Show the Process Behind an Image-to-3D Portfolio Piece
A portfolio breakdown template for documenting your source, generated draft, design decisions, and manual edits.
The change worth showing on this lantern is behind it. Rodin generated the body and an open loop handle from one illustration. In Blender, I added a wall plate, support arm, brace, and two bolt heads so the object could be presented as a corridor fixture. That rear assembly is the contribution I can point to in the files.
For this walkthrough, I took one image through Hyper3D, downloaded the geometry as a GLB, and saved an edited version in Blender. Below are the source, actual workspace captures, matching renders, and a contribution card you can reuse for your own piece.
Record the brief and source
Give the project a job before you start listing tools. My brief was a lantern for a corridor concept, with a visible loop and a rear mounting assembly. The final page needed to show how it would sit against a wall and which parts I added.
The input was an original vector illustration prepared for this article. It showed the lantern from a front three-quarter angle, including the base, roof, loop, and framed panels. There was no rear view or mounting detail. That left a specific design decision to make after generation.
Keep that input alongside the model. A reference image gives the reader a way to compare the intended silhouette with the generated shape. With a collaborator’s drawing or client photo, record the creator and permission to display it before putting it on a public page. A short public credit can point to the source while private permission notes stay with the project.
Separate the raw draft from the finished asset
In the Rodin workspace, choose Image to 3D and upload the reference. This run used one image, Gen-2.5, High thinking effort, and a batch size of one. The upload field is the plus inside the Image to 3D panel. Save your settings with the project so a later revision has a clear starting point.
If the draft came from the image-to-3D step in Hyper3D, record that in the generation-source field and list any manual edits separately. My entry for this run is “Rodin Gen-2.5, High, November 4, 2026 — lantern-raw.glb.”
Inspect the first geometry from a view that exposes the feature you care about. Here, the loop opening survived generation. I kept that first result and confirmed the geometry. In Pack, I selected GLB and downloaded the file before opening it in Blender. The saved result page below shows where the format controls and Download button live.
Keep the downloaded file untouched and make an editing copy. For this project, the raw export remains lantern-raw.glb; the edited assembly is lantern-edited.glb.
Explain the artist’s contribution
I chose the first output because it retained the loop and the framed-panel shape I wanted. The wall fixture still needed an attachment behind the body. Those are two useful lines of credit, each with a different supporting view.
For each decision or manual edit, record what changed, why it mattered, and the matching before/after evidence.
The geometry work was a small assembly added in Blender 4.5.15 LTS. I used a Python script to create a rectangular wall plate, a horizontal support arm, a diagonal brace, and two bolt heads. The imported lantern mesh stayed intact. Naming the new objects separately made the addition easy to inspect in the saved scene.
The reason for the edit belongs beside it. A handheld-looking lantern needed a visible connection to the corridor wall. The plate establishes that attachment point, while the arm leaves space between the body and the wall.
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Use the same camera and lighting for the comparison. The two renders below share the framing, object scale, neutral material, and lights. Look behind the roof on the right. The plate and brace appear there in the edited view, while the loop and body keep their original shape.
A front-only view would bury much of that work behind the lantern. I’d choose the evidence angle around the addition I’m claiming, then use a more flattering view for the final presentation. MAGES Institute’s beginner 3D portfolio guide also recommends supporting finished work with views and details that explain it.
Mark missing evidence as pending and separate selected AI output from edits actually made by the artist.
For this piece, selection means keeping the first generated silhouette. The authored geometry is the rear assembly, created through the Blender script. The brass-colored surface and dark mount are shader choices made afterward. The downloadable geometry and the comparison support the first two entries; the final render shows the presentation choices.
If you inherit a project with only a finished file, mark the raw record pending. You can show its current shape, but a before/after claim needs the earlier version. Leave the comparison field pending until that file or view is available.
Show what the final asset demonstrates
The finished view places the edited lantern against a wall. I assigned a solid brass-colored shader to the body and a charcoal shader to the mount in Blender. This view demonstrates the intended placement and the visible attachment. The surface color is a Blender presentation choice; this run exported geometry without generating a texture set.
I’d call this a completed concept breakdown. Engine import, UV and texture preparation, and collision still need their own checks before a game-asset delivery claim. A render gives the client a view of the design, and the accompanying record tells them what work that view represents.
Copyable contribution card
Intended use:
Source and permission:
Raw draft / tool / date:
Decision or manual edit:
Before/after evidence:
Final views:
Checks still pending:Filled example — tested corridor lantern
- Intended use: Wall-mounted lantern for a corridor concept presentation.
- Source and permission: Original vector illustration prepared for this article. No client material used. Rear mount absent from the input.
- Raw draft / tool / date: lantern-raw.glb; Hyper3D Rodin Gen-2.5, High; November 4, 2026.
- Decision or manual edit: Kept the first generated body. Added a plate, arm, brace, and two bolt heads through a Blender Python script. Assigned presentation shaders separately.
- Before/after evidence: Saved Blender scenes and matching neutral renders, with the rear assembly visible on the right.
- Final views: Wall-placement render and standalone asset render; lantern-edited.glb retained.
- Checks still pending: Engine import, UV/textures, and collision.
That’s the line of credit I’d put next to this piece. A reviewer can follow the rear assembly from the sentence, to the comparison, to the objects in the file.
