Primitive Shapes
Available Primitives
| Shape | Icon | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Box | 📦 | Buildings, furniture, boxes |
| Sphere | ⚪ | Balls, planets, organic shapes |
| Cylinder | 🥫 | Pipes, pillars, cups |
| Cone | 🔺 | Roofs, funnels, spikes |
| Torus | 🍩 | Rings, donuts, wheels |
| Plane | ▭ | Floors, walls, surfaces |
[!INFO]
The term "primitive" comes from the idea that these are the most fundamental, indivisible shapes - the "atoms" of 3D modeling.
How Primitives are Built
Each primitive has different properties:
Box
- Width (X), Height (Y), Depth (Z)
- Perfect edges and corners
- Great for architectural elements
Sphere
- Radius
- Made of many triangular faces
- More segments = smoother surface
Cylinder
- Top radius, bottom radius, height
- Set top radius to 0 for a cone
- Radial segments control smoothness
Torus (Donut)
- Ring radius + tube radius
- Great for rings and wheels
Building Complex Shapes
Most 3D models are combinations of primitives:
- A table = Box (top) + 4 Cylinders (legs)
- A snowman = 3 Spheres stacked
- A house = Boxes + Cone (roof)
[!TIP]
Start simple! Even professional 3D artists begin with primitives and refine from there.
You'll learn to combine shapes in the next modules!