Module 3 — Blender for N64

Goal

Go from zero Blender to exporting meshes that Tiny3D can draw: modeling, UVs, vertex paint, Fast64 materials (or course inject helper), simple rig + idle/walk, and a live asset lab on console.

If art is scary

This module is written for programmers who have never opened Blender. You will:

1. Survive the UI (orbit, select, move)
2. Make ugly-but-valid low-poly props
3. Export through a fixed checklist
4. See results in the M3 Asset Lab ROM

Course ships placeholder props so you can finish even if your first exports fail.

Prerequisites

• Module 2 complete (you can load rom:/*.t3dm)
• Blender 4.2+ (course tested on 5.x batch scripts too)
• Fast64 recommended for real materials; without it use scripts/gltf_inject_f3d.py (course helper)

blender --version
source scripts/env.sh
ls "$N64_INST/bin/gltf_to_t3d"

Lessons

Lesson	Focus
L17 — Blender survival	Navigate, modes, scale convention
L18 — Model starshard	First prop from primitives
L19 — UVs & textures	Unwrap + small power-of-two images
L20 — Vertex paint	Col layer, paths/tints
L21 — Fast64 & export	Materials, custom props, glTF → t3dm
L22 — Player & platform	Blockout character + modular piece
L23 — Level layout	Assemble island + paint pass
L24 — Rigging	Simple armature, weights, Tiny3D limits
L25 — Idle & walk	Looping actions + export
Checkpoint — Asset lab	ROM gallery of your (or course) art

Course pipeline (cheat sheet)

Blender .blend
   → glTF Binary (.glb)  [Include Custom Properties if Fast64]
   → (optional) scripts/gltf_inject_f3d.py   # no Fast64 fallback
   → gltf_to_t3d → model.t3dm (+ sprites)
   → pack into ROM DFS → t3d_model_load("rom:/…")

Regenerate placeholders anytime:

./scripts/build-course-assets.sh

Conventions reminder

Rule	Value
World up	+Z in Blender often maps differently — apply transforms; course props use Blender Z-up export that Tiny3D samples handle
Texture sizes	32×32 or 64×64 first
Vertex color layer	Name Col (and Alpha if needed)
Poly budget	Think dozens–low hundreds of tris per prop at first

Exact axis mapping can surprise you once — always view in the asset lab after export.

What Module 3 is not

• Not a full character-animation degree
• Not PBR / Cycles rendering for film
• Not “make it look like Zelda day one”

Ugly and readable beats pretty and broken.

Start: L17 — Blender survival.