4 Small (But Easily Fixable) Mistakes New 3D Artists Make When Starting Out

Soulis - Aug 22 - - Dev Community

The greats artists are not the ones with the best gears but the ones with the dicipline, passion and consistency to continue no matter what.

Learning 3D as a newbie can be quite intimidating, especially because you don’t know a lot about good tips and best practices-just like me when I started my 3D journey.

In reality, it’s much more about consistency — being the kind of artist people can count on, who doesn’t make small, avoidable errors.

Mistake #1: Overcomplicating the Initial Design

New 3D artists often want to impress with complex designs right from the start, believing that more detail equals better quality, leading to overly overcomplicated models that are difficult to manage and refine. Focusing on mastering the basics first is the best approach, start with simpler designs, ensuring they are clean and well-structured will help you to develop a solid foundation.

Mistake #2: Neglecting Proper Topology

Beginners might not fully understand the importance of topology and how it affects the performance and appearance of 3D models, leading to issues with animation and rendering. This can ve solve studying the principles of good topology, including edge flow and proper polygon distribution, always practicing creating clean, optimized meshes that will behave well under various conditions.

Mistake #3: Inconsistent UV Mapping

UV mapping can be a complex process, and new artists might rush through it, leading to stretched or misaligned textures that detract from the final render. Be patience and take the time to properly unwrap your models and align your UVs.

Mistake #4: Overlooking Lighting and Rendering Settings

New 3D artists often focus heavily on modeling and texturing, neglecting the vital importance of good lighting and render settings, which can result in flat or unconvincing final results. Without becoming an expert overnight, you can learn the basics of it, experiment with different render settings, study how light interacts with surfaces and practice setting up lighting that enhances your models.

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