HI! ...so..
First of all I'm new at the forums here, so howdy how
second of all, forgive for jumping straigh into this, but I figure, lets not beat around the bush
RIGHT! I'm about to start work on my final year 3D project, in which I have chosen to do a character for a game idea of mine. I'll be honest, I'm not a brilliant 3D artist, I'm still sort of in the process of learning. My previous year works have been basic to say the least, but not from lack of trying. I simply had trouble understanding everything and getting a little annoyed with the tedious little vertex moving.
ANY WAY! I am determined to do my best this year. My first year project was a fish tank and an ipod transformer, which wasn't great, but I was still proud of it. Second year I attempted was a short 11 second 2 character animation, which I got WAY behind on. I can post examples of my work if any of you would like to see it
What I want to know is, where should I be looking for information, tutorials and the like. I've got access to the 3ds max 2011 bible (which is the only 3D package I have used so far, not including a small mess around with mud box) I will be getting into z-brush and mud box as well this year. I just don't entirely understand the process.
Far as I know, its create the concepts, take it to 3ds max, model the character, rig, bone, texture etc all in the same program. Modeling, I'm alright-ish with, texturing theres alot I don't understand about shaders, maps, and god knows what else in the roll outs.
I guess, in summary, I don't want to be told on here how to do everything, I'd just like to know where to find the information I'm looking for and the best tutorials etc. I figured people that are good in this area will know the best places to go for learning.
I know this should probably be placed else where (not entirely sure where) but I do intend to upload my work as I progress. I do hope I'm not being too... demanding I guess
Well, thanks in advance, ~Nipples~
Replies
http://eat3d.com/character_lowres
~Nipples~
This is what I have so far, I figured I'd keep posting on here, if nothing more than to just log my progress.
Images on photobucket.
Front - http://s1053.photobucket.com/albums/s464/PeachNipples/Final%20Year%203D%20Renders/?action=view¤t=Front.jpg
Left - http://s1053.photobucket.com/albums/s464/PeachNipples/Final%20Year%203D%20Renders/?action=view¤t=Left.jpg
Angle - http://s1053.photobucket.com/albums/s464/PeachNipples/Final%20Year%203D%20Renders/?action=view¤t=Angle.jpg
Front Smooth - http://s1053.photobucket.com/albums/s464/PeachNipples/Final%20Year%203D%20Renders/?action=view¤t=SmoothFront.jpg
Left Smooth - http://s1053.photobucket.com/albums/s464/PeachNipples/Final%20Year%203D%20Renders/?action=view¤t=SmoothLeft.jpg
Angle Smooth - http://s1053.photobucket.com/albums/s464/PeachNipples/Final%20Year%203D%20Renders/?action=view¤t=SmoothAngle.jpg
~Nipples~
This is going to sound incredibly condescending, but I assure you my intentions are not that. But I do strongly recommend getting used to Google.
Instead of going to polycount and waiting for a response to a query, odds are someone else has already asked the same question. By doing a search for the following phrase, the same information and more could be acquired
character modeling tutorial polycount
The same could be said for any number of different queries often times I'll do a search for the full question
where would I find good character modeling tutorials
Also: What are you planning on doing after your final year? As a career? What school are you attending? What is your major? How many years have you been in school?
Constructive Feedback on Model:
Your model lacks form. It appears as though you're trying to put all the verts in the right place in the front/side view and ignoring their relationship to one another in actual 3d space. I would suggest getting comfortable with creating surfaces with curves. Understanding how to create the different surfaces is more important than completing a model at this point.
I've been doing game art and 3d models for 10 years, and I feel like I'm only just now getting to the point to where I can start applying the things that I've learned (and still only at an average level). And that is going to be the case for anyone who isn't naturally gifted in this area. I say this only to let you know that it is going to be a long road, and that you should not get frustrated.
Also, learn the various tools at your disposal in max. One way to do that is to go through all the tutorial in the wiki. One great Polycount resource is:
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56014&highlight=wood&page=38
This link starts you out on page 38, but you can click through to page one.
So many great resources here, and great people to give advice... The first bit is to start with something small. Jumping right into a full character from an original concept is a huge undertaking. I recommend ripping off some character design from artists you admire (as a learning exercise, of course).
So good luck to you, and I hope you get a quick handle on 3d modeling!