Exploring 3D Design: A Creative Journey during the Pandemic

At the beginning of the pandemic, working from home felt like a temporary break from normal life. With fewer daily routines, I suddenly had more time for gaming and watching TV. I even used the $1,200 stimulus check to build a gaming PC. For a while, it was enjoyable, but after a few months the routine started to feel empty. I realized I needed something more meaningful to focus on.

I had previously bought coding courses for ReactJS, Swift, and AR/VR, but programming never truly held my attention. What always caught my eye instead were the playful 3D characters and objects trending on platforms like Behance. Curious about how designers created them, I started researching the tools behind these visuals and discovered that Cinema 4D and Blender were among the most popular options.

Although Blender was free, I found more structured tutorials for Cinema 4D. Around that time I discovered a Beijing-based design agency called Nicelab. Their teaching videos on Bilibili were clear and inspiring, so I purchased their course through Taobao and started learning in my spare time after work.

Over the next six months, I worked through the lessons and completed all the assignments. Some of my favorite projects included using Adobe Mixamo to rig a character with a bone structure, modeling my scooter in 3D, and creating a hallway scene inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Inception.

Learning 3D tools turned out to be incredibly valuable for my work as a visual designer. As technology moves toward AR, VR, and spatial experiences, having a stronger understanding of designing in three-dimensional space has become increasingly important. Exploring 3D not only expanded my technical skills but also changed the way I think about design and creativity.