Where do i Begin?

[xervia]

hello all?

i would say i'm really priviledged to be in the midst of so many design visualization "gurus". i really am a newbie who normally fiddles around with software like 3ds max and archicad, as well as autoCAD. i really want to begin to do what you guys do, and be good at it. i'm talking about a career development here.so where do i start? ciao!

[IHAB]

this question is asked nearly daily, try browsing the forums & I think you are going to make up your mind yourself (esp. general discussions)

[STRAT]

you start off by shutting urself in your room for a year and learing your chosen software until you can do it in your sleep. i joke not.

[IC]

you start off by shutting urself in your room for a year and learing your chosen software until you can do it in your sleep. i joke not.

 

I wish someone had told me that at the start

I thought I'd master it in a month and I'm still learning shortcuts and techniques 6 years later!

 

Another thing to do is surround yourself in good work. You can learn huge amounts from your more experienced peers. For us that has to include architects, artists and interior designers. There's a lot to pick up.

[mahorela]

With max in mind, try to learn as many modelling techniques as you can. Learn about spline modelling, lathes, booleans, primitives through tutorials on max itself and off the internet. Each tutorial will teach you a different technique. Once you have gained enough techniques you will be able to use them to model anything you want and at the same time you will have learned about viewports, xyz coordinates, modifier stacks etc.

 

then apply the same concept to, texturing, lighting, rendering, animation and keyframing etc.

 

I am completely self taught and this is the way I went about it. Took me about 12 months to be doing it professionally but I did get a little obsessive about it (12-16 hours a day) while I was learning.

 

But once you have gained the technical ability, the challenge just begins, image composition, colour theory, third party renderers.... AHHHHHH, it never ends.

 

see you in 18 months or so!!

[Christopher Nichols]

Actually here is what we used to do at my old job...

 

I worked in a big firm. Many people would come to us and say... I want to learn 3D and do what you do. We took them over to the public 3d computer, told them the software was installed on it, here is the book. Do the first 3 tutorials by yourself after hours, then we will start to officially train you. 50% never start, 45% never finish the first tutorials (should not take more than 30 mins), if they are on the second tutorial, there is a good chance they will make it through.

 

It is not that it is hard, it is not. It is just that it is not what they think it is... and they are just tired of picking up redlines.

[xervia]

thanks guys for the advice. i guess its time to get to work. though i don't think i can do 16hrs.ciao.