It depends how much dedication and effort you put into it. The more time you put into it over a period of time, the faster you'll get better at it. If you spend more time not doing 3D art than doing 3D art, then it'll take longer.
"Learning" is a never ending process. What you should be asking is when should you expect to be capable of creating professional quality assets that people would be interested in.
Learning on your own? Can't really answer that without knowing what your art experience is like. Sculptors who've never worked digital, after taking one zbrush course they're able to translate their pro level trad skills to digital. Lots of them are in the statue forum.
Learning via online course or videos? Probably faster than just relying by yourself if you have zero 3d experience. Some courses allow for interaction and feedback sessions with the instructor. They're like spaced out 8 weeks or so with homework. I don't think you'll be pro ready after such program but it should give you some footing.
But even if you suck at art, you can still do 3d art for profit. Either work with concept artists or get their permission to use their art for your ref. And learn to model with viewport image refs, especially for vehicles and even human anatomy.
I don't think the learning ever stops, but it can vary on how long it takes you to reach a professional level, depending on your speciality, artistic skills, drive, technical understanding, problem solving skills, lots of factors.
What autocon said & :
6 months - 1 year dedicated to make something decent with ideal topology and textures with the right mindset and attitude/dedication like everyone has already said.
To make money just because 3 months not learning much and just telling yourself It is good enough.
In reality:
It does take some getting used to but if you have a good foundation of artistic practice under your belt then you should be alright, just need to learn the tools to get the final end result you desire.
Best of luck the dota stuff is competitive and ...
It really depends on what you do with your time and where you are at artistically. As well as how much time you have to dedicate to it. If you work a full time job and can only spend 5-10 hrs per week you will naturally progress slower but you might be able to make up for it if you're a quick learner.
Also I wouldn't look at creating items for DOTA2 as something trivial or something anyone can achieve. It will take a certain level of ability to nail it.
How long does it take to learn the buttons?
3-6mo maybe a year. Any monkey can learn what the buttons do in a 3D application, that doesn't guarantee that they will be able to create decent looking stuff.
How long does it take to become a decent artist?
I'm still working on it, other things keep getting in the way. But I'd imagine 5-6 years if you already come to the table with some skills, longer if you don't. It really depends on how much practice you can do and how good you are at picking apart your own work. Self critique is a very valuable skill to have and is what enables most artists to progress quickly.
not entirely true, 10,000 hours translates roughtly into how long it takes you to master a skill. you can become decent/good at a certain skill in a much less time.
You can cut that time in half if you buy a Cintiq24HD and a very very expensive Apple computer. Then you just drop CV's at studios telling them you are bringing your own gear.
not entirely true, 10,000 hours translates roughtly into how long it takes you to master a skill. you can become decent/good at a certain skill in a much less time.
I get the impression he was exaggerating for comedic value.
I get the impression he was exaggerating for comedic value.
Not really there is a theory going around that it takes 10k hrs to master something. Google it, you'll also find articles blowing holes in that theory.
Of course its less time to just learn something but there are a lot of people who have mastered the craft and have worked in the industry and are looking for work so just knowing something or being "fairly competent" doesn't always cut it.
I know people that have been doing 3d everyday for 5 years and they suck. I know people that have been doing 3d everyday for 2 - 3 years and they are so much better than the person thats been doing it for 5 years. I always hear "practice makes perfect" but that's a load of shit imo, if you get taught how to bounce a ball the wrong way and you spend every day practicing that then sure you may be really good at bouncing it the wrong way but its never going to get you any where. To progress fast you need to work smart and make sure that you have a hierarchy of goals that all relate to each leading you towards that once thing that you really want to do. i dont know if this makes sense i haven't slept for a while haha
To the standard of making dota2 items? Could be a few weeks of pretty dedicated (weekend)practice besides your regular job/school. But you'd need to have prior experience with art like photoshop or clay or stuff. It depends on talent, too.
Dota can be relatively simple if you don't use normal maps, and you don't need to do a whole lot with complex shaders. And they're fairly lowpoly so you have less resources to manage.
Don't misinterpret me though. I'm not saying that a month from now you can start making mad dough off of selling models. I'm saying that a month from now you could have enough of the basics (photoshop, 3Ds/maya, general software) down to start tinkering with DOTA2 which has it's own software packages to learn.
you never really stop learning. in general, you can learn the basics of any 3d software package within a few days. you'll just need to practice nonstop in order to get yourself comfortable/experienced enough to land yourself a job.
Forever. The medium keeps moving forward, new technologies are introduced, old techniques are replaced with new, pipelines change every decade.
How long to get decent? Depends on how much effort you put into it. I've been through one year of school and I haven't gotten anywhere, I still feel like I didn't really learn everything I need to know.
You can cut that time in half if you buy a Cintiq24HD and a very very expensive Apple computer. Then you just drop CV's at studios telling them you are bringing your own gear.
That actually works?
EDIT: Ok Seriously now, it takes an entire day to learn the fundamentals of the tools that you are going to use for your 3d arts. The rest is just a plus from then on.
Perfecting your work completely depends on how much time you put in it, and what do you do to achieve it. So some people learn it in about 6 months to a Year, some people take more than just a Year.
It took me 3 years to get my work to a point where i was happy enough to produce professional work.
My adventure started in uni, i never knew i wanted to do 3D, i started in multimedia/web design and hated it. Switched to the 3D course with no prior knowledge of any 3D/2D programs, was a bit of a struggle at first but it got easier with practice, A LOT of practice lol.
I'm still no where near as good as i want to be... there is so much to learn; i've recently joined Polycount and realized i need to do some Sub-D modelling as before i was just doing all lowpoly/hand-painted stuff. Whilst my job involves a lot of After Effects and VRay... so much to learn!!
