Seking advice about approaching blender modeling

Support Modeling
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Hello, thank you for any answers regarding my questions or other comments regarding my approach or anything :slight_smile:
Also I had some issues with posting my threads so I hope I didnt post this more times

Question: Should I try to create my own projects and experiment with things or shpuld I watch more tutorials till I can identify that this is the knowledge I can use for certain thing in my own project?

Off question: How to connect higher poly mesh like cylinder with something that looks like square? For example creating the hammer where head is square shaped and handle is round. How do I do the part where the square connects to the round part?

Backround:

I have been learning blender for about 2 weeks. I watched some tutorials, advices etc.
Currently I am focusing on modeling only

I have a problem with transfering the knowledge from the tutorial videos to my own projects. I try to experiment of my own by creating easy objects but in the end it looks horrible ( which is expected). I know that modeling isnt exact science and that it can be done many different ways but in the end I believe that some are better than others. For example I tried to model my monitor I am using with my PC and I tried to make a round holder and square screen so I extruded one face of the holder and made it into the screen which made the effect but in the end looked not really well, even worse when I used the subsurf modifier.

Also when modeling my own objects when inserting some loopcuts and more verteses I tend to get lost in my mesh and the faces look weird even tho they have 4 edges.

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3D modeling is about turning an existing design into a usable 3D model. It fulfils the requirements from the target use and from the pipeline to get it there

960Ă—936 125 KB

Could experiment with your own projects, but couple of things to know about that is: If you can’t see what you’re modeling, don’t start modeling. You should either be designing or gathering references instead. Don’t take on a too difficult subject matter too soon, simpler and smaller subject matters are faster to fail or succeed with.

Learn from tutorials, use many different tutorial sources, and don’t learn steps. If you get stuck, ask help, but know that communicating something this complex is also a skill.

It’s not difficult, but takes enough thought to understand that you’re communicating on a forum dedicated for visual arts, you’re trying to make something visual, and that it’s not your problem description that gives you help in return. The information you needed to get yourself stuck with a problem is the same that needs to be transferred to others so they can look into it. Fastest way to do that is to use images to help you explain, and prepare and upload an example .blend for troubleshooting.

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@JA12:
“Wellcome to the blender com”, that’s the first I’d like to see or “hear”, when someone comes into learning blender. Thxs for beeing a bit more affably, if possible. (And as some longtime, established and experienced member in here, you should make it possible) - Also, if it’s sometimes boring to repeat many times the same thing - here is someone comming in, in order to get help on a basic question - and it’s a bit sort of “stiff-upper-lip” to answer in this way. The communication is clear and shows very well, where the issues are - So no need to fill 50% of your answer with uneccesary, sententious advices on communiction skills.

And now a very short, but a bit more effective answer to you - Nortics:

  1. start with the basics - so look for titles like “Blender Basics”.

  2. then with simple things - so look for titles like “Modelling with primitives” or “Simple mesh-modelling”

  3. then with titles like “Modelling with modifieres”, “texturing”, “materials” and so on.

and so on. If you start up like this, you will soon get also expierienced in what you have to look for to take the next step.

A good advise is also to find tutorial-flows, which means a bunch of seperated tut-vids, which are showing a theme in small steps, mostly with the possibilty to do an exercise out of it. And of course, if you do something like this, then ask for critique and advise.

Overall, keep your “dreams about, what you want to do in the future” always alife, but keep it into simple and reachable goals, otherwise you will stuck and finally give up. The main thing is: “Stay always in having fun”. :slight_smile:

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As someone who have helped others with Blender related problems many thousands of times here and elsewhere, I know that is the most efficient way to utilize community help with a problem. That also covers the most important groundwork for a bug report if there ever is a problem with Blender itself that needs to be reported and fixed, which in turn helps everyone.

I wouldn’t call information that can save countless of wasted hours as unnecessary.

5

another good intro to blender
go to blender org and find the user manual

https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/dev/

start at beginning and keep going
this will show you how to use the different tools and how blender works
and ask questions on the proper forums when stuck with a problem.

good luck
happy bl

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:slight_smile: Well JA12… I know your efforts and I don’t want to “push this down” in any way. Most of the time you are really quiet right with your (sometimes rude) answers :wink: And I agree mostly, but there are situations, like in this case, where you have someone, who is absolutely new. So the kernel of your advices are 100% right, but the tone is rude… that’s what I put a slight critique on, nothin’ ellse.

