Rings (Art Preview)
Working on some 3D rings to use as inventory icons. I have plans for about 8 rings, but I may add more as I get good ideas.
- silver ring with a celtic design
- gold wrap ring
- steel signet ring
- gold ring with teardrop ruby gemstone
Several Blender techniques make these easy to create. First there are the Spin and Screw tools. Just create the cross-section of the ring shape and spin it in a 360 degree circle to create the full ring. The screw tool was useful in creating the gold wrap ring, as I was able to twist the ring just the right amount to get the correct shape.
Next is the Warp Transform — I created the celtic pattern and ruby ring cutout on a flat model first, then warped it around the centerpoint of the ring. It’s definitely the way to go when modeling an intricate pattern on a perfect cylinder.
Finally the models use Reflection Maps which give the metals a nice shiny look even though there’s no actual environment to reflect. I’m using public domain landscape photos from Burning Well for the reflections. I’m using a desaturated image for the gold reflections so that the blue sky doesn’t create an unexpected green tint.