Photographer wants to learn 3d

[heiaespen]

Hi guys

Before I start to ask the obvious questions that you have answered a couple of thousand times already, let me introduce myself.

I work as an advertising photographer in Oslo, Norway. (http://www.heiaespen.com)
A fair amount of my work includes photo-manipulation and excessive retouching. And as of lately there seems to be more and more cgi-images incorporated with photography.

I really love to sit behind my mac, playing music from spotify and working with images in photoshop, so for me to spend quite some time working in a 3d-program I will welcome with open arms.
I do believe that for me to learn cgi/3d would be of great benefit to my career for the years to come. I don't need to make any money off of it within some specific time limit, but of course I would like to get as good as possible as fast as possible.

So lets get down to software. I won't animate, I'm not going to create Inception 2 and I'll wont make cartoons for the disney channel. What I would need is to create things, backgrounds, images in cgi that would be difficult using traditional photography/retouching. You just have to visit some of the finer retouching studios (http://www.taylorjames.com) to see what I want to learn.

First of all, would you recommend that I put in the time and effort to learn this? I work on my own so I do have time to put into this, I would say that 10-20 hours a week would be what I could spend on it. How long would it take for me to able to create things that I might consider showing to others.

And to one of the more important questions, do I need Maya or 3ds Max for my use? Or should I concentrate on something else. I had never heard of it before, but someone said I should check at Modo, they said that this software was very good when you did not need animation and that it had several qualities that were perfect to use in print.

Well, now you know a little about me and my needs. Maybe you could be so kind as to help me get started? What software should I look into, what are the realistic goals as to when I can start producing, etc.

I'll appreciate any help and guidance you can give me.

Thanks
Espen

[paulius-st]

well . first of all wellcome .
as for learning cg i will say its not a fast progress and not very easy. and there is lots ot learn before you will be able to create something of a good qualitie. but if you are willing to learn i would suggest to start with packages like blender, sketchup - they are free modeling programs and with blender you could do a lot of what you can with max or maya or other stronger program. but untill youvlearn the basics of 3d modeling , unwrapping, texturing, rendering it will do just fine. and if you feel blender or sketchup is not enough for you than try jumping to max or maya.
thats what i would suggest you about software
as for time you would need to spend before you could make awesome cg images - it is different with every person. knowing you are a photographer and you can do magic with PS and i think you have some traditional art education in you background you will learn fast and in about 1-2 years if you work hard on it you will get the result you want.
ofcourse there are lots and lots more to say but there are lots of good free and not so free tutorials and guides on the net that would cover all you have to know .
good luck

[StefanC]

Hey and welcome to the forums,

When I started 3d modeling I used Milkshape 3D which was a 3D Modeling application for 25$ afterwards I started using 3D Studio Max.

I can't really give you a timeline in which you will have build up enough experience to actually produce something worth putting out but that really depends on yourself. I've seen people who became really good in a year but they spend a lot of hours and free time on practicing, it also depends on how motivated you are so it could be 1 year or even 5.

Now I agree and disagree about starting with a free 3D Modeling application,
I agree because it would save you money but hey you could also just get the
trail version before actually purchasing it. I also disagree because I did not feel as if I had a sort of boost when switching over to 3D Studio Max because I first used a more simplified 3D Modeling application such as Milkshape 3D. What I'm trying to say is that you could read the basics on the internet by googling.

I can't really help you on the "what software to pick" problem since I only use 3D Studio Max, you don't want to animate and I heard maya is stronger in that aspect but that's not a reason to not use that one since it can do more then just animation. I really do think you should find someone who does the thing you want to end up doing and have a chat with that person to see whats best for you.

Anyway I don't know if this is of any use to you but I hope you will find the answers you are looking for, good luck.

[Nukie]

Welcome here.

Well. I think your question about the learning curve is pretty much answered. It takes time and dedication to before you can create something descend. But take at least one year in account for that.

The question of what program to use depends a lot on yourself. You can go for a free 3D application like blender, but I wouldn't suggest it. Blender has a very steep learning curve because its interface isn't really user friendly. For paid packages, Max and Maya may be a bit too expensive. (If you do want to go for one of the professional packages, I'll suggest looking into 3DS Max Design. This version of max is more dedicated towards modeling and designing than the standard version of Max. Although they are practically even).

I suggest to take a try with Cinema4D. Its a pretty easy program to learn, its not as expensive as Max or Maya and you can create images as great as any other 3D package.

So hope this might be helpful. Good luck with it.

[Jareddar]

Originally Posted by heiaespen

Hi guys

Before I start to ask the obvious questions that you have answered a couple of thousand times already, let me introduce myself.

I work as an advertising photographer in Oslo, Norway. (http://www.heiaespen.com)
A fair amount of my work includes photo-manipulation and excessive retouching. And as of lately there seems to be more and more cgi-images incorporated with photography.

I really love to sit behind my mac, playing music from spotify and working with images in photoshop, so for me to spend quite some time working in a 3d-program I will welcome with open arms.
I do believe that for me to learn cgi/3d would be of great benefit to my career for the years to come. I don't need to make any money off of it within some specific time limit, but of course I would like to get as good as possible as fast as possible.

So lets get down to software. I won't animate, I'm not going to create Inception 2 and I'll wont make cartoons for the disney channel. What I would need is to create things, backgrounds, images in cgi that would be difficult using traditional photography/retouching. You just have to visit some of the finer retouching studios (http://www.taylorjames.com) to see what I want to learn.

First of all, would you recommend that I put in the time and effort to learn this? I work on my own so I do have time to put into this, I would say that 10-20 hours a week would be what I could spend on it. How long would it take for me to able to create things that I might consider showing to others.

And to one of the more important questions, do I need Maya or 3ds Max for my use? Or should I concentrate on something else. I had never heard of it before, but someone said I should check at Modo, they said that this software was very good when you did not need animation and that it had several qualities that were perfect to use in print.

Well, now you know a little about me and my needs. Maybe you could be so kind as to help me get started? What software should I look into, what are the realistic goals as to when I can start producing, etc.

I'll appreciate any help and guidance you can give me.

Thanks
Espen

Ok, if you haven't started already, the the advise about trying Blender from the Blender foundation is a good one. to find tutorials try here and also CG cookie.com. Jonathan Williamson will have you creating in no time. Which ever route you take it will take a lot of time. I have been trying for more than three years and due to my lack of real talent have not even scratched the surface. Don't be put off though. IF you have a talent for art and can see what isn't there then you will pick it up rather quickly. Start with free programs and move on from there. Remember, the hardest part is understanding the program, get that mastered and creating will be far easier.

[Tekkon]

ok this is the same as my post pretty much :P,

ive got 3d studio max, now can you guys recommend any tutorials I should go to for basics? I want to pay for the longest and most indepth tutorials I can

any tips?