I'm new to CG

[Ceres]

Hi there,

I'm new here at the forums, and most of all new to CG. I think, CG is really superb and I want to learn more about it.

As I browse the net, I saw this site, and, I was so surprised to see all of these works. All of them are very good! I love them. This site gives me an urge to be serious about CG. Because at first, it just happen to be my hobby, and I just make small, simple CG things. But now, it seems that I want more, now that I see the beauty of CG (thanks to this site).

I'm currently using Photoshop, but I must admit that I'm bad at it. I can only do simple things like editing a little on pics and making simple font effects. I really don't know its power. And when I saw this site too, I want to go also for 3D modeling. So I bought 3ds Max. And I also don't know how to use it, don't know where to start.

If you won't mind, may I ask for a little help. Can you suggest me on the best First step that I should do to familiarize myself about these applications? I know a book sounds good, but I won't be able to get one right away. And also, I want to know the sole purpose of these Graphics Applications. Where are they really used for? What are their powers? What can they do, and what they cannot.

I apologize the Mods/Admins if I posted on the wrong thread. If I did, please remind me so I could do the right thing.

Thank you very much.

[minimus]

Books are more for the people that knowa there software. what i first recomend is that you start messing around inn max. start making simple objects. and do some polly modeling. and such.

and the easyest way to learn is trying to follow some basic video tutorials on the nett.

i recomend videos for beginners sinc there you can see were they push the buttons and such. for more proffesional peoplei recomend books and written tutorials.

and i recomend you start modeling with pollygons and no organic models :)

hope this helps a bit.

www.3dm3.com

www.3dtotal.com

this are the two sites i begann with ^^

good luck.

[Ceres]

Thank you so much for your kind reply, Sir/Madame. I'm sure that would help me much!

[Ceres]

I must apologize if this appears to be double posting. I just had a little problem. I don't want to start another thread just for this.

May I know how to convert the .max files to .jpeg AND what filename extension should I use for movies?

Thank you very much.

[minimus]

what? you can't convert a max file to a jpg file. but you can open a max file and render out a jpg file of the objects inn the max file.

F9 is a short cut for a fast render.

when the picture is done hit the disc icon and save.


if this wasn't what you ment pleas ask again :) and formulate the question another way.

[Ceres]

Thank you again! Sir/Madame! That's really what I mean.

So I see, its Render that would turn .max files to other images file type.

[minimus]

no problem.

allways glad to help :)

it lots of render tutorials out there and if you dont have figured out. F10 is the short cut to gett inn and advance the render settings...that will change the oout come of the picture. it's alsow inn there you change the size of the picture.

enjoy. hope to see some work from you soon :)

[Need_Help]

For your information, soon when you model more complex objects, you can press 'O' if your viewport is slow when you rotate/scroll/move. By the way, he is a sir :P

Here is a list of site which has lots of 3DS Max tutorials (hope this can help you) :
www.tutorialized.com
www.cgtutorials.com
www.oman3d.com
www.evermotion.org
www.3dkingdom.org
www.3dm3.com
www.good-tutorials.com

Thanks :)

[Ceres]

Ah, I see. Thanks sir minimus! And I suppose you are a sir too Need_Help? Thanks too! I'm going to check the sites that you gave me.

I hope so I could post notable CGs here. But I think that will take too long. As of now. All I can do is play with a sphere.

Do you have some works posted here too? Can I see it?

I thought the forum was a little dead, because nobody was replying to my post before. But now there are more people who did!

[Need_Help]

If you want to see my work, here are some links (all of them are in WIP due to some 'odd' reasons :
My 'Roman Senate' (should be temple :P) (I cannot finish this due to too many polygons in my scene). This is my first 'large' model that I make. If you read page 5 and 6, you will find some other models of 'small objects'. There is a 'full render' of the building, but I don't know which page. Maybe you can try reading page-by-page. Before I join here, I'm in 3DK but just recently, that site has totally dead. (To view the attached picture in 3DK, simply click 'Download' at the right side)
http://www.3dkingdom.org/index.php?n...e074d0fe188a59

This is my 2nd 'large' project after the Roman Senate, and my first attempt modelling a car. I haven't 'edit' it recently because now I'm busy learning Flash game programming (self-taught)
1963 VW Beetle (1300)

Thanks :)

[Ceres]

Whoa! That's awesome! You could really do that complicated thing. I wish someday I could do something like that too.

[Need_Help]

Thank you very much :P I still hope I have the patience to model more complexed models (like humans, very detailed scene etc.) and I also hope that my PC will be better (can handle the rendering faster :P) You just need to practise more and you can model some really nice models. For your information, poly-modelling is the easiest method, but needs lots of patience.

Thanks :)

[Ceres]

I see... though I don't know what poly-modeling means. May I ask you one last question?

I just browsed some other work arts here and I noticed that a very, very nice work art is done by 2 or more application, let's say, Photoshop and 3Ds Max for example, just to build one amazing art!

At first I thought its just you should use one, 3Ds max if it is or Photoshop or etc... to make one. But as I see them, it is a combination of both or more.

So, is that how it is done? Use 2 or more graphics application?

[Need_Help]

Poly-modelling means you start with a box, then change to editable polygon, extrude, move, extrude, move etc.

Actually, most of the people use 2 applications to make a 3D scene. First, they model, texture and render in their 3D application. Then, they do some 'post-production' in their 2D application. Usually they use Ps to change DOF (or you can do in Max too), change the colour and brightness, add a little small details through matte painting method and so on.

Thanks :)

Edit : They also use to add AO (ambient occlusion)

[Ceres]

Thanks again, Need_Help!

Though I had another question again. I really can't help it and I don't want to start a new thread about it. I hope it would be fine if I stated it here.

I was trying to make an image with transparent background in Photoshop CS 2. I saved it as .gif and well it works. But afterwards I noticed that there was like a black shadow on its right and bottom parts.

It was fine at first, but I noticed some bad... I dunno what it is called, maybe pixels? Yeah something like that and it made the image look bad. Its fine when used in straight lines but when used in curved lines those pixels just appear and it really doesn't look that good.

And also I tried to feather a picture too and saved it as .gif but still it won't work as transparent when I used it on other applications like MS Word and Powerpoint.

I really, really wonder why. I'm out of ideas. I hope somebody could help. A link about how to make transparent BGs and removing annoying pixels will be fine.

Thanks again.