3DS Max Beginner material?

[sebastiankavanagh]

Hi all,

 

I have just started using 3DS max and Vray. Previously I've used revit and Vray which although slightly easier won't really give ultra realistic results which is what striving to achieve. Anyway I have just started to learn the basics and I am wondering what courses, tutorials, materials, videos and guides help you get better at the software? Currently I'm using Adam Zollinger's 3DS Max and Vray course on Udemy but some parts are a little outdated. And also I prefer to use cad plans to get more accurate models. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Greg Francis]

Grant Warwicks 3DS max tutorials and Vray are quite informative. His initial ones are outdated (slightly with regards to the new vray updates) but it's still very useful to know. He updates semi-regularly so it's not like there's a dead end to his stuff. He doesn't cover architecture but everything he talks about I've found to be applicable in some way or another.

 

http://masteringcgi.com.au/

[James Vella]

Use Siger Shaders, save your time for the important stuff and use terrific templates

[sebastiankavanagh]

Wow the tutorials seem very professional, the only gripe I have to say is the price though. I know many would consider $149 reasonable due to the expert knowledge on the subject but as a student it's difficult to justify paying up that amount. May I ask do you know any good free resources?

[sebastiankavanagh]

Use Siger Shaders, save your time for the important stuff and use terrific templates

 

Cheers I just check out Siger Shaders looks very good but I'll probably only use it once I've reached an expert level. May I ask what free resources did you find good when you first started?

[Greg Francis]

Wow the tutorials seem very professional, the only gripe I have to say is the price though. I know many would consider $149 reasonable due to the expert knowledge on the subject but as a student it's difficult to justify paying up that amount. May I ask do you know any good free resources?

 

Yeah, I understand that. I bought all three tutorials on a sale actually. Might be worth contacting him direct on Facebook/his website to see if he can offer a student discount. He's pretty chilled like that. Check out his youtube too as some of is free to watch. That'll give you a flavour as to whether you should actually buy his material in the future.

[Chris Harris]

Asking for a student discount is a good idea Greg.

 

Sebastian, just remember, you're asking for free resources...be careful as many clients want either the cheapest quote or free work to give you exposure (which never works), this is a very similar line you're walking. People put the time into putting together training and would like to be paid for their work/time, just as you will be one day when you're ready. Some people even go to school and pay tuition for such training. Good luck to you though!

[James Vella]

Cheers I just check out Siger Shaders looks very good but I'll probably only use it once I've reached an expert level. May I ask what free resources did you find good when you first started?

 

To be honest, for the first years I tried to do everything myself, find as many free resources as possible - this is NOT the advice I would give to myself starting again. This is what I would say to myself now:

 

1. Buy decent resources

2. Charge your clients for them (I always bill for software/library items I need for the job)

3. Buy/Save your templates when required for the job - this is always cheaper than creating from scratch. Get good Forestpro, Railclone, Ivy, Multitexture, Growfx setups, anything you do that gives you the option to save as preset - do it! this is a massive time saver in the long run, update your favourite library items, use them often.

4. Catalogue (doing a little every day will make this a breeze) - requires lots of time/management, however gives u flexibility when dealing with clients eg. following steps 1-3 above will give you the ability to have your best library items on showcase in a nice pdf - you can give these to your client to choose from. This also gives you a fallback, when they change their mind (and they will), you can charge for the variation of work. You can also then supply a new pdf catalogue for them to choose from, your assets are ready to go and your not wasting time thinking about the design - as they have already chosen from one of your previous designs.

 

Anything you wish to make money on such as sell the items later etc - then yes go ahead and create original assets to avoid any copyright, but for paid works - you will save yourself a lot of time, hastle, quality and buy what you need. Best advice I could give to anyone starting out. Look at how pro's model things, uvw map, setup their shaders etc. This will give you a better insight as to how to do things at a high level. Learn from other people, dont try do it all yourself - especially starting out.

 

This gives you time to focus on whats important - the brief, composition, lighting and delivering a product useful for the client

Edited June 6, 2017 by redvella

[NigelStutt]

Lynda do an online video course https://www.lynda.com/