3D OBJECT STUDIO PROJECT
CAVA1001 VISUAL ARTS FOUNDATION 3D OBJECT STUDIO
1
Digital Travels (Part 2- Lofting)
• In Object mode, Select all (A) outlines, and then click on Transform Pivot point icon
in the 3D view header along the top. Select Individual origins. Then press R, X, -90
to rotate the outlines along the x- axis.
• Now go to Front Orthographic View. Select all and click on Transform Pivot point
icon, select 3D cursor. Then press R, X, 90.
• In Object Mode, select all (A) and press CTRL+J to join all three maps
• To merge the 3 outlines into one 3D object, go to EDIT mode and select all outlines,
(A) then right click and select Loop Tools > Loft
• Your 3 outlines should now be connected as one faceted 3D object.
Digital Travels (Part 3- Unfolding)
• Now that you have created your 3D model, we are going to turn it into a 2D template,
which you can print out and fold like origami to re-create the 3D shape.
• Make sure you have downloaded the Paper Model Add-on in Blender.
• To the right of your 3D view, you will see a little tab that says Paper. Press the tab to
open the Paper properties.
• Press A to select your model, and then select Unfold in the Paper Properties.
• In some cases, the geometry will not allow for a smooth transition from 3D model to
2D paper template. Blender will highlight the problematic faces in orange. This can
often be fixed quite easily through the addition of more “folds”, i.e. triangular faces.
• With the highlighted faces selected, right click on the mouse to bring up the Loop
Tools Properties. Select Triangulate Faces. This should rectify any geometry issues
• Select Export Paper Model in Paper Properties, ensure the Automatic scale box is
ticked and page size is set at A3. Name your file and save.
• Print and cut out 2D template. Fold along tabs and glue together to recreate your 3D
model.