I am 14 years old and have been using blender for like… 2 years. I have been using it while following tutorials on youtube, inb other words, i have been using it, but not seriously .
I then have abandoned thinking that i was to young for this kind of software:(.
But today, i learned that the winner of architecture academy competition was like me
exactly like me
he have been using blender for 2 years and is 14 years old.
so I decided to start using blender seriously,
note that i know all the basics of blender render and cycles
i want to go a little bit further
like using nodes, not having trouble while animating, manipulating lights an shaddows, good texturing…
but i have no idea where to start. can anyone help me?
Your best bet is to start playing around with the nodes. They are pretty fun to use, and are surprisingly intuitive compared to the old blender rendering engine. Also look into Normal, and Bump mapping. This will make your textures look MUCH more realistic by adding simulated depth to them using a lighting trick. Bump mapping is also very easy to do with nodes (it’s literally just a drag and drop box that you attach your image color output to). Also, if you are using Cycles (which you should) make sure never to use the light objects, as they look very fake in your renders. Instead, create a plane, and give it an emission shader so that it acts as a light. You will get better lighting/ shadowing this way.
Also, make sure to never use “smart UV projections” on any complex modes (such as a character or other non basic shape). You need to learn how to mark seams yourself instead of letting blender do it for you, as Blender will not do a very good job on anything other than basic shapes.
Just keep at it and don’t give up no matter what you do, and no matter what anyone says you are never too young to do great things!
P.S. I’m 17 so I feel your pain, 3D is hard, but the more you practice the better you get
