a simpler way to create content?
Noved1
Posts: 160
i have been trying and failing for years now to design what exactly i see in my mind. after i felt i wanted more than to keep making art with other peoples amazing creations, that i had bought. i tried sculpting, UV mapping, and all tutorials and steps necessary to create the amazing 3D content found here and other places, and each time i have failed. on top of that, i can't really draw more than a stick man. other than paying for a more skilled artist to do a commission, is there no other way in the world to create the things that i imagine? or maybe, should i go ahead and save up for something like digital arts college? ----thank you for your time.
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As tough as it sounds. Either you got talent or you got to work hard. And even with talent nothing does come easy all the time.
aye indeed. this i have found out the hard way. i have some hope though, as i am able to create very basic 3D meshes...in things like Z-brush and sculptris. i just have no idea the process to make them as amazing and awe inspiring as the things you see here on the daz shop and such. i suppose that takes uv mapping..bump mapping and all other sorts of things i doubt i know about.
Okay, I'm gonna try to offer what little input I can. Making content can be a rather intense undertaking. There are a couple routes you can take. First and foremost, if you lack 3D skills, I would strongly suggest Abalone LLC's DressShop. It is far from perfect (and I wrote a rather lengthy review of it) but it sounds like something that would be of significant benefit to you. Just today, Laslo fixed the UV output for saved clothing, so MATs and Shaders work pretty well on them. Keep in mind, this program will not teach you how to model, but it will be a step in the right direction to creating your own content for DS. I would suggest you try to grab it as fast as you can, so you can get it at the sale price. In my humble opinion, the $50 (full price) cost is too high for what you get.
Next, if you are wanting to step into the world of 3D modeling, you are going to have to practice, practice, practice. There's no way around it. If you want to create anything worthwhile, it will take work. Explore programs, find out what modeling environment works for you, and go with that one. Do not use illegally obtained software, especially if you plan to sell, as you open yourself up to rather hefty lawsuits.
Techniques you'll want to consider learning are: Box modeling, edge loops, Retopology, UV Unwrapping, Normal Mapping, and rigging, to start. It sometimes helps to go in with a clear idea in your head. Even if you can't draw well, print out a picture of the character (V4, V5, Genesis, M4, H4, etc) in a front, side, and back view of their default poses, then using a piece of vellum, draw your concept for your clothing over the printout. If you don't have a pen tablet, I would suggest you invest in one, otherwise ZBrush and Sculptris (or any sculpting software) will be nearly useless to you.
If you don't have the budget for a large software package, I would suggest you get to learn and know Blender. It has modeling, sculpting, and UV Mapping all within the package, is completely free, even for commercial purposes, and many of the technique you will learn by using Blender will carry over to other programs which you could then afford after you sell 1000s of copies of your clothing.
Clothing is a bit difficult to start out with, so I would suggest starting light. Make some props, like a hammer, or cup, or billy club, and get those into DS or Poser, correctly textured. That should give you the base skills to be able to move onto clothing once you have little or no difficulty making props. If you ever need help or input, feel free to contact me, and I will do what I can to help you.
there we are! that was the detail and expertise i knew i would get back when i posted. as for your reply, i do own blender, and am planning to obtain a bamboo tablet. i don't even know how, nor have the mindset to pirate things..so that's not going to be a problem. i will both look into and probably grab that dress shop, and to be honest...i am also looking into 3D courses that describe themselves as teaching Box modeling, edge loops, Retopology, UV Unwrapping, Normal Mapping, and rigging. which is what i am looking for. and your advice about starting with the smaller things, is what i am going to start on..right now. literally...i am going to minimize this page, and practice until i can at least make a cup. then..i should be getting somewhere. thank you Visioneer!
I would have a look in the store as well. There are some good tutorials
Rigging
http://www.daz3d.com/advanced-rigging-in-daz-studio-4-pro
http://www.daz3d.com/rigging-original-figures-in-ds4-pro
http://www.daz3d.com/tutorials/rigidity-grouping-and-mapping-in-ds-4-5 (I think blondie should be be on sale tomorrow)
Creating content
http://www.daz3d.com/fugazi1968 has two video tutorials on making clothing in Hexagon but you should be able to translate to blender. His store is on sale today.
Nothing in this world worth anything, comes without practice. The more you do, the better you get. Simple as that. A school can help, sure it can. But there's plenty of self taught professionals as well. But the one constant is hard work and hours invested developing proficiency and skill.
Hexagon, surprisingly powerful inexpensive modeller. http://www.daz3d.com/hexagon-2-5-download-version/
A whole slew of hexagon tutorial. http://geekatplay.com/hexagon.php
Learn the basic, and build from there.
You could invest in some of Fugazi's video tutorials on Renderosity called The Digital Tailor. This is what I started with.
They are mainly for the generation 4 models, but once you learn the basics you can easily make things for Genesis, who is much easier to rig clothing for. He does use Silo, but you could still follow his instructions in any modelling program.
He also has two tutorials specifically for genesis in the Daz store.
