New to 3d Design,where to from here?

[Spazzimus]

Hello All!

So I've stumble donto this site with a yearning to learn 3d art and animation.

I've heard through the grapevine about a few software programs for the job but Maya sounds to be the best one?

I dont know where to start actually so if someone can just nudge me in the right direction i'd be gratefull :)

Spazzimus

[bclark22]

Maya is a good program, but all 3D apps are generally the same. I use lightwave at work and pretty much hate it. I use Maya at home and love it. 3DS Max and Maya are the best two general programs out there that are used in the industry, so I would suggest learning one of the two.

Another thing, you want to follow tutorials. Start out basic, and build yourself up from there.

You really should get a digital tutor's subscription. I would HIGHLY recommend it. It is 45 dollars a month, but well worth it. It will take you from beginner to pretty much an expert. I tried learning off of website tutorials that were in text and screenshots and it's just not the same as learning from videos and people who are extremely talented.

[Spazzimus]

Thanks bclark22 :D

Well I just got engaged so money isnt an option at the moment. But I hear ya. I do have uncapped however,i'll go and look for online video tutorials,maybe youtube (><)

Thank you very much for the advice :) What was your first 3D design?

I'm still thinking about what I should start off with.

[bclark22]

Thanks bclark22 :D

Well I just got engaged so money isnt an option at the moment. But I hear ya. I do have uncapped however,i'll go and look for online video tutorials,maybe youtube (><)

Thank you very much for the advice :) What was your first 3D design?

I'm still thinking about what I should start off with.

You're welcome! Definitely get some digital tutors stuff when you can, money is tight for me so I can't afford it for every month, but the good thing is you can save up 45 dollars and plan to have a focused month of training, and then just cancel your subscription at the end of the month. The thing I like about digital tutors is you can cancel right on the website.. They don't jerk you around with calling in to cancel.

youtube is a good place to start, I believe there is also a few stickied tutorial threads/posts in the modeling section here at the 3d total forums.

The idea is to learn modeling first, learn the basics of polygons and keep building on from there. My first projects were simple, things like a teapot (I know there's a built-in one in 3ds max, but I challenged myself by modeling it myself). Also I modeled a coffee cup, and a chair/table. Then I moved on to modeling my desktop computer tower, and a USB drive. After that I started to get more serious and started training with digital tutors and it made me 1000 times better than I was.

[CRAZYLEGS21]

Hi, I'm a Digital Animation student in my second year of college I'm looking for a new computer I want to get a workstation, I've looked into several computers.
I've looked into the dell precision series, Lenovo Thinkstation series was told that a D 20 or C 20 would be the best. I need at least 1gb of ram or more. And with HP I have no Idea what to get. I was told that I would need a computer that has about 2 ghz. I also want one that'll last at 4 years. Any Suggestions for possible good workstations would be greatly appreciated.

[StefanC]

When it comes to 3ds max there are at least a thousand tutorials out there if not thousands. I don't know about maya since I am not a Maya user myself but I have seen some good maya training dvd's in commercial bars at the side of sites. as for inspiration, sites like these are good for that, looking at how people make there work and how others judge it is very inspiring (or at least to me). as for the best 3d modeling program I can't really give you an answer for that since everyone has his own opinion about it, 3ds max has tools that Maya doesn't have but Maya has tools that 3ds max doesn't have and some are good for the film industry and others for games... it really depends on what you are going for but I do know programs like 3ds max, maya, Softimage XSI are used often in the game industry so you really gotta do some research and see whats best for you. When you start modeling don't try to make something to difficult and high detailed, start small and low detailed try to get a feeling for the tools and how to navigate quickly. Those are my 3 cents good luck ;)

[dillster]

You really should get a digital tutor's subscription. I would HIGHLY recommend it. It is 45 dollars a month, but well worth it..

Where do I find that please?

[SgtHK]

Hi, I'm a Digital Animation student in my second year of college I'm looking for a new computer I want to get a workstation, I've looked into several computers.
I've looked into the dell precision series, Lenovo Thinkstation series was told that a D 20 or C 20 would be the best. I need at least 1gb of ram or more. And with HP I have no Idea what to get. I was told that I would need a computer that has about 2 ghz. I also want one that'll last at 4 years. Any Suggestions for possible good workstations would be greatly appreciated.

While there are many good OEM machines out there, in my opinion it's best if you assemble a custom-built PC yourself (or have someone do it for you). I can't emphasize enough how many people spend a ton of money on high-powered branded machines when they could save as much as 50% on an equally-powerful custom-built PC.

[astroAJ]

I agree with SgtHK I saved like $400 becuase I custom built. Just remember to do your research to make sure that your hardware is compatible with the 3D software.

Oh and this guy here makes some brilliant curriculum structured tuts on different software's. http://www.youtube.com/user/cannedmushrooms

[Neil_F01]

right i have read a few peoples comment and thought i should add mine...

i my experience the better the reference material you have the better you models will come out... (reference can be anything from real object, to photos, or to concept drawing)..

Personally i prefer max.. its got a hard user interface to initally understand.. but once you do understand all the tools and the sub tools and what not.. then it opens up a whole new door way..

i know from experience that it is much easier to build characters using maya..

i would highly recommend getting some of the tutorials featured http://www.3dtotal.com/

as they have many from basic tools to more complex scenes and lightiing.. not to mention the whole render question that your no doubt end up with..

(the most common, is how do i get my render looking like theirs, always a tricky one to answer... (i'll let you know when i find the answer.. :D)..


but anyway... 3d modelling aint gonna come easy, you are gonna have to put a lot of time and effort into learning this.. granted sites like this and cgsociety make it a lot easier for developers now to get assistance and tips.. but still your gonna have your work cut out..

but if you ever want some help.. if you choose the road of 3d max, feel free to drop a message on my board or something..