Learn The Skills We Use To Make A Full-Time Living in Blender, Get Clients, And Build A Top 1% Portfolio
Without Paid Software, Tricky Tools, Or Loads Of Time.
Join our inner circle of Blender artists & get direct access to us, all of our courses & programs, asset packs, networking group & weekly live calls ($4,870 worth of stuff).
Brands we’ve worked with & featured in:
200,000+
SUBSCRIBERS
28,000+
SUBSCRIBERS
9,000+
SUBSCRIBERS
Companies our students work for:
“We’ve helped over 200,000 artists get their first taste of 3D, and we’re ready to do the same for you.”
"I spent $10k on my degree in 3D, and even after that I have to go outside for more knowledge. This course taught me more than my 3 years in University."
Saurabh
"You keep making these classes and I will keep throwing money at them. Because both of you explain stuff in a way that is easy to understand."
Kyle
"Somebody mentioned I might like hard surface modeling and Blender Bros was the first thing I saw for learning Blender. Glad I picked up the Academy!"
Spewky
Academy Outline
The Hard Surface Academy 2.0 contains our best Blender courses & products - the ones that have gotten our students the most effective and cleanest results.
Module 1: Private Discord Server
Networking Group
Module 2: The Hard Surface Accelerator
Summary of the Accelerator Program
BEGIN:
Learn the UIUNDERSTAND:
Master The Modeling Tools
MASTER:
Become a Topology WizardCREATE:
Design your first hard surface model
BUILD:
Create your very first portfolio piece
Curriculum
Welcome & Blender Installation
How to Navigate Blender and the UI
Basic Commands
Modifiers
Object Mode
Edit Mode
Booleans
Bevels
Mirrors
Solidify
Arrays
Topology & Shading
Materials
Principles of Design
Rendering
Photoshop & Post-Processing
The Big Project – Let’s Design A Mech!
BONUS: How to grow as an artist / building your portfolio
BONUS: Addon workflow
Student Testimonials & Results
Get the Hard Surface Academy 2.0 Today!
Module 3: MaterialWorks Plugin
Blender Materials are
DEAD
Say goodbye to your old material workflow. Forever.
Effortless Materials
– All In One Click
Goodbye, Seams!
Complete Customization – No Nodes Required!
Designed for Hard Surface Artists.
Handcrafted by Hard Surface Artists.
Fully Optimized Maps
Slow PC? Low on memory? Good PC? High on memory?
No problem – we’ve optimized everything for you with 1k and 4k maps.
If you have a powerful machine and don’t care about memory or performance, choose 4k.
If you have a slower machine and less memory, choose 1k.
You can get identical results using 1k maps. Since all of our textures are tileable, simply scale up the 1k map and it’ll look the same as the 4k map – without using any extra memory or bogging down performance.
How neat is that?
Transparency Control
Some of our textures have fully transparent masking abilities.
Whether you want some see-through holes in your model, or perhaps want them closed off, simply adjust the transparency slider for full control.
Emission Control
Spice up your materials with full emission control at the click of a button.
Complete Bevel Control
No matter how tight your geometry is, you can always use bevels without nasty overlaps.
Just tick on the ‘Bevel’ checkbox and a procedural bevel will be added to your model.
NEW: UV Support
If you’re going for a traditional game asset workflow, you’ll need to UV. Not to mention, sometimes UVs are essential in certain situations where procedural mapping won’t work.
Or maybe you just want to unwrap the model and use our textures with it outside of Blender (Substance Painter or Unreal Engine, anyone?)
We’ve added a simple box that allows you to seamlessly swap from UV mapping to procedural mapping – no nodes required.
If you’re working mainly with concept art or want a quick preview of the textures, procedural is the way to go.
If you need UVs for a game asset pipeline, you can swiftly swap to that projection mode with the click of a button.
Material Works
Renders
Get the Hard Surface Academy 2.0 Today!
Module 4: Rendering University
Welcome to
Rendering University!
A step-by-step formula to mastering your presentation skills to build a rewarding career, earn a loyal following, and do work that you're excited about in the world of 3D.
Rendering University will help you master:
The 4 key points needed to get a job in the 3D industry, gain steady clients, and build a loyal following.
How to effectively market your work and begin seeing real results
Composition & lighting techniques needed to bring power and awe to your renders
The skills needed to cross the line from hobbyist to professional 3D artist
The essential workflows behind rendering and compositing your work (from scratch!)
