Advice from the best

[bakspac]

Hello to all and thank you for reading the following.

I worked as a 3d artist for a year 2 years ago and then took some time out .Now i realise its what I want to pursue as a career and want to update my skills so I can apply for jobs in confidence.

 

I have enrolled in an autocad course for 6 months so I will get a good foundation knowledge of the program.next I am at the beginner to intermediate level in 3ds max.Is there any recommended training books or DVDs that i could bring my skills up to the next level? And finally is there and book or DVD on vray i might be able to buy to get a good foundation knowledge of the program? I have researched abit into the following questions myself but there is so much out there and I dont want to buy the wrong book.My main focus would be on modeling and lighting?

 

Many Thanks Bakspac

[bakspac]

(DVD)Global Illumination: Exteriors V-Ray Lighting Techniques by Christopher Nichols

Digital Lighting and Rendering by Jeremy Birn

3ds max 8: From Modeling to Animation by Boris Kulagin

Foundation 3ds Max 8 Architectural Visualization by Brian L. Smith

 

the above where the books and dvd i was really looking at.any opinions on this?

cheers

[Macer]

I read:

 

'Foundation 3ds Max 8 Architectural Visualization' by Brian L. Smith

 

to understand all the basics and get started in max (as well as picking up a few good tips on architectural visualisations), then moved on to:

 

'Essential CG Lighting Techniques with 3ds Max' byDarren Brooker

 

which is providing much more detail. Along with a few extra web based tutorials they provided quite a good base to expand on.

 

I'm yet to move on to vray though, but there are heaps of tutorials online (google it) and I've seen a few threads recommending some DVDs, but I can't remember which ones?

 

Can anyone else help out?

[Ernest Burden III]

Study art history, take life drawing, walk around with a sketchbook and/or a camera, use them. Visit art museums and enjoy life. All of these are invaluable to a 3D artist.

[Justin Hunt]

Ernest Burden - some of the best advice I have read in a long time.

 

JHV

[bakspac]

Thanks for the replies. I guess what I was really saying was I want to improve my techniqial skills i.e max,vray,autocad. I have checked out alot of book reviews on amazon and they all seem to have just as many people dissing the books as complementing them.So thats why I was asking if anyone had any recommendations on a path to update my skills up to company level.

[ipxstudios]

Here are some great video tutorials on all those and many more programs

 

http://www.vtc.com/multiuser/index.php

[Brian Cassil]

In addition to what has already been said, you can post wips to the forum here and follow the feedback you get. It may surprise you how fast your work improves.

[andreg]

I really wouldn't consider myself as one of the best but, since we bought v-ray and ordered Global illumination interiors DVD by C. Nichols, my bosses gave me a substancial raise. So that was my two cents.

 

Good luck and I must say, you gotta love doing this stuff to learn it quickly.

[Arnold Gallardo]

Aside from what Ernest said what you really need to do is this:

 

SEE everything not just LOOK.

 

there is a difference in SEEING and looking at stuff. You need to be aware of the minute nuances that life has this means looking at the forest as well as the tress as well as the little pine needles and how light affects it.

 

What Ernest said is wonderful because it is the ONLY WAY to learn how to SEE and REALLY SEE. You need to see negative and positive spaces, subtle tonal changes and where it comes from, be able to discern small color casts brought about by light source oeirntation changes as well as kelvin temp changes etc. All this will come. For me this came after being a photographer doing darkroom, work although I have been sketching since I was 5 years old.

 

Good Luck and yes BE AWARE of EVERYTHING and ignore nothing

[Koper]

agreeing with Arnold.

 

you will learn allot from photography, buy some photography magazine and read on the techniques that is being used such as for composition, or bouncing light to enhance the over all light or just to spice up an object. all of these are used in 3D

[3D_IC]

Macer recommended the two best books in my opinion. I've read both and think they should be the first books any 3d artist should buy.

 

also try the ballistic publishing books http://www.ballisticpublishing.com/. They have amazing works in them and the expose titles break down the work to show how the finished images were created. The only down side is that there are very few architectural images, but the techniques from other non architecturally related creations can be applied to architectural visualisation.

 

Also the WIP and finished works on this forum will give you a good heads up as to how some of the the astounding work on this site is conceived.

 

Ernest recomended some great tips too.

 

My tip: Don't expect to create a master piece over night, and don't let this frustration put you off. Stick at it. Many of the people on this site have spent all their lives developing their technique.