Hey guyys. Okay I think I took on Blender 3D differently than how I should have. I see so many great pieces of art work, and I know that they took hours, even days, to complete. My problem is that I can not create any pieces that are realistic, or worth even trying to fix. I don’t know how many people have seen my Father’s Day Card (haha I only got 2 replies on it) or my lame animation that wasn’t even done right (grr), so if you haven’t seen them, I’ll just let you know that they are AWFUL. hah. So here is a list of my questions that I am really desperate to hear the answers to:
How do you make things look realistic? Is it the textures you use? If so, where in this world do you collect all your realistic textures?
How long does it take you to prepare for a new project, before you start modeling?
What are some secrets and tricks to modeling that will guarantee a great project?
How long did it take you to get really good?
Thanks in advanced guyys!! I need some fast help… I’m losing faith!!!
I am not an expert and haven’t made a realistic anything but I might be able to help some.
I think you can get a great effect UV texturing and maybe even adding in a little procedural textures (built in to Blender, Clouds for example). And some people make there own textures in photoshop but you can get a ton from http://cgtextures.com/
Personally I don’t do much concept. I usually just have a mental picture of what I am looking for and just go from there. If I am doing I movie I will probably drawn some sketches just to get a general picture before I dive into it.
Ah the million dollar question. I think you should just take it slow (unless you have a deadline) and think through everything before doing it. That will save you a lot of time. Think of different ways to do a thing and then choose the best way.
I don’t know when you get really good but I have been Using Blender for a yea and a half and I am decent. I know that the best guy (I think think anyways) in Blender has been using it for 7 years. Just takes practice. It is different for everyone.
-When you model something, try to think how it was constructed in real life (if it is a real object). Or if it is a concept in your head, try to define it with primitives.
What I mean is: if you are trying to model an older style telephone handset, identify that it can be defined by three primitives - two half spheres and an stretched cube. Place the primitives and then tweak them, rotate, stretch, cut topo lines, join, etc. until you have the basic shape you need.
Details make or break your scene.
If you are modeling a car, you can’t just rough out a body, slap four cylinders for wheels on it, and pick a color. You have to think about the fine detail on a real car. For instance, block out an interior, even if you don’t plan on doing a render of the cabin. Put an antenna on it. Does your car have a gas cap? Did you put badges and emblems on it? Spend time on materials for the parts.
If you are modeling a human, put in as much detail as you want it to have. If you’re going for photo realism, you better put in eyelashes and blotches in the skin. Put those tear ducts at the corner of the eyes.
Do you get my point about detail? Always think about how you can put more detail.
The bottom line is there are no real secrets to modeling. Analyze everyday objects and think about how you would model them. I like to give things a number between 1-3 rating it’s difficulty to model. I look at a chair and give it a 1(easy), a shoe 2 (medium), and a computer keyboard, or a car 3 (hard). It helps me to decide on projects.
Keep posting. Decide on an object you want to model. Think through your workflow before you even start pulling vertices. Once you have your object, put it in a physical scene. Don’t model a soda can and then leave it floating in bright blue space, put it on a table, on a coaster or an old magazine. Then go from there. Post your results here and I will coach you through until you get something that looks good.
Thank you so much, Gobley. You really helped me under stand that modeling isn’t just…modeling but a way of thinking. haha that sounds really cheesey, but true. thank you!
realistic is a combination of every topic in the Manual. start with a great model, great materials, good lighting, awesome textures, realistic movement, appropriate rendering, and scene integration, and you have “realistic”.
Learn all the junctions in blender and then do like a million tests and then that is when you start to see results believe in yourself and you’ll to really well.
I’d say a living room scene can be a good one to improve some basic modeling skills. Since you’re starting with the sofa, remember to define it first with primitives. That one’s easy, it’s just made of cubes. Slice it up and deform it, then you just have to worry about textures. Post a WIP if you need c&c.