Introducing
RENDERING UNIVERSITY
A comprehensive, proven framework focusing on the essential elements of presentation and portfolio production that will earn you clients and followers.
CHAPTER 1: Framing
Learning how to frame your renders is an essential skill that every 3D artist should have. Without proper framing, your images will look weird and unprofessional. We'll cover:
- The 'Golden Ratio' in 3D
- Leading Lines & Visual Weight
- The Power of Odd Numbers
- Cropping & Negative Space
- Why Breathing Space Is So Important
- Focus, Reflections, & Background Elements
- Frame Filling
- Symmetry & Elements of Importance
- Camera Focal Length & Depth of Field (DOF)
You’ll finish this section with a profound understanding of how to use framing to communicate power & competence in your images.
CHAPTER 2: Lighting
Lighting is the most important element in your renders. With proper lighting, you can make anything look amazing. This is where most 3D artists struggle the most. We'll cover:
- The types of lights you need for a good render
- Qualities of lighting to make your images much more powerful
- How to properly set up lights (and fix common distracting elements)
- A simple way to create depth using light & color
- Why exposure can be a problem if not used correctly
- Why you're probably using lights in Blender incorrectly (and how to fix it!)
Most 3D artists put no effort into their lighting, or simply don't know what they're doing. If you can use lighting to your advantage the right way, your work will stand out amongst your competition and bring attention to your work - guaranteed.
CHAPTER 3: Rendering Engines
There are plenty of different rendering engines that exist in today's 3D world - but there are two that we use the most in Blender: Cycles & Eevee.However, these concepts apply to just about any rendering engine. We'll cover:
- How to get the most out of your rendering engine
- How we render with a low sample count (even with a slow computer!)
- Our personal rendering settings that we've been using for years (on average, our render times are 1-2 mins)
- The best way to utilize nodes in Blender for professional rendering results
- How to set up the compositor & shader editor for maximum results
- Simple environment example, where we'll render a desert scene from scratch
- (Bonus Video) Rules of Composite Images
- (Bonus Video) Story Telling
Rendering engines are super important to get set up correctly. After you've set it up once, you generally don't need to touch it. But it's important that you get it right to maximize your potential results.
CHAPTER 4: Compositing
Our final chapter is all about putting everything together with a practical example. We're going to design a scene completely from scratch, and use all the topics covered in the course up to this point. We'll cover:
- How to assemble a complex scene from scratch
- Compositing, lighting & rendering techniques - practical application
- Post-processing in Photoshop to achieve refined imagery
- How to use Blender's node system & compositor to maximize the effect of your renders
- HDRI setup for a realistic feeling in your scenes
- How to put everything in the first 3 chapters together
- Detailed explanation of the thought process needed for composition & framing
Rendering engines are super important to get set up correctly. After you've set it up once, you generally don't need to touch it. But it's important that you get it right to maximize your potential results.
Rendering
University
Get the Hard Surface Academy 2.0 Today!
What's Included In The Bootcamp...
Each chapter is short, to the point, and generally under 10 minutes long. You should be able to complete most of the core chapters in just one sitting.
CHAPTER 1
Shading Setup
Most Blender users have a completely incorrect Blender setup. In order to actually understand the form and balance of your shape, you need to enable some secret settings the really make your models "pop". We'll discuss:
- Why cavity shading is incredibly important
- Matcaps and how they help the eye when designing
- Ridges and valleys and how they emphasize your visual details
CHAPTER 2
The Creative Approach
"How do you even come up with these shapes?" Hold your horses, cowboy, because that is exactly what this chapter will discuss. You'll master:
- The thought process behind designing a shape from scratch - without references!
- How you can use existing shapes to build additional detail
- Why the best shapes require the least amount of thinking - seriously!
CHAPTER 3
Thinking About Details
Ok... so you've built your base shape. Fantastic! But once that is done, how do we actually think about details so that way we can keep building on top of our design? Well, that's what this chapter will cover, including:
- My analytical approach for adding detail after creating my basic shape
- Using chamfers, bevels, and booleans to create more powerful, dynamic details
- How to use cavity highlights to emphasize the strengths of your shape and understand it's overall form
CHAPTER 4
Echoing and Detail Clustering
These are the two most important elements of 3D and visual design. Fortunately for you, most artists don't know how to use these effectively, meaning you can jump ahead of most of your competition with ease. This chapter will allow you to:
- The thought process behind designing a shape from scratch - without references!
