I recently had the opportunity to work on a web-based library reference for one of my favorite clients, and thought this would be a good opportunity to provide some feedback on how the icon above was developed.
Although 3D techniques are employed here, I am by no means a 3D modelling expert. The rendered images generated using the methods below are never used for production, but instead as a reference or guide in the design process. Another tool for the toolbox. So rather than write this article as a tutorial, instead I hope it serves as an inspirational guide on alternative methods of icon generation.