What would you tell your younger self that would shave off the time you took to learn 3d?
polycounter lvl 9
Question states it all. I have lurked here, tried many times, failed many times. But to quote Silvio Dante... "Just when I thought I was out... they keep pulling me back in"
Replies
(I don't regret art school. I regret the debt.)
Simple truth, its a lot to learn between anatomy, clothing patterns, haircuts, especially going for realism... and there is the software that needs to be learned... and the techniques/worksflows... and actually the technology that brings everything together...
The only thing that helps through all of that as in any other part of life - start with the basics/big shapes and work yourself towards the details not the other way around...
- Eliminate distractions. (Video games?? Hahahahahaha...)
- Quit worrying about which 10 programs you want to learn; just pick 3 and go.
Etc.
I guess the crux of what I'm saying is having limitations is conducive to getting stuff done. You can impose limitations with film stuff too obviously if you're disciplined.
It's just like games. You can make something low poly and be satisfied with that. But if you're making something that's bleeding edge in graphics, you will have to dive into using particles/post processing/simulations etc. As that's where big AAA games are trending now.
Actually, that's the number one tip I'd give to any beginner in the art of making characters.
Do not procrastinate. Do not try to create a masterpiece. Relax. Do the dynamic sketching all the time. Take a sculpting class. Perfectionism hurts. Again, relax. It's OK to cry when no one's watching. Be aware of what kind of person you really are. It is normal and expected to take a small step one by one. Don't overthink. Buy a parking permit and go hiking every now and then.
And finally: Don't be super vigilant. It's OK to be fearless. Having some regrets in your pocket is better than not having and life experience.
-Accept your flaws and focus on trying to find ways to improve upon those
-Fix yourself some goals everytime you start a new project, what are you hoping to learn in this new piece? Pick your project to fit your goals. You are trying to pratice your reproduction skill, try a likeness, trying to practice your creativity, work without concept or with a very ''sketchy'' concept that's gotta force you to make things up along the way. PIcking your project to focus on specific goals will make it even more valuable in the long run.
I have student license for Maya and have always loved it (of course, I never truly learned Maya completely) but currently I am using a trial of Modo and I find it very powerful and cool but I find organization of tools is a bit poor for my taste.
and never forget about modo
actually the contrary is the truth
If it helps you with your work great, but I would recommend not to judge others based on these things. Judge them by how clean their files are not their tables
"You're working harder and longer than you ever will again, but the results are garbage. Find someone who'll tell you your work sucks and why, then do what they suggest. And stop paying for a university course that's not teaching you anything at all. You muppet."
-Take your time with your first projects, learn the fundamentals, they may be boring but you would come to see how this would benefit you in future works.
-Be patient. All will make sense and the full picture will come together in good time.
- you DON'T need to be perfect, just 'good enough'. Polycount is great and horrible at the same time. you can learn a ton but you can also seriously psyche yourself out. remember. the super freaking awesome shit you see is done by people who have done it for a long time or put in a lot of hard work. it's okay to be a green belt, black belt comes with time. also on that note you can find work when your work is just 'okay'. i'm not saying don't improve it just means that some companies really just need to fill a spot and FAST and if your waiting to be damn perfect your gonna miss your chance. if you suck, well yet another forgotten portfolio in a sea of crappy portfolios that were submitted but if your 'good enough' your in the running for that job!
-learn new things but keep a strong focus on what you really want. it's really easy to slide into roles you don't want. especially when your boss keeps on trying to nudge you to do more and you feel like if you don't you'll get a pink slip. you have to set limits. it's okay to say no.
- your still a good person even if you don't work in games. your life has value! so many young people are like 'I wanna work in games or BUST!' and yeah some just don't make it. (some just suck, others never got the right break, or live in the wrong area, etc.) if your dream doesn't happen and life goes somewhere else.. dude, it's okay. no seriously. IT'S OKAY! you didn't waste your time. don't beat yourself up. God, i can't tell you how often I have seen this. Its really sad.
-and finally... keep up with technology but it's not a replacement for the basics. no super cool plug in replaces solid understanding of the fundamentals. sure they make life easier but don't be overly reliant on them
Here's the link to the full text. I'll summarize it here if it's TLTR for you.
- Decide early on industry and specialization
Every specialization and industry requires different sets of skills. Give yourself little time to inform about all the positions and job descriptions and then see what you like the most and start learning the necessary stuff for that position and go from there. If we say that you learn everything you will become okey-ish in a lot of stuff but not good enough for you to get paid. By losing the idea of being a jack of all trades as a beginner can save you a lot of time and help you get your first gig. As you progress forward and get your crucial skills on the high level you can always go back and expend your knowledge, but in the meantime, focus on the needs of that one particular job.- Self-taught is a legit option
I just want to get this out of the way at almost the very beginning; the answer is NO, you do not need school or an education institution of any kind to get a job in the industry. I know this is a very sensitive topic and don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that school is bad or that it’s waste of time. I’m sure there are benefits of going to school like social aspect, connections, collaborations, accepting feedback… but that’s another topic.- Basics
Solid foundation is a must for you to build on it with more and more knowledge and experience; otherwise it will all come crashing down.- Take small project
Artists grow by exercising so every model is better than the one before it. So it’s better to do ten small projects than one that is bigger. Because as you do small projects you are more likely go through more different challenges, obstacles, problems that, once you´ve solved them, you´ll learn and grow, in comparison to a big project where you might just end up with not as many challenges, obstacles, problems as if you would on small ones or even worse, that you might not even know how to solve and you might quit.- Learn, do NOT copy
Tutorials are there for you to learn the process of making something, so if there is a tutorial “how to make a shield” make a sword. That way you´re going to learn how to implement that workflow you saw on tutorial inside your own workflow of making anything you want.- Right way to work
When you see other´s people workflow keep in mind that that’s their way, not the right way. If you find out about new way to do things, try it out, but if you see you´re not comfortable with it just don’t incorporate it in your workflow. Find what’s easiest for you, experiment, try out different stuff, there is no right way.- Finish your work
Finishing a project is a must. It doesn’t matter what kind of quality it ends up with, it’s the ability to start with something from zero and push it ´till the finish line that´s important.- Be open for criticism
This type of job requires a lot of collaboration between peers. Working with people and asking for their help, opinions and critiques will make you grow. So ask for feedback, ask for constructive honest criticism and be ready for everything. Most people won’t be helpful when asking for criticism, some of them will be very harsh, rude, sarcastic, some of them will be giving you positive comments like “good job!”, “keep up the good work!” but nothing that is helpful and something to improve on. But there’s those few that will really go an extra mile and be really honest and leave positive or negative constructive criticism and when you receive those comments be open for them, give it a thought and try applying it to your work.- Match your portfolio to the company
When you are building portfolio try to match it to the desired company. The easiest way to get your foot inside the door of a studio is building the portfolio matching the studio´s IPs.- It is worth it
Art is a skill; you need to put in the hours to get better. If you do more, the more you will improve, if you overwork yourself, you will end up with a creative block, demotivated, not working for days or even weeks. If you work on your basics, you will improve faster; otherwise it will be the slower pace. If you feed yourself with useless information, you won’t be able to solve problems if you hit a bump, but if you find out what you need in order to make a progress, all the problems will be solved fast or they´ll even be avoided before they happen. And do it every day.
It is a hard road to take and it will sometimes look like you are not moving at all, but trust me, it is worth it.