3D - 2

I want to get into 3d animation, but have no idea where to start?

I downloaded Milkshape 3d but am hoping to work my way up to blender (blender is more complicated). Right now I just want to make models, not animations, can someone give me some pointers and some step-by-step guides?

Public Comments

1. Start by drawing simple 3d illusions. For example draw a simple arrow going up then draw two lines; one on each side of the straight part on the bottom of it and make sure they go along with the top lines of the arrow. You could also try a website called drawing coach.com. He has lessons where you can draw the human head at other angles than the front. The best tip I can give you is draw the surrounding area first so you know where you want your character to be. Doing that also allows you to choose the mood of the character and what the character will be doing. The surrounding area has a lot to do with making a character. Draw the surrounding area lightly until you figure out where you want you character to be. It also helps you descide the hight and other proprtions of your character.
2. First I would reccomend on getting a demo copy of Lightwave because it's interface is the easiest to learn on. I started in maya "the industry standard" you can get a free demo on autudesk .com. First start by modeling simple things a toy train or a office desk once you get comfortable with the interface "Milkshape, Blender, Lightwave(easiest to learn on), Canvas, Maya, or Max. Also go to sites like Cg society for help. reguarding the way something works. Good luck ; ]
3. Personally, I would go with Wings3d. It is free and is a very good modeler. If all you wanted to do was model professionally, for your demo real, you wouldn't need to learn anything other than Wings3d. (However, if you were serious about modelling professionally, you might also want to add zbrush to your skills. ZBrush and Wings3d are a good cheap combination for modellers.) Wings3d has a simple intuitive interface. Also check out Bay Raitt's youtube tutorial (he used an application called Mirai, which is no longer sold. If you have Wings3d, you won't be lost. Wings3d is based on Mirai). Bay Raitt is the master. He modeled Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies. You can also check out the wings3d totorials on youtube. Just follow along. Most of them are done high-speed, just hit pause often. (Milkshape 3d is built for low poly games. You can still do low poly work in Wings3d, but Wings3d can also do film-quality models as well)