
- chapter_01_lecture_03 - It all starts with an idea (3:26)
- chapter_01_lecture_04 - Working with modular objects (2:21)
- chapter_01_lecture_05 - Organizing your work (1:56)
- chapter_01_lecture_06 - Use of content (1:50)
- Chapter_02_lecture_01 - Introduction
- Chapter_02_lecture_02 - Installing and folder organisation (2:27)
- Chapter_02_lecture_03 - Working with modular objects (8:12)
- Chapter_02 Lecture_04 - Working with modular objects (10:33)
- Chapter_02_lecture_05 - Working with modular objects (6:36)
- Chapter_02_lecture_06 - Making more brick variations (5:46)
- chapter_02_lecture_07 - Making a skew shape brick (12:12)
- Chapter_02_lecture_08 - Making flat bricks (8:00)
- Chapter_02_lecture_09 - Making a door frame (9:22)
- Chapter_02_lecture_10 - Adding bevel and shader (13:19)
- Chapter_02_lecture_11 - Make a floor (11:45)
- Chapter_02_lecture_12 - Building a modular house (8:41)
- Chapter_02_lecture_13 - Finish the house (11:15)
- Chapter_02_lecture_14 - Scene rendering (8:34)
- Chapter_02_lecture_15 -recap (0:55)
- Chapter_03_lecture_01 ( introduction (1:05)
- Chapter_03_lecture_02 (4:17)
- Chapter_03_lecture_03 (6:18)
- Chapter_03_lecture_04 (2:37)
- Chapter_03_lecture_05 (5:01)
- Chapter_03_lecture_06 (6:22)
- Chapter_03_lecture_07 (9:05)
- Chapter_03_lecture_08 (12:10)
- Chapter_03_Lecture_09 (16:37)
- Chapter_03_lecture_10 (11:25)
- Chapter_03_lecture_11 (11:38)
- Chapter_03_lecture_12 (12:33)
- Chapter_03_lecture_13 (9:08)
- Chapter_03_lecture_14 (9:53)
- Chapter_03_lecture_15 (11:10)
- Chapter_03_lecture_16 (9:33)
- Chapter_03_lecture_17 (8:53)
- Chapter_03_lecture_18 (13:36)
- Chapter_03_lecture_19 (11:28)
- Chapter_03_lecture_20 (10:05)
- Chapter_03_lecture_21 (9:14)
- Chapter_03_lecture_22 (15:20)
- Chapter_03_lecture_23 (12:42)
- Chapter_03_lecture_24 (11:43)
- Chapter_03_lecture_25 (2:18)
- Chapter_03_lecture_26 ( recap) (0:57)
- Chapter_04_lecture_01 - Introduction (0:59)
- chapter_04_lecture_02 - Preparing collection (3:32)
- Chapter_04_lecture_03 - Modeling cylinder beams (10:45)
- Chapter_04_lecture_04 - Model a thatch roof (12:49)
- Chapter_04_lecture_05 - Adding roof dirt (9:49)
- chapter_04_lecture_06 - Adding roof side bars (8:29)
- Chapter_04_lecture_07 - Making a roof wall (10:07)
- Chapter_04_lecture_08 - Adding beam collection (12:52)
- Chapter_04_lecture_09 - Making wall variations (6:09)
- Chapter_04_lecture_10 - Making a corner wall (8:38)
- chapter_04_lecture_11 - Create a new thatch building (8:20)
- Chapter_04_lecture_12 - Constructing the building (10:05)
- Chapter_04_lecture_13 - Make a second thatch building (15:10)
- Chapter_04_lecture_15 Adding low poly trees (15:36)
- Chapter_04_lecture_16 - Creating bush lanes (11:58)
- Chapter_04_lecture_17 - Adding lane vertex paint (8:24)
- Chapter_04_lecture_18 - Adding landscape vertex paint (10:31)
- Chapter_04_lecture_19 - Adding a mountain material (8:13)
- Chapter_04_lecture_20 - Recap (0:50)
- New Lecture
- Chapter_05_lecture_01 - Introduction (0:32)
- Chapter_05_lecture_02 - Making church walls (14:59)
- chapter_05_lecture_03 -Creating wall window (9:11)
- Chapter_05_lecture_04 - Creating church door (14:09)
- Chapter_05_lecture_05 - Completing church door (8:58)
- Chapter_05_lecture_06 - Creating large church door (16:24)
- Chapter_05_lecture_07 - Modeling window ornament (14:18)
- Chapter_05_lecture_08 - Completing church window (9:54)
- Chapter_05_lecture_09 -Creating church tower (12:53)
- Chapter_05_lecture_10 - Modeling church roof (9:18)
- Chapter_05_lecture_11 - Organizing scene (8:28)
- Chapter_05_lecture_12 - Building the church (16:31)
- Chapter_05_lecture_13 - Adding more details (9:57)
- Chapter_05_lecture_14 - Creating a pine twig (10:15)
- Chapter_05_lecture_15 - Making a branch (12:25)
- Chapter_05_lecture_16 - Make a pine twig (10:48)
- Chapter_05_lecture_17 - Finish pine tree (11:30)
- Chapter_05_lecture_18 - Making tree variations (11:04)
- Chapter_05_lecture_19 - Making a fir twig (11:31)
- Chapter_05_lecture_20 - Making a fir branch (11:21)
- Chapter_05_lecture_21 -Make a fir tree (15:17)
- Chapter_05_lecture_22 - Updating scene with trees (12:44)
- Chapter_05_lecture_23 - Recap (0:29)
- Chapter_06_lecture_01 - Introduction (0:47)
