What is the best/easiest way to learn, in your opinion? any posts/videos that really helped?

 

I have been wanting to learn how to model for a long time, and I've tried...but I've only successfully modeled one car, and all I did was add a lightbar to a vehicle, and even retracing it step-for-step, I wasn't able to recreate it...clearly I'm missing something. What helped you the most?

 

Also, I have Zmodeler, so that is what I'll most likely be working with.

 

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

You're wanting to learn to mod, not model. Modelling refers to scratch making stuff, while modding refers to modifying things to make something else.

 

Anyway, trial and error is your best bet. The tutorials (check the Tutorials tab) out there only go so far and you have to use what you learnt from them and build upon those skills. If you were successfully able to attach a lightbar, you're not far off modding an entire car.

youtube and google are your best friends :)

If you're going to model (build something from scratch), you need 3ds Max (just to name one program for modeling).  Very very cool program, and not that hard to learn the basics.   I have a licensed version used by students.

 

Although there are so many nuances and tricks to the trade with 3ds Max that I think you really need several classes to know where everything is and how to properly scale and use templates, hierarchy, primitives, etc.  I'm in class right now learning that and CAD, and it's quite an amazing program, but quite complicated as well.  

 

Rewarding as hell though once you built a model and make it function in real-time.  I supposed you could animate an entire movie with this software once you know what you're doing.   I'm still an extreme noob, but learning fast.

 

Good luck!

 

DrDetroit