Octopus Overlords

Do you need to be able to draw freehand to be a competent 3D artist using software such as 3ds Max?

Thanks!

Strictly speaking, no. However, many/most 3D artists use textures and it really helps if you have some capability to modify those. Also, a lot of 3D generated art is post processed using other image tools like Photoshop and Painter. Both are skills that can be acquired; even if you really can't draw freehand. You can let the 3D program take care of perspective, form and lighting and then go from there.

Partly, it depends on what your subject matter will be. I've seen an immense amount of very impressive figure art done with Poser (which is fairly easy to use and has a great user community.) Some if it is so well post-processed that it looks like it was completely painted by hand. Poser has an incredible amount of textures/skins and models available. (As well as pose and animation files and facial morphs, etc). Many are free, and the better ones are inexpensive as user-made additions/plugins. Look at renderosity.com as a starting place for Poser art and plugins. (And other 3D art and programs as well.)

I've had a blast messing with Poser 4, and have acheived impressive results with little drawing talent. Its very easy to use and pretty inexpensive -- Poser 6 @ ~270 retail and ~140 academic.

I think you can do some neat stuff with only technical know how - but you need to be a talented artist in general to do the best 3D work...check out the CG Choice galleries at www.cgtalk.com (actually they have great forums for 3D stuff of all kinds).

An artist will always have the upper hand.

In my job I have had to teach computer drawing programs to non artist individuals. I am an artist not a techie and found the original technical learning difficult on these new programs. However, once I had mastered the technical part, the artistic part for me was easy and the results were excellent.

In training, I found almost the opposite. Many of my students grasped the tech part right away and made me feel like a dinosaur,and although they were able to produce adequate results they lacked the natural artistic skills to achieve excellence.

Those natural skills which are also linked to imagination cannot all be taught and as a result in my expeirence, the artist/tech always produces the better result.

What Ripstar said. Computer programs can do a lot of wonderful things, but if you want to produce art, you're going to have to understand the fundamentals. Light, shadow, color, mood, composition, all that good stuff. Computer programs, just like paint or ink or pencil, are just production tools. They can't make you a good artist. The technical aspects--learning how to make the program work--are easy to get, but that'll only get you halfway.

So on your initial question, I guess being able to draw freehand isn't necessary. I would definitely call it beneficial, though. Sketching will give you a greater initial understanding of your subject matter and it's a lot easier and quicker to do than firing up 3dsmax and modeling something right off the bat.

And anyone can sketch.

Two Sheds wrote:
And anyone can sketch.

Yeah just look at the site's logo.

Oh here's a good program for artists - maybe one day i can afford to buy & use it!

http://pixologic.com/home/home.shtml

And anyone can sketch.

Dammit, how many times to I have to disprove that for you?

You've disproved nothing.

I think so -- for both academic and professional development.

A good friend from high school went to the Chicago Art Institute to learn film directing. His first year of classes included freehand drawing so that he could prepare his storyboards using something more than stick figures. To put it politely, he had no talent at drawing and found his classwork so difficult that he quit.

Another good friend worked as a 3D modeler in both game design (Star Wars video pinball) and advertising. His work was production -- you tell him what to do and he'd make the design happen in the 3d modeler. He started complaining about two trends in the industry (a) the number of classically trained art/drawing people learning to use 3d programs and (b) that lead artists needed the 3d skills, people skills and conceptual art backgrounds. Since this friend was also mediocre at drawing, he left the field after the 9/11 layoffs decimated the advertising industry. He refuses to look in the industry because he' convinced that his long-term opportunities are limited because he can't prove his "creative" side when he's no good at drawing.

That's not to say that you MUST have drawing skills to succeed in the 3d industry, but it would definitely help.