LogInThe fourth 80 Level course will teach you how to set up a stunning mecha animal.
Our new 80 Level course, the fourth in the series, improves two skillsets at the same time: creating animals and robots. Guided by Chris Reilly, you will learn the workflows necessary to create a beautiful mechanical wolf in Blender.
Why Take This Course?
Blender remains one of the most popular 3D programs, and knowing how to create not only animals but also mechanical creatures will definitely help you achieve new heights in your career.
This course is unique because it combines tracking, compositing, and other VFX workflows with the process of creating a bespoke 3D model, from start to finish. It’s a multidisciplinary view of developing a visual effects shot.
Course Content
In this course, you will walk through the process of modeling the wolf using native hard surface tools in Blender, shooting live-action footage, tracking the footage in the software, rigging and animating the wolf, and compositing it into the live-action footage.
If you want to understand both the process of developing hard surface models for short cinematic applications and how to integrate them into live-action footage, this is an experience for you.
"Integrating live-action footage with sharp, bespoke 3D design is useful in many contexts. With this technique, you can add immense value to a team of filmmakers. 3D visual effects help amp up a short film, a movie, or a work of art. On the career front, your options aren’t limited to cinematic options. Help companies shine with 3D visual effects in the product marketing and design sphere."
At the end of the course, you will have a short VFX sequence with the wolf standing on a rockface and howling dramatically.
This tutorial is meant for intermediate-level artists who have had some experience with Blender. You should have a working knowledge and familiarity with Blender, viewport navigation, and basic tools, including mesh editing.
Course Outline
Lesson 1: Course Introduction & Pipeline Overview (15 min)
In this lesson, Reilly will discuss software versions and workspace prep, goals and deliverables, concept imagery, and the general process that will be used to develop our robotic wolf VFX shot.
Lesson 2: Rig Adaptation, References, and Model Philosophy (1 hour)
You will see how to set up reference images, adapt a Rigify quadruped metarig for our purposes, and begin modeling our core body components.
Lesson 3: Modeling the Torso & Body (1.5 hours)
You will learn how to use the mirror and subdivision surface workflow and bevel workflow, as well as some add-on functionality as needed, to develop sharp, well-constructed hard surface models for the rest of the body of our wolf.
Lesson 4: Modeling the Legs (2 hours)
Continue modeling the legs of our wolf
Lesson 5: Modeling the Neck & Head (2 hours)
Modeling the neck and head of our wolf.
Lesson 6: Rigging and Animation (1 hour)
You will witness how to bring your wolf to life utilizing Blender’s native functionality for quick component parenting, inverse kinematics, and other features. I’ll show you how to set up secondary features and add some animation to your creation.
Lesson 7: Procedural Materials & Shading (1 hour)
In this lesson, the mentor will show you how to build simple layered materials for metallic, rubber, and emissive surfaces, as well as edge wear and dirt masks using geometry data in the shader editor, and royalty-free imagery.
Lesson 8: Shooting Footage and Tracking (1 hour)
Learn how to achieve great live-action footage, track the footage in Blender, solve your camera, and set up a tracking environment.
Lesson 9: Lighting, Camera & Rendering - Blender Workflow (1 hour)
Bring your wolf into the real world, with on-set lighting replication, shadow catchers, AOV rendering, and an ACES color workflow for great results.
Lesson 10: Compositing - DaVinci Fusion Workflow (45 min)
Finally, see how to utilize BRAW footage or other cinematic video clips to composite your rendered imagery into live action footage using the ACES framework. I’ll touch upon layering rendered passes, export settings, and other options.
Recommended Software
You will need Blender 4.2.1 LTS, After Effects (25.3), Photoshop (26.8), and DaVinci Resolve (18.6) for the course. Also, you'll use such native add-ons as BlenderKit Rigify, Looptools, and Edit Mesh Tools.
About the Instructor: Chris Reilly
Reilly has been in the 3D industry for about 6 years, but he's been creating using VFX and 3D design since he was 14 years old. He's worked for a variety of clients, including viral media like Zack D. Films, and developed bespoke 3D collectibles for large IPs like The Walking Dead and William Shatner.
He is "a true generalist" who combines hard-surface modeling, real-time rendering, motion design, and programming to create content that bridges creativity and systems thinking. From compositing VFX into live-action footage to designing real-time environments in UE5, his work lives at the intersection of creative direction and custom pipelines.
He's contributed to branded experiences for major IPs, startups, and global campaigns, delivering cinematic trailers, animated explainers, and product-centric 3D assets, so you can be sure you're in good hands.
Enroll now to take your Blender expertise to the next level.
Also, check out our previous 80 Level courses: Introduction to Blender's Geometry Nodes: Understanding Proceduralism, Procedural Assets and Environments with Houdini, Substance 3D & Unreal Engine and 3D Creature Production: Rigging, Animation & CFX.