How important are drawing skills?

[bood]

I am just wondering how important your ability to draw sumthing is when it comes to 3d? and how i can improve my ability to draw?

[kuman]

when i gave a few guest lectures on character animation and modeling at an art college in baltimore, i met the head of their sculpture/digital graphics department and he had a theory that you can't make in 3d what you can't draw.

i'm not sure that this is the truth, but i think that what he was really trying to say is that the better you understand your subject the more likely you are to be successful in being able to digitally create it.

i think that drawing is an excellent way to get that better understanding. personally i think its pretty important to 3d just because its like another way to work out that art muscle :).

as for how you can improve, there's this book that i've seen around that's quite good. its called drawing from the right side of the brain by betty edwards. i thought it was a great book on drawing. so maybe check that book out and practice a lot and i'm sure you'll be successful in your sketching abilities.

good luck
-k

oh here's a link to that book from barnes and noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2T7PK4W1IB&isbn=0874774241&itm=1

[Schwinnz]

I'd say VERY IMPORTANT !!!

[Gl2eEn]

i wouldnt say that its VERY IMPORTAND if you wont create characters... if you will work with car modelling or aportaments, houses there its not that importand.. there importand thig is your style.. and stuff, if you wanna create faces, "human parts" :p there you have to know anatomy a lilttle bit, but you'll learn anatomy anyway if you will practice more.. you know.. so go on practice if you >sux< at drawing dont do any cartoon characters or stuff like that, or with good modelling skills you can get some pics from somewhere and make an 3d ... there alot of good 3d modellers who doesnt draw they just make 3d models, if interesting can i draw, then ill answer i can and im good at that :) cuz i have drawing whole my life :D , BUT im not really good at stuff like apartaments.. i mean i can make stuff like tables windows, lapms , whatever, but i have bad taste at where to put em.. lol, i tried many times to make any scene where is simple apartaments, but all i've done my own house :\

sorry for not good englsh..

[Schwinnz]

Drawing is important to plan the modeling phase. You save a lot of time if you have a predefined idea.

[greatbigphil]

Like Kuman and Schwinnz said, I think your ability to draw is improtant. Maybe not the most important thing in the world but it's important.

I hnow a few skilled 3D artists with drawing skills that aren't totally amazing, so I think a sucessful model can be made without any drawing. I've done a couple. But I really spent too muct time tweaking. I think the end result is better when it's been drawn ahead of time and planned out. I think the drawing ion the pre planning will save you enormous amounts of time during the modeling phase.

Creating a virtual studio is really helpful. A virtual studio is created by drawing orthographic views (ie front and side) and scanning them and putting them on planes in your 3d program. Doing this I find saves hours and hours of time.

Big Phil