so i learned 3d modelling/animating back in uni as part of my degree. that was uhh... 4-5 years ago? and dabbled in and out of it since then. except we learned using 3ds max, which yknow, wasn't exactly accessible post-uni and at the time blender was still pre-2.8...........
anyway, i recently got back into 3d modelling again and its been great for me, so i thought i'd share some thoughts about getting back into it
(btw, im mainly doing modelling/rigging and im a unity dev, so if anyone has good resources for either esp for anthro/furry models as well as resources for working with those assets in unity it'd be welcome! im not a novice but definitely have a lot to learn)
- no artistic process or just general creative activity has felt more meditative than this. i could do this in my sleep, not because its easy necessarily, but because every step is so clear in execution and i can make fine adjustments or add details with very little dedicated focus (massive W for me).
- its also much easier for me to conceptualise! a major issue i've had previously with 2D illustration is factoring in perspective. not necessarily drawing in perspective per se though that is also an issue. but more specifically, the way character details/proportions change shape under perspective has been a difficulty for me for a while (for example, a lot of fur tufts close to each other on a body might be a single fur tuft that amalgams their shape from profile). 3D allowing you to define the entire shape of the model is a lot nicer for me and its been helping me understand how perspective informs character detail in that way.
- they made rigging a LOT easier while i wasn't looking. like its still a pain in the ass, but man, rigify is so NICE. it might not be perfect, but i will take clearing up a messy 90% working rig over rigging from scratch any day.
- the amount of keybinds going in is intimidating. not to say there weren't as many in 3ds max, but the blender GUI isn't super user-friendly compared to 3ds max (at least at the time....), thankfully once you force yourself to use one a couple of times it bakes into your head pretty quickly.
- that said, its a lot easier to pick up than it looks. im learning a lot in the same way i learned adobe after effects, which is to say, you can absolutely learn a lot of blender just by following tutorials for random things that pique your interest or are small hurdles in bigger projects. and a lot of things are waaay more simple than you think they are, but also, take waaay more time than you think they do.
- RECOMMENDED TO ALL FELLOW AUTISTS WHO NEED A CREATIVE ENDEAVOUR AND WHO ALSO ENJOY "PROCESSES" AND/OR "QUANTIFICATION" BUT DO NOT WANT TO DIE WITH THEIR ONLY PROFESSION BEING "PROGRAMMER".
minor tidbits:
- NURBS curves are my permanent go-to for hair bar none. theyre so.... easy to use and yet can be made so complex. i wish the entire curve didnt spin around when you move the end points perpendicular to the curve shape sometimes but L + Ctrl+T fixes it pretty quick.
- i think they should murder the guy that added a "recover last session" recovery option that only has a relevant session to recover if you quit without saving manually, and will just overwrite your autosave file regardless upon opening. your last session always being the last time you quit blender normally, which usually after a crash was the beginning of your last work session. i do not understand why blender even autosaves on file load. this seems designed to make you lose autosaves when you actually need them (also why can't you have an autosave history.........). if the guy who made this decision is on here because i don't doubt it i don't actually want to murder you but would you consider explaining yourself.
- im sick of the monkey. i dont like it. can we replace it. can i replace the default blender cube with the monkey so i dont feel bad deleting it at the start of every file when i replace it with another cube (except this time its one i made so i can trust it).
- bro i need to learn OSL so bad. my pipeline cannot be blender -> unity as a 3d modeller/animator and developer with this little knowledge of OSL. im literally the maths guy in my circles. i have a degree in computers. i Have to be the guy in this 10 mile block who knows OSL. book of shaders its time for your 18th attempt at a reread.
