BLENDER: CAVE INTERIOR

CAVE INTERIOR IN BLENDER

Preview

Hi Guys! In this blog, I made a Cave Interior using Blender 2.90.0. It's my first-time to make a Blender Project be featured here in Blogger. So I hope you like and follow my Blog, and if you are also interested in making games specially in Unity you may look at my previous Blogs. 

In this Cave Interior, I referenced a process in Youtube who also made a Cave Interior in Blender. But I elevated the looks and added a lot of elements like the shapes of Stalagmites and Stalactites, and using good lighting and perspective to give depth and solemnity to the artwork. 

So without further ado, let's begin!

Project Format

So for this, We will start by making a Blender Project by opening first Blender (recommended update: 2.90.0) we may create a new file or use the default with a Cube as our first object. Besides, we are using a cube for this build, so you may use the default cube for making this.  

Once we had created or if were in Object Mode with our cube, we may now proceed on shaping our structure. Since this is a cube, we can extrude it either symmetrical or asymmetrical, but a Cave is asymmetrical which means the shape must be uneven at any given point. First go to Edit Mode, then I selected the face in the sides of the Cube, then I rotated the face on random point and axis, continue extruding at least fives times longer than the width of the default cube. Note: You are free the extrude as much as you want, do what satisfies your eyes. 

Extrude in all direction xyz as much a you like, depends on what kind of cave you are doing. 

Remember, if you're going the have a tunnel hole at any direction specially on upwards z axis, make sure you extrude the top face first then delete face after that so it will look like a funnel and we can see outside the Cave itself.

Now that we had the basic shape, let's start deforming it to a cave. First is to shade smooth the object then on Edit Mode we have to subdivide it. Now let's add Modifiers to reshape and deform this object. Insert a Subdivision Surface Modifier, then set it to your preferred Viewport Level. 

Then let's add a Displacement Modifier, add new texture to it and click its texture tab. There we can set what type of texture we want, we want something bumpy and random. So lets select Type tab and select Stucci as texture, underneath that we can change the size of the bumps and its depths(by now set the size to at least greater than 1). Back to Modifiers, we can change the strength and midlevel of the displacement, then add another. Experiment until you come to your preferred outcome. 

We can still edit object proportions by resizing some parts, depends on your liking. 

Also you may now move the camera to your preferred location and perspective. You can set the camera millimeter higher or lower to set the FOV or field of view.

After setting the camera. Then you may add another Displacement Modifier for the smaller bumps. Set the texture to Clouds and set the size below 1 to create smaller bumps. Then apply the first Displacement Modifier to the object, making it a permanent shape except to the new Displacement Modifier. That said, let's move on to using lights.

I first inserted a Sun as light source, put it on top the Cave Object and make the light angled at a direction adjacent to the hole on top of the cave. Adjust to strength of the light and also the colors. Then look at the inside of your Cave, see if the light is also reaching the  inside. The hole we created earlier will act as a crevice of light from the outside. So once we set the view to rendered, see if the light is good enough(may try rendering it gradually see what to adjust or even change). 

The next thing to do is to add materials for our Cave, we are going to use a stone texture for our cave so it will look more convincing as a Cave. Once we had applied it, lets re-render to see and tweak the material properties, for this material I set it to Diffused BSDF and set the roughness about 0.75-0.8 (not to rough so we can scatter some light). After some rendering, you may test different light locations and add Spot lights to enhance the lighting even more. Re-render to see if there's any artifacts or needed to be fixed. Remember to also subdivide again the Cave Object to enhance the detail and shading it smooth.

from a different perspective:

Trial 1: With texture

Trial 2: With texture and different lighting

Trial 3: Render in Cycles (moving the camera on different perspectives)

I

II

III

I found the sweet spot

I then place a plane and expand it bigger than the Cave itself. This object is for our stagnant water effect to our cave. I subdivide it to 500x500 for better results and more detail. I applied also and Displacement Modifier set to Clouds and size them to 0.03 to add very small ripple of waves. Then set its material to Glass BSDF, with roughness between 0.45-0.55 respectively and a IOR of 0.95-1.05. Adjust to preferred setting and re-render to see results.

