As a non-artist, what should I learn to create a 3D game?

Hopefully this isn't out of scope for this forum. I have an idea of what I want to make and I just want to see if anyone can offer some advice on where to start. I'm trying to figure out where to focus my efforts for learning. I don't care if it comes out looking like the original quake. What does a viable path look like with minimal 3D modelling and art skills?

I really dislike 3D modeling but I could probably manage simple things like decorations, chests, pillars...etc. My hope is that I can use something like ProBuilder / Grid to create some fairly simple geometry and slap it together to build a world / dungeon (think Ocarina of Time 64) and then apply some textures by learning how to work with Substance Painter. Does this sound like a viable path to take? The thought had occurred to me that I could mock up level designs for this extremely quickly by building sketches in Minecraft with WorldEdit tools (minus the slopes / curves).

I'm fine with programming and I'm confident I can learn music / sounds. It's just the art is probably the main skill I lack.

Thoughts?

 

You're pretty much describing the approach I took, so I can at least confirm it seems pretty reasonable to me. I use ProBuilder for nearly all of my room geometry. I make props in Blender. In my case, nearly everything I make is fairly boxy or mechanical (as opposed to organic stuff, which is more difficult). All of the materials I use were made in Substance Designer, with individual models painted in Substance Painter.

Anyway, I think you should be fine getting started that way. I'd recommend adopting a prefab workflow, so that you give yourself a fairly simple way to "upgrade" your models down the road if you either improve at your modelling skills, or find someone else to make assets for you (or but them on the asset store).

 

I've not been around for a good while, but I still get emails in the subs I'm subscribed to.

Personally - I think the best approach is to use pre-existing 3d content (asset store) - and you can re-texture whatever you want. You don't even have to learn substance - you can use even simpler tools such as photoshop, gimp or other 2D texture art generators. There are ample 3D assets that are free to use, and can be retextured quite simply, since the geometry has already been generated for Unity, and the geometry is already unwrapped - so the artist can easily import the UV's and create there own textures.

Just a thought - to get you through the tough part that you aren't accustomed to doing. Get on to creating game content.

Hope this suggestion helps.

 

Yes.

You don't even need Substance, though. Since you're happy with a low graphical bar you could get away with using online texture libraries, or pre-made packages from the Asset Store. One less tool to learn to get the results you want.

The benefit to learning Substance (or whatever) and making your own stuff is that, if you do it well, it'll end up being more cohesive than grabbing whatever happens to be available from other people.

 

Unless your intent is to take the time to learn 3D modeling and animation, use professionally-made art from the Asset Store. It's ridiculously inexpensive for the amount of work the artists have put in. There is so much more to 3D art than just modeling and animation. Off-the-shelf models can look vastly different -- oftentimes unrecognizable from other uses of the same models -- based on changes to lighting, post-processing effects, and kit-bashing (combining models in different ways to make new things). Look up some books on stage lighting, set design, cinematography, and blocking for inspiration. People have been studying and writing about some of these topics for hundreds of years, so there's plenty of material.

 

Pro builder is a good choice for modeling ...

Substance painter is a great and easy software for texturing. Do not doubt in choosing it
With the right texture, you can get amazing results from even a few cubes
Just focus on substance painter and texturing then lighting (lightmappoing) :

 

Thanks all, going forward with it. Turns out I don't hate Blender so I believe I can come up with some simple models to compliment it. Trying to stay as far away from the asset store as I can.

 

If you're not doing organic stuff (sculpting) and you are creating objects that already exist, you don't need artistic skills to make perfectly reasonable 3D art. Just copy it from the real object, you can put images as backgrounds in Blender and trace over.

In the beginning, if I were you, I would simply create an object with separate meshes for different materials. Then just download materials from some online source and whack it on each part. Use SSAO in post processing to get ambient occlusion.

Believe me, 3D is way easier than 2D if you don't have artistic skills.

 

I agree with that. You'll end up saving alot of money too.

 

Art skill and learning how to push buttons in blender or w/e is two different things.

Art skill could be translated as "having good taste."

For that there is tried and true formulas, just google "fundamentals of art" or "art theory." Anybody can understand, don't need some special talent.

If you are going to be bashing cubes together I wouldn't recommend probuilder or anything in the unity editor. Blender will take a week or two to learn and then you'll be going ten times faster than you could in Unity.

Also be aware, there is too many artist looking for work. You can get a lot done for really cheap and avoid brain drain by hiring somebody that wants to help.

 

@jwcaounity That's a nice example of what I was talking about in your survey thread about workflows of artists.

 

How to hire and work with artists.

If you hire an artists, USE their talent. Allow them the authority to do the job. Trust that they know better than you (it’s what you’re paying them for).

Just so long as they know what you are going for, let them off their leash.

And 50% up front and 50% upon completion is pretty standard.

 

Also oot is not an example of "simple", it's not "slap together"

 

@waggle404
Learn about normal maps. If your game objects looks low poly, due to your semi lack of 3d modelling skills, normal maps will make your 3d objects, landscapes, and stages in your game, look more detailed. It's a good way to fake detail, and make your game objects look high poly.