3D Model Food Stall - My Portfolio

Project Overview

This 3D model was a school assignment for the course 3D Design. The assignment was to make any kind of food vendor stall in Blender, with free range in terms of what type of food, what stylisation and how detailed we wanted to make the project. Only a baseline complexity was given as a point of reference, allowing for a lot of creative freedom.

Throughout the semester, there were several check-ins and additions to add onto our first iteration to further showcase our mastery of the program, but some of those have been removed from the preview found below. Personally, I found a few of these additions to be an aesthetic downgrade or out of place, hence why I left them out of this final result so I could showcase a model I am proud of.

The Idea And Inspirations

Choosing a food item to theme my stall around was not a difficult task, as I immediately landed on sushi and onigiri, both traditional Japanese rice dishes. I chose these because they have rather simple but still distinct shapes that I felt would translate well to a 3D model. Aside from that, it made choosing a visual theme quite easy as I could lean more into Eastern aesthetics, which I find visually appealing.

A Kitsune fox spirit portrayed with traditional red, white and gold colors as depicted in Japanese folklore

A Kitsune, portrayed with red, white and gold as they often are in folklore

Onigiri - traditional Japanese rice balls wrapped in seaweed, used as food inspiration for the 3D model

Onigiri, a Japanese rice ball often wrapped in seaweed

Traditional Torii gate showcasing recognizable Japanese architectural elements used as structural inspiration

A Torii gate, a recognisable piece of Japanese architecture

Sushi varieties including nigiri and uramaki rolls, representing authentic Japanese cuisine for the food stall model

Sushi, specifically nigiri and uramaki, another recogniseable food

Red, white, and gold color palette reference used as the primary color scheme for the 3D food stall model

The red, white, and gold color palette I settled on for my model

Dango - traditional Japanese sweet dumplings on skewers, added to enhance the food stall's wall decoration

Dango, a snack I retroactively decided to add since the wall felt too plain

As a mascot of sorts, I chose the Kitsune, a fox spirit from Japanese folklore that leant themselves to the theme of the project as well as the red, white and gold colours often associated with the country. I also incorporated a torii gate into the menu stand, along with giving the main body of the stand a more traditional roof style to bring it all together.

The Final Result

Below is the final result of my 3D food stall model. It includes dynamic lighting as well as wind animations. Overall, this project allowed me to explore both technical and artistic aspects of 3D modeling and was a proper conclusion to the course. I am proud of the final result and the skills I developed throughout the process.

The model is available for download in .blend format if you would like to explore it further in Blender yourself.

Download Blender File

This model is shared for portfolio demonstration purposes only. Please do not use it for commercial projects or otherwise redistribute it.

My favourite parts of model are some of the details I added retroactively because the result I had at the time seemed to be lackluster. This food stall model went through many iterations before I was fully satisfied with it, and I am glad I kept making these changes.

Close-up view of the 3D food stall showing detailed textures of various food types modeled, with dango bags against the back wall

The different food types I modeled, with the dango bags against the back wall

Detailed view of the food stall's dining area featuring 2 chairs, plates and pairs of chopsticks, with the menu displayed against the wall

The dining area, with 2 chairs, plates and pairs of chopsticks, as well as the menu against the wall

The model's presented in low lighting since Kitsune are mischievous spirits, so I wanted to present this food stall in a somewhat haunted way. The lanterns are also animated to flicker to support this idea. Figuring out the lighting dynamics might have been the hardest part of the whole assignment.

Blender is a program I find quite pleasant to use, though I do tend to get a bit lost in the details. The many possibilities and the creative nature of the work is specifically up my alley.