Should I stop working on my 3D skills?

derpkhan

So I've been messing around with learning 3D on Blender and Maya but whilst I'm progressing decently I've been reading around and seen that people recommend being a good 2D artist before you try 3d. I have a bit of 2d experience and understand the theory (like line of action and gesture drawing) but I'm far from even being a competent artist. Whilst I don't mind going back to 2D and trying to learn more I'm kinda at a loss about what to do with 3D? I'm guessing I should just drop it and not go back until I'm a good 2D artist which kinda sucks as I dislike doing 2D but love 3D. So Yeah, what are people's thoughts on this?

CrackRockSteady

Personally I don't see why you couldn't practice both simultaneously.  Learning good 2d foundation skills is definitely going to be helpful but not being an amazing 2d artist is not going to prevent you from learning how to model properly.

derpkhan

CrackRockSteady said:

Personally I don't see why you couldn't practice both simultaneously.  Learning good 2d foundation skills is definitely going to be helpful but not being an amazing 2d artist is not going to prevent you from learning how to model properly.

It could be bad habit forming? At the least all the stuff I've read seems to imply you can't be a good 3d artist without being a good 2d artist

CrackRockSteady

It really depends on what you're learning.  I wouldn't dive head first into learning to model characters if you don't first have some foundation knowledge of anatomy because, as you mention, you risk learning bad practices.

If you're just learning how your modeling package works and learning some basic modeling, not being a skilled 2d artist is not going to seriously hold you back.  There's no reason you can't get a start on learning 3d while also practicing 2d skills.

Like I said, 2d skills are absolutely going to help when you're doing 3d and I definitely encourage you to practice those skills, but the idea that you can't be a good 3d artist without first being a good 2d artist is bullshit IMO

NikhilR

2D skills will definitely help with texturing. As far as 3D is concern, it really depends on what you're modeling. For instance simple props like Barrels/pop cans/rocks/bottles probably don't need great 2D skills. So what do you plan to model?

PixelMasher

what job role do you want to do in the industry and how fast do you want to get there?

If you want to be an 3d environment artists, I would say you would be wiser to spend your time working from other peoples concepts and putting 100% of your efforts into getting as crazy good as possible in that specialized set of skills. I have worked in the industry for 10+ years and not once was I asked to draw anything. In fact i would go as far as to say without the help of 3d blockouts to paint over I wouldnt even be good at the digital doodling I do once in a  blue moon. For the job that I enjoy doing it is not required.

If you want to be a 3d character artist, of course knowing the basics of anatomy and form are essential. it doesnt matter if you learn them by 2d or 3d methods, you just need to know what looks right and how to get there. reverse engineer the end game and work backwards.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people just starting out on their journey into the industry is they try to do everything and end up mastering nothing. if you are spending 50% of your time learning something that isnt relevant to the job you want to do, you will be overtaken by someone who is focused on mastering 1-2 things really well, while your time and focus is diluted on dabbling in 10 different areas.

now this isn't to discount the benefits or creative satisfaction that comes with learning something like drawing. It will help you grow as an artist, but putting your energy into something that is directly going to impact your RELEVANT skill set to what you want to do is a better return on investment. If you want to be a concept artist, disregard all this and start drawing and painting every day  

start with the end in mind and reverse engineer what is required to get there.

derpkhan

I want to do vehicles, weaponry, armour, robots etc etc. So mechanical design I guess?

Sunray

You answered your own question don't like 2d? don't do it if you dislike it you will be learning at a slow rate. Just keep practicing what you love to do!

sacboi

derpkhan wrote:

I want to do vehicles, weaponry, armour, robots etc etc. So mechanical design I guess?

For mechanical hardsurface and props, learning traditional 2D foundational knowledge is not essential however wouldn't hurt to do so in tandem with self teaching yourself 3D as well if you've thoughts of a potential career?!

At the very least 2D artistic fundamentals will carry over too your 3D work, with the likely end result of elevating your art to the next level plus also set in place attributes that will underpin optimal progression in your chosen discipline.   

derpkhan

sacboi said:

derpkhan wrote:

I want to do vehicles, weaponry, armour, robots etc etc. So mechanical design I guess?

For mechanical hardsurface and props, learning traditional 2D foundational knowledge is not essential however wouldn't hurt to do so in tandem with self teaching yourself 3D as well if you've thoughts of a potential career?!

At the very least 2D artistic fundamentals will carry over too your 3D work, with the likely end result of elevating your art to the next level plus also set in place attributes that will underpin optimal progression in your chosen discipline.   

Well then I'll just balance learning both! Plus at some point I think I'll want to give sculpting/character modelling a go so it's probably even more worth doing 2d

Revel

Probably the suggestion to learn 2D (traditional 2D art, not he digital 2D) before going to 3D is just to develop your artistic view without struggling much with the technical stuff of the 3D production. Learn to self critique your work to turn form a good work to great work is more important for me. You doesn't have to master the 2D skill to be able to do 3D, it is a different field.

YF_Sticks

I'm a student myself and I should definitely do some more drawing. I mostly do hard surface and props/environments. I think if you want to be a character artist you should have good drawing skills because of anatomy. It depends on what you're modeling. But 3D in itself is a complex skill, so to get better at it, start modeling. 
You could try practicing your drawing every morning for 30min. It's not much, but it will add up.

PixelMasher

derpkhan said:

I want to do vehicles, weaponry, armour, robots etc etc. So mechanical design I guess?

I would try and find some resources on industrial design then.I have heard a lot of the guys at guerrilla  on the concept team were previous industrial designers. It definitely explains why all the killzone and horizon tech designs look so functional and good. figuring out why something looks good regardless of if it is 2d/3d is a really critical skill. the balance of detail and functional design etc.