- How you can use existing shapes to build additional detail
- Why the best shapes require the least amount of thinking - seriously!
CHAPTER 5
The Power of Empty Space
This is the biggest cause of confusion for most artists: Should I add detail to fill my empty space? The simple answer: NO! This section will discuss:
- The thought process behind designing a shape from scratch - without references!
- How you can use existing shapes to build additional detail
- Why the best shapes require the least amount of thinking - seriously!
CHAPTER 6
Expanding Detail
Ok... you've created your base shape. At this point, you need to expand your detail. In this chapter, we'll discuss the process and the approach you need to do so, including:
- How to use the principles of echoing and detail distribution to make your models 10x more appealing
- The best way to increase complexity without compromising the quality of your models
- Taking advantage of empty space to increase the visual appeal of your models
CHAPTER 7
'Breaking' Empty Space
So we've already discussed how empty space is crucial to the development of your shapes. But can we break this rule and eat into it? The simple answer: yes. But you need to be careful, which is why in this section we'll discuss:
- The proper way to break into empty space without sacrificing quality
- How to break into empty space... without actually breaking into it (confusing, but it actually works!)
- Taking advantage of empty space to increase the visual appeal of your models
CHAPTER 8
Breaking the Symmetry
Symmetry is a fantastic element to have, but often times, it is better to break the symmetry. Simply put, if each axis is a mirror of the other axis - it could be a good idea to break that effect. We can do so by:
- Adding simple elements that pull attention towards one side of your design due to the lack of symmetry
- Making out shape asymmetrical on at least one axis
- Reusing shapes that already exist, but on one side of the design instead
CHAPTER 9
Remeshing
In a traditional sense, remeshing allows you to get "clean" topology on your model. But in terms of visual design and creating well-balanced shapes, we can actually use Blender's remesher to enhance the look of our models. We can do so by:
- Using the Remesh Modifier to 'soften' our shapes
- Improving the form and edge definition that the Remesh modifier gives us
- Making the model look more dynamic and visually interesting via remeshing
CHAPTER 10
Using Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Detail
You've probably heard of this before: Primary detail is your base shape, secondary detail are your supporting elements, and tertiary detail is what adds that level of complexity. In this chapter, we'll discuss:
- How to 'think' about different layers of detail in order to get the most appealing shape possible
- The reason increasing visual complexity is so important for the aesthetics of your models
- How to incorporate our previous elements of visual design to expand our levels of detail
CHAPTER 11
Working from References
You don't need reference images, but they are incredibly useful for getting ideas for your shapes and designs. This chapter will discuss:
- How to use reference photos to help expand your creative library
- Developing a collection of reference photos and styles to give you ideas and inspiration
- The core benefits of using reference photos to help give you ideas
CHAPTER 12
Importance of Functionality
Functionality is important when you're trying to create realistic designs and concept art. That is why this chapter is all about how to create functional elements, including:
- How to "fake" detail by making it look functional (even if it's not!)
- The easiest way to use what we call "implied functionality" to balance both form and function in your designs
- Using elements of your shape to also work as a functional element
CHAPTER 13
How to design from all angles
Ideally, your models should look good from all angles: top, bottom, and side. That means to need to design from all angles as well. This chapter will cover:
- The easiest way to create detail from all angles
- Top, front, and side views and how to ensure all portions are equally balanced
- An easy way to add dynamic detail to each side of your designs
CHAPTER 14
How to create your own style
A big issue we see is style. When taking courses and watching tutorials, it's very easy to develop somebody else's style. In this chapter, we'll show you how to break free and build your own style, including:
- Examples from our own personal porfolios
- 3D, photography, and other portfolio examples
- How other expert artists break into their own style, and how you can replicate that
CHAPTER 15
Materials and Colors
Materials and colors are a great way to emphasize important elements of your shapes. Generally, we like to stick with 3-4 materials max, and this chapter will show you:
- What NOT to do when adding materials to your objects
- How to highlight the areas of your models you want to bring attention to
- How different materials and colors yield completely different results on your renders
CHAPTER 16
Planar Shifts
Planar Shifts are an effective way to 'transfer' details from one area of your shapes to another. This chapter will show you:
- Why planar shifts are super effective for bringing elements of detail to your shapes.
- Our favorite approach to creating planar shifts to bring more visual interest to your shapes
- How planar shifts highlight different areas of your models
Get the Hard Surface Academy 2.0 Today!
