Sources for improving

NAIMA

HEllo , I am arrived to a point where I think to have to decide either to go still for modding or stop a little and start perfectionize and improve my techniques , I am not a newbie but also I am not an expert and this in between stage its starting to bother me , I want to become an expert and more proficent in what I do .... For this I am asking if there are some books or courses teachings I can do to reach high pros levels , I dont mean go out and follow a course or seminars I mean mostly books and dvds that teach you all , not random tuts , I made many of them , I want some solid thing that helps me improfing and solidifying my skills :

The skills I want to improve to are :

3dsmax modeling and rendering for games and CGI
Zbrush modeling and sculpting eventually with a tablet and model texturing
Texturing with photoshop for games and more

this is one of the books I found , may be you can tell me if are good?

And suggest me more?

3D Game Textures, Second Edition: Create Professional Game Art Using Photoshop

3D Game Environments: Create Professional 3D Game Worlds

3ds Max Modeling for Games: Insider's Guide to Game Character, Vehicle, and Environment Modeling

Realistic Architectural Visualization with 3ds Max and mental ray, Second Edition (Autodesk Media and Entertainment Techniques)

Introducing ZBrush
Game Character Developmen

Bold Visions: A Digital Painting Bible

Virtual Vixens: 3D Character Modeling and Scene Placement

ZBrush Digital Sculpting Human Anatomy

SpeCter

What helped me the most was looking at how others do. Video tutorials like the ones from Gnomon Workshop/Gnomonology.And You could take a look at Project Overviews(like on 3dtotal).

As for Books:
Digital Art Masters is a must for me, so much inspiration and insightviews on many cg related topics.The volumes still amaze me even after reading it the 10th time

Ark

I've read like half the books you posted there and id recommend your better of with video tutorials like Eat3D/Gnomon. Books just aren't big enough to contain all the info/pics you need.

cman2k

I think you are overlooking some of the most important differences between master and amateur. Yes, technique is part of it, but there is this whole other side to developing your eye for things. Whether it be color, detail, form, design, aesthetic, or any number of other things, developing your eye will help you recognize, understand and reproduce everything more faithfully.

One of the best ways to approach this, in my opinion, is to try really really hard to reproduce something of master-quality. Try and fail and try and fail and try again.

I had a class in art school where I had to reproduce a portion of a photo with pencil. Shading, form, line, everything had to be perfect. Over the course of a month I had to draw this photo over and over and over every few days, until I started to really understand how I had to step back and watch overall composition, as well as be able to focus on the finest of details, in order to recreate the entire thing faithfully.

These are concepts that carry to any artistic medium. Train your eye and technique will follow. It is the immeasurable quality that separates the rookie from the top guns. A truly talented artist will make amazing art with the simplest of tools and techniques, and focusing on technique alone can often be a false path to becoming a better artist.

renderhjs

2 things come to mind:
uni / collage (the ones that take people based on skill, not money)
lots of personal working expierence

Most people I met that just suck don't have that thrust and stream or power of motivation. If you have that however you don't need to worry to improve over time. If you don't have uni or work to get that expierence you will create you own projects.

motivation is the key and separates the consumers and wannabes from the true industry pioneers.

Xoliul

cman2k wrote: »

I think you are overlooking some of the most important differences between master and amateur. Yes, technique is part of it, but there is this whole other side to developing your eye for things. Whether it be color, detail, form, design, aesthetic, or any number of other things, developing your eye will help you recognize, understand and reproduce everything more faithfully.

One of the best ways to approach this, in my opinion, is to try really really hard to reproduce something of master-quality. Try and fail and try and fail and try again.

I had a class in art school where I had to reproduce a portion of a photo with pencil. Shading, form, line, everything had to be perfect. Over the course of a month I had to draw this photo over and over and over every few days, until I started to really understand how I had to step back and watch overall composition, as well as be able to focus on the finest of details, in order to recreate the entire thing faithfully.

These are concepts that carry to any artistic medium. Train your eye and technique will follow. It is the immeasurable quality that separates the rookie from the top guns. A truly talented artist will make amazing art with the simplest of tools and techniques, and focusing on technique alone can often be a false path to becoming a better artist.

Exactly what I was going to say. It's something i've come to realize the past year or two.

NAIMA

Ok Can you suggest me then some dvd courses like :

1 Learn Zbrush 3.5 ( the last one possibly, I noticed that old tutorials simply arent working couse they changed keys etc... )

2 3d next generation texturing with PS etc ( especially exteriors )

3 3dsmax modeling severall....

haiddasalami

- Eat3d ones I pretty good for getting up to par with Zbrush.
- 3dmotive has some nice 3ds max highpoly tutorials with texturing.

Just check around Gnomon, Eat3d etc and see what interests you