Moving on. Of course, it wont be a Cave without structures like Stalagmites and Stalactites on it. So, we have to make one. Let's start to the easy one, lets make a big stalactite, so on the scene add a cube. Then extrude it upward like a pencil, then resize its diameter on every individual row of round edges, the higher the small should it get. It must be shaped like a cone, and kind of pointy too (although it may differ depends on what kind of shape would you want for it). Apply the same material of the cave to the Stalagmite, then add a Displacement Modifier and set the texture to Stucci or Cloud, change the direction to Normal and adjust the strength until it looks like a Stalagmite. 

For Stalactite, just copy and paste the Stalagmite then change the orientation 180 degrees to make it on a opposite direction like a Stalactite should be. Copy and paste each object and adjust their Displacement Modifier to make them seem different from each other, then move them on any place in the cave(must be attached or seemed connected to the cave). Then re-render to see what is needed to be changed.

Next is, we need to add small spikes of Stalagmites and Stalactites. For this, I used a plane object then subdivided it. And again added a Displacement Modifier and set to Stucci or Cloud (or use any of those types) then adjust its size smaller than the objects we previously done. Add the same material used on our Cave, then copy paste them and move to random places around the Cave (embed them same with the Stalagmites and Stalactite) adjust to differently from each other so it seemed like they were random and not alike as well. Then re-render to see how it looks and tweak what to change.

The Special part of this project is putting something that is relatively odd and intriguing nowadays, and they are emerging on different places around the world. I'm talking about the Monoliths, these seamless and perfect structures and points us up to the skies. It's being debated if the aliens are responsible on these Monoliths but there are cool nonetheless. So I decided to put one to my work as an inspiration to this occurrence right now. And yeah, I made it also as same as how it looks from those viral Monoliths online. 

I used a basic cube and I selected a side of the cube pulling the 2 edges together to form a single edge, now the cube is in a triangular profile. Now select the top face of the object, then extrude it upwards. The select 1 corner or vertex of the triangle and move it slightly higher to form a pointy monolith. On Material, set it to Glossy BSDF and 0.2-0.3 and apply at least an Image Texture of a metal for better result. Then move it at the center of the camera view right where the light from the crevice lands on so the Monolith will be the focus on the scene. Re-render and add lighting on its surrounding to make it more noticeable and prominent. Remember, lighting is the key to make an image or objects pronounced(noticeable) and appealing. 

So far, the work is almost done. But check first the world background and color. Its up to you what kind of lighting you want to use or color to use, as long as it was good to the eye and not looking kind of odd, well the work left is just to adjust the render samples and the rendering also. By the way, I used Cycles in the rendering of this project because it brings more detail and realism to my work (I prefer this only if you have a good GPU or CPU to compensate bottle necking, but if you still want Cycles well there's no problem, just adjust the camera resolution and render samples).  

using Different Lightings and Colors from the first to the last:

Adding more Stalactites and Stalagmites and experimenting some lights:

The Outcome 

After 4 days of work, I finally made a Cave Interior in Blender. The lighting adds a better depth and look to the interior of our cave, and the water is almost convincing, I wish I knew how to make it better though. It looks like a real Cave to be honest with you, but of course there's still some elements missing. I'm thinking of adding just a bit more detail like adding roots and vines, and also water droplets and mossy textures but I'm out of time relatively because there's still a ton to do with my other subjects. So I'm just focusing on my time frame on how much I could spend doing some of my works and I made it at last.

At the end, we made a Cave Interior using Blender 2.90.0. Although there's still some mistakes there and then, still I'm pleased to make this project and to see its results. I hope in the future that I further be better in using Blender for 3D Modelling and Animation, and I hope this helps you in doing Blender stuff like these. So I'm grateful to have you here, please like and follow me @trflgrwtrlw and also follow my upcoming blogs. Goodbye cheers! :D