How to make 3d notification with love icon in blender - Blender Tutorial 3d icon

How to make 3d notification with love icon in blender - Blender Tutorial 3d icon

Hey everyone! Have you ever looked at your handphone and seen those super cool, shiny, and bouncy 3D icons? They look so much more fun than the flat ones, right? This style of 3D illustration is a huge trend right now, and it makes everything look more modern and alive. 

Well, guess what? You can make them too! It's easier than you think, and today we're going on a creative adventure to build our very own amazing 3D notification icon with a cute little heart inside. 

We will be using Blender, which is the best free tool for all things 3d. This step-by-step tutorial is perfect for beginners, so grab your mouse, and let's get started on this awesome project!

What You'll Need For This Adventure

Before we jump into the magical world of 3D, let's make sure we have everything we need. The list is very short and simple, I promise!

• A Computer: Any regular laptop or desktop computer will work just fine. You don't need a super-powerful machine for this project.
• Blender Software: This is our main tool! Blender is a professional 3D software that is completely FREE to download and use forever. If you don't have it, you can get it from the official Blender website.
• Your Imagination: This is the most important part! We're going to have a lot of fun, so bring your most creative ideas.

Let's Build Our 3D Icon! A Step-by-Step Guide

Alright, are you ready? Let's open up Blender and start creating. Don't worry if it looks complicated at first; we'll go through each step slowly. I’ll be your guide through this entire process. Just follow along, and you'll have a fantastic piece of art in no time.

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Step 1: Preparing Our Digital Workspace

When you first open Blender, you'll see a cube, a light, and a camera. It's the standard starting scene. For our project, we don't need the cube. Let’s create a fresh, clean space to work in.

1. Select the Cube: Click on the cube in the middle of the screen to select it. You'll see an orange outline around it.
2. Delete the Cube: Press the 'X' key on your keyboard, and a little menu will pop up asking if you're sure. Click 'Delete' or press the Enter key. Bye-bye, cube!
3. Clean Scene: Now we have a nice empty space with just a camera and a light source. This is our blank canvas, ready for our masterpiece!

Step 2: Creating the Notification Bubble

The main part of our icon is the bubble, the part that looks like a little speech box or a notification pop-up. We want it to be soft and friendly, so we'll use a shape with rounded corners.

1. Add a Cube: Press 'Shift + A' on your keyboard. This is the 'Add' menu. Go to Mesh > Cube. A new cube will appear where the old one was.
2. Make it Smoother: We need to make this cube look less blocky and more like a soft bubble. With the cube selected, go to the 'Modifier Properties' tab on the right side of the screen. It looks like a little blue wrench.
3. Add a Subdivision Surface Modifier: Click 'Add Modifier' and choose 'Subdivision Surface'. You'll immediately see your cube become more rounded, almost like a ball. In the modifier settings, set the 'Levels Viewport' to 2 or 3. This will make it even smoother. The higher the number, the smoother it gets!
4. Shape the Bubble: Now, let's squish it a bit to make it look more like a notification. Press 'S' to scale, then 'Z' to lock it to the up-and-down axis. Move your mouse to flatten it slightly. Then press 'S' again, and then 'X' to make it a bit wider. Play around with it until you have a nice, soft, pill-like shape.
5. Apply the Smoothness: Right-click on your object in the 3D view and select 'Shade Smooth'. This will make the surface look perfectly polished and get rid of those blocky faces.

Step 3: Crafting the Lovely Heart Icon

Now for the star of the show: the heart! This will sit inside our notification bubble. Making a heart shape might seem tricky, but there's a simple way to do it.

1. Add a Plane: Press 'Shift + A' again and this time, add a 'Plane'. This is just a flat square.
2. Enter Edit Mode: With the plane selected, press the 'Tab' key to go into Edit Mode. You can now see the individual points (vertices) that make up the shape.
3. Merge Vertices: We need to start with just one point. Press 'M' to bring up the 'Merge' menu and choose 'At Center'. All four points will collapse into a single point right in the middle.
4. Draw Half a Heart: Now we're going to draw with this point! Move the point to the side a little bit. Then, press 'E' to 'Extrude' and pull out a new point. You can create the curved top of one side of the heart by extruding a few more points in an arch shape. Then, extrude down to create the pointy bottom of the heart. You only need to make one half!
5. Mirror It: Go back to the 'Modifier Properties' (the blue wrench) and add a 'Mirror' modifier. Ta-da! The other half of the heart appears automatically. Make sure to check the 'Clipping' box in the modifier settings. This will make the two halves stick together in the middle.
6. Make It 3D: Now we have a flat heart outline. Let's give it some thickness. Add another modifier: 'Solidify'. In its settings, you can increase the 'Thickness' value until it looks nice and chunky.
7. Make it Smooth: Just like our bubble, we can add a 'Subdivision Surface' modifier to the heart to make it look soft and rounded. And don't forget to right-click and 'Shade Smooth'.
8. Position the Heart: Press 'Tab' to exit Edit Mode. Now you can move ('G' key), rotate ('R' key), and scale ('S' key) your heart to place it perfectly in front of or slightly inside the notification bubble.

