Pillar 1 · Introduction
3D & Blender
Blender is both things in this curriculum: a complete tool for photorealistic image production — and the deterministic foundation on which the RAY-L workflow is built.
These aren't two alternatives. It's a progression. Anyone who understands how light works physically, who doesn't just use PBR materials but grasps them, who thinks about a scene photographically — that person also understands what they're handing to the machine in the AI workflow and what they're keeping in their own hands. The foundation stays the same. The focus shifts.
Blender as an image tool
Photorealistic rendering, physically correct light, PBR materials, camera and composition — Blender as a complete, standalone workflow for professional image production.
Blender in the AI workflow
Geometry, camera, and scene structure as a deterministic foundation — Blender as a control instrument that tells the AI what is non-negotiable and what it's free to interpret.
Articles + tutorials · continuously expanded
1.1 · Blender in the AI Workflow
1.2 · Introduction to the 3D Workflow
The path of light — how a 3D scene becomes an image
in progress
1.3 · Objects and Geometry
Level of detail, displacement maps, real world scale, do's and don'ts, 3D scans
in progress
1.4 · Rendering
Biased vs. unbiased, path tracing, color depth, color management, Cycles settings, cameras and lenses, compositor
in progress
1.5 · Shaders & Materials
Shading fundamentals, normals, Principled BSDF, glass, subsurface scattering, PBR workflow, displacement
in progress
1.6 · Light Sources
Light objects, light maps, gobos, IES files, mesh lights, sky texture, HDRI, caustics
in progress
1.7 · Add-ons
Recommendations for more photorealism
in progress