// 2026–2027
The year’s program
Ten blocks from finding your way around the interface to a portfolio page. Every block ends with a checkpoint and has a challenge.
#The block map
00The Blender interfaceThe viewport, axis navigation, selection, the object hierarchy and property panels — before your first blockout.01Your first object in one sessionFive tools, mirror symmetry and face colors — no UV unwrapping.02Extended toolkit and detailingKnife, Subdivision Surface, Boolean and Merge: asymmetric forms and assembly from parts.03Modeling from referencesDon’t invent proportions — check them against an image right in the viewport.04Topology and retopologyWhy “just making the shape” is not enough: will this mesh survive movement?05Your own game object — the flagship projectThe biggest project of the half-year, from your own idea: silhouette, details, palette, pose.06Rigging in 15 minutes (and a bit more)One repeatable Rigify sequence to bring your own object to life with a simple loop.07Preparing a model for a game engineThree things that break an export: transforms, scale and normals.08An AR showcase without special hardwareYour own model in augmented reality on your own phone — via a link or a QR code.09The final project and your portfolio pageOne finished, well-documented project — and a page you can proudly show outside the club.
#Checkpoints and challenges
Every block ends with a real artifact (the checkpoint) and offers a harder version for those who move faster (the challenge).
| # | Block | sessions | Checkpoint | Challenge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | The Blender interface | 1 | You confidently orbit the view, select objects and mesh elements, and find the right properties panel without being told. | Find all six orthographic views on your own keyboard (with or without a numpad) and teach the trick to the person next to you. |
| 1 | Your first object in one session | 2 | A finished, colored, symmetrical object — your first showpiece of the year. | A second object with more complex symmetry, or a palette for a mood (“rusty metal” vs “neon toy”). |
| 2 | Extended toolkit and detailing | 2–3 | Your object from block 1, refined and assembled from several parts. | The same model with a moving part (lid, door, turret) — a separate object with its own origin. |
| 3 | Modeling from references | 3–4 | Your own object (car, weapon, character, building) modeled from a reference: blockout and detailing. | An object with complex symmetry or a mechanism, or your own drawn reference instead of a found photo. |
| 4 | Topology and retopology | 2–3 | Your object from block 3, checked and retopologized: clean mesh exactly where the movement will be. | The same model with a deliberately reduced polygon budget (LOD thinking). |
| 5 | Your own game object — the flagship project | 4–5 | A finished, presentable object — the portfolio piece of the first half of the year. | A simple pose or expression (characters) or a functional moving part (props, weapons). |
| 6 | Rigging in 15 minutes (and a bit more) | 2–3 | Your block 5 object, animated with a simple loop (walk, spin, open) through a rig you built yourself. | Understand bone layers and tidy them up on your own. |
| 7 | Preparing a model for a game engine | 2–3 | The model is exported in a format for your target (engine or web) and verified: scale and normals are intact. | Compare the model’s Dimensions with the real-world size of the thing you imagined. |
| 8 | An AR showcase without special hardware | 2 | The model opens in AR via a link or QR code; shown live “on the table” through the camera. | Tune the angle and lighting (auto-rotate, camera-orbit) so the model shows its best side right away. |
| 9 | The final project and your portfolio page | 2–3 | A published portfolio page: a GLB model, screenshots of the journey and a short description. | Prepare and rehearse a live talk for demo day (1–2 minutes). |
#Guiding rules
- Every block ends with a real artifact you can show — not an exercise for its own sake.
- Intermediate versions are saved as separate files (
_step1.blend,_step2.blend…): miss a session and you continue from a checkpoint. - Every task has a challenge — not a new track, but a harder version of the same task.
- Show-and-tell every 2–3 sessions: everybody briefly shows their screen, the others say what worked and add one piece of advice.
- Self-expression comes first. You choose the object in every block (within the block’s requirements); the difficulty adapts, the topic doesn’t.
- Break down → work on the parts → assemble at the end. A complex idea isn’t built as one solid piece: you split it into logical parts, make each a separate object and assemble them at the end. This strategy appears in Block 2 and becomes key in Block 5.
#What the program builds on
The program is based on proven methods rather than invented from scratch: a five-hotkey blockout and color without UV unwrapping (Imphenzia), one project through the full cycle with checkpoint files (Blender Guru), a quick character build-out and references (Grant Abbitt), clean topology through simple shapes (CG Cookie), an up-to-date 2026 checklist from Blender to a game engine, and <model-viewer> for AR from a phone. The full list is on the Resources page.