What's wrong with me and modelling.. :(

Support Modeling
1

:frowning: I just can’t seem to do it… Don’t get me wrong, I know some stuff about blender, just very few.

I’ve tried SO many tutorials for Blender online… I’ve searched google for so long…and i’ve found some. But I always get stuck in a spot where I can’t go on until I find out how to do the step in that tutorial.

I’ve even tried other 3d program tutorials… I’m learning some stuff still…but not how to do it. If that makes sense.

I wish I could model like all the people here can. How did you learn???

One avatar/icon that I was really impressed with was AndyD’s icon (next to name…picture) But how the hell would you make that…you probably need to use the knife tool a lot.

I’ve liked box modelling…even though i’ve only done a little. Does anyone know of any websites that show you how to box model something? Even if it’s not for blender…something that I could use in blender though. I’ve googled things like “box modeling 3d tutorial” and stuff… I’m going to keep searching. Basically, I’m realllly interested in making 3d characters/faces… or animals. like in that turtle tutorial/lizard one. (or reptiles I guess). But I know this task is probably not for beginners like me… I’ve used blender for over a year now (yet I still can’t do much. :o ) I’m 16 though…not that that’s an excuse or anything.

I would ask more questions on certain tutorials, but I feel really dumb already for asking about the turtle one, and still not quite figuring it out…(though I think I’m close?) I don’t give up easily. Some of you are probably thinking “you can’t do it…just stop trying”. But I wish I knew how to do it… :\

Any advice/links…?

2

Well welcome to the group called “we can’t model”… I’m not that good either, but I think it’s only that you have to be experienced and creative. Some of the people have been doing 3D work for years. What more you work the better you get.

3

You have to remember that tutorials show one way to do some thing. There are lots of ways to model stuff. Low poly (or box) modelling is easy when you understand the basic principles. It’s basically replicating a real world model in “blocky” way. Good reference pictures are the first thing you need. Without them it’s very hard to get the proper form even for experienced modellers.

Then it’s just creating new polygons with various techniques such as extruding.

4

Don’t despair, Leah :slight_smile: We were all there at one point.

Maybe start over again, starting simple and working your way up from there, something like pen or a pencil instead of something more involved like a castle or something organic.

Gradually, as you develop a better sense of where and how the verts/edges/faces should go on a model, you will find yourself doing more complicated things in less time.

Complicated things are often made up of simpler elements. Take any object and see how many different parts and shapes there are to it. A computer keyboard, for example, contains mostly rectangular/box shapes. The same goes for a piano/synth keyboard.

Once you start breaking things down into basic shapes in your mind, you may be better prepared to take on more challenging models.

Experiment and have fun and never be discouraged. Set realistic goals and expectations for yourself and create things that interest you.

Interest goes a long way to helping you finish a project and developing your ability to express yourself in 3D. You’ll find new ways to do things and maybe even some new ideas and artistic abilities.

I know you can do it. Just believe in yourself and persist.

Happy blending!

RobertT

5

Hello Leah, first of all… put in your mind that if there are people here (but not only here) who are able to do great modeling and rendering, then you (and everyone) can do it too. Maybe someone are more talented than others, but basically anyone with a good will power and patience will be able to obtain excellent results.

I know some people (not talking about you btw) who watch the “toy story” movie, or “Matrix”, or similar, then they get entusiast by 3d production, download some terrific 3d software, with the latest cutting edge ray tracing engine, and pretend to create some Holliwood-like animation by the next 2 months. It’s not working this way… I think you should really restart to study it from the basics concepts, write down in a notebook everything you study and discover about blender, with time you will have your own Blender reference everytime you will need it.

Personally I used 3d studio software since 10 years ago (I was pretty good at it), in 2001 I started to “watch” at Blender and it’s great potential, and it was fashinating when a full community obtained the source code from NaN and started to develope Blender. This is when I started to get seriously interested in it and with time (along with work etc) I got familiar more and more, started to make simple projects, still using at same time 3ds for the bigger projects.

Now since some time I completely switched to Blender and everytime I have a problem I force myself to solve it, instead of giving up. This is the same learning process that I used to learn 3ds, I know how to make fast good modeling with it, but I know that is possible too with Blender, maybe in another way with different methods, but is possible. And with practice and experience it will become natural to model with it.

Here you can find many tutorials:
http://blenderartists.org/cms/index.php?id=31

http://www.blender3d.org

Don’t expect things to come out easily, try and try and try again, tutorials are good to show a technique but solving problems and developing projects is more good. Try to invent your own model on paper (start with something simple then increase the difficulty/details/quality), then realize it with Blender until you get a good result, if you don’t know something you can ask on forums explaining the details, if the model comes out not good then save the work and restart from zero until it will be fine.

