Hello ,
Everyone ,

I am Ankan Barua from Bangladesh & in this blog I am going to show you some of the easiest and
free (or rather inexpensive) methods to create professional looking 3D models for computer simulation .

(By the way, I am an online entrepreneur & an indie game developer . I have been in this for more than a year now . Despite being new to this industry I have tried out lots of different methods of 3D modeling & also used different software . So I am going to share some of my experience in this page)

First of all , for those who are absolutely new to 3D modeling , a 3D model is a projection of a 3D matter
(having length , width and depth/height) , which means it can be expressed using 3 coordinates (x,y,z) in a 3 dimensional reference structure .

3D models can be projected in computers using different types of software algorithm . There are lots freeware , shareware and as well as expensive 3D modeling software out there just waiting to be utilized .
Each of these software has its own unique features as well as a few common features .

If you are new to this industry and want to shine with your digital arts you have come to the right place . For absolute beginners it it important to have budget of time and money . There are so many software out the that it is quite easy to get confused and end up using tools that are not as efficient or time saving than the other ones .

When it comes to 3D modeling some of the big renowned software : Autodesk 3D Studio Max , Autodesk
Maya , Light Wave 3D  etc. Although these software products are very expensive for commercial use but each of them provide either free trials or free student learning courses . These software products have lots complex functions so I would suggest you to use some of the freeware software products out there.

As this page is dedicated mainly to the beginners I would recommend using freewares like MarbleClay : a 3D modeler similar to Metasequoia but free. Hexagreat is also another free software for beginners . 3D ace
is just like Hexagreat but with the support of lots of plugins . All these freeware stuff are specialized for organic models . You can use the polyline tool to make organic shapes .

Now , lets move a bit further , ShapeShop is another free software that generates 3D shapes from 2D drawings instantly . Sculptris is another software that I liked using mainly because of its unique style and system for generating high-poly 3D shapes.  

For terrain generation and in-organic shapes (buildings , cars) I think Google Sketchup is a good choice which also has a plugin that exports to 3D RAD (a free rendering engine) directly.

And finally , when you are used to these rather easier user interfaces I suggest you to use Blender . It has so many features that anyone new to this industry would assume that its a fully featured expensive software but it is actually open-source. To get started I suggest you to use the user manual in the blender homepage.

Sometimes , it is actually easier to use standalone UV mapping tools to create uv maps and put textures . In
this case Lith Unwrap is my favourite . Another free standalone software for uv mapping  is UV mapper classic .3D exploration can be another rendering solution although it is not free but has a 30 day fully featured
trial version.

Now , I am going to end this blog with a tutorial showing a method to draw a 3D human head

(Part-1)

BASIC SHAPE:

First of all , Open up 3D ace . Then click window > insert background image > and then put a front view of an image in one of the axis as shown in the picture . You can use the scale and set the depth of the picture to
your preference also.After setting everything click OK .
<photo>

You can use the left mouse button drag on the angle palette plane to rotate the 3d model/grid .

Now, lets start by clicking draw vertex on the tool menu as shown in the screen shot. Then click the left mouse button (usually from the top-center of the fore head) to put a vertex on the 3d plane and create an
outline of the 3d head .
<photo>

Then draw the outline around eye, eyebrow and nose as shown in the picture.
Use the selection tool to move the vertex to right place .
<photo>

Similarly draw the rest of the head .Always draw using a single (clockwise/anti-clockwise) method .Otherwise some faces might not be visible when rendered on external render(s).
Go to menu->Face->Create Face & paint all .
Select the whole mesh and triangulate and subdivide the mesh using
<photo>

the Tools > Triangulate face command ; Tools > Subdivide face command (high poly can help you to sculp later)
File > Save as > obj format
<photo>

(Part-2)

SCULPTING:

Then import it in sculping software like Sculptris or Blender for fine tuning or you can use spline mesh function in MarbleClay to smooth sharp Edges.

Blender:
Import it to Blender and go to sculpt mode and mostly use the grab and draw tool to get a shape of your preference .

<photo>

 Sculptris:
Import it to Sculptris and use the Grab tool and the Draw tool to get the shape you seek . Uncheck the global mode to use the Grab tool .
<photo>

(Part-3)

UV MAPPING / TEXTURING:

There are many software products available for UV mapping and texturing(ex. Lith unwrap,Blacksmith 3D)
In this tutorial I have used MarbleClay for UV mapping .

Open MarbleClay import the 3d model (after Sculpting) and remember to select the mesh before using the UV/Image tool .
<photo>

 After UV mapping the model import it to Blender and Texture it. (I did that cause MarbleClay's UV mapping tool seemed to have simple yet powerful UV mapping tool compare to those mentioned above . But the texturing tool is a bit buggy )

In Blender import the exported model from MarbleClay and go to edit mode . Select the mesh pressing A and go to UV mode.You will see the UV created in MarbleClay.
<photo>

 Open your textured UV in UV window of Blender & you will see the textured preview on the left-hand side.
If you do not see the texture being rendered then click Shading->change Multitexture to GLSL->Check Texture Solid to see the textured model.
<photo>

Or, you can do the whole process in Sculptris without UV mapping . You can use small portion of the photo as brush and paint on the 3D model real time .
<photo>

You export the models in your preferred format to use it with textures in your projects.


 Note: Readers are advised to do a bit of research in net before using any of the software products or any methods mentioned above . Publisher will not be liable for any damages caused to your PC for implementing any procedures .
Thank you for visiting this page .

You can visit my 3D model website too : www.dreamworld.site11.com