Creative 3D Animation in Blender
A course by Paulo Filipe Souza3D Artist and Art Director
A course by Paulo Filipe Souza, 3D Artist and Art Director
Learn to boost your creative ideas in 3D and produce a professional lookdev
In 3D animation, the lookdev, also known as visual development, is when the magic happens. It's the moment the project finally comes together in all its glory of light, shadow, and unique textures. 3D artist and art director Paulo Filipe Souza, who has worked with renowned organizations and agencies such as Africa DDB, Wunderman Thompson, and W/McCann, understands that throughout this process, every detail counts.
In this course, learn to create a 3D animation and tell stories with a professional lookdev in Blender. With Paulo as your guide, explore the main tools this software has to offer and produce one-of-a-kind 3D visuals.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 11 downloads
Modeling: creating objects from scratch
9 minutes, 39 seconds
Lighting: far beyond light and dark
12 minutes, 15 seconds
Shading: giving life to gray
9 minutes, 27 seconds
Enough of inertia!
6 minutes, 59 seconds
creating the scene
18 minutes, 21 seconds
Focus on the story: plan camera, lights and composition
13 minutes, 43 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know your teacher, Paulo Filipe Souza. He talks about his career so far with a selection of his most-outstanding projects and shares his main artistic influences.
Then get stuck in by discovering the first stages of a 3D animation in Blender. See how to create and model 3D objects from scratch and learn the importance of adequate lighting and how to achieve it. Paulo explains how to add volume and texture such as shading to your creations and how to animate a 3D object using Rigging.
Now get started on your own 3D animation! With the help of your teacher, model a series of objects for your composition. Then, plan the camera angles and movements, lighting, and composition of each shot to guarantee that your story achieves its full visual and narrative potential. Paulo also teaches you techniques specific to animating your character and shows you how to apply Shaders to each object, as well as tricks for really making your project stand out from the crowd.
Wrap things up by learning all about postproduction and the final touches using After Effects and Blender compositing. If you want to create a static image, Paulo also walks you through how to edit stills in Photoshop. With all the tools to turn a simple idea into a one-of-a-kind 3D piece, it's time to introduce the world to your animations!
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Create a complete 3D character animation from object modeling in Blender to postproduction in Adobe After Effects and Photoshop.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Designers, animators, and anyone interested in creating a professional lookdev, improving the visual and narrative quality of their 3D projects, or deepening their knowledge of digital animation.
Requirements and materials
Basic knowledge of Blender is essential for this course.
In terms of materials, you need a computer with access to Blender, a mouse, and if you like, a graphics tablet. For the postproduction stage, Adobe After Effects and Photoshop would be useful, although not essential.
Reviews
- 1 month ago
spiegato male e poco chiaro
- 6 months ago
Interesante
- 8 months ago
A didática do professor é muita boa, resumida e direta, de criação de objetos do zero, iluminação, aos toques finais, um curso rápido porem bastante útil, o básico para diversos projetos de animação.
- 9 months ago
un cours très instructif. Bravo
- 9 months ago
Questo cosro è ben fatto! Spiega perfettamente come usare Blender. Consiglio a tutti.
He has worked for some of Brazil's top organizations and agencies such as Africa DDB, JWT (now Wunderman Thompson), W/McCann, and more. He has also won and placed as a finalist in several international awards like Cannes, Clio, and Effie, as well as produced pieces for Avon, Disney, Puma, Fox, and Kellogg's.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
knowing the process
- Modeling: creating objects from scratch
- Lighting: far beyond light and dark
- Shading: giving life to gray
- Enough of inertia!
- U3
Project production
- creating the scene
- Focus on the story: plan camera, lights and composition
- More animation!
- Lookdev and more lookdev!
- finishing touches
- U4
Post-production and retouching
- Losing Fear of Blender Composer
- Final stretch: post-production in After Effects
- But what if it's Still? Post-production in Photoshop
- FP
Final project
- Creative 3D animation in Blender
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
The course is intermediate level, designed for those with basic 3D knowledge or experience with software like Blender or Cinema 4D. Absolute beginners might find it challenging.
You’ll need Blender, Mari, Cinema 4D, and After Effects installed to follow the hands-on lessons and complete the exercises.
You’ll learn modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging, basic animation, realistic rendering, post-production, and how to integrate 3D with art direction in advertising projects.
Drawing skills aren’t required, but having some understanding of art and visual composition will make learning easier and improve your 3D and art direction results.
By the end of the course, you’ll have complete projects in modeling, rendering, and 3D animation applied to advertising, ready to build a strong visual portfolio.
Yes, the course covers realistic rendering techniques, lighting, materials, and composition to create striking 3D images for ad campaigns.
Yes, it teaches how to combine art direction concepts with 3D workflows to produce visually coherent, creative projects that meet advertising industry demands.