Dominance War- Student Looking for Help

[LittleKnownDude]

Hey I'm completely new at this(I've messed around for a bit but really didn't learn anything) and was hoping to get some learning in from DW. I saw some of the DWIII works and I was blown away! I wouldn't even know where to begin making a basic character let alone something like the stuff I saw! I don't even know where to begin! I say some WIP but I don't even know how to get to what they show! I guess what I'm asking for is if anyone would be willing to walk me from the ground up. Or maybe just willing to show me your prossess. I would really appreciate it if someone would 'mentor' me thru this. One way or another, with help or not(preferably with it :D ) I'm determined to get some recignition by DWVI!

By the way even if no one really has time to help me like this it would be really cool if someone could go back and show all of us noobs how its done after DW is over with.

Keep it cool,
LKD

[walrus]

You might want to check out Marcus Dublin's Game Art Workshop (http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5000). It's not a Dominance War character, but it's at a similar level of detail and he walks through every step of the process in thorough detail.

[Kyoske]

Another good resource to look to is Ben Mathis. Some of his tutorials have helped me.

http://www.poopinmymouth.com/

[Yozora]

this one was quite useful to me;

http://www.paultosca.com/makingofvarga.html

But the best link I can give you is this; http://www.google.com/ - its amazing what can be done with just google + determination.

[LittleKnownDude]

Thanks guys those really help. I haven't done anymore than just look over them because I fell like I'm about to die. I have the flu and a upper respitory infection. By the way I'm using Blender right now and was planning on saving my money to get a student edition of one of the bigger programs.(Will be several months though) any advice on which one I should start out with? And should I worry about being able to use Photoshop and like programs?

Keep It Cool and Don't Get Sick
LKD

[Buzzy]

I would recommend you download the free demo versions of both Max and Maya and see which one you like most. Either one can do whatever you want it to do, its just a matter of which app fits your personal taste and methodology. Ignore anyone who tells you one is better than the other. They have the same capabilities and are equally popular among studios, so its really all about personal preference.

You have blender already, which is great for low-poly modelling, so it might be better for you to buy zBrush or MudBox and learn that rather than one of the full-feature apps like Max or Maya.

[bounchfx]

the *best* tutorial for beginners imo is the Joan of Arc tutorial which guides you step by step. There's no normal mapping, but at your level I don't think I'd worry about that just yet.

http://www.3dtotal.com/ffa/tutorials/max/joanofarc/joanmenu.asp

[mr_ace]

u can get the maya personal learning edition for free, the only downside is it has a watermark on the renders, and u cant use it for commercial purposes, but still, free maya

[Blenderhead]

The thing about students looking for help, is that they don't know that in the end they are going to have to help themselves, and not depend on others to hold your hand, as they are trying to work on their own stuff. The tutorials that people suggest here are the best ones to follow; go through them and practice. Don't just read them, use them to make something. And use google too! :)

[Pickman]

If you want to create characters, or anything for that matter, remember that learning the 3d apps is not enough. That stuff is just math and geometry, 0s and 1s.
If you're making characters yer' makin' ART. So make sure to draw, sculpt, paint, or make crazy critters with rubber bands and bubble wrap or....whatever....Just make sure you understand form and space, color and light. THAT is the hard stuff.
And I cannot stress this enough: NEVER EVER GIVE UP!!:brick:
So get started. You got about 1000 bad ideas in you. (I myself am on bad idea #753 ;)) Get those ideas out and move on.
Good luck to you.

[LittleKnownDude]

Hey Mr. Ace is the Maya Personal Learning Edition a 30-Day trial or do you get to keep it?

LKD