http://www.3dtotal.com is a site of wonders.
Most of the stuff up here looks like it's not even made by human. It's simply too perfect!
Has anyone any idea how to become one of artists featured there?
I mean, how to learn all of this. Hardcore skills in 3ds Max and Zbrush.
Any good/heavily recommended books?
Superb sites?
Other extremely basic things to start with?
Anything?
I think that I finally have a dream.
http://www.cornucopia3d.com/galleries/index.php
Cornucopia site which is Vue Esprit related. Some of the images on that site are amazing and all done in 3D using the Vue software. I own Vue 5, so i became a member and only have one image on that site, but the software is easy to use, and does one heck of a job with 3D. It may be expensive to buy, but well worth the money.
edit: http://www.cornucopia3d.com/galleries/displayimage.php?album=6&pos=103&pid=2024
only pic i uploaded to their site. Not the best, but i'll get better.
Let's assume you choose 3d max since that is what I know.
Learning 3d max is easy if you have the help files. READ THEM. Open the help file and open max and follow the tutorials. They tell you how to do EVERYTHING max can do.
Best way to learn the program and a very good foundation in 3d.
This (http://www.3dtotal.com/home2/gallery/getgalleryitem.asp?id=2254)...just knocks my socks off. It's not perfect...but of the hundred or so I looked at...it's the most realistic. They did an amazing job on the eyes. For most of the more realistic-looking images, the eyes didn't look right...but if I didn't know any better I'd say that was a photograph there...
To give an advice I would second the way MrColossal suggested.
But I feel that way needs a lot of patience.
I didn't have that. I went with the "arse first into a tree" method :)
I tried reading the help through, but got bored because I wanted to create something now. So with trial and error I created something, read some tutorials (like the ones from 3dtotal), did them etc. Occasionally when I didn't understand something or a tool referred in a tutorial wasn't familiar to me I referred to help file.
My way really isn't the right way to go, but you might end up on this road anyway :)
All the books I've read were basically just a different arrangement of the tutorials found on web and max help file. So can't say that I can recommend any of these.
Zbrush is not really hard to learn. I have only tried it a bit. But after watching couple of video tutorials I could detail my model. It's easy as in "it's easy to paint a beautiful picture in photoshop using just a brush tool and tablet". ;)
Some sites:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/
http://www.3dluvr.com/content/
http://www.3dlinks.com/
I also had couple of courses at the uni and here are the work I did on those: Basic 3D (http://bantza.raah.fi/lentsikka/) and Advanced 3D (http://bantza.raah.fi/help_phone/)
monkey_05_06: Well my socks stay put ;). The skin texture gives it away. It's really good though. But take a look at (hold on to your socks) this (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=399499) ;)
Haha :D. I'm in EVITech as well :D. And it looks as though you are/were in Media Engineering, too. I've done that basic 3D course, and I'm now in my third year in the school. I think I've got that advanced 3D course coming up next year.
Thanks so far.
And what about school? University or courses?
I somewhat don't believe that you can become a professional modeller through school or it's worth much.
My logic says that these few lessons you get at school will only give some overview - practising modelling takes alot more time than you can have in school lesson.
Then again, what do I know?
So tell me, does school help in modelling, or is it just for a certificate paper?
It depends on the school.
Normal university with these couple introduction courses for 3D doesn't help you that much.
But if you go to a school for 3D visualisation or some film school where you can specialize on 3D then it is a different story. The same school I'm in there is this kind of programme and they really have periods where you pratice your 3D skills 6 hours a day and 5 days in a week. Ofcourse you could do this at home, but there would be nobody there to teach you.
And I have seen some really great model reels coming from schools like german film school and vancouver film school so I think it helps in modelling. (Don't know if those authors were masters in 3D before they went to school but...)
On the other hand it might not be cheap or easy to get into some of these schools.
And I wouldn't go on a course outside uni unless you get someone else to pay for it ;)
ildu:
Yes I'm on Media Engineering and on my sixth year ::)
Also note that our schools new name is EVTEK University of Applied Sciences ;). And I heard JJ doesn't lecture those courses anymore? He was a really great teacher. Maybe his work at Futuremark takes too much time.
Quote from: InCreator on Fri 15/09/2006 02:44:29
Any good/heavily recommended books?
Superb sites?
Other extremely basic things to start with?
Anything?
Some really handy 3DS video tutorials and stuff at: http://www.cgempire.com. Friendly bunch too! :D
Quote from: zabnat on Fri 15/09/2006 11:38:58ildu:
Yes I'm on Media Engineering and on my sixth yearÃ, ::)
Also note that our schools new name is EVTEK University of Applied Sciences ;). And I heard JJ doesn't lecture those courses anymore? He was a really great teacher. Maybe his work at Futuremark takes too much time.
So are you still on the school's books or was that a joke :D? Yeah, the new teacher is Ulla Murros. But I don't really know how she teaches. I skipped all the classes since I knew all that stuff already.
And yeah, school can't teach you too much, unless the whole study program targets towards 3D. If you have one or two courses of it, you'll only barely learn the basics. In most computer studies, tutorials are much better than teachers. I at least learn stuff 10x faster from tutorials. And if you really want to learn ZBrush, VRay and 3DSMax properly, just follow the tutorials on www.3dtotal.com. If you read through them religiously and try to do stuff according to what they teach, it's really not difficult to become good at it.
also don't open a 3d program and shoot for photoreal. Establish goals for yourself and meet them. Don't open 3d max and start messing with Reactor Coth and Shave and a Haircut.
Possible goals system:
Open a 3d program and try to recreate an early 90s 3d game character. Slowly work up the years learning things like modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, adding polys here and there as you make more complex models, learn about specular maps and normal maps and then get into rigging.
I went back to wicked (http://kafkaskoffee.com/junk/dude_rigged.gif) old (http://kafkaskoffee.com/junk/clue!.gif) school (http://kafkaskoffee.com/junk/beast_rigged.gif) poly (http://kafkaskoffee.com/junk/captain.png) modeling so I could do just that. I made a bunch of no-texture Alone in the Dark looking dudes using only vertex colours and then I made a higher poly dude and textured him. Next I'm doing another higher poly dude and texturing him and after that I will get into an even higher poly dude with normal maps made from Zbrush, this will probably take me till December and I started in August. Granted I've been using 3d max for many years and am just reteaching myself but I think it's a good way to learn. Jumping into the deep end is overwhelming and discouraging.