(Part 2) Top products from r/3Dmodeling

I think both /u/DeweyTheDecimal and /u/plolyglon are correct. Faces are really difficult to do well because we see them all of the time. Even people who have never spent a day in their life studying art will be able to tell if something is wrong, they may not be able to tell you how to fix it, but they can tell if something seems off. It is also the case though, that since you are at least working and sculpting, you are most definitely on the right track! That is the only way to get better. It could be of benefit to spend some time watching tutorials too. Zack Petroc, for example, has been a HUGE help to me, the guy is really amazing, especially when it comes to human anatomy. He actually took classes at university dissecting cadavers to study human anatomy up close.

So please please please keep sculpting, like every day if you want to get better, it takes a lot of time like others have said. Look at references, get books on human anatomy for artists, watch free videos on youtube or buy Gnomon or digital tutors videos to get yourself started. It all depends on how serious you are about it. If this is what you want to do as a job one day, you have to start learning another 3d package like maya or 3dsmax at some point to learn about good topology flow and building simple base meshes to start sculpting from (helps with getting proportions started, at least for myself, but everyone has their own way to work). Otherwise if you are doing it for fun, just keep sculpting.

Start at a really low subdivision level and get all of your proportions set up, take that as far as you possibly can before you subdivide it, and then take that new level as far as you can. Things get kind of swollen looking if you jump into high divisions too quickly. It looks to me like you added a lot to whatever it was you started from (as in built up form with the clay build up brush), but don't be afraid to really carve into your sculpt either. Don't worry about fine details like wrinkles and whatnot until the very end, focus on setting up good proportions. The neck on your sculpt feels a little weak, like its too small and too skinny. The sternocleidomastoid should be emphasized a little bit more to give the neck the girth that it needs. Same with where the trapizus inserts into the base of the skull. The neck also feels a bit too short, trying dropping down the the lowest subdiv level to pull it out a little bit more. Anatomy is all about the way these muscles interact with one another, for it too look good, everything has to look good and the gesture has to flow just right. Just keep studying anatomy and sculpting and you'll progress quicker than you may imagine.

Working through this book. -http://www.amazon.co.uk/3ds-2012-Bible-Kelly-Murdock/dp/1118022203 - Has really given me some confidence with how aware I feel of the software's capabilities and tools. I'm only a little over half way through and it's been a good way to structure my learning. The tutorials aren't visually great, but they do the job of giving you an example of what the text is outlining.

I used to make maps for various UT mods. This was way back when I was like 12 - 16. (24 now) At the time I came to understand some of the basic principles and aspects of 3D modelling. I was far too put off by my render times and general performance speed then though.

I've been drawing a lot since though and looking at other mediums such as photography. Which I definitely don't think will have done any harm when it comes to thinking about composition, harmony, lighting for effect, colours, Ideas in general I guess. There are plenty of good books in any library for these topics.

Over the past year I've been modelling better than ever. The learning is often as fun as the work and I find my self having some real break-through moments. Blender is certainly a great tool to for free. If you haven't already , check out Sintel. (http://www.sintel.org/)

I'm no expert. Only a beginner really. I'd definitely advise you to develop your skills for idea generation and preservation in any creative or artistic way you can. Outlining objectives and aiming to achieve specific goals also really helps.

Looking at and working from reference images makes an incredibly large amount of sense as well. Use them for everything. You can always copy one aspect of something and work into it some of your own ideas.

Ultimately, I've found there is an awfully large amount of information on the web that can help you learn to work with 3D. A lot of it free as well. last night at daft o,clock I thought I'd search Polycount. That led me here http://wiki.polycount.com Which already I can see has a lot of worthwhile information.

Enjoy learning and do as much of it as you can. :)

I like your work with the muscles in the chest and torso. You put a lot of work into defining that area, which is good because the torso is what everyone first looks at, besides the face. You're going in the right direction, however I feel certain features are perhaps too exaggerated and others aren't defined enough. Are you using a reference for your work? If you aren't, you should. I think that's one of the most helpful things you can do while modeling, especially when you're just starting out. If you are, try to look more carefully at the forms you're seeing. Also, as long as you're modeling human figures, you should learn a little about human anatomy. Specifically, you should learn about muscles and the shapes that they form and it really helps to actually learn their names and be able to identify them. It's something that I'm trying to do with my own work and probably the majority of professional character artists will profess an intense familiarity with the subject, so if you intend on continuing work into character modeling, you should eventually brush up on it.

