Beginner's Modelling - Opinion Time - Simply Maya User Community

# 1 04-10-2003 , 04:06 AM

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Join Date: May 2002

Location: Sioux Falls, SD

Posts: 370

Beginner's Modelling - Opinion Time

Hello again! user added image

Okay, I'm gonna be a pest here about this seeing as how I'm still discouraged and downhardened about modelling. Up until now, 3D has been exciting and I've loved every minute of what I've learned so far. You all have taught me so much and I'm so proud of what I've done.

I'm trying to begin learning modelling and right now, I really hate it! Talk about frustration city! I've tried to follow some of the tutorials I've found online and either they suck or I do. There are so many different techniques that I can't even wrap my mind around the process. I'm still a newbie and probably always will be, not that that's a problem. I've been so tempted to get on here and ask for a mentor but I've been so busy with my Joe job(s) lately that I haven't had much time to learn Maya (and it's p***ing me off!) so I'll look for someone to take me under their wing later (any takers?)

Where did you all learn to model? Where did you go to get this stuff figured out? I've seen Brian E's stuff and I'm always floored (such beautiful work with vehicles) by the details. Who has stories for me? user added image

C'mon, no modesty allowed here. user added image

Spill it, people! user added image

Thanks again as always for your patience and you help! user added image

Russell

Russell Bolding
CEO/Founder - Russelltopia Studios
Web:https://www.russelltopia.com
Email:russbo@russelltopia.com

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# 2 04-10-2003 , 04:12 AM

The Maya Mountain
Join Date: Aug 2002

Location: Seattle, WA

Posts: 8,245

Lots and lots of practice. After I graduated, there was a period of about 3 years where I didn't have much else to do aside from my crappy normal jobs, so I just kept at it! Seriously, it takes time. I've thrown out so many old models that, I thought at the time, were cool, and have suddenly become crap as I improved.

Just a matter of time.

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 3 04-10-2003 , 10:14 PM

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Join Date: May 2002

Location: Sioux Falls, SD

Posts: 370

Right now, my problem seems to be no time to learn and no resources to learn from. I feel so lost and really don't have a clue where to begin. I've learned so much from the books I've bought but who has the money to go out and buy a new book every time they're ready to learn a new step in the evolutionary modelling ladder? Simply Maya is a great place to start but I can't find very many helpful tutorials anywhere. Any place for just goofy, stupid beginners like me that have no clue what they're doing? LOL!

Russell

Russell Bolding
CEO/Founder - Russelltopia Studios
Web:https://www.russelltopia.com
Email:russbo@russelltopia.com

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# 4 04-10-2003 , 10:31 PM

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Join Date: Sep 2002

Location: London, UK

Posts: 3,198

At some point it could be beneficial to forget about the tutorials and start your own project. Complete it no matter what. This will raise many questions which you can ask here or better yet try to find the answer on your own. You may even have to start over again from scratch many times but you will learn, guaranteed user added image

As Mike already said; the bottom line is practise.

Kari
- My Website
- My IMDB

Do a lot, Fail a lot and Learn a lot!

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# 5 05-10-2003 , 01:45 AM

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Join Date: Feb 2003

Posts: 1,254

I think that's excellent advice from the guys there. It is a matter of practice, practice and lots of lovely practice and eventually things will start to click, then improve a little each time.

I don't think you need to complete every tutorial on earth - they are really there to teach you techniques which you can then put into your own project. Every time I do a tutorial I then try a model of my own using the things I learnt. I am no Maya genius but it seems to work well enough. The difference between people that can simply duplicate and people that create is vast - I wouldn't say the best Maya artists are those that can simply follow a tut, instead I think they are the ones that can create innovative works of their own from basic techniques.

I don't have huge amounts of time to invest in learning Maya so I base my development round the challenges on this site. Each one presents something new, in a fairly compact package, which you can then target research and learning against. This month is animation so it's a good time to look at all that animation stuff etc. Last month was game models so I went and researched how to do low poly modelling etc etc. Even if you don't have time to complete a challenge it offers a focus for modelling, whatever standard you are and everyone is always helpful with crits and suggestions.

Time and resources are different issues in my view however - learning Maya takes time, not necessarily huge amounts of cash if you spend it wisely.

If you have absolutely no time to invest then you won't learn anything, it's like anything else, whether you want this to be a hobby or a profession (I don't advise you to confess to being a hobbyist if you are as people simply won't take you seriously after you do) you have to spend time learning stuff. If there are shortcuts to being a Maya genius noone is sharing them with me!

If you want to learn things invest some of your free time in doing it - most people here have busy lives and choose to spend some of their time working in Maya, it's choices - I could be asleep now instead of writing this and forgetting to save my painting weights before closing my working file (curse moment).

It's like any learning; if this were easy everyone would be making Half Life 3 and producing Pixar quality movies in their time off having learnt Maya in 2 weeks.

If I was you I'd follow Mr Brown's advice, pick something and go at it in the time you have. Little bits of progress in the small time you have is better than spending it wondering why you haven't learnt anything yet 8). And have a look at the challenges too - from next month they are going to be spread over 2 months which will give more time for things; I think you would be surprised what you learn from those - I know I have been.

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# 6 05-10-2003 , 02:54 AM

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Join Date: May 2002

Location: Sioux Falls, SD

Posts: 370

New Plan... :)

On this quick and painless note, I think I'm going to take some time and start trying to redraw my characters and see if I can get them spaced better on my graph paper. When I try to model them, things aren't very even and I end up with a crappy looking... whatever.

Here's a question I do have for you all. I found a tut somewhere that says I start by taking my image plane and using the Create Polygon Tool and make a silhouette of my character, then (and here's the part that always gets me), I'm supposed to subdivide, or something like that. I think it involves creating curves in the outline of my character. Any hints on the best technique to get me started? I'll be back with more questions later. I need a nap and some thinking time. Thanks guys for trying to help me and for putting up with my nonsense. user added image

Russell

Russell Bolding
CEO/Founder - Russelltopia Studios
Web:https://www.russelltopia.com
Email:russbo@russelltopia.com

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# 7 05-10-2003 , 01:32 PM

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Join Date: Feb 2003

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This tutorial explains pretty much how to do that. You use the split poly tool to divide the plane up along the lines he suggests etc.

https://www.thehobbitguy.com/tutorial...ing/index.html

Alternatively have a look at Mike's poly head tut on this site, or the cps tools stuff - I can only speak for myself but I had better results with both of those than with the hobbit one, although it has been a while since I tried it.

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# 8 05-10-2003 , 03:03 PM

The Maya Mountain
Join Date: Aug 2002

Location: Seattle, WA

Posts: 8,245

I personally do not like that method. It's a matter of preference, though.

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 9 07-10-2003 , 01:51 AM

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Examples? :)

What methods do you guys and gals use? I hope I don't sound like the guest that won't leave. user added image

Anyone care for a quick tutorial? :p Does anyone suggest building the clothes on the character(s) or build clothes with Cloth? One last question: the Da Vinci pose... where are good examples of it and also, do I draw the hands/mittens parallel to the floor or facing the viewer?

Thanks,
Russell

Russell Bolding
CEO/Founder - Russelltopia Studios
Web:https://www.russelltopia.com
Email:russbo@russelltopia.com

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# 10 07-10-2003 , 01:59 AM

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Location: Sioux Falls, SD

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BTW, Witchy, where do I find the CPS Tools? In Maya? I may have accidentally uninstalled the documentation with the tutorials and stuff and junk like that. user added image