Download Blender here

Download the exercise files here

The Brief

To start, generate your unique client brief at www.randomprojectgenerator.com.

Class Project 01 - Collage

You’ve been asked to make a 3D collage of images to show the aesthetic of the brand. Download a few suitable images from the web and arrange them in 3D, then render it out. The image will be used on social media.

You can download free stock images from Unsplash or Pixabay.

Requirements:
- 3 or more images in the scene
Deliverables:
- Render your scene and export a square PNG
- Upload it to the Class Project/Assignments section of this website.
- Share on social media as well:
  - Instagram: @bringyourownlaptop
  - Facebook group here
  - LinkedIn group here

Class Project 02 - Bottle modeling

You’ve been asked to design a custom bottle for the brand. Your job is to model the bottle and its cap, choosing a distinct style that fits the brand’s identity.

Focus on exploring shapes to make a unique bottle for your brand.

Requirements:
- Model a bottle and its cap
- Keep the polygon-count reasonably low

Deliverables:
- Screenshot your finished model in both solid view and wireframe view
- Upload it to the Class Project/Assignments section of this website.
- Share on social media as well:
  - Instagram: @bringyourownlaptop
  - Facebook group here
  - LinkedIn group here

Class Project 03 - Bottle shading

To finish the 3D model and make it ready for rendering, add materials to it. Experiment with different colors, roughness levels, and metals—whatever best suits your brand. If your bottle is transparent, fill it with liquid.

Requirements:
- Use Cycles while working with materials
- Apply an HDRI to the scene environment
- Add materials to your model

Deliverables:
- Screenshot your result in the rendered view
- Upload it to the Class Project/Assignments section of this website.
- Share on social media as well:
  - Instagram: @bringyourownlaptop
  - Facebook group here
  - LinkedIn group here

Class Project 04 - Product render

Time has come to photograph the brand’s bottle in a digital studio. The client wants a simple but visually striking setup to showcase their bottle. Design a stage using geometric shapes and experiment with lighting.

Have fun exploring different compositions, lighting setups, and shapes.

Requirements:
- Build a studio using objects from the add menu Copy the bottle into the stage
- You may use an HDRI, but the main light has to be a light object
- Keep the design simple but effective. Less is more.

Deliverables:
- Render your scene in Cycles
- Save a 1920x1080 PNG or JPG.
- Upload it to the Class Project/Assignments section of this website.
- Share on social media as well:
  - Instagram: @bringyourownlaptop
  - Facebook group here
  - LinkedIn group here

Class Project 05 - Character modeling

The brand is looking for a fun, recognizable mascot to use in marketing materials. Your task is to design and model a cute 3D character that fits the brand’s personality. For an extra challenge, you can make the character an animal.

Focus on creating appealing shapes with simple, blocky objects.

Requirements:
- Use subdivision modeling
- Separate limbs so they can move independently

Deliverables:
- Screenshot your character in solid view
- Upload it to the Class Project/Assignments section of this website.
- Share on social media as well:
  - Instagram: @bringyourownlaptop
  - Facebook group here
  - LinkedIn group here

Class Project 06 - Character shading

Now that you’ve modeled your character, it’s time to bring them to life with materials. The client wants the mascot to feel friendly, simple, and in line with their brand.

Use materials to differentiate parts like the skin, fur, clothing, eyes, and any accessories. Think about roughness, metallic accents, and how to create interesting contrasts.

Requirements:
- Regularly check your materials with a Cycles render
- Use an HDRI when rendering
Deliverables:
- Render your character with Cycles
- Save it as a PNG or JPEG
- Upload it to the Class Project/Assignments section of this website.
- Share on social media as well:
  - Instagram: @bringyourownlaptop
  - Facebook group here
  - LinkedIn group here

Class Project 07 - Character animation

The brand wants to see the mascot come to life with a simple animation. You’ll rig your character using parenting, and animate a short idle animation—just a few seconds of subtle motion to give your character some personality.

Have the character stand in one spot. Think of breathing, blinking, swaying, waving or any small movement that adds life without being over the top. For an extra challenge, make the animation loop seamlessly.

Requirements:
- Use parenting to attach bodyparts together
- Animate a 2-5 second idle animation
- You may render in Cycles or Eevee

Deliverables:
- Set the output resolution to a square format (720×720 or 1080×1080)
- Render your animation either
  - as an FFmpeg video with MPEG-4 compression,
  - or save an image sequence and compile it into a video.
- Upload it to the Class Project/Assignments section of this website.
- Share on social media as well:
  - Instagram: @bringyourownlaptop
  - Facebook group here
  - LinkedIn group here

Class Project 08 - Packaging

The bottle needs a box to seem more expensive. Design a box that will contain the bottle you’ve made, and render an image of it.

Focus on simple shapes. Most boxes are cubes, so there’s no need to make it more complicated. Focus instead on visible seams in the cardboard and variation in textures. You can download free textures from polyhaven.com. If you want text, you can make your own custom texture or use 3D text.

Requirements:
- UV unwrap the box however you want
- Use textures
- Render in Eevee or Cycles

Deliverables:
- Save a JPEG or PNG image
- Upload it to the Class Project/Assignments section of this website.
- Share on social media as well:
  - Instagram: @bringyourownlaptop
  - Facebook group here
  - LinkedIn group here

Todd Haynes

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