remember school,well we may not want to go back but remeber the projects we had to do, in by next week,handed in the week after.. drawing everything out on paper first helps you to see what you are doing,also size in ratio/ take photos of buildings and then trace around them to get the idea right than you can remember if the wall was rusty or not and what tone the lights are e.t.c if you do not have a camera than the web is full of photo sites most people just try to get ideas out of there head and after awhile my head becomes empty..so might yours.. "remeber if you have it just in your head then that great idea you came upwith may be gone so draw them down or wright then down make a project rather than just a drawing weekend just a quick note for people who like me are always searching for ideas to give people a head start tips. making a profile eg http://users.vnet.net/seawolf/ron/galleryindex.htm things like these can help you get started.. "The school of carrara" class of 00 epsilon

epsilon, Cool suggestions. I figure Im in school everyday until I die. I also use reference materials. As a matter of fact I use them a lot. It really does help out. I have found that the public library is a cool place to get a lot of books on various things. I was in need of some snake/lizard skin for a model. I didnt have anything handy and had trouble making some in Paint Shop that looked good to me. So, to the library I went. :) I got a few nice books on reptiles and scaned in some of the close up pictures to use for the texture map. Worked great. Thats just one example of how I use reference material. I love the library! ;) Clint Hawkin-Z GraF-X Carrara, Ray Dream, Poser Figures and 3D Add-Ons.

Albert Einstein said, "why memorize something when you can look it up in a book?" Smart man, that Albert!

I find that my most successful projects happen when I know exactly what I to accomplish and have a plan to accomplish it.