Create a short 3D film
Build scenes, shape the lighting, and edit a short animated film with AI and Blender. Technical setup is required.
Original course title & technical overview
Hollywood-Level Cinematics in Blender with GPT-6 Astra. Direct an AI that drives Blender for you: assemble scenes from existing 3D models, generate new models from reference images, light and shoot them like a film, and deliver a 30-second cinematic a studio would pay for.
A new word? Look it up in plain English →
2026 EDITIONWhat you can offer
Build scenes, shape the lighting, and edit a short animated film with AI and Blender. Technical setup is required.
Detailed deliverables
Cinematic trailers, teasers, product reveals and animated shorts built in Blender: 15–60 seconds, 4K, with the project files. Clients bring their 3D models or concept art; you deliver the film.
Tools (free plans have limits): Blender 5.x (free), Codex app with GPT-6 Astra and computer use, Blender MCP add-on (free) or bpy scripting, GPT Image 2 for design sheets, Rodin, Tripo, Hunyuan3D or Meshy for image-to-3D, DaVinci Resolve (free) for the edit, Optional: Seedance 2.5 for AI b-roll
You will make
- A working Astra-to-Blender pipeline, tested with a scripted scene and a rendered frame
- A scene assembled from existing 3D models with a shot list, blocked cameras and keyframed motion
- Three 3D models generated from reference images, cleaned, textured and placed in the scene
- A lit, graded, 24fps 4K cinematic with camera language a film DP would recognize
- A 30-second game teaser for the capstone client, with project files and a hand-off document
Inside this course
6 lessons · 12 AI instruction templates · 6 worked examples · 3 exam versions · final practice projectLesson 1 is open as a free preview, ready-to-use AI instructions included. Sign up free to unlock the rest and try AI instructions in the practice area.
- 1🔒 Sign inWhat you will learn · 2 min
- 2🔒 Sign inSet up your tools · 10 min
- 3Preview freeThe pipeline: brief to final frame · 25 minPlan the film from the client’s request through to the finished video. Use clear review points so the client can approve the direction before you do the next stage.
- 4🔒 Sign inWire Astra to Blender · 45 minConnect the AI tools to Blender, a 3D creation app. Test the connection by making a small scene and producing one image.
- 5🔒 Sign inStarting from 3D models · 90 minBring existing 3D objects into the scene. Check their size, materials, and placement before adding cameras and movement.
- 6🔒 Sign inGenerating 3D models from images · 90 minTurn reference images into draft 3D objects, then clean and check them in Blender. An automatically made object usually needs further work.
- 7🔒 Sign inCinematic language: light, lens, motion · 60 minUse lighting, camera choices, and movement to shape the feeling of a scene. Compare a test image with the agreed visual direction.
- 8🔒 Sign inRender, cut, sound and deliver · 60 minGenerate the finished frames, check for mistakes, and assemble the final video. Package the files so the client knows what each one is for.
- 9🔒 Sign inCertification exam · 25 min10 questions · 80% to pass · three versions, a retake is never the same test.
- 10🔒 Sign inFinal project: A 30-second teaser for Lanternfall Games · 75 minA 30-second teaser for Lanternfall Games: graded on 5 criteria, pass at 15/20.
- 11🔒 Sign inCheck your work · 15 min
- 12🔒 Sign inFeedback and certificate · 5 min
- 13🔒 Sign inPublish your service · 20 min
Final practice project: A 30-second teaser for Lanternfall Games
A practice assignment from Lanternfall Games (Indie game studio (6 people)). You will see the scoring guide (rubric) before you start.
| What we check | What earns the full 4 points |
|---|---|
| Brief followed | All five deliverables; the lantern is visually the icon; ends on logo and 2027; runs 30 s at 24 fps in 4K |
| Craft | Shots have a job and a rhythm; camera moves are slow and eased; subject is separated by light; depth of field and motion blur are present and controlled |
| Generated assets | Lantern and creature match the concept art silhouette, are cleaned to sane face counts with usable UVs and roughness, and sit believably in the scene |
| Lighting and grade | Motivated sources, HDRI plus key/fill/rim, volumetrics restrained, compositor grade consistent across shots |
| Delivery | Frame sequences rendered, cut with sound, exports in 4K and 1080p plus 15 s version, hand-off complete and a studio could reopen the project |
Honest expectations. A render farm is not required, but a GPU with 8 GB+ VRAM makes this ten times more pleasant. Astra does the clicking and scripting; you still make every creative decision, and the first few projects will take twice as long as you expect. Generated 3D models need cleanup; the lesson on it is the one that separates amateurs from paid work.