If u could turn back to the beginning what could u done differently when learning?

[Anonymous]

If u could turn back to the beginning what could u done differently when learning?

and what would u tell beginner modelers?

I'm new to Maya and i want an effective learning path that actually work, and I'm trying the video tutorials but i would like to know ways that other people use video tutorials, for example, taking notes dual monitors, etc.

any advice would be a lot of help. so while reading this, take the time to post is only 60 sec out of life.

PS: I know there's a lot of Beginners asking the same question, but don't hate us were just excited to learn.

[Anonymous]

If you want to learn to model, basically the first thing you'll have to learn is polygons. NURBS may also be an option, but they have a much steeper learning curve and aren't as straight forward. Once you get past the basic tools (extrude, split polygon tool), you'll want to start getting into the more advanced ways of creating polygons, such as create face and append tools. After that get a good handle on all the tools and understand the principles of edge loops.

http://wiki.cgsociety.org/index.php/Edge_Loop

Once you have figured out edge loops, the next thing would be to practice, practice, and practice different ways of creating something. Sorry this is such an overview; if you could be more specific on exactly the help you're looking for, we might be able to pinpoint a better answer. Also, Google will be your best friend when learning anything Maya.

[Anonymous]

Well i would like to understand more about modeling and be very comfortable with Maya i would watch videos of people putting a mesh together like it's nothing, I purchased digital tutors introduction with modeling and i like it but i want to retain the knowledge, before i side track i like monsters of all shapes and sizes i love watching The Hulk movie to see how well he's put together, the bottom line I would like to model a monster/ creature and would like to know what are the step becoming comfortable and what are some things i should know before going all out and making a mess.

I'm basic with Maya not a complete Noob.. I'm comfortable with the interface, and i know a good amount of the tools.

if u want I could model something and show u it and u can give me some advice.

Thanks in Advance!

[Anonymous]

If theres one thing I would have done differently, I would have learned a lot faster. Here it is: Don't automatically ignore a new/unheard of term before, because if you hear or read it somewhere more than once, you probably could benefit from it. Example: For the longest time I didn't know what Ambient occlusion was, and it sounded very intimidating, so I never bothered. Now I don't have a single project where an AO pass isn't used.:)
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

That is hard because there are so many aspects to making a model like the hulk (face modeling, body modeling, etc..) .
Well what seems to be a successful way to get a lot of help on the-area is to make a new thread in "Highlight your work". Make a model and show some wire frames and ask for help. There are a lot of experts here on critiquing models and if you use their advice you will get better and better.

Hope this helps.