How To Learn 3D Modeling and Animation (the right way)

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Today we are going to talk about 6 secrets or successful methods of approaching the process you can follow on how to learn 3D modeling and animation.

6- Always ask about what you don’t know

At this point in time, it is not a matter of whether there are enough information and resources out there that can help you learn, because in recent years the number of professional artists working on a video game, animation, or VFX projects has doubled many folds because pretty much everything you need to know about 3D modeling, animation or visual effects is out there. whether it be in the form of YouTube videos, online courses or actual art schools.

So, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, the question is whether you are willing to dedicate yourself to learning and investing the necessary time and effort to make the transition from being a beginner to a professional. In my book, being Pro is having the ability to provide value for people, other artists, or studios in exchange for a monetary value, so the spectrum is wide and the possibilities are limitless.

When you start to Learn 3D Modeling and Animation, you will definitely face a lot of obstacles and problems, so I suggest that you spend a little bit of time trying to figure it out if it is something simple, because struggling here and there is good sometimes to understand things better. But generally speaking, it is better to troubleshoot and get help because I believe no question that can help become better is too stupid to be asked. Even if it is something very simple like how to create a cube or a sphere in Blender or 3ds max for example. you will find videos, guides, and some tips here and there that can help you.

Also, it is a good thing to join online communities of 3D artists because this will help you see what other artists are creating which inspires you to create more and learn more. And you will also see how they face the same problems and obstacles that you are probably dealing with which will make you realize that we all need help, the difference is some of us ask and others are too proud or too afraid to do so.

5- Keep it simple but aim high

One of the secret strategies that can help you make good progress in the early stages when go learn 3D modeling and animation is trying to only work on small projects that will take you 2 or 3 days at most from start to finish. This is important in the beginning due to the fact that we as human beings can be easily distracted if something takes too long. so practicing your newly acquired skills in a few days or weeks is essential to create what is called a positive feedback loop.

A short positive feedback loop is important in the beginning because as a beginner you need constant confirmation and assurance that you are on the right track and that you are capable of doing this. And over time you will be able to work on projects that will take you weeks to finish because at that point you will have enough confidence in your skills and love for the craft that will prevent you from going back or giving up.

The first model I created when I was trying to learn 3D was a simple but beautiful car rim, then I created the tire and the result turned out to be good. And within a few weeks, I was able to create more complex things so I bought courses on how to create cars, characters. And the same goes for other fields of 3D like animation, simulations, effects, and so on.

learn from professionals

This point very important because there are a lot of different ways of doing things, some of them are good and others are not that great. learning from people who have years of experience is going to allow you to adapt their workflow, their ways of thinking, and of course the approach they take when facing, and solving problems to get to the point they want to get to.

One of the problems of being a beginner 3D Artist is a lack of a holistic view and the big picture perspective in terms of understanding what it takes to create let’s just say a character or a complete vehicle from start to finish. Most new people only know few steps like modeling and texturing, but they lack the essential knowledge that allows them to realize how important other parts of the process are like Sculpting, UV unwrapping, organizing, and naming your pieces properly, Baking your maps, texture painting and so on.

People who have the experience and the skills you want to acquire can shortcut your learning curve by giving you a guide and a clear path from nothing to creating something amazing. But I think the most important thing you will get is the person you will become after you understand how the process works from its very beginning to the end. And that understanding is the only thing that allows you to replicate the same knowledge and start working on your own projects.

be a specialize generalist

Probably if you are a beginner you don’t even care about these concepts of being a specialist or a generalist. But as you start learning about new stuff like Modeling, animation, rendering, motion graphics effects, etc you will start to realize that it is very hard to be really good at doing everything unless you spend incredible amounts of time and effort trying to do so.

If you want to see real results faster you must first taste the waters to see what works for you and what you like the most. This not only helps you see for yourself what’s out there, but it is also good for understanding how everything else put together works. In addition to that, it is great for better understanding and cooperating with a team, because let’s just say, for example, you are a character modeling artist who has some experience before when it comes to character animation, you will be able to understand the person who is going to animate your character in a way that helps him or her do their jobs easier and faster.

Most people try to do a lot of things and try to learn everything, they kind of try to be a professional generalist without knowing it. It is possible to be a good generalist who can do lots of things in a production pipeline by himself which of course will take a ridiculous amount of time and the result is not going to be as good if a team of specialists working on the same project did it. and not all people can reach this level because it is hard.

In this day and age, projects require and need specialists who have many years of experience in their field so you should strive early on to be a specialist who has a little bit of knowledge here and there just in case, or what I call a specialized generalist but the end goal is to have a very focused knowledge and experience and to be very good at doing one or two things.

One of the best things about focusing on one thing like being a character artist, an environment artist, or an animator early on is you are going to cut huge chunks and years off your learning curve. And if you want to have more knowledge in another part of the production pipeline you will be able to do it in a short period of time because you already have experience that allows you to understand how the process works. which leads us to the next point.

2- Follow the Path of Mastery

If you decide to become very good at being a 3D artist then this means you chose the path of mastery, the path of becoming an artist who will excel in practicing his craft. And this is the only way to become very good whether you are aware of it or not.

Being very good as a 3D artist means saying a no to a lot of things, I mean easier, different, or more shiny things. Because we as human beings can be very easily distracted by other things of low value like playing long hours video games, watching TV, or just wasting our time on useless things instead of focusing on what we should be learning and honing our craft.

Make no mistake, this will take a lot of time, effort, energy, and sometimes you need to invest emotionally as well because not every day you are going to have enough motivation to keep learning and practicing new things especially if you have school or if you have a job that you have to do on a regular basis.

It is not about being perfect or anything, but it is about the process, the journey. To become a 3D artist you need to stay on the path you set for yourself day after day, year after year until you get to a point where you feel like you have accomplished something worthwhile and learned skills that other people can use. You must be willing to try and fail and try again as long as you still want it.

1- practice, practice, practice

No matter how many secrets and techniques you learn about how to learn 3D modeling and animation faster or better you will always without an exception have to go through a lot of practice to learn the craft and to become good at it. Because once you learn from professionals and people who have better knowledge and skills than you, you still have to apply that knowledge on your own projects to get good due to the fact self-learning is very important when you become a decent 3D artist who is striving to become even better.

There are a lot of things that people can tell you and help you with but there are other things that you need to experience and go through many times to grasp fully.