Learning to Think in Primitives

 It is well known that most modelling programs have an array of similar objects that you can start modelling with, going by the name of primitives. These primitives encompass the basic 3D shapes - the cube, cylinder, cone, sphere, plane and torus - as well as some unique ones like the teapot. Unlike in the real world, models are not required to have physics so you can mash them together almost however you like, but one useful skill for creating models from life is summarising shapes with primitives. This skill can save a whole lot of time and trouble when creating a model from life, as it gives you more chance to position things correctly without having to go in and modify single vertices, sides or faces.

Take this corner of a monument, for example. At first glance it looks very complex, but it can be summarised into different kinds of primitives, with only minor tweaks to a few of them.

This is a visual representation of what the shape could be, using just three different types of primitives. Red shapes are cubes, green being cylinders whilst blue are spheres. At this point in time, there is no need to worry about combining these and, as stated before, it doesn't matter that they clip into each other as physics does not apply in this situation.

This is the final result. In order to get some of the other shapes such as the flattened part on the top-most cube, I used the bevel tool. I scaled down some of the cylinders for the stairs to get a more accurate shape, but you can still see, in essence, the shape of each primitive put together to form a cohesive object. Learning this skill is invaluable to create accurate and well-built models quickly and efficiently, and practicing by drawing over images you have can help.