So, here I am, about ready to graduate from high school in three or four weeks. My fourth year Advanced Technical Design project is just about finished, but I'm really pushing my luck. With the final video due next Thursday, fully rendered and assembled, I'm having to decide what really matters to me with this project. I still have yet to put together camera paths detailing my project, which is something I absolutely must start tomorrow.
This project has taught me a lot of things about 3D design and art in general. For beginners, it's good to have big ideas and goals. They motivate you. But don't feel bad when your first piece of work looks nothing like what you originally wanted. My Arwing, for example. It started off incredibly simple, only as blocks sized and cut for approximate size references. I ended up redoing just about everything on my Arwing, at some point or another, at least two or three times. The G-Diffusers gave me hell, and had to be redone maybe a total of a dozen times before they turned out the way they did.
When you start a project like this, try and look ahead to what problems you may encounter. Especially if, like in my situation, time is a factor. You may think that a year, or even a few weeks, is a lot of time to work on something, but it really isn't if you're only working on it an hour a day. My advice? If your instructors offer time before or after classes to work, take the opportunity to go in and work and get advice from them. That, and if you take these classes, you really need a study hall or two. Any extra time that you may have set out at the beginning but pushed aside for other more immediate matters can really pay off in the end when you're facing a time crunch like mine.
Also, always keep in mind where you can take shortcuts. From the very beginning, you need to have a good idea of what you plan to do with your project in terms of presenting it. Rule number one of 3D design: If you won't see it, don't make it. It saves you from massive file sizes, such as mine which takes ten minutes to load, and keeps you from having to do extra work. And no matter what, never let a problem get to you. Just walk away from it for a while, work somewhere else in the project, and a solution may come to you. Or, in my case, just spend an evening playing with the program at home and then learn how to use a life-saving tool. For me, that was the edit mesh tool. That Wolfen I made was the result of one of those evenings, and it ended up saving me from bad booleans and slices.
Another important thing. If you're making a round house, don't go crazy on the number of sides for cylinders or spheres. A lot of mine are made with 200 sides, and because I got in that habit, I ended up creating portions of cylinders with 200 sides. They all add up when you're opening the file, which drastically cuts into the amount of time you have to work in a day. However, I should tell you not to try making a round house in the first place unless you're perfectly confident in your ability. I didn't know this program at all when I started, but have managed to learn how to use it exceptionally well. This is only because I have a natural talent for thinking in 3D and a unique approach to problem solving.
Probably the last thing I'd like to mention is that if you have to present the idea for your project at the start of the year, take the time to make something that truly shows off your intentions. I had to, so I spent some time making a wireframe in AutoCAD and a basic model in 3dsMax. As it turns out, my newer version created files which I could not open in the older version used at school, so I had to wing my presentation with mediocre visuals. My teacher told me that I can't let this happen again, and so now I'm telling you not to let it happen ever. You feel worse things than just embarrassment when you have an amazing idea and can't show it to people how you want to just because your presentation failed to work the way you planned.
Still, it does get fun at the end when people look at your project and see it how you envisioned it from the start. When you can finally show everyone else what you had imagined in a way that they can understand... It's just a great feeling, one that I live for. In fact, just today, someone in the class told me he thought I was crazy when I showed off this design. But then he told me that I pulled it off incredibly well, and that he understands it now, so I really feel quite proud of myself. Don't be afraid make a complicated design. Don't be afraid to do something different. Sure, you could make something relatively simple and just get your A and graduate, or you can do what I did and make something that truly expresses yourself. The two things you have to always remember, no matter what you choose to do, is to do what you enjoy and recognize your limitations.
In all honesty, I wouldn't doubt it if my teacher were to use my project as an example for future classes to look at for inspiration. I did something that nobody has ever done in that class, to the best of my knowledge, and I am incredibly proud of myself for that.