Coming from a background of 2D design, 3D modeling and animation was a new and exciting challenge for me. Through trial and error I became better and better at using Blender, and developed modeling skills relatively quickly. I realized working in 2D and 3D have similar creative processes, and I was able to use my existing design knowledege to put together my first few projects. My process is relatively similar to 2D design, and starts with:

Before starting a 3D project, I need inspiration. This comes from many places for me, including social media, architecture, and most importantly music. Listening to music often makes me develop ideas and stories in my head, and I am able to come up with the pacing and style for an animation before I even start if I know what song I want to use.

I have found 3D design to be much more technical than 2D design, and so prototyping is very important in my process. I generally start with reference images to make sure my models are all in scale. I then test out certain animation techniques and adjust my vision for my final product based on what has and hasn't worked in my prototypes.

Once I have found a way to achieve what I want, I start working on all the final touches. This includes the last details for modeling, laying out the entire scene, lighting, and creating shaders/textures.

Rendering 3D animations takes a long time, so I make sure everything is perfect before I start the render. I generally test each feature one by one to try to isolate any bugs or issues. A common example of this in Blender is to run the animation without textures or any extra elements, then add each detail on one by one until I'm sure the whole thing works together as one piece.

For more 3D modeling and animation projects, you can see more on my Instagram @jobuandme.