Understanding 3D sculpting

So, what is 3D sculpting and how is it different from 3D modeling?

3D sculpting or digital sculpting can best be described as shaping or forming a 3D mesh with brush-based sculpting tools.

Imagine a traditional sculptor who is modeling in clay. Now, with modern computer graphics software such as Blender, you could sculpt much like a traditional sculptor but in a virtual three-dimensional space by using a pressure-sensitive graphic tablet and pen, or a mouse.

In Blender, we have many sculpting tools available that approximate the feeling of digital clay.

The benefit of a sculptural approach to creating models is that it can be more intuitive for creating organic shapes instead of using regular modeling tools (which are usually better suited for mechanical meshes or models of man-made structures such as buildings, vehicles, and so on).

Some examples of organic shapes for 3D sculpting include human bodies, creatures, animals, plants, rocks, and any other natural organic-shaped solid form. For 3D sculpting, we also use polygon meshes.

In this section, you learned about the basic concepts of 3D sculpting.

In the next section, you will learn about the essential functionality of Blender, which includes its user interface, navigation, and much more.