- chapter_06_lecture_02 - Creating a castle wall (10:51)
- Chapter_06_lecture_03- Creating a corner wall (10:16)
- Chapter_06_lecture_04 - Creating a window wall (16:19)
- Chapter_06_lecture_05 - Creating a window wall variation (13:43)
- Chapter_06_lecture_06 - Creating more window walls (8:40)
- Chapter_06_lecture_07 - Creating a tower wall (6:15)
- Chapter_06_lecture_08 UV unwrap the wall (9:14)
- Chapter_06_lecture_09 - Make a cylinder window wall (12:16)
- Chapter_06_lecture_10 - Making a top battlement (8:26)
- Chapter_06_lecture_11 - Making crenellations (7:46)
- Chapter_06_lecture_12 - Finish crenellations (13:56)
- Chapter_06_lecture_13 - Make a small broken wall (11:04)
- Chapter_06_lecture_14 - Preparing castle constructing (10:19)
- Chapter_06_lecture_15 - Building the towers (14:25)
- Chapter_06_lecture_16 - Building the castle complex (15:43)
- Chapter_06_lecture_17 - Adding extra details castle (8:07)
- Chapter_06_lecture_18 - Making castle towers (16:16)
- Chapter_06_lecture_19 - Making broken walls (9:22)
- Chapter_06_lecture_20 - Making more ruine walls (17:49)
- Chapter_06_lecture_21 - Making columns (10:52)
- Chapter_06_lecture_22 - Adding textures column (13:57)
- Chapter_06_lecture_23 - Constructing the ruine (11:12)
- Chapter_06_lecture_24 - Continue constructing ruine (11:49)
- Chapter_06_lecture_25 - finish the ruine (14:36)
- Chapter_06_lecture_26 - Adding vertex paint (7:49)
- Chapter_06_lecture_27 - Creating a maple branch (13:33)
- Chapter_06_lecture_28 - Using the M-tree add-on (15:43)
- Chapter_06_lecture_29 - Creating a birch tree (18:32)
- Chapter_06_lecture_30 - Making birch variation (11:32)
- Chapter_06_lecture_31 -Creating bushes (15:38)
- Chapter_06_lecture_32 - Importing trees and bushes (13:43)
- Chapter_06_lecture_33 - Updating the river (13:27)
- Chapter_06_lecture_34 - Baking the scene (14:40)
- Chapter_06_lecture_35 -Recap (0:43)
- Chapter_07_lecture_01 - Introduction (0:56)
- Chapter_07_lecture_02 - Prepare building assets (10:10)
- Chapter_07_lecture_03 - Making a T-shape building (15:25)
- Chapter_07_lecture_04 - Make building variations (11:47)
- Chapter_07_lecture_05 - Build a small fort (11:48)
- Chapter_07_lecture_06 - Adding a fort roof (12:43)
- Chapter_07_lecture_07 - Making a town hall (13:16)
- Chapter_07_lecture_08 - Completing the town hall (13:56)
- Chapter_07_lecture_09 - Adding modillions (11:23)
- Chapter_07_lecture_10 - Make single building objects (7:46)
- Chapter_07_lecture_11 - Making a palisade (11:53)
- Chapter_07_lecture_12 - Building a fence (12:14)
- Chapter_07_lecture_13 - Making a fence variation (9:42)
- Chapter_07_lecture_14 - organizing the props (6:55)
- Chapter_07_lecture_15 - Building a village (12:09)
- Chapter_07_lecture_16 - Adding fort and palisade (11:41)
- Chapter_07_lecture_17 - Adding forest rocks (14:22)
- Chapter_07_lecture_18 -Adding castle (9:26)
- Chapter_07_lecture_19 - Adding ruine (11:42)
- Chapter_07_lecture_20 - Adding poles on landscape (12:21)
- chapter_07_lecture_21 - Adding fence (10:38)
- Chapter_07_lecture_22 - Improving terrain (10:03)
- Chapter_07_lecture_23 - Adding river rocks (14:15)
- Chapter_07_lecture_24 -Adding river displacement (9:01)
- Chapter_07_lecture_25 - Adding statue (9:18)
- Chapter_07_lecture_26 - Improving scene (13:13)
- Chapter_07_lecture_27 - Adding more river details (10:16)
- Chapter_07_lecture_28 - Adding ruine ivy (16:00)
- Chapter_07_lecture_29 - Recap (1:08)
- Chapter_08_lecture_01 - Introduction (0:47)
- Chapter_08_lecture_02 - Working out a new shot (9:25)
- Chapter_08_lecture_03 - Adding weight layer (10:11)
- Chapter_08_lecture_04 - Adding extra nature assets (11:24)
- Chapter_08_lecture_05 - Adding animals (16:23)
- Chapter_08_lecture_06 - Working out a new render scene (12:33)
- Chapter_08_lecture_07 - Improving the scene (9:22)
- Chapter_08_lecture_08 - Making small adjustments (6:32)
- Chapter_08_lecture_09 - Working out new render scene (8:11)
- Chapter_08_lecture_10 - Creating a path (10:46)
- Chapter_08_lecture_11 - Adding a character (13:28)
- Chapter_08_lecture_12 - Adding more characters (15:32)
- Chapter_08_lecture_13 - Optimizing scene layout (14:04)
- Chapter_08_lecture_14 - Recap (1:06)