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Thank you very much for all the answers guys, it really helps to know what direction to go and how to reach it. And the most important fact is that it sparkles your motivation. I was struggling a bit and sometimes felt motivated sometimes not even tho I didnt feel like quitting but things like this is what makes me going on :slight_smile:

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Just to be clear on my part, I wasn’t trying to be rude with my answer. What I wrote are some big mistakes to avoid when learning. I’m not fan of big walls of text so I tend to get to the point quickly. If my points need more explanation/context to be understandable, happy to write those open more.

Others said to find tutorials with steps to learn and I said not to learn steps, that could be confusing. Learning from tutorials that are presented with a structure and shows steps to do something is fine. What is very wrong is to learn the steps themselves. If you memorize the sequence of steps that are required to do anything, you have to learn a new sequence of steps every time you make something else.

It can be hard to learn the reasons and methods instead but one way to do that is to watch or read through a tutorial first and then try it yourself, jumping back to points that weren’t clear. Puts you out of sequence and makes you think of the moves you make.

The forum can be a good learning resource when focusing on solving one problem at a time, and providing information correctly. In an ideal case, multiple solutions from multiple users along with explanations, including visuals. Better than trying to figure something on your own for days.

“Off question: How to connect higher poly mesh like cylinder with something that looks like square?”
Have an equal amount of vertices on both, select the edges (or faces) that need to connect and W -> bridge edge loops. It bridges the gap, and you can adjust the connecting profile from the operator panel afterwards, which is at the bottom of the tool shelf or at the cursor when pressing F6.

Would highly recommend these https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0AfIdK08E7_PKsXOO_yuAql9b3hdcwPR

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Yes! Absolutely agreed. From my personell experience I would like to add something: Try to find “learning-flows” like the start-sequence of tutorials, which JA12 recommended in the last post. A N D ! Really! close a flow, open Blender and start up to “produce”, what you learned. - And - not only once. multiple times, try to find what we are all calling “Your personell workflow”.

The fact is: There is NOT only ONE way to do something, there are always MANY.

And well, as said: If you stuck, then come back with your issue - and mostly you get more than one answer / solution / work-flow.

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Regarding the structured tutorials your and Mike mentioned. Did you mean lets say tutorials that are oriented on modeling only or should I focus on tutorials that make a thing lets say cup all the way : modelling, texturing etc. till the final render?

Once again thank you all for your time and help :slight_smile:

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So if I understand correctly, you suggest it is better to lets say first fully watch a tutorial video and then after I am done trying to replicate the same result using the same steps as following the tutorial and doing the process at the same time?

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Any that are broken down to steps or stages. They do that to make the tutorial easier to follow, but that doesn’t mean those are meant as a workflow for you to repeat in whatever you’re making.

If a tutorial goes through multiple pipeline stages http://www.upcomingvfxmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/3d_production_timelines.jpeg
that’s fine too. But there’s so much stuff to learn from each stage that it will take many more days worth of tutorials to really start making sense of it all.

Also if you watch a tutorial that shows how to model a cup, doesn’t mean you couldn’t learn more from watching another cup modeling tutorial from someone else. There are multiple ways to do things and often you learn a bit more about tools and techniques. Also, just that it’s a tutorial doesn’t mean the tutor knows what he/she is talking about and if you don’t have anything to compare it to, you wouldn’t notice a difference.

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AS JA12 mentioned: Yes, at a first glance. But it’s not always the best way to do it EXACTLY like the tutor did it. Yes! The example of the cup is a good one: View the first of this kind carefully, wright down some essential steps like “ADD a cricle - extrude - move up - scale down - and so on”. Then watch another one; wright down again … it might be a totally other aproach. Take your notes. Open blender… do it… mix up your notices as you personally think it suits to you. And so on.

But basically! Learn the interface first, learn what it means to add a mesh, to alter that basic primitive (as we call those basic meshes), get comfort with the navigation within your view-port. Learn the differences between object-mode and edit-mode.

As said, there are some tutorials out there, which are really fine to start up with the basics. And if you like, then go to CGCockie. There are such sort of “flow-driven” tutorials, each of them with basic knowledge control (like a test with finding the right answers about the given questions) or further on with practice exercizes, where you have to do something by your own, with the possibility to present your work to the community in order to get a critique or even only a “WELL DONE”.

As I mentioned within another thread: CGCockie in general is not free of charge, but every penny you spend on this learning site, is really an investment for your future. (I’m not member of the staff, but I’m on the learning path and it helped me during the last two years a lot. And the tutors there are really expierienced, not only in doing tutorials, but also concerning the use of blender in general)

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Modeling is broken down into 3 basic areas. First, artistic skill, second, the techniques related to modeling in 3D, and finally understanding the tools and how they work.

