Rendering in Cycles

Level up your renders and harness the power of ray tracing inside Blender. In this series, you will get to know the technical side of rendering as you learn to control and optimize renders, while building this mysterious crystallized rock.

The easiest way to follow along

Standard video tutorials can be exhausting. We know, we’ve been there. The CG Fast Track tutorial format combines videos and screenshots so you don’t have to keep up with the video. Simply click through every step of the way with the screen shots. It’s an incredibly intuitive way to learn.

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Part 1

Get to know how ray tracing works under the hood as you begin your rendering in Cycles journey. Learn how to control and optimize your renders to reduce render times drastically and improve the quality.

Part 2

Take the projects built with Eevee from Substance Fast Track, Blender Fundamentals, and the Sword in the Stone series and level them up with the power of ray tracing. Apply these compositing techniques to create a photographic look.

Part 3

Model out this rock and begin building the cover art. We will apply our texturing and shading fundamentals techniques to renders in Cycles and harness the power of curvature to create a believable rocky material.

Part 4

Build the crystal model with these simple boolean techniques. Then utilize volumetrics absorption, ambient occlusion, and transmissive elements to create a believable crystallized surface. Setup the composition, layout, lighting, compositing, and apply techniques from The Art of Lighting to create an aesthetically pleasing render.