Miso Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 Hello everyone, I am interested in learning about 3d but do not possess much in the way of technical aptitude and my math skills are elementary at best. In your opinion, is this field of study best suited for strong logical thinkers and problem solvers? I'd like to give it a shot but figured I would ask those who know if I should even bother, seeing as I am not too tech savvy. Your advice is truly appreciated. Best, Miso Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sibarrick Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 It kinda depends what you mean by not much in the way of technical aptitude. Certainly having a lot of technical aptitude is an advantage but what you really need is the ability to learn complex software packages. In my experience if someone struggles with something like photoshop and thinks it's hard to learn then 3D probably isn't for them, however if you learnt photoshop in a week just by playing around with it and didn't even need to read the manuals then 3D shouldn't be too hard. Having said that, should you learn Houdini, well since it's free to try then I would say give it a go, but be aware that if you don't know much or any 3D already then Houdini might be hard going purely because there is less out there in the way of tutorials, but if you are happy to hunt around for stuff it is there and it is slowly improving. It's a bit of a shame really because Houdini is probably really the best package for learning 3D because once you do master it you will really know your onions and that is useful whatever package you end up with. The other way to go about it if you are a little unsure is to reverse things a bit, find a 3D tutorial book that you like and is well written and then see if there is a free version of the software you can use to learn it. Once you have the basics down then fire up Houdini, contary to a lot of myths out there Houdini works almost exactly like any other 3D package, the basic techniques are all the same the only thing that changes is the workflow and interface. Which brings me to this question In your opinion, is this field of study best suited for strong logical thinkers and problem solvers? I think it really depends which part of the field you are interested in. A lot of people do 3D who probably aren't and do very well. Not everything done in 3D is a technical challenge there is a lot of bread and butter work that requires artistic talent and a good working knowledge of a package, not everything is on the bleeding edge of technology. What you probably do need is talent, artistic, technical or both if you want to do really well and get to the top, and a lot of persistance since I think the industry isn't as huge as the number of people who want to get into it. It's definately a case of suck it and see but don't be half hearted, you'll know pretty quickly if it doesn't really suit and if that is the case I would try something else. If it really grabs you you'll know and you'll be fine you can always fine a niche that suits your interests, it's a small field but very varied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miso Posted October 9, 2005 Author Share Posted October 9, 2005 Lots of great information there. Thanks for taking the time to post that sibarrick. Think I'll give it a go. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjstanley Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Hey Miso, I would highly recomend giving it a try. I feel that Houdini is one of the very best to start with as it is so complete that you will be able to go to any other package and pick it up quickly but not the other way around. Although Houdini is very complex you don't have to know it all to have fun and start learning. My 8 yr old daughter does quite well with it really enjoys modeling. I teach a veryh quick intro to Houdini as part of computers sciences in high school and I find that kids with no 3D experience learn just as fast if not faster than kids who have some experience with other packages. The best way to learn is to go to www.3dbuzz.com and get the VTM's from there which are free. Use the forum here and at 3DBUZZ to ask lots of questions and I'm sure you will learn quickly. If it's not for you nothing is lost as Houdini offers one of the best free training packages in the world! Have fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keltuzar Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 oh my god! an 8 year old kid on houdini, dude do u have any of her modelling work, it would be cool for a change to see what kids can do with such a package! btw houdini is very good at teaching math stuff especially with chops you can actually visualize what the graph would look like, yes houdini is fun and all, but in my personal experince I learnt maya before coming into houdini, but houdini has taught a lot more than maya could ever have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peliosis Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Learn it! I started half a year before (the second time) and I feel more educated then after years of using max and xsi. Every other application looks dull and shallow compared to houdini. It's the only software that doesn't promote the "dead end" workflow. It's truly nonlinear, It's only real weakness is no marketing. When softimage invented "gator", they scream about it, they make videos and say "wow, it's amazing", Houdini is just silent stunning power, without any cheap marketing glitches. Very nice sesi forum thread As a beginner I have to warn you though, better be hard because after making some tuts and many jawdrops, there usually comes a brickwall. Houdini needs time, patience and some study. There are many gotchas that just aren't well documented and often the only way out leads through forums. The book about houdini is coming in november probably "The magic of houdini" , check amazon. Learning houdini you gain useful indepth knowledge, you won't ever regret it. cheers Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3__ Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 yep. -cpb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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