Having now tried several attempts at constructing spaces by making models in the style of James Casebere, I have begun to feel that I just don't have the ability to make models that I think are of high enough quality in time for the end of this module. With this in mind, I began to think recently about other ways of image making and model making, and while doing so, I cam across the work of Richard Kolker who used 3D rendering software to construct digital images with a photographic feel to them. Having an interest in both computer technology and film, I have been aware of different software packages for 3D rendering for a while, and one such software has been getting a lot of attention lately due to its ability to create high end, almost Hollywood grade, 3D graphics, and, more notably, that its totally free.
Blender (Blender Foundation, 2020) refers to itself as a "free and open source 3D creation suite", meaning it facilitates the entire process 3D image creation from basic modelling, through texturing and lighting, out to final render. With a bit of further research I found that there are a plethora of tutorial videos on how to use the software on youtube. I decided to follow one such tutorial in order to gain an idea of how possible it may be to use this software for my own work, as it seems it may be possible to create my models within this software, to a much higher quality than I can do physically. The tutorial I followed was recommended on the Blender page itself, and turns out to be one of the most popular beginners tutorials, taking you through the basics of the software, into some more advanced features, and eventually finishing with an impressively detailed, even photo-realistic, final render of a doughnut and a coffee.
Having managed to complete this render in just a day, I felt that this software really had the potential to create some beautiful and convincing imagery, or more to the point, that I had the ability to learn how to use the software to create such imagery. moving on from the doughnut tutorial, I decided to try another tutorial by the same youtuber (Blender Guru), but one more in line with what I would actually be trying to produce. This time I tied my hand at some more architectural, following Blender Guru's Bathroom tutorial to create a room with different materials and a realistic space.
(Screenshot from Blender During the modelling process of my bathroom scene)
(The final render of my Bathroom scene)
With this tutorial finished and rendered out within the space of a couple of days, I now felt that this was most definitely the way for me to create images during the pandemic. Not only did it mean that I could continue making imagery without having to break quarantine or travelling rules (Living in wales we are not currently allowed to travel more than five miles at the time of writing), and it also means that I wont have to gain permissions to create images of darkroom spaces, which seems that it would have been a difficulty anyways. However, this method of image creation is not a holy grail. These two first renders were quite simple, and I had a tutorial to follow. Now its time to create something of my own, without a tutorial.
Blender Foundation, 2020. Blender.Org - Home Of The Blender Project - Free And Open 3D Creation Software. [online] blender.org. Available at: <https://www.blender.org/> [Accessed 28 July 2020].
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