Welcome to the world of a struggling 3D, beginner!!!
Here I am, FoxyFred, the newest arrival to your world of 3D. I am only a baby, eager to learn and explore all the wonders of Blender.
Have you ever thought of making a complete change in your career? Maybe you want to follow your passion and make a change in direction? Well, I have decided to do that. I am embarking on a journey through the world of 3D and I would like you to join me. Let’s beat the odds and figure out this 3D thing together, as beginners. Together, as beginners, we’ll explore the struggles of a beginner in Blender 3D. We will share in the highs and lows and learn together as we go along.
I have a background in AutoCAD. I spent almost my whole working career doing 2d drawings. So, what is so different between 2D and 3D? It must be quite simple, or so I thought. It is a matter of adding another D to make it 3D instead of 2D.
I was wrong. 3D is a whole new level.
I have always had a passion for graphics. I spent some time exploring Photoshop. I wanted to find a way to depict my life story through digital imagery. I was then introduced to this thing called 3D by my “mentor, guru guy” and he made it sound so exciting.
I decided to go in headfirst and study a program called Blender.
Simple right?
No!! Not simple at all.
Coming from a 2D background where precision is the order of the day, I find it difficult to convert and start new. I’m just a baby, newly born into this 3D world and I must learn everything from scratch. When babies learn to swim for the first time, they get thrown in and are expected to turn onto their backs and float. Their survival instinct kicks in and by some miracle, they get to the top of the water. Well, I don’t know what happened to my survival instincts. I struggled and flapped my arms in a desperate attempt to get my head above water.
As a baby, I cut my first teeth on Blender by chewing up articles and tutorials until I could no more. I wanted to do the real stuff but I have to work hard to reach the milestones that every baby strives to reach. First, I must learn to sit up straight and observe the world around me from a different perspective (the 3D world that is).
I must be spoon-fed information because I am not able to feed myself yet. I must listen, observe, and learn every day and I am inspired by what I observe. It motivates me to get to the next milestone. Like any baby, when I don’t get what I want, I cry and throw a tantrum and that does not go down well with my “mentor, guru guy”. He does not do well with tantrums.
Then I must learn to speak. I must learn the terminology. It is different from AutoCAD. I must be able to ask questions about things I don’t understand. In Blender it is difficult to ask a question if you don’t know the terminology. They speak of things like Ngons! Where on earth do they get these names from? By the way, for interest’s sake, an Ngon is a face with more than 4 sides. It is supposedly not good to work with Ngons. Once I can speak the lingo a little better, I can ask decent questions.
I am ready to start working, studying, and moving forward. I was dunked into this deep pool of 3D and expected to get onto my back so that I do not drown. Luckily for me, after spluttering and swallowing buckets of water, I am thrown a life belt and I can at least float and catch my breath.
My “mentor, guru guy” has been through the mill and suffered greatly to get to where he is in the world of 3D now. He is willing to teach me and help me through the process of educating me in 3D. Blender is his 3D software tool of choice. I could not have asked for a better teacher. However, the only problem is that he is hell-bent on making me figure things out for myself.
Sometimes all I want is a simple answer so that I can continue. He says no! Try to figure it out first before you ask me the questions. All credit due to him, his methods help me to think about problems before I run off and get the easy answer. It means I can retain and understand information better.
So here I am. The newbie, the beginner of all beginners. I am excited and ready to learn.
Bring it on 3D World!!
