Starting with basic 3D modelling and animation

armagon

So, i'm a programmer trying very hard to become an artist. Not really an artist, just enough to finish my Ludum Dares without any purchased assets or crying for help to friends. This Ludum Dare i failed because i really needed a humanoid character in 3D, and i spent all my 48 hours trying to create a copy of the Minecraft guy.

I'm creating this thread because i really want to learn more, but most courses focus on the artistic part: modelling in Zbrush, drawing, painting, etc. And i'm really, really bad at that. Are there any smaller courses, focused on creating small projects? Like, modeling a stick guy, rigging it and animating it.

DonEngland

What 3d software are you using?

As a programmer, it's good to begin blocking out game play with just cubes to get something playable.

PaulD2RC

I wouldn't consider modeling / rigging / animating small projects by any means if you've not really touched 3d work before.

Depending on the program you're using to learn will depend on the type of instructions / tutorials people can recommend for you. 3dsMax? Blender? Maya? Zbrush?

armagon

I've been using 3DS Max for a long time now. And although i don't know how to use it properly, i'm used to it. But if there's something better for beginners, i'm dying to try it!

As far as programming goes, i'm very proficient with game development. I'm just tired of having to purchase assets and spend days modifying those assets (without success, to be honest) to make them match my goals. Or depending on third-parties. I wanted to learn the basics so i can achieve an art style that i know i'm capable of doing. Something like this: https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/15126 https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/19942

DonEngland

Those assets are mostly cube primitives with simple textures.
General workflow: Box Model -> UV -> Texture -> Rig -> Skin -> Animate.

I can't recommend any specific tutorial, but there are a lot of free tutorials out there. Autodesk has pretty good documentation and here is their official tut. If you have some spare cash Digital Tutors looks good for beginners. Check out the wiki for more ideas.

Good luck!

armagon

I'm a customer of Digital Tutors, but most of their courses go very far: modelling weapons, characters, etc. I fail hard at the very first assignments. I was looking for something simple, but covering all areas. Like: how to rig a minecrafty-ish player like those? A normal 3DS Biped? Or a custom rig?