I'm nowhere near home right now, so unfortunately I can't give you the name of the anatomy book I like to use 'cause I can't remember it. (EDIT: Now I remember, it's Cyclopedia Anatomicae.)For now, I can give you a link to a very, very basic guide to male anatomy that I have saved. It's not perfect and it's aimed at 2D artists who aren't drawing characters in A or T poses, but being able to get a handle of human form will be good for you. It'll help you iron out some of the other areas you need to concentrate on, such as the proportions of the hands and feet, and the definition of muscles in the arms and legs. Here's the link.

This one is a link to copy of a figure drawing book by Andrew Loomis, and it is a bit more refined and involved and is again, aimed primarily at 2D artists. But don't discount being able to draw human figures. It will help you. Here's the link..

The important thing here is to practice, practice, practice. Keep modeling as much as you can. Remember that it takes 10,000 hours of good, honest practice to become an expert on something. I think this model shows you have potential and I would like to see more from you.

One last thing, was this character modeled so it can be animated? If so, post a complementary image with the model's wireframe turned on. That way, we can help you with your edge looping.

Thank you for your words of encouragement, I'm guessing studying anatomy and doing many sculpts to burn the knowledge and strokes into my memory is key to success. Zacks anatomy is really great, I love the sleek muscle build he's got going. I guess as a beginner I tend to exaggerate the muscles to give them more form, like this (this I made in an hour):

http://i.imgur.com/GnZHBd3.png

I guess subtlety comes with practice. I actually got a book on human anatomy, this one. I'm cross referencing it with other sources because honestly no single source can be comprehensive enough.

When it comes to topology I've got a fairly good idea of what's needed- nice loops around the eyes, enough segments for the brow area, thunder cloud studio gave me a nice breakdown of the basics:

http://www.thundercloud-studio.com/index.php?page=content/tutorial/ModelingTutorial/headModeling

But first things first- good characters with pleasant features. But the one thing I'm unable to get is this- the low subdivision levels. I'm talking... less than 50k for a good base mesh, because that's seems to be low enough at polycount. I simply cannot do anything with that, I find my preferred range to be around 200k (active points, in zbrush) like that torso and head I linked above. For me its plasticity is enough to mold like real clay, but not enough to go all out with detail work. And it helps me gauge the form way better too. I'm all for heeding advice from people who know better than me, but that one bit of advice seems to nuke all of my sculpting progress (I end up getting frustrated with the base mesh and rushing way too early into detailed work).

You have a nascent talent in modelling and materials. Good work!

The best thing I ever heard from an instructor was, "Nobody cares about armour and weapons. Show me something I like!"

This boils down to whether what you've made is "clever" or something which people (the ones who pay you) actually enjoy looking at.

Of the Twelve Basic Principles of Animation, appeal is the most important. Do older people like this? Is it approachably intricate? Does it look cute?

The Animator's Survival Guide is an essential resource for an aspiring modeller, animator or designer. Also check out the classic work of Preston Blair which is like a re-education of your childhood cartoons.

I hope you do well on your course.

i don't recall any book that cover exaggerated anatomy....i don't read too much book sorry..... one that was fun to read was https://www.amazon.com/dp/4889960422/ref=sr_1_31?__mk_pt_BR=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&keywords=how+draw+manga&qid=1572536562&s=books&sr=1-31 but that actually cover more how to draw manga than anatomy....

in the beginning is hard to grasp the shape correctly, try not focus model in orthographic planes...is better use more the perspective plane to get the volume more correclty... other good tip is use the silhouette mode to see the true shape of object ... sometimes the sulpture look good but something look odd because the base shape is odd..... and more detail you put in it makes hard to see .... if that make any sence.... lol

That first link is a great kind of superficial guide.

I'm curious as to which book you prefer, I hope you update us when you have the chance. On the topic, I've always been partial to artistic anatomy

This is an excellent book to keep on your desk

Advanced Maya lighting and texturing - Lee Lanier http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0470292733/ref=pd_aw_sbs_1?pi=SL500_SY115

Maya lighting and rendering - Jeremy Burn http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001JBT1EA

This is a very good start.

When I was teaching intro 3d classes I used Jeremy Brin's book as a guide. Instead of software focus, he focused on the principals behind the technique. I don't know if there is anything newer (this was a few years ago) but you may want to start there.
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Lighting-Rendering-Voices-Matter/dp/0321928989

I got a lot out of Digital Lighting and rendering, especially considering the cheap price.