I’ve been using Blender for a year or so strictly as a hobby, but I’ve been thinking about being a 3d artist and making a living out of this someday. So far I’ve been learning and making models with Blender exclusively, but I think that I need to broaden my horizons a little bit and learn new skills in order to become a true 3d artist. The problem is that we all have finite time unfortunately, and I’m not sure how to prioritze the things that I want to learn properly, so maybe I could get some advice from the more experienced members.
Traditional 2d art: Should I bother to learn this to be a good 3d artist? Are there any good 3d artist who can’t draw traditional 2d drawings? I’m very interested in this subject and would very much like to know if acquiring this skill would make me a better 3d artist.
Image editors (Photoshop and Gimp): I’m very lacking in this area and I think that it’s already hurting me since I can’t properly make my own textures. Do you think I should put more priority into this than number 1 and 3?
Other 3D Modelling software: Blender was the first ever 3D modelling tool that I tried and I just love it! I’ve learned so many things about the world of CG while using it, but I think that I need to try other 3D software to decide whether I want to use it full time from now on. I’ve already tried Maya for a few days and it seems very different. AFAIK it doesn’t have “modifiers” like Blender, so all the editing that I do to my model must be destructive :(. This is a real deal breaker for me, so if you have any recommendations for other 3d software which has modifiers and which would make a good companion to Blender then please recommend it to me.
I plan to do all of 1,2 and 3 eventually, but please tell me what I should prioritize more for the time being.
Learn traditional art, to some degree before you go off on a tangent learning other software.
It’ll improve your artist capabilities by a large amount, which will feed directly back into your 3D modelling. Learning a software package of course can be done a long side doing traditional artwork, but it takes at most a month to learn a package fluently, so put more time into thigns that will benefit you in the long run. Like drawing, anatomy, colour theory etcetera.
I don’t think you strictly have to be able to draw traditionally but I have heard that it helps a lot if you ever want to do concept art.
I do think that it is very important to be able to make your own textures properly, no matter what you use to make it, in large production houses they have specific texture artists but most of the time a 3D modeler have to be able to make his own textures (are you able to UVW unwrap properly?)
At least some experience is good but modeling is pretty much the same in all software so if you can model in Blender you can model in any software, if you get a job where you have to use (for example) Maya they will most likely teach you the basics so that you can do what you are supposed to (though as I said, it is probably a bonus if you already know a little about the software they want you to use)
If you don’t consider animation, you are more or less stuck in a design position. Which means you will more than likely be implementing other peoples ideas. Animation is an important part of being a 3D artist and it is not even on your list. It is so much more impressive to have a whirl of color and lights swoosh across the screen than just a turn table of another ogre or troll. After all models are everywhere. You can buy them cheaper than you can make them.
Telling a story on screen is what 3D is mostly used for even if it is a still image. The story/message is more important than the art. We can tell this because scripts are written before images are generated. So you may want to consider how to tell a story with 3D. Story telling also broadens your job market as well. not only can you tell a story with a movie or game, you can tell a story with an Ad.
2)order of priority is a personal choice. Eliminating a weak point is a good argument. But your life can have others arguments in favor of others priorities.
Maya posseses an history stack that keeps in memory your previous actions. Not destructive workflow at all.
Yeah, I just watched some youtube vids about 3DS Max and I was amazed at the number of the modifiers when the guy pulled down the modifier stack! Is 3DS MAx the only other 3D software besides Blender that has this feature? Its so incredibly useful so I wonder why its not standard on all 3D software.
I’m very interested in learning traditional art and, I’ve seen plenty of tutorials dealing with traditional art on the internet. Some deal with traditional drawing by using paper and pencils while others teach you how to draw by using a tablet. Should a 3D artist start by using a tablet to draw straight away or should he start by using paper and pencil?
So if I get a job where all other modellers use Maya, they teach me the basics? That’s good to know. I thought that expertise in the software which the company uses for modelling is a perquisite for getting a job.
Ooh! I completely forgot about animation! I guess that’s another thing to put on my list. And yes I do agree that its very important, but I don’t consider it a priority right now since I have still not mastered the basics of drawing and making my own textures.
I did not know about the history stack. Is it like the undo function in Blender and most other Windows programs where you press Ctrl+Z to undo the previous steps? does it have a certain number of steps that it can undo? do those steps disappear after you save and close Maya?
Learning what are to actually start with is more tricky.
If you want to do environment modelling, then learning perspective and things of that nature would come before learning anatomy.
Have a sit down and right down some notes on where you want to go, then think what would best suit you i.e. if you want to become a character modeller then understanding, drawing (and remembering) anatomy should come first. What tools you use is irrelevant.
I’ve used a tablet a few times and I found it to be frustrating not being able to see what I draw unless I look up at my monitor, so I guess I’ll start with pencil and then move on into tablets as I get better. Thanks for the advice.
That’s a really snazzy undo command! I’ll have to reevaluate Maya, then.
Yeah, that makes sense. If I were an employer than I would also choose the applicant with the most experience, unless I was really hurting for applicants and some devilishly handsome and charismatic Blender user showed up one day with plans to pick this company up from the ground
