First model (ultra noob)

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Hi everyone!

I'm Joan from Spain.

i've been doodling in zbrush for a long time, and I think my art it's quite decent.

But poligonal modeling it's quite a black art for me. I tried to do stuff in 3ds Max and it was a mess of edge loops with pinching everywhere, ugly subdiv...

So I decided to put all my effort in learning proper subdiv hard surface modeling. The think that it's making my progress difficult it's the fact that I'm not able to follow tutorials, I don't have the patience. 


So I decided just to start modeling and learn on my mistakes.

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I'm modeling a weapon, from an unkown artist (please if u know the artist name let me know!

here's the concept:

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And here's a very basic blockout:




I'll be finishing the blockout today, I hope proportions and siluette will improve today. i'll keep posting the progress. please critique my work, It's the way I can improve.


With this project I'll be using modo 100% (I like the software, it's my second day using it). So i'll use mesh fusion, the Uv editor, the advanced viewport...)


Kind Regards!

MarcoAntonio

Hello Jon!! And welcome!!
I am Marco and I am from Spain too!!

Well. I don´t see this work of yours as a "noob" one. In fact, It is quite decent.
Back when I started polygonal modeling I had some issues as well. After some time trying by myself I decided to look into Arrimus3D youtube channel. Thanks to his videos I learned how to model inside 3dsmax and it hasn´t been the same since then (Now it is quite easy for me to model).
As I can see from your screenshots you are not using 3dsmax but the ideas are basically the same. I suggest you give it a try and see what his channel offers to you.
Furthermore, don't worry. Just work everyday and you will see that in no time you will have no problem at all with polygonal modeling. 

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MarcoAntonio said:

Hello Jon!! And welcome!!
I am Marco and I am from Spain too!!

Well. I don´t see this work of yours as a "noob" one. In fact, It is quite decent.
Back when I started polygonal modeling I had some issues as well. After some time trying by myself I decided to look into Arrimus3D youtube channel. Thanks to his videos I learned how to model inside 3dsmax and it hasn´t been the same since then (Now it is quite easy for me to model).
As I can see from your screenshots you are not using 3dsmax but the ideas are basically the same. I suggest you give it a try and see what his channel offers to you.
Furthermore, don't worry. Just work everyday and you will see that in no time you will have no problem at all with polygonal modeling. 

Hey! thanks for the reply! Curiously I was just "zapping" in youTube for watch some interesting tutorials, and I found arrimus to be the only ones I can watch for more than a couple minutes. I'll be paying attention to this guy.

Kind Regards from Barcelona.

MarcoAntonio

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Hey! thanks for the reply! Curiously I was just "zapping" in youTube for watch some interesting tutorials, and I found arrimus to be the only ones I can watch for more than a couple minutes. I'll be paying attention to this guy.

Kind Regards from Barcelona.

I agree. He has a tutorial series for 3dsmax but most of his tips can easily be used in any 3d software with a subdivision system.

Regards from Ourense (Galicia)!

Brian "Panda" Choi

If you're using Modo, you're gonna want most of the modeling tips from Warren Marshall of Fortnite fame:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dRrOarPI6ufGWsabG28FQ

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Brian "Panda" Choi said:

If you're using Modo, you're gonna want most of the modeling tips from Warren Marshall of Fortnite fame:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dRrOarPI6ufGWsabG28FQ

Thanks for the suggestion Brian, allready digging Marshall!

I worked a bit on the blockout, and a bit with the subdiv. Very basic support loops for test the shape. Once I have everything in place, I'll start to shape the subdiv and add the remaining pieces. Just with a couple of sesions, I realized how bad I'm, but how much you learn just practicing. 

Shrike

If you are learning to model, really only take real life references. Most concepts are really poor and only realize that in 2 years where you will say "what was I thinking". And there are much cooler real guns than 99% of fake ones. Its much easier to get a feel for the proportions, people can help you better,you have more references to look at and you are more pushed to learn complicated shapes. This concept is pretty poor and you are wasting a lot of improvement time by wasting your time on such concepts, many people fell into that trap, me included.

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Shrike said:

If you are learning to model, really only take real life references. Most concepts are really poor and only realize that in 2 years where you will say "what was I thinking". And there are much cooler real guns than 99% of fake ones. Its much easier to get a feel for the proportions, people can help you better,you have more references to look at and you are more pushed to learn complicated shapes. This concept is pretty poor and you are wasting a lot of improvement time by wasting your time on such concepts, many people fell into that trap, me included.

Thanks for the advice!

I chose this concept for do the excercice of trying to figure out the mass and practice my 3d guessing and imagination. It's like a first contact and a warm up for my first journey on poly modeling. Not trying to model a realistic stuff (i'm very new to this).

Once I'm more fluent with the tools and technique, I'll follow your advice and try to model something more accurate and with more references! It's just my 3rd day with MODO.

Cheers!

Brian "Panda" Choi

If you're trying to see the SubD models this soon, you're gonna want to know about Edge Weighting in Modo and how it can help you HP model a lot faster.

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Brian "Panda" Choi said:

If you're trying to see the SubD models this soon, you're gonna want to know about Edge Weighting in Modo and how it can help you HP model a lot faster.

Thnx Brian!

Just a question: Edge weighting it's used in the game industry? ( I guess yes, if you can bake it ). 
 Can I export (or via GoZ) opensubdiv from Modo to Zbrush? or I have to freeze the mesh at the higher subdivision level?

Kind Regards.

Brian "Panda" Choi

If I'm understanding you correctly, you have to freeze it.

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Brian "Panda" Choi said:

If I'm understanding you correctly, you have to freeze it.

Thanks Brian!

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Worked a bit more on it. Not happy at all, but it's my second attempt at poly modeling (I changed stuff from the sketch for make it my own). Now I'll start to clean and polish the overall shapes, and then start to make the panneling and a first detail pass.

 Learning Modo, poly modeling and to fight with edgeloops for the first time it's hard.

It's plausible if I work like 6/7 hours a day, to become acceptable at modeling in a span of a year?

Kind Regards,


Joan

Larry

assuming you understand the techniques to create something and import it in a game engine, a good eye and  something well made to show then i believe you could find a job in a small studio. Make it 2 years though

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Larry said:

assuming you understand the techniques to create something and import it in a game engine, a good eye and  something well made to show then i believe you could find a job in a small studio. Make it 2 years though

Thanks! really encouraging to hear this. I'm a fine arts graduated, so I think I have a little bit of extra help. Need to focus on technique a lot, and practice a ton! i'm gonna make this prop game ready, for learn all the process. At the moment trying to be better at controlling edge loops, silouette and general poly moedlling skills.

Larry

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Larry said:

assuming you understand the techniques to create something and import it in a game engine, a good eye and  something well made to show then i believe you could find a job in a small studio. Make it 2 years though

Thanks! really encouraging to hear this. I'm a fine arts graduated, so I think I have a little bit of extra help. Need to focus on technique a lot, and practice a ton! i'm gonna make this prop game ready, for learn all the process. At the moment trying to be better at controlling edge loops, silouette and general poly moedlling skills.

Ok then, one thing worth mentioning (i dont know if someone mentioned it before) is that you shouldn't place the edge loops very close to the edges, you have to let some gap for a bevel so that it seems realistic when you smooth it(in real life there are no hard 90 degree angles, there is always some bevel in them). For hard surface this gap is indeed quite tight but in your model i think you could place the edge loops a bit further away from the edges to make some room for a tiny bit softer transition. Cheers!

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Bevels are quite big, the lighting of the pic doesn't seem too show it that much: