Modern Kitchen - Part 1: Kitbashing

Now that we've learned how to use Blender's core modeling tools to create a single model, we'll look at a variety of clever ways to put together a collection of models to make a whole scene. Blender 2.8's Collections feature allows us to organize lots of objects into a flexible hierarchy. In this project, we will use this to our advantage as we kitbash a sleek kitchen out of several preexisting assets.

Kitbashing is a common practice for rapidly prototyping a design out of assorted existing "kits." You might build a custom robot out of model airplane parts or develop a library of three-dimensional assets to throw a video game environment together. Embracing the kitbash mentality can be very freeing to your workflow because it means there's no single correct way to solve a problem.

In this chapter, we'll kitbash a kitchen with several strategies. First, we'll plan our layout using previsualization (previz), where the kitchen is modeled in full with basic placeholder shapes so that composition and scale are solved right away. We'll expand our modeling skills by seeing how modifiers can make generated models, such as tables and chairs. We'll use a variety of add-ons to expand Blender's capabilities, rapidly generating things such as cupboards, doors, and windows. Boolean modeling, where shapes are added and subtracted in a nondestructive modifier stack, will show a new approach to modeling. Lastly, we'll finish the kitchen with a library of pre-made assets—a vital shortcut when trying to hit a deadline. 

We will cover the following topics in this chapter:

• Setting up the source files
• Previsualizing the kitchen layout
• Creating tables with box modeling
• Creating chairs with modifiers and curves
• Creating cabinets, islands, and a stove with add-ons
• Linking in canned assets