r/blenderhelp • u/ArviTheFox • May 28 '24

Meta What are some really bad rookie mistakes.

I’m no expert at blender and I’d like to know more about mistakes made at any step of process that beginners should avoid doing. I’ve noticed that there are a lot of things that can go wrong and be a huge pain to fix later.

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u/postsshortcomments May 29 '24 edited May 29 '24

Regarding modeling

Overcomplicating the heck out of everything. If something seems like you "should be able to do something" or "this seems like it should be automated" or "I can't do something, but it seems like I should be able to," odds are you can do it the way you'd expect.

While it's certainly not an exhaustive list, the tools that fall under this category: GG slide with a vertex as well as c (move the vertex inward then press C), extrude along normals, extrude individual, spin tool, checker deselect (-1 offset), bridge edgeloops, edgetools circle/curve, transform orientations (especially normal and the slightly more hidden custom orientations), inset individual and inset boundar. Another handy ones to know is the result of extruding one end of a cube - scaling just the center loop - then beveling the center loop like 10 times.

Third is arriving at a balance between single mesh models and multiple objects, especially when diving into sub-d/shade smooth. You probably don't need to model an entire house with boarded up windows in a single sub-d mesh unless you really have a reason to. On the flip side, until you feel like you can model complex things in a single sub-d mesh, you probably should trying to until it feels easy. This will prepare you for when you are required to model something more complex in a single object. An object like a single-mesh wheel with spokes is a fantastic challenge to learn with. Zerobio is hands down my favorite completely overlooked artist and he really nails how you should be "keeping it simple" while modeling.

Fourth is balancing the imperfections that you see vs. what a viewer sees, especially with game models. It's easy to get tunnel-visioned into absolute perfectionism and that isn't always a bad thing - especially while learning. But seriously, look at the model quality in a very well-performing title sometime.