Hello, i’m new to these forums, and this whole industry.
Ive been looking at self learning 3d modeling for a while now, i’ve always found it fascinating, something i would love to dedicate myself too.
But wow is it hard to find someplace to start, to be honest i have no real experience in modeling or drawing of any kind, maybe some Photoshop noob skills, but i want to learn how to build 3d objects, characters for a living.
Ive been doing alot of soul searching lately, found myself without a job (i worked in retail) and i want to start doing something with myself that i can be proud of, enjoy, probably make some sort of living of off.
So ive started like all the newbs start lol, googled “how to learn 3d modeling”, and i see alot of people recommend blender, i also knew its free so hey why not.
Next i found that 3d modelling isnt so straighforward, you have things like char modeling, architecture modeling etc, then you have Animation and stuff.
Basically, i have no ideea where to start learning, but i want to learn and i do have a lot of free time :).
There’s plenty more books out there on the subject, but I find these two still relevant because they’re not software specific, and teach you about the process and main concepts, well explained and very easy to read. If you don’t have any money to spend on schools or online training I’m sure you can already find pdf versions of the books out there.
If you do have the chance to spend some money on it, then forget about the books and pay a subscription on Digital Tutors, Lynda, CGCookie, Gnomon, or any of the many existing online schools.
Before watching random youtube or vimeo tutorials (which can be misleading, frustrating and confusing), try to learn the main concepts first, because it will save you a lot of problems and headaches later on; search for the information related to 3D modeling as a whole, not software specific, and you’ll have a better experience learning Blender or any other 3D software once you understand that.
And as @kwikker already said, try to have fun with it
Good luck!
If all else fails, just dive in and splash around. Your first attempt will look pretty terrible, but you’ll be able to use that experience to improve on the next one. Keep repeating this process with enough time and practice and you’ll eventually find a workflow that you feel comfortable with and be able to model amazing things. It only takes practice and patience.
Easiest way to start for me was sculpting. It’s different than other modeling, but still makes to get know Blender. Cgi sculpting resembles drawing, so for many it is more natural way to define shapes and detail. To be good at it, one benefits from drawing skills. If you can afford it, buy Wacom drawing tablet for $40 or so. Search “sculpt january” from facebook and youtube. Actually, youtube is great resource for Blender user.
