101 Great Ideas For Your Next 3d Project

Sometimes its hard to think of an idea for your next killer 3d still image or animation. Everyone knows that even great writers can get writer’s block, heard of creativity block?

The hardest part for a lot of 3d animators is when looking at the blank page, or in this case, empty 3d void. I’ve encountered this problem a lot myself and found some ways to overcome it. Here I’ve compiled 101 ways to stimulate your mind and jumpstart your next 3d project.

1. Brainstorm after you have a grasp of your basic idea.
2. Model something on your desk.
3. Set aside time. Tell yourself the next 20/30 mins are dedicated only to the project.
4. Watch a Pixar short film, then make your own.
5. Challenge someone on a 3d forum to a showdown.
6. Make the simplest image you can, to the extreme.
7. Model your dream car.
8. What the future will look like.
9. Turn your best render into a t-shirt.
10. Make a 3d stereo animation. Show it off to someone, they’ll be impressed.
11. Flip through the CGTalk Choice Gallery.
12. Zoom in. Renders don’t always have to show the entire subject.
13. Complete a tutorial.
14. Make a furry animal.
15. Go to a random Wikipedia entry. Click “Random Article” in the Navigation Menu.
16. Get real. Make an image that reveals the bad side of the world.
17. Model your iPod or mp3 player, including earphones.
18. Model your computer.
19. Send an email to your favorite 3d artist.
20. Make an animation starring Suzanne.
21. Go outside and take pictures of nature.
22. Be inspired by the most interesting photos on Flickr.
23. Make a funny cartoon.
24. Model your own face in 3d. Take pictures to make it proportioned.
25. Try out a new font in 3d. Make font effects.
26. Create as many materials as you can around a theme. Metal, water etc and give them away for free.
27. Teach someone how to make a simple 3d scene.
28. Render a stunning macro scene.
29. Make yourself a 3d logo, then animate it.
30. Model a hybrid creature. Like a sphinx or hippogriff.
31. Make an avatar to use on forums.
32. Make a photoreal image. Test it on some of your friends.
33. Learn a new modeling technique. Edgelooping, Box Modeling or Edge Reinforcement.
34. Combine 2 or more of your old projects that are gathering dust.
35. Keep a sketchbook by your bed to record ideas.
36. Model a weapon: gun, sword, wand etc.
37. Check your digital camera for any interesting photos.
38. Make a low-poly model of your favorite game character.
39. Do a Google image search.
40. Get inspired by a color palette.
41. Make your pet into a 3d character. OR pick a different animal. Look at National Geographic for inspiration.
42. Make a 4d object.
43. Make a screencast for beginners to learn from.
44. Do 3d “sketches”. See how good you can make a model in 1 minute, 30 seconds etc.
45. Render a snowy holiday scene. Put it on a Christmas card and give it to your parents.
46. Go backwards. First set up lights, then materials. Do modeling last.
47. Composite someone else’s model into one of your photographs.
48. Model something on the tiltviewer. Better yet, make the tiltviewer.
49. Make an optical illusion.
50. Make a game.
51. Make a wallpaper for your favorite website. E.g. Digg.com
52. Make a black and white picture.
53. Model an object to fit a material.
54. Make an advertisement for something you love.
55. Model a vehicle. Your car, a bus, train etc.
56. Complete a project you gave up long ago.
57. Make a landscape. A tropical island, desert… Use Terragen.
58. Model a typical street from New York City, London, San Francisco or Sydney.
59. A battle scene. Medieval swords or modern guns.
60. Make a Goldberg machine or domino animation.
61. Read a book on 3d animation.
62. Make an image with a theme. Contrast, beauty, love, joy etc.
63. Go to a chatroom and ask for ideas.
64. Animate part of a sports game or concert.
65. Tell a story.
66. Study. Research your subject matter to understand it completely.
67. Make an anime-style character.
68. Model your room, apartment or house.
69. Make an ancient scene. A Gothic church or castle
70. Animate the opening scene of a movie.
71. Choose any idea. Sometimes you have too many ideas, instead of too few. Pick one and expand it.
72. Make a picture that makes everyone who sees it go: “Wow”.
73. Download the latest build of Blender. Make a render using the latest features.
74. Animate a new fighting move or sports trick you invented.
75. Model a war machine. A submarine, tank, airplane etc.
76. Collaborate with someone on a 3d forum.
77. Model something famous. E.g. Michelangelo’s Pietà
78. Study the anatomy of animals or humans by modeling their skeletons.
79. Put a spin on something that’s been done before.
80. Model a prehistoric creature OR a robot.
81. Make a Star Wars fanfilm with lightsabers.
82. Animate something microscopic. A cell, atom, protein etc.
83. Make a character from a household object.
84. Animate a natural disaster. An earthquake, tornado, volcano etc.
85. Make a scene from the Bible.
86. Make an animation that is 1minute 1second long.(1:01)
87. Make an image promoting a cause/charity you care about.
88. Enter a Speed Modelling Contest on BlenderArtists or one of CGTalk’s Mini Challenges.
89. Make a time-lapse animation.
90. Videotape yourself and use the footage as reference for an animation.
91. Base your next project off a random word. Be creative, don’t just sit there refreshing the page.
92. Model of yourself modeling.
93. Write a tutorial.
94. Model something to sell on Turbosquid.
95. Compile several of your old animations into a music video OR make a music video for your favorite song.
96. Take pictures of a real-life object and make them into a texture.
97. Exaggerate something/someone. Make a caricature.
98. Make the logo of your favorite soccer team or company in 3d. Make your company’s logo.
99. Be unexpected. Make an animation that surprises people, or makes them jump.
100. Trigger emotion.
101. Do anything! The hardest part is starting. Later it’s much easier to build on.

Hopefully this list is useful to you in your future 3d projects. Have any more ideas?