Where to go now!

[Sergio Garcia]

Hi community,

A bit of context: As I’ve been giving loads of time off at work. Last month I decided to use my time “wisely” to start learning Blender in a serious way. After loads of research I found CG Cookie and decided to join and start learning. I believe Cg Cookie was going to give me a more lineal and organised learning method than I could get from learning on my own from YouTube tutorials. 

Now that I have started with the Basic course, and followed through with “Press Start”, “the 9 Fundamental Core Courses”, “Craftsman”, “Bake” and “Tread”. I feel I would like to go deeper in modelling. When I did the low poly bedroom for Jonathan, I noticed I could sort of model many models from my bedroom but I noticed it took me ages and I don’t think they were model the proper way. After doing “Craftsman” and “Tread” I knew the way I was modelling was totally wrong, and that theirs was the way to go, even though both approaches are very different. I need more tutorials like “Tread”, at the moment, as when working on my own I get stuck all of the time.

Yesterday, being a bit down and desperate, I spent the whole day researching how could I get a good grasp of Hard Surface Modelling. 

I found this guy on the internet called JL Mussi, from 3d Beast, who teaches “Industry Standard 3D Modelling in Blender” and I wanted to ask my trusted CG Cookie community about your opinion. Is this course and teacher legit? Would be good for me to take on this course? The presentation video looks really good and it has touched my feelings now that I am going through a tough learning period trying to figured how to carry on. This is the link: https://www.3dbeastacademy.com/blender-blueprint-yt?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=longform-organic&utm_campaign=blender-bluprint-beta&utm_content=2511-2020

Meanwhile, is there any tutorial I could carry on taking from CG Cookie to master the modelling part of it the way JL Mussi is promising? I looked the next tutorials to take from CG Cookie and I can’t decide between “Modelling a Sci-Fi Helmet in Blender” or “Modelling a Post Apocalyptic Vehicle”. I there other tutorials or teacher that I am missing?

Thanks for your help, any thoughts are Wellcome. 

[Grady Pruitt]

What are your goals? Are you wanting to do Arch vis renders or are you aiming to make assets for games or movies? 

[Grady Pruitt]

Also… have you tried taking what you have learned so far and create a project of your own using what you’ve already learned? Not just a course result, but a concept of your own?

[Sergio Garcia]

Hi Grady, I am aiming more towards very detail with complex shapes small consumer products for visualisation. Game or movie ready assets would be good for me too.

[Martin Bergwerf]

Well, you can’t really tell until you’ve tried it.

Two things though:

    This is only Subdivision Surface Modeling (there is nothing wrong with that, but you won’t learn all aspects of Hard Surface Modeling, just so you’re aware of that).

    The promotion reminds me of a shopping channel; maybe that’s just me and also, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s scammy, maybe the product itself is legit.

[Sergio Garcia]

Thanks for the advice Martin, I see.. good you pointed out. Regards the website, yes it looks like a scam, that’s why I was consulting in the community. $1197! get it now for $97…

[Omar Domenech]

For sure Pothead is a great SubD tutorial that teaches lots of good topology. 

https://cgcookie.com/courses/pothead-create-a-hard-surface-character-in-blender

You can also watch the old Mesh Modeling Bootcamp, which has golden knowledge for the ages, no matter the Blender version:

https://cgcookie.com/courses/blender-mesh-modeling-bootcamp

Also the sci-fi helmet is a great one, so you’re on the right path. 

[Charles]

I personally don’t like the brash style of JL Mussi but from what I’ve seen from him on YT it’s perfectly sound advice. Someone who I do like although I’ve not paid for a course is https://elementza.com/ as not only is his output beautiful but he grounds his advice in the fundamentals of edge flow. This is another good YT channel https://www.youtube.com/@pixlways but there plenty more if you go looking for them.

I am probably in the same camp as you as I enjoy the puzzle of the modelling the most. I would def recommend doing CGC Pothead course as step up in terms of complexity and introducing modelling techniques within context of what is needed for what you’re trying to produce as very useful. The great thing about this course is there’s room to improvise as much or as little as you want as you are turning a muddy 2d concept illustration into a 3d model. And then you can/should try and do your own version of a 2d concept and turn it into a  3d model.

In my limited experience, like many things, there’s no one course, shortcut or fast-track to getting good other than to be consistent and to keep practising actually modelling objects. Each course helps but it’s every piece of practice that compounds and helps you improve slowly. e.g. the pliers I did recently aren’t perfect but did help me realise better ways I could/should have approached certain parts. Even really simple objects are usually deceptively complicated when you look at them closely. Pick something simple and try and model it. Don’t get too hung up on making it perfect. Repeat. Someone else on here has been modelling objects that all combine for a ‘victorian detective desk’ scene and I think that’s also a smart approach as you get a bigger project from the sum of each modular element.

[Adrian Bellworthy]

I doubt you’ll master anything in Blender in 30 days.

Well maybe one thing, how to delete the default cube!

[Omar Domenech]

I agree with Adrian. There is no such thing as mastering anything in 30 days, much less in Blender. I never pay attention to those empty publicity stunt promises. Truth is, this stuff is hard and it takes a while to get the hang of it, and you have to be willing to put the reps in. If it were easy, everyone would know 3D and hard things are worth pursuing. 

[Martin Bergwerf]

And while we’re at it:

[coyo]

On CGC I’d suggesting taking a look at Pothead and some of the Minimalism projects.

Elsewhere, if you don’t mind working off a pre-2.8 tutorial (with some 2.8 content), I highly recommend Creative Shrimp’s “Hard-Surface Modeling in Blender”. Since it’s an older course they even have it marked down significantly. Aged but still worth it.

[Chris DeVere]

@coyohti can you tell me if that older Creative Shrimp course is a SubD course by any chance?

[Omar Domenech]

If I remember correctly, yes it is. Gleb goes through all the modeling gotchas with SubD. You can check out the trailers and Gleb talking about it to be extra sure. I remember is the one with the white robot thing that he modeled. 

[coyo]

Ummm…you know…I don’t exactly remember? Like Omar said, Gleb covers a LOT of ground…and the “gotchas”. If I find a moment I’ll dig up the videos or watch the trailers like Omar suggested and it might trigger some clearer memories.

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