Library Subject Guides
You might be used to working in 2D digitally, but what about 3D? We'll explore how to make things in three dimensions on a computer, from finding models to building your own. This page will guide you through the key information to get started with creating your first 3D model, and to think about what applications it may have.
Three dimensional (3D) models and environments appear in many things we use, such as playing video games, viewing an product or 3D printing your own inventions.
They're different to 2D (flat) models and images, as they have depth, as well as height and width. To understand how to create 3D models, it can be useful to remind yourself of the key properties of 3D shape you may have been taught at school. 3D shapes are made up of faces, connected by vertices (corners) and edges.
There's loads of useful applications as to why you may want to create a 3D model. It's worth considering what purpose you're planning on using it for, as the design process can vary a little. Here's a few common applications:
The way a computer understands a 3D model is by plotting the vertices and other elements of a shape on a three dimensional set of axis, like plotting points on a graph. We then use these axis to move, scale and rotate parts of a shape into the desired position. These axis are usually labelled as: X (side to side), Y (front to back) and Z (up and down).
Depending on what tool you are using, the X and Y axis may be the other way around, with Y meaning up and down, rather than Z.
Often, you will have controls to move either a whole shape, or parts of a shape (like a vertex) along once of these axis to modify a shape. They can come in very useful to ensure shapes remain regular and not wonky.
To start creating 3D models, you will need to use a 3D modelling tool. There are many out there and they can be expensive, but there are also free and open source options, some of which we'll explore below. Bear in mind that some of them can have a steep learning curve, so some of the more simple options can be a good starting point for getting to grips with the concepts.
The tool you choose depends on the reason you're creating a 3D model. For measurement specific 3D printing, a CAD tool can be useful. For creating an digital asset for a game or virtual environment, a tool like Blender may be more suitable.
Some tools are designed for CAD (computer aided design), e.g. manufacturing and making physical things, and others are designed for 3D modelling, e.g. making 3D objects for games and films. However, there can be overlap and lots of tools can be used for a range of 3D models.
There are a few tools which are great places to get started, to aid you in getting used to navigating around a 3D environment and to experiment with manipulating 3D shapes. Most of these tools work by starting with a simple shape, like a cube, which you can then scale and rotate. To make more complex shapes, you can Add and Subtract multiple shapes together to create more complex shapes.
Blender is a free and open source 3D modelling tool that can be used as a desktop application on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is a commonly used tool and you'll find lots of help and guidance for using it online.
Blender can do many things; including 3D modelling, creating realistic looking materials, animation and much more. For this reason, it can be a little tricky to learn as it has many complex abilities. Luckily, we offer an introductory Blender workshop and there are a huge range of resources and guides for learning blender online. Although a little complex, it can be very useful if you are needing to create more complex and realistic looking shapes.
Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools are programs designed specifically for the designing of products/items that need to be measurement specific, and potentially easily edited in the future. These tools lend themselves to the development of parts for 3D printing, or for prototyping a design or product.
The process for using these tools works slightly differently to some other modelling tools. Rather than modifying an existing 3D shape, you start by drawing a 2D sketch (a bit like a technical drawing). When your sketch is finished, you can then use tools to Extrude (push/pull) to turn it into a 3D shape. Here are some CAD tools you can access with educational access:
When getting started with 3D modelling, you may need to play about with with curved or complex shapes to get exactly the outline shape you need. Sometimes it helps to first draw the outline shape you want first, using a 2D drawing tool. You can use the in-built paint or drawing app on your device, draw the shape in Microsoft PowerPoint, or use an open-source drawing tool like Inkscape.
Once you have a 2D outline shape, some tools like Microsoft's 3D builder and Tinkercad allow you to import in a 2D image file, where it can then try to convert this shape into 3D for you. It's not always perfect, but can be a good starting point to then add more 3D shapes to it.
As well as making 3D models yourself, you can find 3D assets that others have made or scan physical objects using 3D scanning devices or apps.
Just like with images, audio, and video, you can find a range of free-to-use 3D assets and models online, which you can use according to the licence/terms given on the website. You might want to use these models to edit (if that's allowed for the model in question) and customise. You can also use these models if you're learning other skills like game design, animation, and virtual reality, so you don't have to create all your 3D assets from scratch.
These sites can also be focused on 3D printing, for example the site Thingiverse has a range of 3D models that are mostly designed with 3D printing in mind.
Another way to get 3D models is to use a 3D scanning tool to scan physical items and turn them into 3D models. You need to pay attention to file types and whether or not you want to capture the colour/texture of the original item.
Take a look at the Creativity Lab's 101 video, which covers some ideas on getting started with modelling and some of the key terminology you might come across:
Forthcoming sessions on … :
There's more training events at:
