Anyone else get easily overwhelmed need help dealing with it

lockey1995

Hey all, 

So I'm back after the last post and I really feel like it's the not progressing/getting stuck  that's giving me the doubts to keep on pushing forward. The biggest issue with me is just anxiety even in life in general but what normally happens, If i take on a project or try to model something a little more complex or sometimes simple my mind just goes blank and i get horribly overwhelmed straight away that just pushes me straight into inaction then I'm totally screwed. 

Some days I feel like I'm going in reverse struggling to do basic things such as shaping out objects, or interpreting how a shape is on the reference etc I really feel like it's a learning problem maybe I'm a really slow learner because i keep back to the same issues again and again. 

Another issue i think it's looking for tutorial on how to model x but I'm assuming I would be much better off learning the technical side of things that ends up translating over to other projects later on down the line and finally it's knowing what to learn instead of trying to do 1000 things at once as i end up swimming in a wealth information and then getting overwhelmed by everything i watch, read or see.

Alex_J

"Just don't quit. "

Make that your mantra. Whenever the anxiety starts fucking with you, literally repeat the phrase over and over and over. Out loud or in your head. Until your mind is clear. 10,000 times it may take. Just do it.  You can close your eyes and deep breath too.

You make a habit of this for some time and it will begin to become second nature. If you can attach some necessity to the phrase -- like understanding that if you do quit you'll be stuck in some lousy retail job or whatever -- that makes it all the more powerful. Nothing motivates like necessity.

Be sure you have a clear picture of what you are trying to achieve, and you'll get there. The more roadblocks and detours you take to get there is actually a good thing. All mistakes you make now are ones you won't make later. Whoever has made the most mistakes is usually the smartest person. (IOW, experience)

Also, find an art buddy who is in a similar place and is open to getting together on a regular schedule to talk about stuff like this. A good talk helps keep anxieties and similar issues from growing out of scope.

Brian "Panda" Choi

Have you tried posting your projects that you're working on onto Polycount?  You can ask for specific help on specific situastions; we're here for that.

lockey1995

So this is what I'm currently working on. I found a thing on Facebook called game school online basically it's free courses which i was surprised at taught by industry pros. They operate a patreon scheme for weekly critiques etc this is a 6 week course and we need to create a bike I know this is going to be a complex one lol but this is the blockout so far. 

So the thing is at the moment is trying to learn topology and how things flow for supporting loops, on the main frame what do you think of that too much for a blockout? Or is it fine. To achieve that result I did get help from a friend he was teaching me some stuff but damn it was confusing and I think I'll probably forget it again. 

Apart from that though the rest of it was my own work with no help 

Taylor Brown

I think it's decent so far. Just make sure to eliminate the boxiness that can come from working exclusively orthographic. In other words, start manually moving some of the centered edges outwards to give form.

No one just starting craps out perfection on the first, second or hundredth attempt. Keep going. Just learn a little bit at a time and apply it to what you are working on and complete a project. On the next one, push a little further. Before long you'll find that through repetition and constant research you start to form a little library in your mind; checking out bits of knowledge and little tips here and there that push your art.

But (and its a big but), if you're facing a lot of anxiety in your day to day life then perhaps consider reaching out for therapeutic help. 

TheGabmeister

As mentioned already, start small and gradually make more complex things. In my experience, it took me roughly 2-3 years before I was able to churn out something I can be proud of.

Here's a screenshot of one of the very first models I created. Back then, it took me 6 hours to create something as simple as this. Today, it will probably take me 10-20 minutes.

It can be overwhelming at first. It's like climbing a mountain with small steps. Just know that if you keep doing it everyday, you'll eventually reach the summit.

Brian "Panda" Choi

You don't need to worry about topology with static meshes that will not deform.

It really only matters greatly for animations that soft bend meshes, like a human body.

Are you making a high poly, or doing straight to low poly model?

lockey1995

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

You don't need to worry about topology with static meshes that will not deform.

It really only matters greatly for animations that soft bend meshes, like a human body.

Are you making a high poly, or doing straight to low poly model?

This will be a game ready bike that i will actually drive if i decide to put it into a game. The plan is to do a high poly bake down on to a lower res but as it's actually drive able i could get away with a higher count

Brian "Panda" Choi

You should look into boolean modeling methodologies as well.