3D Modeling, Lighting, Rendering II
- 윤경 김
- Sep 1, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 13, 2025
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Spring 2024 - 2025
Average of 15 Students per section
Responsible for teaching a university-level course focused on 3D Modeling, Lighting, and Rendering. Guide students through the entire creative pipeline, from initial concept sketching to sculpting, modeling, and retopology, ensuring a strong foundation in 3D workflow. The course focuses on UV mapping and custom texture painting in 3D Coat, with seamless asset transfer into Cinema 4D for final rendering in Redshift, to achieve high-quality visuals. Students explore real-world references to enhance the believability of their work and apply storytelling techniques to communicate emotion and narrative through CG imagery while creating professional-quality 3D content.
Course Overview
15 weeks schedule
Weekly Assignments and Critique Sessions
2 semester projects and 1 final project
Practicing Documentation & Professional Presentations
Course Agenda
Week 1: Introduction & Course Overview
• Focus: Introduction to the course objectives, tools, and expectations. Overview of Cinema4D, Redshift, and 3D Coat.
Week 2: Introduction to Cinema4D
• Focus: Understanding Redshift renderer
o Render settings
o Redshift light, materials, environment setup
Week 3: Introduction to Sculpting
• Focus: Understand 3D Coat sculpting workspace
o Tips for organic sculpting
o Technical Exercise 1: Sculpting Assignment
Week 4: Hard Surface Sculpting & Retopology
• Focus: Students explore both methods for Retopology in 3D Coat (Manual/Auto) and Cinema4D.
o Technical Exercise 2: Retopology Assignment
Week 5: UV Unwrapping
• Focus: Understand UV Unwrapping and adding Cinema4D to the workflow
o UV Unwrapping using various methods
o Exporting and Importing UV Map
o Technical Exercise 3: UV Unwrapping Assignment
Week 6: Texture Painting
• Focus: Explore painting for various textures
o Utilize various brush textures and depth, gloss, and color settings
o Understand smart materials and displacement maps
Week 7: Texture Maps
• Focus: Deepen understanding of materials, texture, resolution
o Create texture maps and weight maps
o Bake texture and displacement maps
o Technical Exercise 4: Hand-Painted Textures Assignment
Project 1: A Chair Fit for a King
• Focus: Hard surface modeling
• Students take a project from concept to final image, employing the tools for design, modeling, lighting, texturing, and rendering.
Week 9: Feedback & Critique
• Students return from Spring Break to present their project and receive feedback.
Project 2: A Figment of Your Imagination
• Focus: Organic character modeling and posing
• Students take a project from concept to final image employing the tools for design, modeling, lighting, texturing, and rendering.
Week 11: Feedback & Critique
• Students present their project and receive feedback for revision.
Final Project: Photo Series Project
• Create a series of 5 renders, featuring two characters and tell a story.
• Students take a project from concept to final image, employing the tools for design, modeling, lighting, texturing, and rendering.
Week 13: Student Work Week
• Focus: Refine projects with advanced effects and prepare for the final showcase.
• 1:1 meeting with instructor for progress report, feedback, and guidance.
• Lecture on character rigging and posing
Week 14: Student Work Week
• Focus: Refine projects with advanced effects and prepare for the final showcase.
• 1:1 meeting with instructor for progress report, feedback, and guidance.
• Lecture on lighting and rendering with Redshift
Week 15: Final Project Showcase
• Focus: Dedicated time for students to finalize their projects and prepare for the final presentation.
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