The first one, is very broad. And I am not talking about talent. I am talking about skill. Talent is a given. We all have various levels of that and it is not something that can be taught. But skill is something you learn. Such as the ability to recognize shapes and proportions. To be able to know how to look at an object and break it down into smaller parts or smaller bits. How to work in broad strokes, how to see the overall shape of something and understand it at a basic primitive level. Most of the things you would want to know about this can be learned by taking a basic sketch course. Or do tutorials on drawing. I don’t know other places that this is taught. But this information, even if you suck at drawing (like me and I have done it all my life) is extremely useful as a basic art skill. And that skill should be practiced and it very definitely relates to modeling. I use this all the time.

The second thing is the technique of modeling. Learning about good polygon flow and why. Knowing what types of tools you can use to get certain things done faster. But also learning and practicing the skill (dexterity and familiarity) of the tools you are using. Each type of modeling will have different approaches. Sculpting is of course completely in a world of its own. But as far as modeling polygons you would approach something differently if you are modeling a character or if your are modeling an engine. Even though many things will cross over. Knowing if the object will be animated or not. Knowing if it is going into a game engine. And there are a vast array of things to know just purely technically. Things to know that have nothing to do with artistic skill but have to do with only the technical subject of modeling. And there is a lot to know. I have estimated while having taught college graduates over the last 4 years that this section makes up about 90 percent of the things you need to learn about 3D.

And then finally Blender, or any application you use. This is totally separate from the first two. But it does involve understanding how to relate things in section two, that apply to all modeling, to the current application you are using. What are the advantages? What tools can you use that Blender has which can help you? What things do you need to learn technically about Blender as an application? How does it use data? And so on.

My advice would be to treat these subjects separately. Or at least think of them as separate. You will find you can learn things about Blender tools that teach you something about the technique of modeling. Or you learn something about the technique of modeling that lead you to a tool that will allow you to do it better or faster or with more flexibility.

If you have not already guessed. To become a good modeler it takes literally years. But you can cut that time down a lot by being more scientific about it and learning things from others.

So with this in mind I would say follow tutorials first. Let someone with years of experience guide you through how to do projects. And be willing to spend money on that to get the best quality help. And it is not that they will always have the best way. But because they have experience they are giving you a lot of years trial and error in a short span of time. And it puts all of these things into a context which is important. As I have outlined above there are a lot of things to know.

Then balance tutorials with reading the manual and get a good Basic technical understanding of Blender.

And as I mentioned any basic art study you can do will be invaluable.

The main takeaway. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Follow tried and true paths first and then eventually find your own way.

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I could not explain it better, Richard. You hit any possible point. :slight_smile:

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Thank you for all the answers guys, I really value the indepth approach of explaining you are taking.

This also reminds me of a question about if paid courses like the ones you mentioned are worth spending money on in comparison with free youtube videos lets say. From what you said it is easy to guess that you are suggesting that it is good idea to take them. I know that paying for something doesnt automaticky mean I can learn it better or faster, but what separates those paid courses versus something like lets say blender guru? Do they offer more content, are they easier to understand, maybe they are also encouraging you and motivating? Or what is the main advantage of those courses? While I certainly can afford to buy some of those courses I would like to know more in depth reasoning about them.

As always guys , thank you again for all of your future recomendations, answers and suggestions.

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There are a lot of great free tutorials. And the motivation for doing those varies. But also are at the whim of the person having the time to do it. The tutorial series I am working on for example, the motive is not money or YouTube subscriptions. It is more close to home. I am trying to build up a comprehensive course in Blender to teach people at my studio. And just in general help people. And also to point to, so I don’t have to repeat things. Then lastly purely personal. I think it is important to document the things you know or have learned. However people waiting to get the full course are going to be disappointed. I can only do these things as I have time.

The advantages of paid tutorials are two fold. Usually they are funded. So things are usually completed. :wink: Second they vet the teachers. And to hold up a reputation with schools and so on, they have very stringent criteria for the content and learning objectives.

Places such as Pluralsite (formally Digital Tutors) while they may not have the best advanced courses, do take a lot of effort to teach people on a very basic level. And they have a course that starts and ends with a project that leaves you with the skills you need, guided by an experienced artist. I have done a lot of these courses myself. And I used them to give myself a great grounding in Photoshop, Maya, Softimage, Mudbox and MotionBuilder. For these I was not looking to be taught by some master artist. And frankly those guys can be a little obtuse at times. Just being a great artist does not make you the best teacher. But once you get some of the basics under your belt, you can then study under some masters. They might not be the best at communicating their ideas, but just watching how they work becomes a great part of the lesson.

