For the candy jar I drew the shape with a line. The vertices adjusted and filleted.
step 2 of 6
This is the spline shape with a lathe modifier. To this I applied the glass texture.
step 3 of 6
The candies are multiple copies of a "capsule" geometry. The final shape was done withe the FFD 3X3 modifier. The textures for my M&M's were made in Photoshop.
step 4 of 6
The textures are layers of color with the "M" superimposed over each respective color. The "M" was drawn with the pen tool and filled with white. Each color layer was saved as a JPEG for use as textures for the different colors.
step 5 of 6
The modified capsule was cloned multiple times and textures (colors) applied. Each of these candies were placed for the scene. The candy jar shape (the lathed spline) was rotated and positioned. The scene is lit with a Mental Ray Omni light.