If you're trying to figure out how to make a hat model blender users will actually want to wear on their avatars, you've probably realized that it's both easier and harder than it looks. Whether you're aiming to create a simple beanie for a Roblox character or a stylish fedora for a high-end VRChat model, the process starts with the same fundamental steps. Blender can be intimidating at first—it's got a billion buttons and a layout that looks like a spaceship cockpit—but once you get the hang of the basic mesh manipulation, you'll be pumping out headwear in no time.
The first thing you need to realize is that you shouldn't start from scratch in a vacuum. If you're making a hat for a specific character, you need that character's head in your 3D viewport. It sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people try to "eyeball" a hat only to realize later it's the size of a trash can or way too small for the skull it's supposed to sit on.
Getting the Foundation Right
Before you even touch a vertex, grab a reference image or a base head model. If you're making something for a game, export the character's head as an .obj or .fbx and import it into Blender. This gives you a "mannequin" to work around. Once that's set, you're ready to start the actual modeling.
For most hats, you're going to want to start with a Circle or a UV Sphere. If you're going for a beanie or a skullcap, a UV sphere is your best friend. Just delete the bottom half of the sphere, and boom—you've already got the basic shape of a head-covering. If you're making something with a brim, like a baseball cap or a wizard hat, starting with a mesh circle is usually the way to go because it gives you a clean loop to extrude from.
Don't worry about the "thickness" of the hat just yet. A common mistake is trying to model the inside and outside of the hat at the same time. It's much easier to work with a paper-thin "shell" and then use the Solidify Modifier later to give it some actual bulk.
Modeling a Simple Beanie
Let's say you want to make a classic ribbed beanie. After you've cut your UV sphere in half and scaled it to fit your reference head, you'll want to enter Edit Mode. Here's where Proportional Editing (hit 'O' on your keyboard) becomes your secret weapon. It allows you to pull one vertex and have the surrounding ones follow along smoothly, which is perfect for creating that natural, slumped look that fabric has.
To get those little folds at the top where the hat bunches up, try selecting every other edge loop and scaling them inward slightly. It creates a "pleated" look that catches the light nicely. Also, don't keep the mesh perfectly symmetrical. Real clothes aren't perfect. Tug a few vertices here and there to give it some "personality." If it's too perfect, it'll look like plastic, and that's usually not the vibe we're going for.
Moving on to Brims and Caps
If you're looking into how to make a hat model blender enthusiasts would call "high-poly" or detailed, you'll eventually want to try a baseball cap or a fedora. For a baseball cap, you basically take that same half-sphere idea but you'll need to separate the front part for the bill.
To make the bill (the brim), select a few edges at the front of the hat and extrude them forward. You'll then need to play with the Subdivision Surface modifier to smooth out the edges. Be careful, though! If you add too many subdivisions, your computer might start sounding like a jet engine, and your game engine might lag. Keep it as low-poly as you can while still looking round.
For a fedora or a sun hat, you'll start with a circle around the "temple" area of the head. Extrude it upwards to create the "crown" (the tall part) and then extrude a different set of edges outwards to create the flat brim. The trick with fedoras is the "pinch" at the top. Use the scale tool to narrow the front of the crown and use the move tool to dent the top inward.
Adding Realism with Sculpting
If you really want to level up, you've got to try Sculpt Mode. This is where you stop thinking like a mathematician and start thinking like a clay artist. Once you have your basic shape, you can use the "Cloth" brush or the "Draw Sharp" brush to add wrinkles and seams.
Think about where a hat naturally folds. Usually, it's near the ears or where the brim meets the crown. You don't need to go crazy—just a few subtle indentations can make a world of difference. If you're planning on using this for a game like Roblox, you might want to bake these details into a Normal Map rather than keeping the actual high-poly geometry, otherwise, the file size will be massive.
The Magic of Modifiers
I mentioned the Solidify Modifier earlier, and I can't stress enough how much time it saves. Instead of manually extruding every face to make the hat thick, you just slap this modifier on, set the thickness, and let Blender do the math.
Another one to keep in mind is the Mirror Modifier. Unless your hat is intentionally asymmetrical (like a slouchy beret), you only really need to model half of it. It saves you double the work and ensures that the left side looks exactly like the right. Just make sure your "Clipping" is turned on so the two halves stick together at the center line.
UV Unwrapping and Texturing
This is the part everyone hates, but it's the most important if you want your hat to look like it's made of fabric rather than flat-colored grey gunk. UV unwrapping is basically flattening your 3D hat into a 2D map so you can paint on it.
A good tip for hats: place your "seams" (where the 2D map splits) in places that wouldn't be visible, like the very top center or the inside of the rim. Once it's unwrapped, you can bring it into a program like Substance Painter or even just use Blender's built-in Texture Paint mode.
If you're going for a "toony" look, you can just use solid colors. But if you want it to look "pro," find a nice fabric texture (like wool, denim, or felt) and overlay it. It adds that grit and grain that makes the viewer's brain say, "Yep, that's a hat."
Exporting for the Real World
Once you're happy with how it looks, you're in the home stretch. Before you export, make sure you Apply your modifiers. If you don't apply the Solidify or Mirror modifiers, your hat might look like a floating pancake when you bring it into Unity or Unreal Engine.
Check your Face Orientation too. In Blender, faces have a "front" and a "back." If they're inside out (showing up as red in the face orientation overlay), they'll be invisible in most game engines. Select everything in Edit Mode and hit 'Shift + N' to recalculate the normals. It's a literal lifesaver.
Export your work as an .fbx file, and you're good to go. You've just successfully navigated the process of how to make a hat model blender style. It takes a bit of practice to get the curves just right, but once you understand how the geometry flows, you can make basically anything—from a tiny party hat to a massive ten-gallon cowboy hat.
The best part about 3D modeling is that there isn't really a "wrong" way to do it. If the final result looks good and doesn't break your computer, you did it right. So, grab that default cube (and then delete it immediately, obviously), and start extruding!