Topics: 3D graphic modeling with Blender, and using Blender objects in Unity.
Related Reading: Getting Started with Blender slides, Getting Started with Blender - Part 2 Texturing slides, and class notes
In this assignment, you'll be using Blender to create buildings and objects that you'll then use to populate your scene in Unity. You'll be creating three distinct objects and buildings, texturing them, importing them into Unity, and then creating instances of them in your scene.
If you haven't already, download and install Blender. While the latest version of Blender is 2.79, I'd recommend a slightly older version, since we're using a slightly older version of Unity (Unity 5.6). I've had good luck with version 2.74, so that's one good option.
First, read through and follow along with the tutorial outlined in the Getting Started with Blender slides for creating your first Blender models.
After creating your initial Blender models, read through and follow along with the texturing tutorial given in the Getting Started with Blender - Part 2 Texturing slides for texturing your Blender models.
In addition to these tutorials there are numerous online resources for learning aspects of Blender, including but not limited to the wikis and tutorials linked under the Software sub-menu on course website.
Note: While there are a wide variety of textures available in the instructor's asset package (you can get a copy from the instructor in class), you can also download other textures from the web as desired. Any image (.jpg, .gif, or .png) may be used within Blender, provided it is sized (or re-sized) such that the height and width are each a power of 2 (i.e. height and width must be 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 512, 1024, 2048, etc.). If you need any assistance in using your own textures, the instructor will be happy to help.
After completing the modeling and texturing of your shape, the next step is to import the Blender project to Unity. See the end of the Getting Started with Blender slides for directions on saving and importing Blender scenes into Unity.
What Blender models to create and include in your Unity project:
For your first Blender project, create a simple object or shape... anything slightly more complex than the basic shapes in Unity (e.g. cube, sphere, cylinder, capsule, and plane) is sufficient.
For your second Blender project, create a single-story building or bridge model.
For buildings and bridges, when creating instances of the model in Unity, be sure that they are correctly positioned relative to the terrain (e.g. not floating in mid-air) and are large enough to enable the player to walk into, through, and/or over them. Likewise, the building shouldn't be overly large in comparison with the player. You can use scaling in Unity and/or Blender to re-size your model as desired in each of the three dimensions (x, y, and z).
If building a bridge, I'd like to see something more intersting than a basic platform on cylindrical or rectangular legs...
In this final problem, use Blender to create a complex, multi-level building object. This building must have have at least two levels, at least three rooms, and a non-rectangular floor plan (i.e. you can still use straight edges, but the floor plan must be more interesting than a simple rectangle). And of course, there should be a ramp or stairs that allow the player to move between levels.
Finally, for each of these 3D models that you create in Blender, be sure to import them into Unity and create instances of each model in your scene. Attempt to use them effectively to increase the aesthetics and/or gameplay of your scene. You may even find it desirable to use your initial simple object for use with the object collection gameplay mechanics of Hwk #6...