Okay, this thread is for the noobs (or people who still think they are)

I have been in this for over a year, and I always hear the same question:

How shall I get started?

My immediate answer is this: as with all things waiting for a first time: open the program and try to crash it. This was advice given to me by Renderotica member your_master. I would like to take this further. You do not need to rush your first render. Instead take your time and get to know the community. I say this because you will be needing the help of the community. Ask often and take comfort in knowing that there someone asked a more dumber question than you. It's alright that you have to spend the mast majority of a few nights trying to get a few things right. It's all very common. It's all okay that you have to stretch your money a bit more. The marketplaces are a 24/7/365 'buy this now' environment. But they do have communities. so tip # 2 applies. It is alright for you to mess up the first time. Darkseal never made props without a few bawls in the wastepaper basket. Finally, render what you love and improve often.

I hope that this little bit has helped you.

Til Next Time! ~GO~

Every image I create teaches me something new.  The community here has been the best resource one could ever hope for.  They are wise, kind, and incredibly generouse with their talents.  Take time to just browse the forums, read the tutorials, join the communities.  You will never regret it.

I think that the one piece of advice that I would have for a noob that finally has a bit of a grasp of the program is the same that I'd give to us more seasoned vets as well as the "professionals."  We all hit a creative block of some sort at some time.  So find a steady source of inspiration.  Locate your muse and feed her well.  This will frequently help you get past those "well crap, what do I render NOW?" moments.

I think my best peice of advice for a "noob" is this... Practice, practice, practice... Experiment. Play around with things and tinker with settings (what settings you try really isn't important)... The more you play around with things and experiment, the more you'll learn and discover! Tinker and experiment enough and you'll eventually be rendering and creating like a pro :)

Also, don't let a bad comment or bad bit of feed back get you down... just because someone doesn't like something you've done doesn't mean it's all bad... If you liked what you did then that's the most important part ;)