Plus you'll get
Bonuses worth $1,457 absolutely FREE with Hard Surface Academy 2.0
DISCOUNT EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
FREE BONUS #1:
ULTIMATE Trim Sheet & Decal Bundle
You don't have to model everything on your design - in fact, it's quite the contrary. You can use decals and trim sheets to quickly add detail in seconds. This pack contains:
- 12 SciFi trim sheets (textured & non-textured)
- H12 SciFi trim sheets (textured & non-textured) 460 SciFi decals
- 11 ID Maps for your own custom texturing
FREE BONUS #2:
Legacy Blender Courses
We’ve included 10 additional hard surface modeling courses created as part of our membership program. These are brief mini-courses that you can watch to learn different workflows and maximize your 3D modeling potential. These courses include:
- Design a SciFi Vehicle in Blender
- SciFi Door Design in Blender
- Design a SciFi Helmet
- Stim Gun Design in Blender
- Catana Interceptor Ship Tutorial
- Robotic Arm Design in Blender
- SciFi Handgun Design in Blender
- Recon Cannon Design in Blender
- Futuristic Knife Design in Blender
- Plasma Cannon Tutorial
FREE BONUS #3:
Pro Masterclasses
We have a private coaching program with a limited number of students. We’ve decided to take ALL the masterclasses from that program and package them here in the Academy as well. These include trainings on:
- ReThinking Your Portfolio
- Understanding Depth of Field
- Marketing, Providing Value, & Building and Audience
- Importance of Negative Space
- The Mindset for Success in 3D
- The Mastery of One Light
- The Power of Polygons
- Photoshop: A Masterclass in Curves
- Dynamic Elements in Hard Surface Modeling
- The Power of Progressive Detailing
FREE BONUS #4:
PDFs & Guides
Sometimes a guide can come in handy for quick reference when designing or modeling. We’ve included 3 of our popular PDF guides as part of the program, including:
- Our ‘5 Powerful Design Elements’ visual design guide
- Hard Ops & Boxcutter Essential Shortcuts List
- The Exporting Guide: How to bring your models to other software, like game engines or texturing applications.
BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
Let’s Recap What You’ll Get When You Grab Hard Surface Academy 2.0 Today:
Total Value: $4,870
$997
What results our students are getting
Meet Blender Bros
Ponte Ryuurui (Ryuu) is a Tokyo-based multi-genre artist, author and educator. His current focus is on 3D hard surface concept art and creating 3D courses for Blender. Ryuu is also a professional portrait photographer and a certified Master of Japanese Calligraphy with All Japan Calligraphy and Literature Assoication, as well as an author of several books on the subject of Japanese writing systems.
Josh is a 3D hard surface artist, educator, and YouTube who has been using the Blender 3D software for nearly a decade. He has a passion for helping people fulfill their 3D goals and visions, while also providing the necessary resources needed to achieve mastery. You can find his hard surface modeling tutorials on YouTube, where he helps over 190,000 artists master their craft.
New Refund Policy
Although our refund rate is less than 1%, it always makes our students more comfortable having a refund policy “just in case”. So for that reason, we’re implementing a 7-day money-back guarantee so you have time to go through the content and get comfortable with it. If you’re not getting the value you expected, shoot us an email within 7 days for a full refund, no questions asked.
Frequently Asked Questions
We can't perform magic, or force you to put in the work. But what we can do, is tell you that if you follow our training programs, put the teachings to use, and practice consistently, then you will see results within a few weeks.
On average, courses range from 2-4 hours in length.
Upon purchase, you'll have immediate access to all content via your library on our website. All videos are streamable up to 1080p
No. The first 5 courses are the most important if you want to see actual results. 80% of results come from 20% of actions, so if you're overwhelmed, don't be. We've also provided a PDF upon purchase guiding you through the content and where to go if you need help.
You'll get access to Ryuu and I via the private Discord server inside the program. If you have questions about your purchase, simply email us at info@blenderbros.com. We reply pretty quickly unless we're sleeping.
No. The program will pay for itself once you access all the information inside.
Yes it is. In fact, you can learn anything on YouTube. The point of this program is to package everything we know to save you time and to avoid digging through all the fluff out there on the Internet. If you don't respect your own time, this program probably isn't the right fit for you. Our students level up quickly because we have direct and concise information ready for you to consume.
Unleash Your Design Skills!
Are you ready to dive into the world of hard surface modeling in Blender? Then join the Hard Surface Academy today.
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