So overall it is best to identify where you are in your learning curve. If you are a beginner, the best thing to do is master the basics. And you don’t need a Leonardo Da Vinci to do that. All I am saying.

And then some of these other places like CG Cookie. I have not done courses there. So I don’t know. But you can shop around and see what looks best to you.

Be long term oriented in your goals. Think in terms of weeks and months, not days. Take your time and explore.

And hopefully, have fun!

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Thank you again for the in depth answer :slight_smile:

Yes since I take this as my hobby since I am full time employed in finance which is completely unrelated industry I am thinking more like in maybe a year or more if I am satisfied with my progress after one year. This all comes from pasion that I would like to develop my own game one day, while my friend can handle the coding side and I could contribute with 3D.

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Ok. So let me “classify” the CGCockie part (as Richard mentioned not having done there something).

So first of all a quote from their site:

Supporting artists while being a force of good in the community

Story of CG Cookie
In CG Cookie mythology, the company name was coined on a 2-hour train commute to work.

“I think I was just sleep deprived,” is the common explanation given by Wes Burke who started CG Cookie in 2007 as a patchwork of CG news, images and job postings.

With close friends and family coming on board to help, CG Cookie was incorporated in 2010 and finally started collecting subscribers.

Over the years, CG Cookie has grown to become one of the leading digital art educators with more than 100,000 users globally, though the essence of the company hasn’t changed. We continue to operate as a small team of dedicated artists who love working together, go on annual retreats and know many of our users by name.

To make sure we have our hands on the pulse of the industry, we still run CG Cookie as a creative studio, with passion projects like our Eat Sheep mobile game, a self-produced book The Art of Blender or a clay sculpting starter kit, the SculptBox.

From day 1, we have been a bootstrapped company that has never taken outside investment and are staying true to our mission of being a force of good in the community.

We don’t make cookies. But we are great at showing digital artists how to kick butt. Also, send more coffee.

It’s self-explaing, I think.

The names behind this are: Wes Burke (CEO), Jonathan Williamson (COO) - also the founders of CGCockie. The Names like Kent Trammell, Jonathan Lampel (3D Art), Wayne Dixon (Animator), Jonathan Gonzales (Game developer), Jon Denning (Tool Development) and Lisa Schindler (Clay sculpt artist).

CGCockie covers 4 basic art parts, which are Concept Art, Blender 3D, Game Development (wherein is a cross discipline “tutorial-flow” between Blender and Unity) and traditional Clay Sculpting.

Plus: life-streams on different topics, where You can get directly in touch with the “teachers”.

The so called “guided flows” are well structured, containing step-by-step tutorials in any segment, with exercises, which can be done, submitted and then are graded by the “experts”. Grading means always to get hints, critiques and often also really usefull advices to do the one or other thing better.

And finally: The costs. Well, you are not paying for every course. You “buy” a membership (so called being a “citizen”) and all content is open to use, learn, download and so on. There are different plans, starting at monthly payments or quarterly or yearly. If you want to stop, you tell them and it stops. Everything, you downloaded during your membership is for your own use and never expires. So if you download a flow, you got, have it and don’t have to delete, when you decide to pause or even cancel your subscription.

The added shop offers things like the well known book “Art Of Blender”

If you basically subscribe to the site (free, without citizen-plan) you will get some time-limited free stuff in order to find out, whether the courses suit your needs.

So principally: No reason, for not giving it a shot.

My personell experience on CGCockie is, that I learned all the basics very fast at the beginning, was fast able to dive into the more complex parts and nowadays it’s a very fine place to “go back and repeat, what I did not use for a long time”.

And yes, now I am also able to follow those tuts Richard mentioned, tuts by artist, who are not the best in teaching, but showing their special aproaches of art.

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Well I have to say, for me, this is completely only my opinion, that the best motivation you can have is some personal project or goal. I say that because it has been that, and pretty much only that, which has driven my progress over the years.

But also having said that I came to realize that working on commercial projects forced me to learn things I would not have otherwise learned to do. So it did over the years kind of force me to re-evaluate that.

So in the end I would say it is a balance. And somehow adding a project - outside of your own - is a great way to push the boundaries. It sort of forces the hand - if you will - to make you explore things you would otherwise overlook or simply not find much interest in.