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3 Dimensional Chat / Best Way To Start Drawing In 3D

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Merrie
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Posted: 21st Jun 2006 03:48 Edited at: 21st Jun 2006 04:03
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I have some background in drawing 2D, pencil and pen & ink. I am working on learning 3D art and have just picked up Carrara 3D Basics and I have 3D Canvas Pro.

I would like to get folks opinions on the best way to start modeling, should I select some simple pictures to model? I have a, I Can Draw Everything book as well, would that be a good way to start?

Are there websites folks can recommend for just learning basic 3D modeling techniques without a specific software?

*** Moderator Please Delete I found a good source on the forums ***
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zircher
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Posted: 21st Jun 2006 07:22
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Better suggestion, share what you've found. Perhaps there are other people interested in what you have learned.
--
TAZ

"Do you think it is wise to provoke him?" "It's what I do." -- Stargate SG-1
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greenlig
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Posted: 21st Jun 2006 11:51
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this is a good tute that can be adapted to most modelling packages.

http://67.15.36.49/ffa/tutorials/max/joanofarc/joanmenu.asp

this one also, is a great introduction. Wish i had found it when i was starting! Its geared toward blender, but can easily be adapted to any tool.

http://glenmoyes.com/articles/to_those_learning_3d.shtml

regards,
greenlig

Blender3D - GIMP - WINXP - DBPro
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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 21st Jun 2006 13:26
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You will probably find tutorials for your modelling packages on the net. I did the Eggplant Tutorial on Anim8or.com. It's a simple modelling package, and it's free. Ten minutes to learn almost everything in the product. That's why I like it. Your modellers are most likely to export animations properly though.

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Merrie
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Posted: 24th Jun 2006 20:00
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I would like to share one resource I found to aid anyone who is looking to start drawing, its called Draw Space.com and they have a large variety of drawing lessions a good start.

http://www.drawspace.com
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Manic
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Posted: 25th Jun 2006 14:30
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http://www.secondreality.ch/tutorials/tutorials.html

I don't have a sig, live with it.
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Merrie
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Posted: 26th Jun 2006 04:41
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Oh these are very nice, thank you Manic.
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Manic
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Posted: 26th Jun 2006 14:01
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its how i like to model, and its effective as you always have a rough representation to work with.

bare in mind that these tutorials are aimed at higher poly work, so you might want to ignore some of the later parts of each tutorial.

I don't have a sig, live with it.
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Bmad6
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Posted: 27th Jun 2006 16:19
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Quote: "this is a good tute that can be adapted to most modelling packages.

http://67.15.36.49/ffa/tutorials/max/joanofarc/joanmenu.asp"


I'm a more advanced modeler, I, like pincho paxton, use anim8or, and have been making stuff for 2 or 3 years. However, I still haven't managed to tackle this tutorial...

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Oddmind
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Posted: 29th Jun 2006 16:01
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Quote: "advanced modeler"
Quote: "use anim8or"


one or the other bud

You should really move on, theres programs that can do what anim8or does but way faster and mroe efficiently... nameley blender and metasequoia if blender is too hard. Also milkshape is wonderful.

formerly KrazyJimmy

I'm the lizard king, I can do anything.
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Van B
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Posted: 29th Jun 2006 16:15
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Yeah, upgrade to either the freeist or the cheapest modeller when you want to expand?

Bad examples of upgrades mate, those are basic packages designed to teach 3D modelling, not expand it.

Expanding would involve buying a powerful modelling package, one that can render while still being reasonable for low poly work.

To really expand your horizons, grab Rhino3D, go on, have NURBS do your bidding instead of splitting polys and box modelling everytime - not ideal for character modelling, but damn it can knock out mechanical models quickly.

Aegrescit medendo
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Bmad6
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Posted: 29th Jun 2006 16:39 Edited at: 30th Jun 2006 05:35
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I would buy something better, but I'm only <ok, editied =D>, and have somewhat limited resources.

Besides, I really like anim8or's straightforward interface... someone I know has 3ds max, and it looks like a nightmare learning where all the tools are...

"Catch me ridin' dirty" - Peace Out
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Oddmind
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Posted: 29th Jun 2006 16:46
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well blender and metasequoia are free.

Well worth the 2 days it takes to get aquainted!

Also please dont post your age on the forums

formerly KrazyJimmy

I'm the lizard king, I can do anything.
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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 29th Jun 2006 20:06
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Anim8or is good enough to be a Pro modeller for games.