We never stop learning. Technologies is always evolving and we have to learn new techniques everytimes. Learning a software is easy (2 weeks-1 month), but making good art of it can takes years of practices, depending on how you progress and how much effort you put on it.
Took me a year from scratch to get a job in the industry. But that was also a lot of luck, right place right time and networking. But yeah, like the rest says, you never stop learning.
I do believe you can plan out what you need to learn and achieve to become "hirable" though.
I know people that have been doing 3d everyday for 5 years and they suck. I know people that have been doing 3d everyday for 2 - 3 years and they are so much better than the person thats been doing it for 5 years. I always hear "practice makes perfect" but that's a load of shit imo, if you get taught how to bounce a ball the wrong way and you spend every day practicing that then sure you may be really good at bouncing it the wrong way but its never going to get you any where. To progress fast you need to work smart and make sure that you have a hierarchy of goals that all relate to each leading you towards that once thing that you really want to do. i dont know if this makes sense i haven't slept for a while haha
Agreed
Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect, as my martial arts instructor used to say. If you make crap all day long you learn nothing and gain nothing. You need to put the time into making things well and constantly be pushing your limits. Straight time isn't the question, it's how you use that time.
Replies
That depends entirely on you.
Learning via online course or videos? Probably faster than just relying by yourself if you have zero 3d experience. Some courses allow for interaction and feedback sessions with the instructor. They're like spaced out 8 weeks or so with homework. I don't think you'll be pro ready after such program but it should give you some footing.
But even if you suck at art, you can still do 3d art for profit. Either work with concept artists or get their permission to use their art for your ref. And learn to model with viewport image refs, especially for vehicles and even human anatomy.
6 months - 1 year dedicated to make something decent with ideal topology and textures with the right mindset and attitude/dedication like everyone has already said.
To make money just because 3 months not learning much and just telling yourself It is good enough.
In reality:
It does take some getting used to but if you have a good foundation of artistic practice under your belt then you should be alright, just need to learn the tools to get the final end result you desire.
Best of luck the dota stuff is competitive and ...
(and autocon)
Also I wouldn't look at creating items for DOTA2 as something trivial or something anyone can achieve. It will take a certain level of ability to nail it.
How long does it take to learn the buttons?
3-6mo maybe a year. Any monkey can learn what the buttons do in a 3D application, that doesn't guarantee that they will be able to create decent looking stuff.
How long does it take to become a decent artist?
I'm still working on it, other things keep getting in the way. But I'd imagine 5-6 years if you already come to the table with some skills, longer if you don't. It really depends on how much practice you can do and how good you are at picking apart your own work. Self critique is a very valuable skill to have and is what enables most artists to progress quickly.
Oh dayum, that is on the money.
yep, I second that, just counted, and it was exactly that amount
Wait..Not sure if it was 50,000 hours or 100,000 hours for Snake Take's render completes. You should probably ask them.
not entirely true, 10,000 hours translates roughtly into how long it takes you to master a skill. you can become decent/good at a certain skill in a much less time.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2013/05/30/josh-kaufman-it-takes-20-hours-not-10000-hours-to-learn-a-skill/
it all depends on how hard you work and how dedicated you are.
for simple dota items i would say about a year, maybe.
You can cut that time in half if you buy a Cintiq24HD and a very very expensive Apple computer. Then you just drop CV's at studios telling them you are bringing your own gear.
I get the impression he was exaggerating for comedic value.
Not really there is a theory going around that it takes 10k hrs to master something. Google it, you'll also find articles blowing holes in that theory.
Of course its less time to just learn something but there are a lot of people who have mastered the craft and have worked in the industry and are looking for work so just knowing something or being "fairly competent" doesn't always cut it.
[ame="
Dota can be relatively simple if you don't use normal maps, and you don't need to do a whole lot with complex shaders. And they're fairly lowpoly so you have less resources to manage.
Don't misinterpret me though. I'm not saying that a month from now you can start making mad dough off of selling models. I'm saying that a month from now you could have enough of the basics (photoshop, 3Ds/maya, general software) down to start tinkering with DOTA2 which has it's own software packages to learn.
F1
I learnt modo in 2 afternoons having milk with cookies.
Forever. The medium keeps moving forward, new technologies are introduced, old techniques are replaced with new, pipelines change every decade.
How long to get decent? Depends on how much effort you put into it. I've been through one year of school and I haven't gotten anywhere, I still feel like I didn't really learn everything I need to know.
That actually works?
EDIT: Ok Seriously now, it takes an entire day to learn the fundamentals of the tools that you are going to use for your 3d arts. The rest is just a plus from then on.
Perfecting your work completely depends on how much time you put in it, and what do you do to achieve it. So some people learn it in about 6 months to a Year, some people take more than just a Year.
My adventure started in uni, i never knew i wanted to do 3D, i started in multimedia/web design and hated it. Switched to the 3D course with no prior knowledge of any 3D/2D programs, was a bit of a struggle at first but it got easier with practice, A LOT of practice lol.
I'm still no where near as good as i want to be... there is so much to learn; i've recently joined Polycount and realized i need to do some Sub-D modelling as before i was just doing all lowpoly/hand-painted stuff. Whilst my job involves a lot of After Effects and VRay... so much to learn!!
I do believe you can plan out what you need to learn and achieve to become "hirable" though.
Agreed
Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect, as my martial arts instructor used to say. If you make crap all day long you learn nothing and gain nothing. You need to put the time into making things well and constantly be pushing your limits. Straight time isn't the question, it's how you use that time.