Learning Blender

[Mr.FaosFX]

I have been using gMax for a very long time, know it so well I could create it beautiful meshes; some of you may have seen my DC8 mesh some time back. Anyway, I just wanted to say that it was time to drop gMax in favor of something that was more up to date with out chewing a portion of my pocket that would leave me handi-capped!

I have been on the quest of learning Blender for about 1 week now and I have learned much. What seems strange to me is that it only seems like a refresher course in 3D modeling because in just days, watching tutorials and reading backs, I have realized that it is very much the same as gMax or any other 3d modeling program; vertices, meshes, extrude, bevel, slice, cut, normals.....these were not new words for me and my learning curve has not been very steep at all because all that I learned from gMax makes a lot of sense in just about any 3d modeling program.

So I have learned something new during that week, that, it's actually the terminology and how you apply to your projects that gives you an understanding on how 3d modeling works, the "theory" behind it. It's like learning to drive a car, if you know the "theory" you can pretty much drive any car, all you have to do is become familiar with the controls but the idea is pretty much stays the same for each one.

So for people learning 3d modeling out there, focus on learning the "theory" behind what each terminology of 3d modeling actually means and how you can apply it to your object. Don't worry about the interface of a 3d modeling program, learn what 3d modeling really is and then take that knowledge and learn to drive the program you want to use for 3d modeling; 3d studio, maya, blender or what ever you wish to use and you will see that the learning curve will not be as steep because your focusing your learning for the real purpose of what you are using the program for!

 

[Shaun]

I really want to get to grips with Blender, especially because that chap made the exporter and you can bake textures with it. But the UI is incomprehensible for me coming from GMAX. Many frustrating hours need to be devoted to get where I currently am with GMAX.

 

[krispy1001]

Hi Shaun!

I also used Gmax before moving to Blender. The move is not that complicated. If I can learn to use Blender anyone can.

What Mr.FaosFX said is correct. If you understand the principles of 3D modeling, then the only thing that you will have too learn is a new UI. And in my opinion, what Blender can do is well worth the work.

And on a side note: I thank Mr. Capt_X very much for taking the time too create a tool set that allows us to use Blender with FSX. (Blender2FSX)

Shaun you can make the change very easy.

Thanks, Krispy1001

 

[fsxar177]

Good-post!

 

[kevintampa5]

blender is easy to learn if you want to learn it. Also note, there are 3rd party themes that change the ui to mimic various 3d programs on the market. I have seen them for 3dsmax, Maya, Houdini, ZBrush, etc. Just have to search the various forums.

I originally used Maya6. Back in that time, blender was in the 1.2 1.3 versions and only had one very difficult user interface. Today it is much easier to work with.

 

[Mr.FaosFX]

Thanks for the great feedback guys, glad you liked the post. Excuse my bad grammar and certain use of words, I didn't have time to spell check it or proof read it, as a I wrote it quickly! Everyone is correct, Blender is not as intimidating as it looks if you understand the principles of 3D modeling. I highly recommend picking up a book that talks about all that good stuff and then when you think you are ready, try out a 3d modeling program, because each one is built for a very different purpose and come with a very different feature set!

I have had to break some bad habits from gmax moving on to blender, for example, the 3D cursor is and how you have to right click on meshes.

In gmax to detach a face, you select the face and you click detach.....in blender, you select the pace and then you press "P" and you can choose what you want to detach! Best of all, everything works with python scripts and python is a very powerful scripting language.

 

[mmann]

I think it all boils down to how the interface suits your modeling style. Is the design of the program close to how you would design it, assuming you had the requisite programming skills.

Of the various 3D software I have tried; some suited my style very well (Autodesk 3ds Max and LightWave 3D both stand out) and some didn't suit me near as much (MAXON CINEMA 4D and Autodesk Maya 3D come to mind). Then there was Blender 3D which didn't suit me at all. Keep in mind that the last version of Blender I tried was 2.41 so it is entirely possible (and very likely) that the interface has changed greatly.

 

[Dutcheeseblend]

I have had to break some bad habits from gmax moving on to blender, for example, the 3D cursor is and how you have to right click on meshes.

Right click selection is not neccesary. Go to the User Preferences (in the lower left corner of your 3D view, click there and select User Preferences). Find the tab Input At the LH side, there's the option to change RMB select to LMB select. Your 3D cursor will be placed by right clicking, then.

 

[capt_x]

Keep in mind that the last version of Blender I tried was 2.41 so it is entirely possible (and very likely) that the interface has changed greatly.

The philosophy of the UI has evolved a little since the 2.4x versions. It is still a "all areas in one window"-style interface, but it's appearance has changed greatly indeed and is certainly worth another try. However, you still do have to adapt to this sort of interface when coming from gmax/Max.

I think, it is sort of what you learn first always stands out as "the way to do it"; and any subsequent "way of doing it" that you learn after that always has to compare with what you have already memorized. In this sense, Mr.FaosFX' initial post boils it down to the point: The theory behind 3D modelling is the same for all; focus on that, don't focus on the UI so much. Once you know how to navigate the UI and how to do simple operations like translate/rotate/scale, discovering the tools of a 3D modelling program can be rather fun. In learning a new program, all you have to do, as in any learning process, is open up to new, different things. And isn't that the best thing about learning?

Cheers

 

[EdGeneer]

When I first took a 'glance' at blender, thinking I needed to think of something beyond gmax moving forward, I thought to myself it looked and worked too foreign to what I was used to. I thought it would take forever, and how would I ever make the transition. I forced myself to do what I did learning gmax, and that was start with simple tutorials and make something, anything... And it became more and more natural to use, and a heck of a lot quicker that I thought. In fact, there are some things blender does soooo much easier than gmax, that now, I go back into gmax to look at models to import and work with,, and I dont even want to use gmax, IT seems foreign now, and I am only talking 2 weeks of blender, and only a little here and there within those 2 or 3 weeks. I have YET to grind out a 6 to 8 hour session of tiring, eye drooping (I gotta stop for the night and get some sleep) modeling (as I KNOW all of you have done in the past working on projects). Its still sooo much in the learning stage, but what I AM learning is that things are easier once you learn WHERE the feature is, and I am loving blender more and more I use it.

I highly recommend starting with the usual beginner tutorials and DON'T expect that because you know modeling, you dont need 'first time' tutorials, as you will ALWAYS learn something from the start, even if you think you know it all from another program... And you will often find something is easier than you were used to doing in another modeling platform.

And isn't that the best thing about learning?

Excellent point. Ive been having fun learning this program, and it seems I have such a long way to go still, but not to seem negative, as there is SO much one can do with Blender.

 

[Tejal Bernardo]

some things change a Little , here I am searching how to créate a polygon http://www.google.es/url?sa=t&rct=j...=i5Fs8hWDA0CoUL_EHn4o5A&bvm=bv.81828268,d.d2s
what is true is that the complexity of this 3d tool is amazing. in the positive sense

 

[fsfox]

Totally agree with EdGeneer, I started with 3DS MAX and ended with Blender. Blender is more Shortcut stressed software and they are a bit different from 3DS MAX as well as Blender's mouse buttons may not make your day. For those who just start to learn Blender and coming over from 3ds max [GMAX], there is a work around that you can set almost 3ds max alike and you wont be stressing too much to get used to shortcuts and mouse. So this makes learning much more pleasant and if you do 1-3 weeks daily training then Blender is your horse to ride for sure and for ever.

 

[hairyspin]

Thanks to capt_x Blender is now a real option for FS modelling and I'm glad to hear people are getting on with it (just I won't be joining you since I'm used to Max and like it a lot). All the best, guys!