Well then I hope this thread will inform you about 3d and give you a good place to start. I've been doing 3d for about ~4 years now and I originally learned about where to start from the flood but back then you could only find tutorials done by little kids on youtube or people who had thick accents. Now that is not the case so I hope I can help out at least a few people. [u][b]What do you mean by "3d"?[/b][/u] When I say 3d I am referring to a numerous amount of topics. There is the initial modeling or "drawing" process where you use a variety of techniques to create an object. Modeling is the basis for everything else you do in 3d so logically it is the first thing you want to learn how to do well. [url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HgUIgwdtD7s/S9BZZ1AKsBI/AAAAAAAAAzM/lXC92GYrO4Q/s1600/GarrusHead01.jpg ]Here is a very good model of Garrus's head done in z-brush.[/url] You will notice that this model is quite detailed . This type of detail in a model is what we refer to as "high poly". (which just means that it has a high number of polygons or faces) When you model for videogames you would tend to make your models "low poly" (low amount of polygons)so that the hardware can process it in real time. They compensate the lower detail in the model by giving it good textures and normal maps which I will get into after this. [url=http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2140851/owl.jpg]Here is a great example of how an artist uses a lower poly count but fairly good textures to get a decent result. [/url]. In general we use high poly models in making animations ((like the 3d you would see in movies like transformers) fun fact: transformers 2 took up ~145 Terabytes of space), renders (pretty pictures: [url=http://www.newlaunches.com/entry_images/0208/29/final-thumb-450x450.jpg]this is a 3d render[/url]) or for making normal maps. A normal map is a goofy looking image that uses colors to represent the x,y, and z axis to tell a model how light should react to it. This is another technique we use to get detail in games without raising the poly count. [url=http://www.3dsoftware.cz/shared/clanky/972/Geralt_Wip_Postup.jpg]Example of how normal maps can make a model look more detailed. [/url] [u][b]What else is there besides modeling?[/b][/u] There is a lot more than just modeling but if I put them into general categories I would say: [b]Texturing[/b]: Texturing generally consists of taking images and putting them on a model then making adjustments to get the desired result but it gets much more complex when you get into things like hair, liquid, skin ect. because they are more complex and require a lot more work. Some things are more simple and you can get away with just using what I know as "materials." Materials don't use images directly but instead are created by the program of your choice. You generally get a bunch of settings that go along with them to get a simple yet sometimes effective result. Texturing methods ,just like most things vary with the different programs you use. [b]Lighting[/b]: Lighting in 3d works a lot like lighting in the real world. You have a camera and lights that you can move around and adjust as you would in real life. [b]Animation[/b]: Animating in 3d is a lot like animating in 2d. You add bones to your objects if needed and use key framing to set objects to be in certain positions at certain times. it sounds fairly simple but it can be time consuming and difficult when you get into complex models. Just like there are exceptions that require special techniques in texturing /modeling there are special techniques in animating as well. (hair, explosions,snow, liquids, ect.) [b]I want to learn programming, what should I do? [/b] [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=75962579]Check out this thread. I don't do programming so most of you know more about it than I do. Some 3d modeling programs use different programming languages than others so keep this in mind.[/url] [b]What else are you missing?[/b] There are many things that are missing from these categories and there should probably be more subcategories as well. The 3d process is very complex and the technology is constantly growing. [b]The important part: where do I go to learn this stuff?[/b] There are multiple 3d programs. I am going to lay out a few that I would suggest to you and what I know about each of them. [b]Maya/Max[/b] Maya is an expensive 3d program and currently the industry standard. If you go to school to learn 3d or get a job you will most likely be using maya in some way. You can get a free version with a student email but the full version is going to set you back thousands of american $. I would suggest that you learn Maya if you are serious about doing 3d as a career. I don't use Maya much so my perspective on it might be distorted. If you want to learn maya I would suggest googling "beginner maya tutorials.". I apoligize that I can't link you to help on it but it is so widely used that I am sure it will not be a big hassle to find them. Maya has a close cousin named Max. Max is also an expensive program that is widely used throughout the industry. For max tutorials I would suggest looking [url=http://cgcookie.com/max/]here.