I am sorry that i am posting the most stupid threads in this forum, but i really need some help.
before you guys starting playing and learning Zbrush, did you know some of the 3d app, like, Maya, 3D max etc. I really want to learn Zbrush and Maya, but i don´t know which program to start first. i want to try both at the same time, to learn little of Maya, then switch to Zbrush and so on. But i am afraid that i will get too confused.
if you focus on learning zbrush it’s as good of a place to start as you’ll find. until you start getting to the point that you understand the basics of uv’s and such you really wont need to jump into another program.
if you’re gonna learn another program blender is good…free… topogun has one main purpose … and it does it well… wont need until u get deep into detail land… maya is powerful…good if you plan on animating and need lots of fur… 3ds max is gonna make your head hurt if you’re not already somewhat learned on 3d and/or autodesk… mudbox ive heard good things bout. modo likewise.
but really if you are just learning 3d you’re gonna be able to get more out of zbrush then anything else. it lets you realize ideas you have in your head that you never thought you’d find a way to express… and it gives you enough dipping of the toes into areas that you may want to look into an advanced software suite for that when it comes time to do so you’re a bit more ready.
I have already brought Maya from Autodesk site.Ok, not me, my dad did.
I didn’t know very much about 3d modeling when I started with Zbrush. I do now own Modo, Lightwave and Blender. I spend most of my time in Zbrush and Blender.
I don’t use blender because it’s free. I use it because it’s excellent and the abundance of free Blender tutorials on the web taught me enough about 3d modeling that I’m now confident I could tackle any other modeling program, with some introduction to the interface of the program, of course. But the concepts are the same for all programs. So that’s the hurdle you have to overcome. And the terminology differs from program to program (vertices or points, lines or edges, things like that) You need to learn what functions the product should be able to do and each program which may have it’s own special name for a particular function, but they all do basically the same thing with a few exceptions.
And you will find having a 3d modeling package like blender or Maya available to work along side of Zbrush very useful, so I’d suggest you learn both* at the same time. Sometimes I choose to build a mesh with zspheres, some times its quicker and more accurate to box model the form in Blender and import it to Zbrush for sculpting. Having these options is very handy.
Edit: *By both I mean the 3d package you choose to work with and Zbrush (not both maya and blender)…I don’t think I very was clear there.
I started with Maya and moved to 3DSMax for work, as the company I worked for used it, started with Zbrush after that. I hear great things about Blender so that may be the perfect place to start and then work along side ZB.
I don’t think any order makes a great deal of difference a willingness to learn is the most important thing, I would also say that some traditonal drawing skills are a must for ZB and any modelling to learn the basic of perspective and proportions
Good luck with your journey
I actually started out with blender 10 years ago, I accidentially found some stuff I made with it when going through my files ( didnt know it dated that far back ^_^). I switched to 3D Max after 2-3 years. Seeing what other people made put an end to my 3D artist dream until I discovered ZBrush.
From what I can remember Blender was quite easy to use. I tried it here the other day, layout is improved, but I felt kinda blank and stuck, and couldnt bother relearning it. I dont think it matters if you start with ZBrush or another 3D package, but I would suggest you look into using software like blender/3dmax/maya etc together with ZBrush, because ZBrush cant do “everything”.
I learned 3DsMax at school. Then Maya at work. Then Zbrush in my free time. I agree with the above poster that Zbrush will let you realize your idea more quickly… however… I think without some foundation in traditional modeling you may be missing out on some foundations. Honestly there are just some things that are easier to do in a traditional 3D package.
I think of it alot like painting. Learning how to draw with good ol’ pencil and paper will give you a solid foundation in learning other tools. That said… there is no reason why you can’t learn both concurrently. Do projects that let you go back and forth between the two applications. You should always be learning.
Even just taking a life drawing class or renting a model to draw with a group of friends once a week makes an enormous difference.
And there are some things you can do in a traditional 3D package very quickly and accurately that you can do in Zbrush with a bit of a work around (and it can be fun to figure out the work arounds.) However, realistically, why bother, Maya, 3d Max, Blender, etc. are set up to do such things in a direct fashion and that’s the place to do them. i.e. you can labour away at making a smoothly bended pipe here in Zbrush, but in Blender or Modo, I can make it accurately in a jiffy using bend tools, curves, etc. and then import it back to Zbrush.