[ 3D Modelling] Everything i creates ends up unfinished ..

Thessera

Okei, i will try to keep it short ..
(idk if this is the right place to ask)
The thing is... i am aiming to become a 3D artist.. 
been working on this .. "goal"  for 2 years now, since i started learning 3D..

Problem:

When I start making something.. i spend weeks even  months  into it.. 

and by the time i have reached  the "end" ( close to finish it) ..

-  It looks craps ..since by then  i have  already improved..

...and i end up throwing it away.. xD 

The issue:

I end up with nothing to show..

How the heck am i supposed to make a portfolio

Any advice,tips? Q_Q

gsokol

Its perfectly normal to feel like that.  You get better with every piece you do.  Suck it up, and finish that thing, even if you know you can do better....then prove it with your next piece.  Build up better and better stuff, and remove your older stuff, rinse and repeat.

PyrZern

In the beginning, I rushed to finish things up. They looked kinda shitty, but I finished them. Job's done. Then for each new project, I pushed further bits by bits. I threw lots of old crappy pieces away, but it's ok. Not everything has to be a masterpiece. But most of the were finished... Most. Some I did abandon projects half-way through.

Post things up online as you make them. Let people help you finish them. 

Joebewon

I'd say maybe make smaller goals for yourself when it comes to creating 3D.  
If you're spending weeks and months on a character, why not try to do a small prop? 
That way it should take you less time, and with a smaller scope it will feel more manageable than a giant project. 

Biomag

There was a thread about something similar a couple of months back -> here

My advice is: Look at your project and if you can separate it in several smaller parts that you can take from start to finish easily. For environment scenes it would be the props. For characters its a litte bit more tricker, just plan ahead what parts will end up on the same texture so that if you want to break up working on the project, you at least can 'quickly' finish parts. Doing a large project in small steps also gives this feeling of accomplishing something each time you make the small step.

This way you can also practice all parts of the production and won't be stuck for a long time at modelling/sculpting/texturing/... and then not do it again until a couple weeks later. Another advantage - especially when lacking experience - it gives you insight what works and what doesn't. Do you rather model something and then sculpt or texture the details? Will the baking work out or you need to model it differently?

In the end nothing replaces disciplin. You will need it far more than talent.

lefix

I recommend starting smaller projects. Instead of making for a full street scene, start with a fire hydrant or a lamp post. Instead of making a full character, start with a sword. Try to nail down the style you're aiming for. Then slowly work your way up to bigger projects.

Gaurav Mathur

Don't beat yourself up over having a bunch of unfinished stuff -- maybe you'll find a use for it later!  I'm working on something at home that's using assets I first built over six or seven years ago.  It's nice to have a little jump start on what I'm doing now with some of those older unfinished models!

Synaesthesia

I've got at least 50 different models of vehicles, parts, pieces, props, etc that I haven't finished over the years - even some entire environmental designs that are still waiting to be textured.

I imagine most artists are in a similar bucket. You enjoy working on something for a bit, then something changes and you focus on another project. Eventually you come back to it, but perhaps the spark isn't there to see it through to the end. As @Biomag mentioned, the trick is to break up your work into smaller pieces if you want to give yourself a better chance of finishing it off. You'll stress out less and get more done without realizing it.

Drocho

This is a big weakness of mine. I can get about 80% of the way through something and then before going further, I just scrap it and start something else. More recently I decided that this won't do, and I've begun making an effort to load up old projects, fix them up and finish them.

Gaurav Mathur

One of my art teachers had six oil paintings going on at the same time that she'd go between depending on how she was feeling during any particular work session.  At least we can repurpose/reuse our 3D work, for the most part! 

C86G

It was totally the same to me when I started 3d. It´s normal, I guess. Just go on and eventually upload work on a website or something- even if it´s not finished. This way you can keep track of your progression and it helps you to judge how much more work/time a project would have taken to be "finished".

Ged

Just keep going until its done and get it in your portfolio, sometimes its just a chore but its important to finish at least some of what you start. Show it to people here on polycount when its about half way through and they will help you get something ready to show in your portfolio, I know polycount can be brutal sometimes but people here have helped me so much over the years with thier honest critiques and helpful advice.