How to approach finding the right tools to use for 3D art and animation.
Tools are important to any artist but they can easily become a trap which draws our attention away from what we should really be focussing on.
We natural gravitate to trying out the tools used by our favourite artists. Surely those brushes or that piece of software are what help them to create the work we so admire.
But, when those tools don’t automatically improve the quality of our own work, rather than focus on the real problems, we simply move on and look for new tools.
When I was learning to draw, I found myself in exactly this situation.
My drawings looked nothing like those of the artists I hoped to emulate and so I began searching for the perfect pencil.
What grade of pencil should I be using? An HB, 2B, 6B? What about the brand? A Derwent, a Staedtler, a Blackwing?
Obviously, none of this research improved the quality of my drawings.
In truth, experimenting with a new pencil is often a relatively trivial distraction. Since all pencils function in the same way, there is nothing new to learn. The time which is wasted is simply that of discovering what other artists are using and making a purchase.
The same cannot be said for 3D software however.
Learning an entirely new application takes time. Often, a lot of time.
And, as expensive as Blackwing pencils might be, they pale in comparison to the annual licence fee of 3D tools such as Z-Brush, Cinema 4D, or Maya.
This time and money could be far better spent focussing on learning the fundamental principles of making good art or animation.
Now I don’t want to dismiss the value of good tools or finding the right tool for the job.
A poor quality tool will get in your way, slow down your process, or potentially put you off creating altogether.
The trick is to select a tool which is good enough and to stick with it until you have reached the limits of what you can achieve. The reality is, until you’ve amassed a reasonable amount of skill and experience, you’ll not know how to get the most out of the highest quality tools.
Personally, I recommend that anyone taking their first steps with 3D art or animation starts out with Blender.
As open source software, Blender is accessible to anyone. There is no financial barrier to entry, it provides all of the tools required to create extremely high quality work, and it uses an interface which is often easier to understand than other tools.
Of course, in the future, you may well find yourself switching to other applications. If you want to work in film, TV, or games, it’s highly likely that you’ll end up using Maya or Z-Brush. If your focus is on motion graphics you may well choose to use Cinema 4D. There are also other studios where you may end up using 3D Studio Max, proprietary software, or yes, even Blender.
The trick is to start with the tools you have access to, and only upgrade once you’ve mastered them. At that point you’ll truly understand whether the “extra features” of another tool will really enhance your process or not.
I share more about why I recommend using Blender in the article "Which software should you learn for 3D animation?".
Much like delaying a project because we’re waiting for the perfect moment to start, often time spent searching for the perfect tool is really just an excuse. Creating high quality work is hard and it’s human nature to seek an easier path.
The truth is, our time is far better spent focussing on the art rather than the tools.