[/url] From what I hear, maya is more for animation and stylized stuff, and max more realistic and game stuff. [b]*edit*[/b] I was told by a good friend of mine that the best place to learn maya is using tutorials from [url=http://www.digitaltutors.com]digitaltutors.com[/url] You can torrent all of them for free on [url=http://cgpeers.com]cgpeers.com[/url] [b] Blender [/b] Blender is the best free 3d program out there. Its the program I use and I would suggest it to anyone that wants to start learning 3d. If used well blender can do all the things that the expensive programs can do although some people find that blender is hard to learn. It does take up a lot of time to learn and you have to memorize quite a few hotkeys but it is my favorite all around 3d program [url=http://cgcookie.com/blender/category/getting-started/]This is the best set of tutorials for getting started with blender that you can find. [/url] More advanced blender tutorials.[url=http://www.blenderguru.com/]1[/url]and [url=http://www.blendernerd.com/]2[/url] [url=http://blenderartists.org/forum/forum.php]Forum for help with blender.[/url] [b] Lightwave [/b] I don't know about lightwave but what I can tell you is that it is a well known 3d competitor to Maya/Max and if used well it can give [url=http://www.artstorm.net/portfolio/pod-bay/]great results.[/url] Definitely worth noting and looking into. [b] Zbrush/sculptris[/b] Zbrush is a modeling program, more specifically a sculpting program. Sculpting is a method of high poly modeling where you get multiple brushes that you use to manipulate the object. It is extremely good at getting a lot of detail in a model without it getting messy. Zbrush is hands down the best sculpting program money can buy. Although because it does cost money I prefer to use a program called [b] sculptris[/b]. sculptris is similar to zbrush and made by the same people but it doesn't give you as many brushes/options. The best part of sculptris is that it is free and fairly easy to learn and work with. [url=http://www.pixologic.com/sculptris/]sculptris and zbrush site[/url] tldr; If you wanna learn 3d try blender and you can learn it from [url=http://cgcookie.com/blender/category/getting-started/]here. [/url] If you have any questions post them; or you feel that I have put misleading/ incorrect information just tell me and I will edit it accordingly. Hope this helps someone. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] The Coffee Boy If people are seriously looking into 3D arts, esspecially in games, check out these websites: [quote][url=http://www.polycount.com/]Polycount[/url] is a my personal favorite site for getting critiques or finding tutorials. The people there can be a little brutally honest, but that's kinda how the art world works.[/quote] [quote][url=http://wiki.polycount.com/]Poly Count Wiki[/url] is where I go to find the majority of the tutorials I read. It can be a bit confusing for a noob, but once you start to understand how to make game art this site is great asset to make your work better.[/quote] [quote][url=http://www.digitaltutors.com/11/index.php]Digital Tutors[/url] is another great place to go for getting information on how to model/texture/etc. I like this site because they use video tutorials, which is nice if your more of a visual learner. Their videos range fro basic to advanced, so this is a great place to start. Only downside is that you need to pay for some of their most in depth info.[/quote] [quote][url=http://eat3d.com/]Eat 3D[/url] is another good video tutorial website, though I think you have to do something special to join (my teachers gave me an account to use, so I never made one.) They also sell DVD's of their videos, so you could just purchase their tut's if that tickles yer fancy.[/quote] [quote]The OP didn't mention this, but if you want to make games you'll want to look into a good game engine like the [url=http://www.unrealengine.com/en/udk/downloads/]Unreal Development Kit (UDK).[/url] UDK is nice because it's free to use and download, but it only works on windows so be warned. Also, it's not backwards compatible, so always start a project on the most recent version.[/quote] [/quote] [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Enormous Corgi If you're a student, you can download almost all Autodesk products for free, after an agreement to not sell the content you make. [url]http://students.autodesk.com/[/url] If I recall correctly, it doesn't even require an .edu email address for verification. It's a great opportunity to try 3ds Max/Maya out without taking the financial plunge. These two are a mainstay of the industry, and an absolute must if you hope to pursue a career involving 3D art/design.[/quote] [Edited on 01.03.2013 6:48 PM PST]