Feb 25, 2013

Low Poly Illustration, What's the Secret?

Low Poly Illustration, What's the Secret?

Low Poly was a technique originally used for making 3D models and scenes for videogames, due to its render speed, which was achieved thanks to low polygonal resolution.

We recently published a post about the “Geo a Day” project, which uses this precise technique. To produce this kind of illustration, you can use basically any 3D software, but Cinema 4D is widely used because of its versatility and simplicity when it comes to modelling, lighting and visual effects, whereas other tools such as Maya or 3ds Max present a much steeper learning curve.

Cinema 4D for absolute beginners

Actually, this kind of scene is very easy to create compared with architectural visualization, photorealistic renders or any animation techniques. You don't need a lot of experience modelling or understanding cameras and materials. There are plenty of great resources to help you learn the basics of Cinema 4D. With "Cinema 4D for absolute beginners" you will be able to create your first scene and try the next step: Create your own Low Poly scene.

Create your own Low Poly Illustration

If you’re interested in having a go at making any of these fantastic scenes, we recommend a step-by-step tutorial from graycalegorilla.com which explains the most common techniques for creating the Low Poly effect. This tutorial shows you how to reduce the number of polygons in a mesh, randomly change the geometry with common modifiers, add different colors to faces and create render and illumination settings to achieve the ambience of Low Poly illustrations.

Inspirational Gallery