June 1, 2025
Blender Foundations
Roland Hess
I chose to read this book, to refresh my knowledge of 3d computer modeling software and to gain awareness of new programs that are popular with young architects and artists I may someday employ.
I was a member of the earliest generation of young architects to learn how to model using 3d software. During my first year at graduate school in 1992, we learned both 3d Studio and Autocad. My school was also at the forefront of virtual reality research and we actually made VR models that were mapped to a VR environment and donned helmets (quite a bit larger than the Oculus goggles of today) to inhabit our handiwork. During my time in graduate school, I developed an expert level of understanding in 3d software modelling and computer aided representation. That knowledge served me well during my early years as an architectural designer. In a tight market for young design architects, I always had job offers and upward mobility. Over the years, I continued to develop these skills, and my expertise grew for some time until I reached a senior level of responsibility. At that point, I had younger designers working for me and that led me back to more hand drawing and less time with 3d programs.
I decided that now would be a good opportunity to re-acquaint myself with 3d modelling. I chose Blender amongst the myriad of programs because, being free, it is very popular with students and game designers. I like that flexibility as my future might give me cause to utilize these talented people, so being conversant in a popular program is akin to understanding a secret language.
What I learned from this book was that much of what I learned 30 years ago is still the basis of 3d design work today. Blender Foundations is a clearly worded, if somewhat quirky, dive into the basics of the Blender modelling software. Roland Hess does a good job of building up foundational knowledge from basic commands through animating a fully rendered video, by working through an example scene. His approach is to assume that the reader has no 3d modelling experience. I am quite a bit advanced of that level, but it was still good to start from scratch. Many of the basic logic is that same from program to program but the actual commands, and order of operations can differ. One of the obvious difficulties in this is not having the program and a computer to work through the lessons. I could still follow along however, and I believe I can use this book as reference once I get out and back to my career.
What I will take from this book, is that while basis and logic of 3d modelling has stayed that same, the advancement of technology, and maturing of community has created exciting opportunities for the future of this field. Many of the advancements allow users now to create and manipulate models in a few keystrokes that used to take us writing hundreds of lines of code to accomplish. There are also marketplaces now for models, animations, character models, etc.. that can be purchased for relatively small amounts that would take weeks to model from scratch. With regards to architecture, it is much the same. One can now drop their virtual building into a model of virtual New York, Miami, or London for a relatively small fee and creating realistic renderings and animations in a few weeks. By contrast, it took nearly a month for me to model the 1996 Olympic stadium and Olympic torch for the Coca-Cola website. AI will only make these changes come faster. Hopefully, in time, it will be possible for artists (and not AI’s) to develop dozens of variations on scenes in a relatively short amount of time. This could lead to some really exciting work. But we must remember, that the person behind the program, must still have artistry, knowledge and skill to develop such solutions, and that doesn’t come from merely reading a book.
