Im new here!Im just starting and I need an advice!

[system]

Hello everyone.
I’m a newb and I just started reading all the FAQ but I want personal opinion from you.
This is just some prequel of my story … you can just skip to the bold text for the main part…

First of all I’m 16 years old and I’ve always been interested in filmmaking overall ,but I really liked the VFX part.It was really fascinating how you can bring absolutely nothing into life.How you can create your own world,creatures or whatever comes to your mind and the only thing that can stop you is probably your imagination.
I’ve always though that learning simple stuff and cool effects on first place will be awesome and help me grow on Youtube ,so 1 year ago I started doing Visual Effects on After Effects.I did some cool stuff,Sci-Fi Effects,Explosion,Action …But now this is so not enough for me.
I saw some of your stuff on this site and on youtube as well and I must say that you guys are absolutely amazing.I really want to learn 3D now as well and improve my work.

My uncle left the country unfortunately but he left me his computer.He used to work on some short films so on this computer I got Maya and Zbrush.I did some research and I found out that those programs were used in a lot of Hollywood films and this inspired me even more.

Now I want to take my shorts into the next level and I want to start learning the 3D awesomness.

So I have couple of stupid question.First of all ,shall I start doing my models in Maya ,then import them into Zbrush and there I make them look more realistic and then I animate them back in Maya?Am Im right?Because some of the tutorials out there are really confusing.On first place I understood that Maya is for making the models and Zbrush is for making them beautiful,realistic etc .
But then I saw that Zbrush is the best for sculpturing and now im like. .What ? I just didn’t get it.
My goal is to make some sort of Creatures,Human models and my own fantasy things ,you know,when I get more advanced.
But how should I start ? Can you just explain me the simplest thing like for instance if I want to make a human dancing.
I make the model into Maya,Make textures into Zbrush and then Animating it in Maya again?
I know probably the questions are rediculously stupid but…
Thank you .

[MentalFrog]

Don’t worry about the workflow. Learn the basics of the programs first. The software is just a tool to achieve your results. By learning the programs you’ll learn when to use which tool for different workflows. You’ll end up using both.

[Recorgasm]

First let me say, I’m no professor and I wouldn’t even call myself a professional in this industry. Everything here is my personal opinion.

I would say you’re on the right track. You’re starting at a pretty good age too. Everything takes time to learn and improve on. Zbrush and Maya are excellent tools to learn but really the most important thing is the creative person using the software. As far as industry standards go, Zbrush and Maya are very respected. When I was starting out, the first thing I did was gather as much information as possible and I did like you (ask people and read).

One of the best things I had going for me is that I have a good grasp on technology and troubleshooting. Understanding the computer on a basic fundamenal hardware level is very helpful to my artwork. I’m not saying you have to understand binary, just that knowing what it is and how the computer processes input and output can be helpful. I’m not saying thats a requirement but it did speed up the learning curve for me.

Some of the best stuff I read was in the first 3-5 chapters of some graphics books but I’m not really recommending any in particular. Just find some and start reading. There’s not one end all be all singular resource, but learning the graphics terminology was super helpful.

You are right for the most part about Zbrush for art and Maya for animation. Both have their strong points. Some of the stuff I read was out dated as the software and technology is always changing. One major thing I read was about the specialization of animators and modelers. The art of creation and the art of motion can be done by one man, but they are arts in themselves. Mastering both can be done but it may help to stick with one for a while and then try the other later. The best animators understand the art side’s technical limitations, and the best content creators understand the rigging and animation aspects. To really master both, you need to pick one and go for a while. For example, start modeling something very simple like a stickman, then try to animate it. Then you can see what you might have to change about the model to make him move the way you want.

The rest is just patience and time. To learn anything, I have to break it down into smaller chunks. I had to read a ton of stuff that I thought was pointless until slowly, my knowledge is built up on the subject. A ton of reading, with a ton of trial and error was key for me. There are tutorials everywhere which you can follow along with also.

Once again, this is all my opinion and I don’t want to say anything here like its the only way. I’m not going to argue any particular software is the best at anything.

Playing around with the software and just having fun is great too. All the time you spend making things and animations that might not turn out exactly the way you want is part of the learning process. Good luck on your journey!