Hello everyone.
I've been wanting to get into 3D modeling for a while now, especially to make stuff to use in Poser (clothes, morphs, etc). I've DLed a free basic modeler (Wings 3D, I think) and have just started playing around with it. I'm not asking for advise on using it, since I'm a "hands on learner" and will eventually get better after I make tons and tons of mistakes, and spend countless hours on something that would take an experienced modeler a few minutes. I have a different question.

What was the first project you worked on? In other words, what was the first thing you made, that you felt was good enough to show off to other people (and specifically the R'Osity community). Just curious, since the stuff I want to make (sort of a fantasy Barbarian outfit for V4) is still way over my head. I'm especially interested in what all the great clothes modelers here on R'Osity made first...

I'm not a great clothes modeller, and that isn't false modesty; every step I make just serves to illuminate another twist in the path. :) The first things I put up for download were props, textures for other people's stuff, and a morph. Add-ons like this are a good place to start, I suggest. After that, the first few clothing items I distributed were based on other clothes, either those that came with Poser 4 or free downloads. That had the advantages of simplifying the modelling, and presenting a solid base to build the rigging on top of.

Well, I never did anything small or, I should say, easy. Most folks take a tutorial and follow it when they're learning a program but that's not what I did for learning Rhino. I took a tutorial for making a wine glass and made something completely different. A creature's head. Ugliest thing I could think of to make. I even textured it...sorta. Thing is, it was something no one had really used the app for before, so everyone was in awe. Now it's more common but yeah, that was my first.  I've been modeling creatures and characters ever since, moving from NURBS to Polygons/Subdivison Surfaces.

I realize that I should start with something small of course, but that's not really how I operate. I think I'm a bit like Teyon, wanting to dive right into the deep end of the pool. Problem is, I get frustrated very easily and have a pretty short attention span. ;P

As EnglishBob first did, I've already done a tiny bit of morphing; nothing spectacular of course. Just stretching, twisting, and bending some vertexes and faces on V4's head to make a mermaid fin-crest thingy, and some elven/fae ears. I didn't even finish them because I was so disappointed with how they came out. LOL. Part of that disappointment is due to a lack of planning though. I really should sit down and hash out exactly what I want to make, rather than just staring at Victoria's head floating in my Wings workspace. The computer's a great tool, but it can't provide you with creativity...

first thing I modelled and posted here was a motorbike, it's still in my gallery, the tyres were cool, but my UV mapping was pants :). Prior to that I'd done other bits posted elsewhere, and played with landscapes in bryce for years..

----------

Toolset: Blender, GIMP, Indigo Render, LuxRender, TopMod, Knotplot, Ivy Gen, Plant Studio.

Well my first model was made in Wings3D and although it was supposed to be a tooth, (according to the Wings Manual), as mine started to look a bit more like a spaceship than a tooth I just kept playing with it turning it into an even more spaceship like thing as I went past the tut and onwards.

3 things I would say:

1. the Wings manual is the only software manual that I've found even remotely possible to learn anything from.

2. Wings3D is the easiest program I have ever tried to learn. (and I'm still learning)

3. the Wings3D forum here on R'osity are the kindest most helpful lot, and they put up with dunces (like me) better than anywhere else I've ever known... except possibly the R'osity Bryce Forum.

I have tried Anim8or, and Blender as well as various other software with modelling capability, like Cinema4D and currently Maya, and I get the best results and greatest control if not the greatest flexibility - with Wings3D.

I can recommend popping over to the Wings Forum to see if there's a quicker way to do something, as there often is.  Or even just to show the rest of us what you're up to. 

Measure your mind's height
by the shade it casts.
Robert Browning (Paracelsus)

Fran's Freestuff

http://franontheedge.blogspot.com/

http://www.FranOnTheEdge.com

I started by tweaking other peoples models . Often freestuff that was "almost" what I wanted. I think my first model from scratch was a small table . It started simple and got embellished to destruction .

My first model is available in my 'Free Stuff.' It was created in Lightwave and took ages, since I was learning to model while I modeled. It was also the first model I ever uv mapped, textured and rigged in Lightwave and Poser. That took ages too.

Download my free stuff here: http://www.renderosity.com/homepage.php?page=2&userid=323368

Quote - My first model is available in my 'Free Stuff.' It was created in Lightwave and took ages, since I was learning to model while I modeled. It was also the first model I ever uv mapped, textured and rigged in Lightwave and Poser. That took ages too.

But what was it?

Measure your mind's height
by the shade it casts.
Robert Browning (Paracelsus)

Fran's Freestuff

http://franontheedge.blogspot.com/

http://www.FranOnTheEdge.com

A lizard-like humanoid with and easypose tail. I remapped it recently and am working on a new texture.

Download my free stuff here: http://www.renderosity.com/homepage.php?page=2&userid=323368

Jeeze Paloth. That's a pretty ambitious project for the first model you made. I'm still not comfortable extruding faces and rearranging vertexes!

Very nice indeed.  I went the structural route in modelling to begin with, spaceships, buildings, tableware etc etc, and I'm only now getting into organic modelling.

Measure your mind's height
by the shade it casts.
Robert Browning (Paracelsus)

Fran's Freestuff

http://franontheedge.blogspot.com/

http://www.FranOnTheEdge.com

A reflective sphere on a chequered plain! lol

My first model was a Dewey Drone 1.

www.youtube.com/user/ShawnDriscollCG

My first model was a coffee cup using merlin3d (talking back in 1998) demo, could not afford the program. Since then I was hooked.

Poserverse The New Home for NYGUY's Freebies

While not my 1st model, one of the 1st ones that I showed was this...acording to the info this was 6 years ago LOL...my have times changed...my daughter is now 9 and doesn't like blue's clues any more :(

♠Ω Poser eZine Ω♠
♠Ω Poser Free Stuff Ω♠
♠Ω My Homepage Ω♠

www.3rddimensiongraphics.net

 

Quote - While not my 1st model, one of the 1st ones that I showed was this...acording to the info this was 6 years ago LOL...my have times changed...my daughter is now 9 and doesn't like blue's clues any more :(

Are those downloadable and ready for use in Poser? My 2 year old loves Blue's Clues and Backyardagins. I have found a Pablo for poser but Blue would be the bomb!

Poserverse The New Home for NYGUY's Freebies