Back in the early to mid-2000’s I took up Photoshop and ventured into E-On’s Vue as a hobbyist. I loved creating 3d “worlds” and just using the platforms to express my imagination.
I had a 3ds Max student license back in 2016, and I started to pick up modeling. I didn’t have much time then and didn’t get too far. I created a few basic models, but I kind of got stuck and overwhelmed.
Now, I have been picking it all up again. More time, the need to be creative right now, a new computer, and lots of exciting new tech are all reasons why. However, I am finding myself even more lost in 3ds Max. Tutorials I have seen are great but they often lack continuity or lack the explanation of why they are doing something a certain way.
I usually try to create personal projects that incorporate a bit of everything I have learned so far, that I work on over time as I progress through tutorials or more ‘classroom-oriented’ projects. This lets me learn new things while working on something that is “mine.”
Back then, I was a young, broke hobbyist who relied heavily on free assets and a thriving community of like-minded people of whom to learn from and converse with. Vladimir Chopine of Geekatplay, the now-defunct Cornucopia3D forums, and QuadSpinner were a few of the people and places that really made it fun.
Now, I am a not as young, not as broke, hobbyist, who is looking for a new community to be a part of. One of the great things about this platform is, if it doesn’t exist, the tools are usually there for you to create it. That’s what we’re all doing here–creating.
This idea has me wanting to get better at 3d modeling and design. However, I am finding that my toolbox would fill a Home Depot, the accompanying documentation–a library, and I don’t understand a damn thing.
Which leads me to ask for a good book recommendation. In my head, the ideal book would be platform-agnostic, and it would explain some of the fundamentals both in writing and through example. It would explain what, when, and whys without getting bogged down.
Thanks for reading.
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