Softimage Tutorials

by: Lucie Jones

Have you ever wondered if you would be a good candidate to enter a career that involves digitally modeling 3D images and characters? Or, are you contemplating changing careers? Perhaps you have an art background or a design degree or even a Master's degree in Fine Arts, or even Art History, and want to enter the world of creativity. Even if you don't have those degrees or the background, you know you have artistic ability and are extremely interested in 3D modeling. It could be that your dreams to work for Pixar or Disney are not that far-fetched.

Continuing on your quest, you did some research and looked at all the 3D modeling/creation/animation software available and found that SoftImage 3D software would be your digital tool of choice. However, then you felt a bit overwhelmed at the thought of learning how to use that tool. It looked quite complicated to you. Then, you realized that you need some help to get a kick start with Softimage. Never fear! You can realize all your dreams and desires about being a 3D artist or 3D animator (or both!) because you know that with the help of Softimage Tutorials, you are just a few steps away from mastering all there is to know about Softimage.

The great thing about this area is that there are many communities out there that are happy and very willing to help you out. There are also various tutorials that are so well done; all you have to do is follow them and let your brain and knowledge get filled with all the most important information you'll ever need to become an expert in Softimage.

In the very beginning, you will find the basics in Softimage and you'll receive an orientation to the layout of the software and you will learn all about key functions, keyboard shortcuts, drop-down lists and keyboard mapping. Once equipped with this initial knowledge you are well on your way to learning more and more things about how to create 3D art and images.

Following more Softimage Tutorials the next logical step would be to learn about 3D modeling. Like with all learning, you start out easy then get more intricate. You might begin with modeling a cube, sphere or pyramid, then move on to buildings, vehicles and equipment. After that you might delve into the animate world of dogs, cats, birds, insects and such and then master more complex moving creatures like man or jellyfish!

Other subjects then to master would be creating textures and learning the physics of lighting and their effects. You might also like to learn about direct shading effects and rendering options. These Softimage tutorials are priceless as here you'll learn how to make images that seem extraordinarily realistic.

The next step along the way would most likely lead to animation and the art of animating 3D models. You will be taught how to animate faces to create real expressions that you may not even be able to distinguish from a video of a moving face! However, before you begin working on human bodies, one of the best things you can do is first take a Softimage Tutorial on the human skeleton. This is a tutorial you will not regret taking especially if you later get into creating many human characters regularly. In fact, it will still help you with other animals as well because you'll be able to see how creatures move and you will surely be able to apply some of the same principles of one type of being to another.

Everything explained here is just the tip of the iceberg and you will have so many other Softimage Tutorials that will help you shape your own abilities. Your options are seemingly endless. Say you'd like to create an "explosion" effect. No problem; you will most definitely be able to learn that easily with the help of a Softimage Tutorial. Maybe you'd like to make a rubbery, blubber man and really make him look and move as if he really exists. Again, you can learn all of that with the many Softimage Tutorials. In any case, all you have to do is have some ability, have some desire to learn, be able to have a bit of fun and be persistent with your endeavors. You'll become such an expert yourself you might want to pay back and thank the community by offering your own tutorials that will be just as helpful to newbies as were the tutorials you took when you started out. From there, the sky is the limit.