TL;DR: To model and render a cyberpunk city in Blender 4.0, block out simple building shapes with beveled edges, add neon emission materials and volumetric fog, then render using Cycles with a low-angle camera and bloom enabled. This guide walks you through modeling, lighting, and compositing in under an hour of work.
Step 1: Set Up Your Scene
Open Blender 4.0, delete the default cube, and switch to the Cycles render engine. Set the film to transparent and enable the “Bloom” option in the render properties under the Eevee settings—note that in 4.0, bloom now lives in the compositor or as a light threshold effect, so enable “Raytracing” and use a Glare node instead. Add a large plane for the ground and scale it to 100 units.
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Step 2: Model the Buildings
Add a cube, scale it to roughly 2 x 2 x 8 units, then enter Edit Mode and bevel the top and bottom edges with a 0.1 segment. Apply a Bevel modifier with 2 segments and a small width for a subtle chamfer. Duplicate this base building 20–30 times using Shift+D, varying height, width, and rotation slightly. Stack smaller cubes on top for rooftop units. Tip: Use the “Randomize” transform feature (Object > Transform > Randomize) to save time.
Step 3: Add Neon Details
Create thin cylinders or planes and attach them to building facades as horizontal and vertical strips. Assign a new material with Emission strength set to 5–20 and choose saturated colors: cyan, magenta, and lime. Use the Array modifier to repeat these strips up each building. For signs, add small planes with an emission material and a grid texture. Tip: Keep emission colors within two complementary hues to avoid visual chaos.
Step 4: Light and Atmosphere
Add a dim area light above the city with a cool blue tint at 50W. Add two point lights near street level with warm orange emission to simulate streetlamps. For fog, go to World Properties, set the background to dark purple, and add a Volume Scatter node with density 0.02. This creates depth and makes neon glow. Tip: Lower the density if the scene becomes too hazy.
Step 5: Camera and Render
Place the camera at street level, angled upward at 15 degrees, with a focal length of 35mm. Enable “Depth of Field” with an f-stop of 2.8 and focus on the nearest building. In the compositor, add a Glare node set to “Fog Glow” with a threshold of 1.0. Render at 1920×1080 with 128 samples. Save as PNG. Tip: Render a few low-sample passes first to check composition.
FAQ
Q: How long does this take for a beginner?
A: About 45–60 minutes for modeling and 10–20 minutes for rendering, depending on your GPU.
Q: Can I use Eevee instead of Cycles?
A: Yes, but you’ll need to enable screen-space reflections and use the compositor’s Glare node for bloom, as Eevee in 4.0 no longer has a direct bloom toggle.
Q: Why are my neon lights not glowing?
A: Ensure the material’s Emission strength is above 5 and that you’re rendering with a Glare node or bloom effect enabled in the compositor.