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what I should know in 3d

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#1

Hi,
I will be a student in 3d animation/modeling,I tryed to a lot of software at the same time.I was going nowhere in all directions.I have decide to only stick with zbrush and 3dmax.Well am still in the basic of 3d animation and modeling.I did nt advance to much(mapping trouble and the restriction of my pc).I Dont have a lot of time.This where I need your advice, I already draw pretty well,so I tought giving up my 2 hours of drawing pratice.And put the 2 hours in 3d. I do less than 30 mins of 3d each days.What is better,and what is the most important thing to know in 3d animation and modeling.

The second thing I need your advice on, I am not sure if 3d is for me, I love modeling ,animation is not my passion but I like it.I know the program i m going in will be 3 years of 3dmax(technical,technical,technical).It was that or I was going in art.There not alot of places in musuem and a lot of starving artists.So 3d animation/modeling was a compromise for me.This is where comes the others questions.In work do they cares about the application you use,or only the final result count.I dont want be stuck for life with 3dmax,xsi …
I dont hate use this kind of program its just not my thing.(There always a vertex missplaced:mad: )

I have observe there is a lot of title texture artist, animator artist,level designer… (specific task) artist.Do you get the title when you get the job or you need some kind of special formation.

thank you for your advices

sorry for my english

#2

Well, I’ll give ya my view since no one else has really bit yet, though it is somewhat limited.

The program you use isn’t as important as a modeler, as much as your foundations as an artist, however Maya’s learning curve is a little steep, and it is the most commonly used 3-D editing software in the industry, unless something changed. So I do suggest learning Maya over 3DSM, and even more so learning both of them, at least to some degree.

As far as companys caring which program you use, I’m pretty sure you are going to more than likely have to switch over to whichever program is in their current pipeline, but I’m not positive if the same is true for modelers.

Normally you try to specialize in one or two areas of 3-D. Some people exclusively just model, however it’s becoming more and more common, for people to Model/Texture.
The reasoning behind learning two different areas, is sometimes, in smaller studios you will doing both, and sometimes in larger studios, if they run out of one line of work, they can just switch you to another…if not, then more than likely you will just get laid off.
However it’s still important to be really good at one thing, and either really good at another, or pretty good.

The only other option is to be a generalist, who do a little bit of everything.

#3

Hi
thank you, for sharing your knowledge, I will give closer look to maya.Im still confused about what I should do of my freetime, drawing or 3d.I think even if your are great at drawing, you cant model as your draw if dont know 100% of your software. But if you can do great model you are automatically a great traditional illustrator.You dont have to know all the options of your in paper.Should I put all my times in 3d, or traditionnal drawing is still a big part of modeling and animation.The only thing i know, where traditional drawing is used in 3d, is when you put your model on a plane for reference.But is that the job of the conceptart artist.
thank.

#4

I’ve only been a student of digital art for 3 years but professors always tell me, and it has been my experience, that if you just master the principles, software choices arent such a big deal

as a modeler, no matter what application you use… you will still be building edge flow, managing poly counts, etc…

as an animator, no matter what application you use… you will still be setting keyframes, portraying weight and balance, etc…

you get the idea… and if you have a strong traditional background, then you already have a headstart on these principles… you just need to get a grip on their translation into the digital realm, and where your average application likes to keep the buttons you need to use

in the end, the most valued guy on the production team is the one that can say “oh we’re picking up a new app?.. alright give me a few days to find all the basic tools, and I can get more familiar from there as I work… no problem”

take my words with a grain of salt… I haven’t graduated yet… never done a single cg project for pay… but this is what I’ve been hearing from day 1… and the impression I’ve acquired from messing with a bunch of different applications