Just don’t give up with it when you have difficulties and you will see that you will get excellent results :slight_smile:

6

I cannot praise enough, how much videotutorials helped me. I find the written tutorials too complicated for a beginner because there is so much to grasp.

http://www.ibiblio.org/bvidtute/ - GreyBeard rulez :smiley:

7

WHen I first started coming here (it was Elysiun then) I was amazed and scared at how many people could model amazing things. But now, nearly a year later, I feel like I’ve improved so much that I no longer care that I can’t model like those here, but I learned that they got good at what they do by spending a lot of time experimenting. Just take the default cube and work with it, using the scale, extrude, seperate, smooth, whatever tools until you have a discernable shape. If it looks like a tree, work slowly making it look mroe like a tree. If it looks like a lighthouse, try making it look closer to a lighthouse. This solves the need for staring at the screen and guessing what you want to make today. Well, at least it works for me :).

~Jace

8

For general modelling, i like this one a lot:
http://www.subdivisionmodeling.com/wiki/tiki-index.php
It tells everything.
Keep on blending and don’t give up!
Making some other artistic stuff (drawing, painting, clay modelling) can also help you a lot in improving your skills.

oh, btw for character modelling this site has a very good tute in my hopinion.


And there’s still online the great set of tutes by kos, just browse the folders:
http://kokos.umcs.lublin.pl/MIRRORS/apieceofstring.com/kos/tutorials/

9

and create things that interest you.Interest goes a long way to helping you finish a project and developing your ability to express yourself in 3D…
I completely agree to this. In the beginning, chose something that you like, thet you actually want to see done. My firts model was the SeaDuck plane from TaleSpin, because I liked it. I found some reference - and by extreme luck, some sort of blueprints - and begun modelling it.

You should do the same. Find something you want to do and say: “How can I achieve this shape? How can I model this?” and after that, “How can I refine this? How can I make it look better?”

Think about the shape of the object you want to model, and place your verts in the same way. The first times it will not be perfect: try each time to make it look better.

If you reach a point where you don’t know what to do, look for a tutorial, or ask here on the forum. Once you have solved your problem, you will have learnt something new to use in the future (I also quote on what ondrew said, videotutorials are very useful - and GreyBeard’s ones are really well made).

10

my problem is I cant seem to find good reference pics for modeling. And I by myself cant draw for crap.

11

I think it was Michelangelo who, when asked what was the source of his genius, said, “Patience.” Be patient with yourself. The pathways in your brain have to develop over time. That is true of every new thing learned.

12

Actually, somewhere, is a tutorial where @ndy models that very picture. He does alot of post-processing owrk in GIMP.

I can’t find it ATM. :frowning:

13

Thanks for the replies and suggestions and links… :slight_smile:

I am trying some of those links now…

Oh and NeOmega- Is the tutorial on this forum? I know you can’t find it…but do you have an idea of where it might be? thanks…

oh and by the way, I don’t want to copy him, I just want to learn…

Thanks again.

14

It took me a while before I could do any good models, I usually start off with box modeling and go from there…there just comes a point when everything seems to fall in place …somewhere around the point when you really understand how to do things in blender … it starts to get easier from there… but there is only one thing that really makes a difference…
model model and then model some more… I used to really stink…now people actually buy my models…so keep practicing and model till your fingers are sore…Good luck. Also its very important to do some research on the human form muscles and anatomy , and body proportions.

15

It was somewhere where a bunch of videos were posted for Siggraph or something. Unfortunately I don’t rememebr where… sorry… :frowning: There was a lot of good stuff there too, like tutorials on hose, and such.

16

Oh that’s okay NeOmega…thanks for letting me know though.

17

Hey, no matter how much you suck remember there is people like Robert T who are actually hackers of Blender, thus creating fine art. :wink: Just kidding, Robert.

On a serious note, I am - 10x worse than you at modelling so that should lift your spirits, right?

18

here is that video of @ndy making that character:

http://www.blender.org/cms/2005_Videos.714.0.html

there’s other stuff, too, but i think you are going to be more interested in @ndy’s video.

19

i’ve never used a video tutorial (because i have dialup)
but i’m not really that good at modeling i mostlry make games which use low poly things i havnt really used any modeling tutorials i just play around and see what i make and dont usually have a defined plan on what it is going to look like when i’m done

20

I downloaded blender abouth a year ago and have been seriously trying to figure it out for about 6 months as well and lurking about in the forums for about 3 months or so. I figured it was time I stopped lurking and participated a bit. For quite a while I felt the same way that you did and that was just plain lost. Some people mentioned that drawing or sculpting really helps and I agree 100%. My artistic skills when it comes to doing anything free hand are terrible but I find it really helps me to sketch out what I want to model. To sketch different angles and just get the model in my head before I try and actually build the thing in blender. This is a tutorial that is really generic but is a good start if you have not already read it: http://glenmoyes.com/articles/to_those_learning_3d.shtml

Other than that, work on easy things and work your way up this will help you with learning Blender and just general problem solving.

NP