Learning to 3D model/sculpt

[Hell Swarm]

I've been meaning to get into 3D modeling for many years but always bounced off Blender. I can't stand it's UI and it's reliance on shortcuts to do almost anything in the programme. With decades of Open source development Blender is a complete mess and very hard for a first timer to approach even with all the youtube tutorials out there. So what are the other options that aren't so reliant on shortcuts when you're just getting stuck in? I've run across a few looking for 3D printing software and have some familiarity with them, how useful they would be for game design I don't know. But I'm not focused on making a game yet, I need to learn a 3d modeling package before I decide how I can best apply it.

I always liked Sculptris, a free digital sculpting (like clay) software from the same people who make Zbrush (the industry standard for a lot of CGI and game work). It has a very basic interface and is a powerful tool to get stuck in with. I don't think it's been updated in a long time since Zbrush is a commercial product (with commercial fees attached) and is clearly the focus. Still great for hobbyists and amateur devs.

FreeCAD is an open source autistic aide used for designing engineering parts and other non-organic things. If you're designing tanks or props it's a good option.

Tinkercad is baby's first 3D modeling and great for quickly knocking out designs. With an extremely simple interface you add pieces (of various designs) and resize them as needed. Deletion blocks exist to make easy holes and you wrangle these together until you get your design. Like other CAD software it's focus is on 3D design for printing but it's ease of use makes it great for learning to navigate in a 3D space.

 

[Bester]

Autodesk is working on AI generation of 3d models from words/2d. It's over, learn something else.

 

[Gandalf]

Cool and informative list. I know of SculptGL that is a tool one can use in a browser. I used it for my MUIXADER game models:

 

[Odoryuk]

First learn how to 3D model, do it in Blender, then learn how to 3D sculpt, do it in ZBrush, Blender's UI will prepare you for the nightmare that is ZBrush's UI

 

[d1r]

Cool and informative list. I know of SculptGL that is a tool one can use in a browser. I used it for my MUIXADER game models:

The perfect tool to create more 3d garbage for that loon Prosper.

 

[manifest]

There's bforartists, a fork of Blender intended to provide a UI-centered workflow. New releases have feature parity with mainline Blender and most add-ons should work. I haven't used it but worth a shot if you couldn't get on with the donut tutorial.
CAD is not the same as polygonal modeling so if you intend to make game assets will need to convert your meshes and may have to use Blender anyway. It's insanely powerful software, and handling your whole workflow in a single tool without having to change modes is a zen that's maybe a little hard to appreciate when the learning curve is so steep. There's no point paying before you even know how far you'll go with it. The fundamentals are the same regardless of what software you learn. It's just a shame there's so few good written tutorials for Blender.
I've seen Plasticity (CAD software, $100) recommended by several hardsurface modelers I respect. Looks very intuitive, has several hotkey presets designed to mimic other modeling programs.

 

[Hell Swarm]

Autodesk is working on AI generation of 3d models from words/2d. It's over, learn something else.

And? AI generation can't compare to what you do yourself. I can say make a dragon dildo, but it doesn't know the exact shape I want. I'm better off making my own and deciding exactly how I want it to look than having to tard wrangle a chat bot putting shapes together.

Cool and informative list. I know of SculptGL that is a tool one can use in a browser. I used it for my MUIXADER game models:

These look like the type of game you get in a fanatical bundle and get 20 FPS from max.

There's bforartists, a fork of Blender intended to provide a UI-centered workflow. New releases have feature parity with mainline Blender and most add-ons should work. I haven't used it but worth a shot if you couldn't get on with the donut tutorial.
CAD is not the same as polygonal modeling so if you intend to make game assets will need to convert your meshes and may have to use Blender anyway. It's insanely powerful software, and handling your whole workflow in a single tool without having to change modes is a zen that's maybe a little hard to appreciate when the learning curve is so steep. There's no point paying before you even know how far you'll go with it. The fundamentals are the same regardless of what software you learn. It's just a shame there's so few good written tutorials for Blender.
I've seen Plasticity (CAD software, $100) recommended by several hardsurface modelers I respect. Looks very intuitive, has several hotkey presets designed to mimic other modeling programs.

This looks exactly what I'm looking for to learn. If it does what it says I may stick with blender. I'm mostly a 3d printer so that's where my knowledge leans but if you learn to model you can go into game dev if you want. CAD was my current vector because Zbrush and blender's UI isn't going to help me design a door handle.

