Need a helpin' mind..

[Korken]

Hi all!

 

I love modeling/animating but I never finnish stuff because I come to a point where i realize I'm not good enugh with A:M.

So what I ask is this: Say some easy stuff to make! Anything, dosen't matter what is it. Just so I can get a nice touch with the program.

(I have done all the tutorials.)

 

And one more thing, is it worth upgrading to V13?

I'm running v11.1 now.

 

//Korken

[Zaryin]

First model I ever made was a little lamp with shade that sits on a desk. Model that .

[Eric2575]

When you say "not good enough", what do you mean? If you've done all the tuts in the book, you've got to have a decent feel for AM, no? Maybe you're being too harsh on yourself? Zaryin is right, you've got to start small, but it has to be something you're interested in. Do you lean toward cartoons, people, mechanical modeling, what? I remember you've posted something similar a while back. What exactly is giving you these misgivings (sorry, couldn't help myself?)

 

You say you start a project, but never finish. So, why don't you set yourself a little challenge? Start a WIP post and tell us what you're going to model. Give a few specifics, so we can get an idea of what to expect. Then post as you progress and don't give up no matter what. No matter how it turns out, don't quit. Don't think of it as having to be something perfect, but rather as a reflection of your effort.

 

You ready to challenge yourself?

 

And by the way, an upgrade of the software is not going to make you finish a project or make a better model.

 

Cheers

 

Eric

[OdinsEye2k]

Or if you are looking for a little encouragement:

 

http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg724n/scars.html

 

Ignore the words if you want - just look at the absolute junk I started with and how it evolved into something tolerable.

[Korken]

When you say "not good enough", what do you mean?

What I mean is when I come to a point when I can't get the right feel to some thing.

Ex.

I made a glass a long time ago but I couldn't get the reflections right. The bending of light was upsidedown and even with all the help here I couldn't get it to work. And after 2 weeks of try and error I gave up the project.

 

The same with my draconian. It was my pride until I realized it was looking sortof "odd" in some way.

This I haven't given up with yet but it seems like: How much I ever pull points I can't get the right feel.

 

But I'm destined to get it to work! But until I can see the "wrongs" in it I must model/animate things to gain more skill.

 

This wasn't much of an explanation but you maybe understand why I get this feeling, all must have had it in some time of their A:M carrier.

 

If you've done all the tuts in the book, you've got to have a decent feel for AM, no?

 

Well, yes.

But the only thing I can do (rather good) is mechanical modeling (was very proud with my rear suspension I made ).

But what I want is to make anime and almost-real-looking characters.

That is my dream with A:M. But as I said I must get more skill to make things right.

 

And about v12, v13 isn't it easier to get nice cloth?

The one in v11.1 is kinda "buggish" and goes threw things.

 

//Korken

[Eric2575]

I know what you're talking about with the "feel" issue. When I get to that point, I know that I have been working on the project too much and have lost the inner eye (for lack of better term.) When that happens, I stop on the project, not out of frustration, but to regain my perspective. I stay away from AM altogether for a bit and I will think about the project/model off and on. Usually something forms in my mind as to what I want to accomplish with it and how I would need to go about it.

 

Btw, let's rename this thread AM Psychology 101

 

Just relax, It'll come to you.

 

Cheers

 

Eric

[DarkLimit]

The last thing u want is to "BURN" urself out trying to run before u can walk......some people who are new to 3D or to A:M jump into complex work before starting small and it works for them and for others it don't....

 

You need to find out what works for you......what helps u learn..

 

I always recommend doing still life as a way to start learning a program and getting a feel for it / 3d..... it covers most of the basics modeling / texturing / lighting....

 

start small and don't be discourage by models / animations not working out; it will always happen...... just start again and spend time with it........ it's HARD work u must stay focus.......

 

my thinking is - U keep it simple u have fun & you build a solid learning foundation...... and just build on that..

[Korken]

Thanks for the encouragement it was to great help and I'm right on something EASY to make almost like starting all over again.

 

And now! Name everything that you can think off modeling!

I've made a document where I will put lots of sugestions and number them from easy to hard so I can get better in steps.

So just post everything you think or see of around you!

 

And again thanks for the "AM Psychology 101"!

 

//Korken

[Kelley]

Korken: Nothing's EVER good enough when you're starting out. I spent six years trying to learn to draw comics. I rated myself against the best: Milt Caniff, Jack Davis, Moibius...and many others I admired. I came up as the Purveyor of Junk. Every time. I never did learn to draw like any of them. But I did learn to draw. Took me a long time to realize I had something worth showing. I left 2D and used all that learning in 3D. So never stop. Just make more models. Look at other great stuff you admired. Figure out how they did it. It'll come.

[arkaos]

The same with my draconian. It was my pride until I realized it was looking sortof "odd" in some way.

This I haven't given up with yet but it seems like: How much I ever pull points I can't get the right feel.

 

Hey, I checked out your draconian post...and I LOVED it. Way better than MY Draconian-type-character (my current avatar). All of my early stuff stinks and was very poor excuse for modelling and animating. But we all start off that way. Heck my first attempt at animating my lizard man, he looked stiff and jerky, like a taxidermied fish outta water.

 

"Modelling takes Talent" line you always run into on the Hash website is a bunch of doggy-doo. "Modelling takes Practice" is how it should read. I'm no Picasso, but each model I create is usually better than the previous.

 

Don't give up! Make for yourself short challenges and see them through. I almost gave up a while back, but golly-gee-whiz I am GLAD I didn't. Have faith in yourself and, though practice and trial/error you will become a great animator/modeller if you see it through.

 

Anyways, a lot of MY stuff still stinks, but I don't care. I have fun, anyway.

 

Bottom line, I got faith in ya and we're behind ya all the way!

[frosteternal]

Well, yes.

But what I want is to make anime and almost-real-looking characters. That is my dream with A:M. But as I said I must get more skill to make things right.

And about v12, v13 isn't it easier to get nice cloth?

The one in v11.1 is kinda "buggish" and goes threw things.

//Korken

 

1. Anime and almost-real characters: Start simple, maybe even with a real head (like someone you know.) My first decent human head was my mom. When I say decent I mean it looked mostly-not-like-lumpen-horror. I'm not sure if she ever modeled for me again, come to think of. =) Oh and study other people's face meshes..you will find striking similarities between the good ones; like how the slipes are laid out, etc. (Dushan, my co-creator for the Mountain film we are working on never did any human modeling and was able to get a workable face for the woman character in about 3 or 4 intensive tries by studying meshes and having me critique his work. Of course, I still had to rebuild parts of it, but he's a newbie.)

 

2. Cloth. I can't speak for v13 yet, I cannot change versions in the middle of a major project; that would be suicide, I fear. But the SimCloth plugin is the same in both versions, and although squirrelly, it is capable of very effective cloth. BE PREPARED TO TWEAK THE HELL OUT OF ANY I MEAN ANY PHYSICALLY SIMULATED ANIMATION! Technology has not progressed to the point where it doesn't take days of settings, weeks of experiments, and many tears to get physical simulations to look right. But it's worth it, now, my Old Man's coat will be almost automatic. I'll post a tutorial on how it was done once the project is all finished.

 

The summary, since this has become PostZilla, is that it will take a while, and tons of practice before you are "proficient"...and even then, continue working at it.

 

Oh, and when all else fails, start with a walking easter egg. That was my first A:M character. (He looks like an M&M now, looking back)

 

Best of luck!