Whenever I tell other 3D artists that Blender is the only CGI application I’ve learned and use, I’m frequently replied “If you want to get good at this, learn other programs (like Maya) as well”. I never used others, and the only other 3D tools I worked with are Unreal Editor and gtkRadiant (for mapping in FPS games). However, I know Blender better than I dreamed of in the past, and can do almost anything I want in regards to 3D. Blender is also where I learned everything about 3D animation, from zero to being a decent artist (I guess).
I’ve been curious how much this is really the case. Is it a rule that you need to be experienced with other programs in order to make a career in animation and modeling? Or can I still get the same skills if Blender is the only program of this sort I’ll use or try out?
There are multiple reasons why I’m only sticking to Blender. First of all, it’s the one I learned and know best. It’s difficult for me to put energy into learning new things, and if I have something that already works great why use that energy? Second, I prefer using open-source software and avoiding commercial. It doesn’t feel like anything I do with something proprietary is truly mine, because the software isn’t… but of course that’s just how I feel personally. Thirdly, I dumped Windows and only use Linux now. I don’t know if Maya and others have Linux versions or work on WINE, but I learned that closed-source programs tend to be less stable and optimal on Linux… especially when you’re using the free video drivers like me (Mesa / OSS Radeon / Nouveau).
I’m new to Blender (discovered it around 4 months ago) but I’ve been working in games for more than 16 years, using Max and Maya, and the fundamentals are always the same. If you know how to produce good models, textures, renders, or animations in Blender you will have no problems working on a Max or Maya environment.
Now, from my experience in the games industry, what makes you a good 3D artists are your traditional artistic skills: drawing, modelling, lighting, composition, animation, etc. Those will never change. Tools come and go, and Blender is as good (if not better) than Maya or Max.
I don’t think it matters what tools you use, the important part is how you use them, right? Although, people in the ‘industry’ often tend to look down on Blender from what I’ve experienced.
For example, a week ago I went to an expo called ‘design your future’. There were a lot of universities there who all offered courses in something related to design. A number of them taught 3D art in one way or another, so I focussed on speaking to them the most. One thing they all asked me was whether I already used 3D software, to which I of course replied by explaining that I used Blender. Literally as soon as I spoke the word, they seemed taken back. They then each gave roughly the same spiel about how, in their class, I would be using maya, 3DS max, and a bit of z-brush. “Because we teach our students to a professional, industry standard level.”
The best part of the day was when one of the booths had demo computers with Maya loaded. I was invited to see what Maya was like, and I surprised them by being able to model a basic car within my first five minutes of using the software, completely unguided.
My point being, your experience in Blender will more than likely help you if you decide to learn Maya, or whatever else for that matter.
It doesn’t even matter if you stick with Blender, you will probably be in a better position, in fact. You’ll get free updates, and software that you’re already familiar with. There are already professionals who use Blender for their work - Gecko Animation just as an example.
@daniel97: Wow… they surely don’t know anything about what Blender can do if they look down on it that much. Part of it is explainable however, since people tend to think open-source software can never be as good as the popular commercial apps (big misconception in my opinion). Same story with Linux and many other programs… it sucks but it’s the way it is
Anyway, it’s discussable if I could even run Maya or 3DS, considering I had the money to buy them (could go the “yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rom” way for just some testing). As far as I’m concerned, the only reason to learn them is to be prepared in case I’d ever be constrained to work with something other than Blender. For say a community project that already started working on other software, and I’d need that software too to contribute… unlikely since I tend to work alone.
If the principles are the same however, it’s pretty much good news. Seeing a video of another 3D application, the way you model there is identical to Blender, only that the menus and mouse actions are different. So I assume that if I’d ever have to use Maya / 3DS / other, the only problem would be getting used to the new menus and some specific features, but the basics would stay the same.
Even if you want to stick with blender, you should try and use some other 3d applications. It helps round out your expectations, know whats good and not so good as well as teaches you more ways to accomplish a task. It will improve your problem solving skills, expand your understanding of 3d and advance your personal pipeline.
Again this doesnt mean you have to give up on the one you feel most comfortable with, but you really will have a lot to gain by getting familiar with some other applications as well.
I used 3dsMax and maya professionally for quite a few years before I discovered Blender. Now I use only Blender for my work and I’ve never looked back. Blender is more then good enough for me. People in the industry do tend to look down at Blender, Maybe because of some prejudice that a professional tool should be paid for, I don’t know. But the way I see it, Blender is just as professional as any, the big question is of course, what you do with it.
In order to become a good “3D artist” the tool is not so important than the artist. I’ve observed professional painters who after 4 decades of traditional painting learned to paint digitally on a wacom cintiq and photoshop … they became much better digital painter after a short introduction in digital painting with this new technology than other people who learned painting straight away on the digital way.
A tool is just a tool. Talent does not depend on a tool.
But what I’ve personally experienced is that learning other types of art can improve your 3D skills. For example learning to sculpt with clay with your own hands will improve sculpting in Blender. Learning to photograph great landscape pictures will improve your ability to composite in Blender.
I come from, (and still use mainly), Lightwave and the forums over there are quite dismissive of Blender much of the times, that said, even on “elite” forums there is an acknowledgment of the advancement of Blender. At the Blender conference, there was a talk by an ex Rhythm and Hues guy who has stated using it in film projects and encouraging others to do so. Look at the galleries, there really is some stunning stuff done with Blender, so yes, it’s more than adequate to produce good work.
It is amazing that it is free and yet in many areas, can hold it’s own against “pro” packages, in places, it is lacking, in others, it has features some established packages still do not. It really is the old adage, it is the artist not the tools.
I still work mainly in Lightwave as I find Blender frustrating, however, some of that for sure is that after years knowing LW, I am just “comfy” using it, I know it well. Given time, I am sure I will become comfy with Blender and that is where the speed comes from of working. The less you think about what you have to do and where the tool is and what it does, the more you focus on the art.
At the start, pretty much everything is “technical”, learning the nuts and bolts, “this tool does this and I go here and click this to make it work”. In the end it’s, “Hmm, need a bit of a curved edge here, think I’ll make that section longer”, as opposed to naming the tools, you know them, you just think about what you want, sure that you can do the job with the tools at hand.
Thank you for all the replies. I understand that knowing other software as well can improve one’s skills, but is not a necessity to become good in the industry. If I’ll get the chance to play with other 3D tools or watch tutorials about them, I probably will sometime… otherwise I’m sticking to Blender.
All things being equal, the tool certainly doesn’t make the artist. But not all things are equal.
The fact that someone who’s good at something can eventually create good work may be true, but what is being given up in the process?
If a hammer is a hammer, I’ll take the solid metal one, and you can have the hollow plastic one…
Blender is fantastic and I’m enjoying learning it, but I don’t think anyone should expect to use “one tool” unless their job requires it. Coming from a graphic design background, I can tell you there were plenty of fights - this vs. that, either is fine for a talented person… same argument.
It’s simply not true. This is not to say Blender isn’t great (I think it is so far… though far from perfect) but I think it’s misleading to say that software is good because you can do what you want with it if you’re a good artist.
Today I touched 3DSMax for the first time. I was correcting flaws that our modeller made in about an hour. Knowing Blender helped me get a job as IT in a cartoon studio because I understood the mechanics of rendering better than the 24 other applicants. Today I was able to grasp the 3DSMax concepts immediately. It doesn’t hurt to broaden your horizons however. Just don’t forget your roots.