Tried BforArtists and it's better but it's still a cluster fuck of options. I couldn't even find out how to edge the cube I spawned. Opening sculpting gave me a large (70% of the screen) word document instead of sculpting. Probably more useable but it's still a fight with Blender.

 

[tritosine2k]

Autodesk is working on AI generation of 3d models from words/2d. It's over, learn something else.

Nice impersonation of boiler room stock pump bro
also the silver lining

You hereby grant Autodesk (or warrant that the licensor of such rights has expressly granted) a perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, paid-up, worldwide, sublicensable (through multiple tiers) license to store, display, reproduce, modify, use and transmit Your Content, and further waive “moral” rights or other rights with respect to attribution of authorship or integrity of Your Content that You may have under any applicable law and under any legal theory

 

[manifest]

Tried BforArtists and it's better but it's still a cluster fuck of options. I couldn't even find out how to edge the cube I spawned. Opening sculpting gave me a large (70% of the screen) word document instead of sculpting. Probably more useable but it's still a fight with Blender.

You're not supposed to learn every part of the software, it's there "if you need it." The important thing, really, is just picking one software and sticking with it until you can achieve whatever your goals are. No matter what software you use, it's going to boil down to breaking complex shapes down into simpler ones and building up to what you want, similar to drawing fundamentals. Blender does modeling (even parametric if you really want), rigging, animation, UV editing, rendering, shaders, physics simulation, even video editing all in one suite. If you just want static meshes you can use Wings3D (SketchUp's modern incarnation was pretty dire last I tried) but personally I don't want to limit myself. The stuff people are making with Blender is pure magic.

I've never done any sculpting; this is one of the area I think that VR has a huge advantage. Bevels (if that's what you mean by "edge") are modifiers, under the wrench-shaped icon on the right-hand side.

 

[Pika-Cthulhu]

If its for an industry based job, look to what they are using and find tutorials for those programs, established companies at that. Ive heard it said that learning blender only teaches you how to use blender as its very different to the commercial programs. If its for tinkering and passion projects start tinkering with different programs and their tutorials to see which workflow you like better.

 

[Glop_dweller]

I can't stand it's UI and it's reliance on shortcuts

That's one of the most powerful features of any existent 3D software.

Of course you could try TrueSpace if you hate hotkeys;

(...not kidding, I still use it myself.)

 

[Hell Swarm]

Tried BforArtists and it's better but it's still a cluster fuck of options. I couldn't even find out how to edge the cube I spawned. Opening sculpting gave me a large (70% of the screen) word document instead of sculpting. Probably more useable but it's still a fight with Blender.

You're not supposed to learn every part of the software, it's there "if you need it." The important thing, really, is just picking one software and sticking with it until you can achieve whatever your goals are. No matter what software you use, it's going to boil down to breaking complex shapes down into simpler ones and building up to what you want, similar to drawing fundamentals. Blender does modeling (even parametric if you really want), rigging, animation, UV editing, rendering, shaders, physics simulation, even video editing all in one suite. If you just want static meshes you can use Wings3D (SketchUp's modern incarnation was pretty dire last I tried) but personally I don't want to limit myself. The stuff people are making with Blender is pure magic.

I've never done any sculpting; this is one of the area I think that VR has a huge advantage. Bevels (if that's what you mean by "edge") are modifiers, under the wrench-shaped icon on the right-hand side.

I know you're not supposed to learn everything at once, but your opening gambit should be the default function of the software ready to go. I open Sculptris and I can literally click and start pulling on the model. I can see all the tools I would reasonably want to use on the left panel. Within 10 seconds of opening the software for the first time I'm doing 'stuff' and I can build up from that. If I can crawl immediately then I can eventually learn to run. With Blender you're asked to run a Triathlon while wearing clown shoes and a blind fold. So many people say fuck blender, I'll learn literally anything else because even the mouse buttons are backwards compared to every other software in the same sphere.

 

[Krice]

I can't stand it's UI and it's reliance on shortcuts to do almost anything in the programme.

I'm I guess a semi-pro 3D modeler and I don't use keyboard shortcuts in Blender, you don't have to. Some keyboard commands are useful of course, the ones you use the most are something you learn anyway. Blender's default mouse commands are ass, you want to reconfigure them. Everyone has their own preference, I have it like this: left mouse button = select, right mouse button = rotate view, ctrl+right = pan view, wheel = zoom view. Rotating is important in my workflow, that's why it's in right mouse button.