Let me put in another vote for Fugazi's videos (http://www.daz3d.com/fugazi1968). Paired with Hexagon it's a fairly inexpensive way to get your feet wet creating content and when you're done you have actual clothing you can use.
Sculpting is not modelling, it can be an easy way to get your ideas into 3D but the mesh created often has bad topology and a ridiculous polygon count. Check out this teaser video for Blender on Blender Cookie. It show how to use sculpting as a creative step then clean the mesh up with other tools and techniques.
http://cgcookie.com/blender/cgc-courses/sculpting-a-sci-fi-weapon/
I agree, Fugazi's videos are very user-friendly. I've recently started the first of Blondie9999's rigging tutorials (mentioned by anikad) and I'm also finding that a very clear step by step guide.
If you're interested, my workflow usually consists of (if there is a clear goal in sight):
1.) Build base mesh outlining basic forms and masses in 3D Package of choice (usually Modo 601, sometimes 3DS Max) - This step is like building a foundation, on which the rest of the model is built.
2.) Divide mesh to prepare for sculpting, making as sure as possible that quads are in even and consistent a shape as possible, avoiding NGons and Tris (there is nothing wrong with either, and sometimes cannot be avoided.) Also, attempting to avoid as many poles as possible.
3.) Export the model as an OBJ file, and then import it into Ultimate Unwrap 3D Pro (a new version was just released!) to create a quick and dirty UV Map. Sometimes this step is enough for the rest of the project, but sometimes you have to add more geometry than initially planned, rendering this step somewhat useless.
4a.) Import UV'd obj file into ZBrush for sculpting and details. Barring any major changes to the mesh, I can go straight to export after I finish detailing of the hi res mesh for projection of normal map (skip to #6)
4b.) If there are major topological changes, or I decide to Dynamesh the mesh, I either use the retopology tools in ZBrush, or I decimate the model and export it so I can retopologize it using Silo, Modo, or Topogun, without a painfully high poly count. Once again, I have to UV the mesh to update the map for the changes I made.
5.) After retopologizing & UVing the mesh, I go back into ZBrush (unless I retopped inside ZBrush) and project the high res mesh onto the low res (to update the UV map of the hi res mesh so it matches the low res,) clean up artifacts, and save out the high res obj, taking care to make sure the poly count isn't too overwhelmingly high.
6.) I load both the meshes into XNormal, where I produce Normal, AO, and bump maps for the low res model from the high res (so I can keep all those awesome details.) For the most part, that's about it. Next comes the boring stuff like rigging, texturing, going back and defining MAT zones if I'm so inclined, testing, rinse, and repeat as much as necessary.
I'm sure this doesn't really help you too much, and every artist has their own particular workflow, but I just wanted to give you a brief overview of what you could be getting yourself into. On the plus side, it is extremely rewarding, lots of fun, and it is great to leat your imagination go wild. Keep us updated on what you do! Oh, and feel free to upload a render of your cup. Get it into DS, and release it as a freebie!
What are your goals for learning? Is this something for your own pleasure (hobbyist), or have something more to do with enhancing your work (prosumer)?
Before tossing product recommendations to you, you need to decide why you are doing what you are doing, and what you want to accomplish. Set your goals first, then select the tools and techniques to learn based on your goals.
Don't jump on the "learn this because its free" bandwagon. Unless your time is free, no tool is free.
I am! One day I'd like to go to art school, but until I can afford that, I teach myself. That present tense is very deliberate. Hard work and time spent is a good substitute for throwing money at the problem when it comes to the learning process (much more so than the reverse).
Patience has some help for the Hex user wanting to make clothing: http://patience55anotherone.deviantart.com/art/Let-s-Make-Clothing-for-Genesis-391006012
Sorry, for reasons I won't go into here I have pulled most of my stuff for the moment.
I've also taught myself a lot reading through free tutorials and watching videos. Made some 'decisions' as to what I'd try making first and buy the rest. Hard to beat, no, impossible to beat the $2 priced items as far as time goes. However it is a wonderful feeling to look at something well made that one made oneself.
There's a video on making a cup/mug somewhere on youtube. Actually there are hundreds of helpful videos on youtube ... even videos on other modelers can provide great tips and how to notes.
I do have the clothing threads in Nuts 'n Bolts [under General before Commons in the tree links] ...
The mind is a wonderful idea place. Sketch it out. In an image editor one can make line drawings of the renders from D/S or Poser, and actually sketch out what you see onto the image. Make the canvas square. Load it to the grid in Hexagon. Import in the "dress dummy" [solid .obj of whichever figure you want to make clothing for, or objects where size relation is important, like chairs [in which case might want the .obj to be that of the model in a sitting position].
Post some images ... I'd suggest starting a thread in the Hexagon forum ... and there are some very experienced artists who provide guidance there ... and little ol' me too from time to time ;-)
Thank you all for the wonderful tips and links...I've been wanting to learn to create my own content and was a bit overwhelmed when trying to figure out where to start. This was so helpful!