Leonard.hinz

Animation

Biotech - Blender Exploration

09. August 2024

A personal project created to explore Blender as a 3D tool for modeling, texturing, lighting, and animation. The goal was to learn the full workflow inside Blender while experimenting with sci-fi aesthetics and procedural techniques.

Overview

As Blender continues to grow and evolve, it’s becoming one of the most popular and capable 3D tools — open source, free to use, and supported by a large community. I wanted to learn Blender as a potential alternative to Cinema 4D, so I created this fictional biotech-inspired object as a practical learning project. The scene was built entirely in Blender, including modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering, with post-production done in After Effects. A small loop animation and several still renders were created to test materials, composition, and camera movement.

Modeling & Design

The object was designed with a sci-fi biotech theme in mind — combining organic shapes with industrial elements. Modeling was done using Blender’s native tools along with HardOps and other workflow add-ons to speed up detailing and boolean operations.

Blender viewport

HardOps Boxcutter interface (image source: https://www.blendernation.com/2020/04/04/blender-add-ons-review-boxcutter-and-hard-ops/#prettyPhoto/2/)

Texturing & Lighting

All textures were created procedurally inside Blender using the node system. Emission materials, cloth elements, and reflective surfaces were combined to create contrast and depth. Lighting focused on a cold sci-fi mood with soft rim light and subtle emission glow.

UI texture for the glass

Dust Fiber for the background

Example of the object’s dirt material node setup — no longer functional in newer Blender versions. :(

Animation & Rendering

A short loop animation was created to test motion and lighting changes. Rendering was done using Cycles and the final sequence was composited and color-graded in After Effects

Reflection

Blender offers a huge range of tools and possibilities, especially with its open-source community and countless add-ons.
While this flexibility is a major advantage, it can also be a challenge since many features rely on third-party tools rather than being integrated natively. Overall, this project was a great introduction to Blender’s workflow and confirmed its potential as a serious alternative to Cinema 4D for complex 3D work.