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Keemo1000
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Posted: 29th Jun 2006 23:01
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@Paxton: Not for animations Though

@Merrie: Try Www.Wings3D.Com , its good, but you need to practice.

Or Maya, but you're gonna hate 3d if you have no background for it.


http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=82195&b=8
My Avatar is NGC btw.
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BenDstraw
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Posted: 29th Jun 2006 23:06
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maya? or your gunna hate 3d if you dont have the wallet for it.

God modelled man in his own reference image.
comment my art at: http://www.bendstraw.deviantart.com
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RalphY
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Posted: 29th Jun 2006 23:22
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How can you call Blender a basic package?

Elephants Dream may confuse the heck out of you but its a good example of what Blender is capable of.
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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 30th Jun 2006 00:03 Edited at: 30th Jun 2006 00:03
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Quote: "@Paxton: Not for animations Though"


Yeah, you need a seperate program for animations, but there are quite a few seperate programs. It is not a bad thing to swap programs.

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HenryTj
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Posted: 30th Jun 2006 07:09
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The trick about 3D is finding an interface that works for you. For one person Blender may make intuitive sense. For someone like me, the interface just feels wrong. This is probably why there are so many programs out there, each with their own following. The most powerful program will not do you much good if it feels wrong to you. My first 3D program was RayDream. After that I looked around and Cinema4D seemed most easy to use to me. Saddly I am finding that C4D does not have much gaming support. 3DSMax is the "classic" tool but Descrete is vicious about their licensing. They even go after anyone that tries to sell an old copy on ebay. And "no," I dont pirate software. I seem to be one of the few people that think it is stealing. (Which it is, and drives up the prices for everyone else.)

Anyway, the trick is to find 3D software that works for you. Many, have demos on try-outs. I picked C4D because I was able to do the most with it without any instructions. But its expensive, even the academic version is expensive. However, a couple years ago 3D World magazine featured the limited C4D-CE6 on the magazine CD. $15 for what was a $1000 program (even a limited version) is a great deal.

Well enough from me. But my favorites are C4D and Rhino3D. But Im new to gaming so I have to figure out how to use these for making models that can be used in DBC.

Henry
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HenryTj
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Posted: 30th Jun 2006 07:15
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Sorry for the extra post but I wanted to point out that the other problem with free and cheap software is the poor level of documentation, if any. Most free or cheap software has documentation written by the programmers who made the software. This is ussually a mistake. First they ussually dont know how to organize and write instructional material. Second, they know their software so well that they have trouble imagining that its use is not obvious. They tend to make too many assumption about what users already know and understand.

I have been both a programmer (back in the Fortran days) and an instrector. It is surprisingly difficult to write instructional material for software programs.

Henry
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Bmad6
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Posted: 30th Jun 2006 10:32
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I have to agree with HenryTj in that, in general, most free software online is poorly documented, but I do have to note a BIG exception in the case of Anim8or - it has a long, detailed, and very helpful manual (pdf) online with the exe.

"Catch me ridin' dirty" - Peace Out
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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 30th Jun 2006 19:55
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Yeah.. Anim8or has very good documentation, and tutorials. I learned it in about half hour.

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HenryTj
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Posted: 30th Jun 2006 22:43
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Yes, Anim8or does seem to have more than the typical amount of documentation. But a few hours with it was not enough for me to learn it enough to feel comfrotable with it. Given my current time pressure I have resorted to what I know, which is Cinema4D. I home C4D continues its occasional released of old versions as "CE" limited editions. I think they have a good product there.

Again, it seems to work best to try different software and go with what seems easiest to use for you. Everyone thinks a little differently.

Henry
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Mucky Muck Ninja
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 06:46
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Don't go calling blender a 'basic' package. I just spent a week at a character modelling class, where 3ds Max 8 was used. I ended up giving up on max and using the copy of blender 3d that i luckily had on my thumbdrive. My results were just as good as the people who stuck with Max, in fact most of the Max users ran into problems that Blender didn't have.

Btw im back now I was down in california!

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 2nd Jul 2006 11:49
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[Ned Flanders voice]Welcome back Blenderino[/New Flanders voice]

I hope it was useful, but you're right Blender isn't basic, its very professional as far as free apps go, it may look messy, but I am actually thinking of learning Blender for those features I do not have.

I am sparticus and so is my wife
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