Step 4: Adding Colors and Materials (The Fun Part!)

A 3D model without color is like a coloring book with no crayons! Let's bring our icon to life with some vibrant materials. This is a key step in any digital illustration.

1. Go to the Material Tab: Select your notification bubble. On the right-hand panel, find the 'Material Properties' tab. It looks like a little checkered ball.
2. Create a New Material: Click the '+ New' button. This creates a basic white material.
3. Choose a Color: In the material settings, find 'Base Color' and click on the white bar. A color wheel will pop up. Choose a fun color for your bubble. Maybe a bright blue, a friendly yellow, or a cool purple!
4. Make it Shiny or Matte: Below the Base Color, you'll see a slider called 'Roughness'. If you slide it down towards 0, your bubble will become very shiny, like glass or plastic. If you slide it up towards 1, it will be matte, like paper. A value around 0.2-0.4 usually looks great for this style.
5. Color the Heart: Now, select the heart icon and repeat the process. Click '+ New' to give it its own material. For the 'Base Color', a classic bright red or a hot pink always works well for a heart!

Step 5: Lighting Up Your Scene for an Amazing Look

Lighting is super important in 3d. It's what creates shadows and highlights, making your object look real and not flat. We will set up a simple but effective lighting system.

1. Find Your Light: Remember that light that was in the scene at the beginning? Let's use it. Click on the light source in your scene to select it.
2. Change Light Type: Go to the 'Object Data Properties' tab for the light (it looks like a green lightbulb). Change the type from 'Point' to 'Area'. Area lights give off a much softer, more professional-looking light, like a softbox in a photo studio.
3. Position and Power: Move the area light so it's pointing at your icon from the top-front-left or right. In the light settings, increase the 'Power' until your icon is nicely lit. You might need a value like 500W or more, depending on the size of your light.
4. Set Up the Camera: Find the camera in your scene and select it. To see what the camera sees, press '0' on your number pad. To move the camera around like you're flying, press 'Shift + ~' (the tilde key, usually near the '1' key). Fly around until your icon is framed perfectly in the rectangle. Left-click to set the position.

Step 6: The Final Shot! Time to Render!

This is the final, most exciting step! To render is to take the final picture of your 3d scene. It's when the computer calculates all the light, shadows, and colors to create a beautiful final image.

1. Choose a Render Engine: Go to the 'Render Properties' tab (it looks like the back of a camera). Blender has two main engines: Eevee and Cycles. Eevee is a real-time engine that is super fast and perfect for this stylized look. Let's stick with Eevee.
2. Enable Glow: To make our icon look extra special, check the box next to 'Bloom' in the Render Properties. This will make the bright parts of your image have a soft, pretty glow.
3. Set the Background: By default, the background is grey. Let's make it transparent so you can put your icon on any website or video! Under the 'Film' section, check the box for 'Transparent'.
4. Render the Image: Go to the top menu bar, click 'Render', and then 'Render Image'. You can also just press the F12 key. A new window will pop up, and in just a few seconds, you will see your finished, amazing 3D notification icon!
5. Save Your Work: In the render window, go to 'Image' > 'Save As...' and save your creation as a PNG file to keep the transparent background.

Why are 3D Icons Such a Huge Trend?

You might be wondering why we see this style of 3d icon everywhere, from your handphone's operating system to websites and apps. It's because they are super eye-catching! 

The soft shadows, glossy reflections, and vibrant colors make them pop off the screen. 

They feel more tangible and playful than traditional flat icons. 

This trend combines the clarity of simple shapes with the depth and beauty of 3d illustration, making the user experience more enjoyable and visually rich. 

Learning to create them is a fantastic skill for anyone interested in digital art or design.

Beyond the Icon: What's Next on Your 3D Journey?

Congratulations on creating your first 3D icon! This is just the beginning of your creative journey. 

With the skills you learned today, you can create almost any simple object. You could try making a shiny 3D ball, a different kind of icon, or even a simple character. 

As you get more comfortable, you can explore more advanced topics. You could create an entire isometric room filled with cool 3D objects you've modeled. 

You can even dive into the world of animation and make your icon bounce or spin! 

Blender is an incredibly powerful tool that allows you to create stunning visual effects, like realistic fire, or run a complex physics simulation to make objects interact with each other. 

The possibilities are truly endless, and the best way to learn is to keep practicing and having fun.

Your Creative Journey Has Begun!

You did it! You took a blank screen and turned it into a piece of beautiful 3D art. You should be very proud of what you've accomplished today. Remember, every expert was once a beginner. 

Keep experimenting with different shapes, colors, and lighting. The more you use Blender, the more comfortable you will become. 

Don't be afraid to make mistakes—that's how we learn and discover new techniques. Keep that creative spirit alive, and continue making amazing things!

If you're a visual learner and want to see every click and step in action, I have a full video tutorial waiting for you! The video guide complements this written article perfectly. 

Click the link above to visit my YouTube playlist where you can find this and many other fun and easy Blender projects. Happy blending!