“Memory” is my first major solo project. In the past, I worked on various aspects of 3D modeling and successfully modeled them. That being said this was definitely a project that I was very positive and ambitious about. This is because I basically recreated my old home, the old feeling of home. There is no better feeling than home. This is what the project felt like to me. Even though I was able to try out different methods for asset production, I wish there was a little more time to learn things, but that’s what the future is for.
I can honestly say that I am happy that I joined this course 3 years ago as I learned so many things about myself. I couldn’t have asked for better lecturers because I felt welcome when I first started. I was so scared to even talk, but as time passed by I learned to open up a little more. I am happy I got to experience all the classes and the teaching because I was able to realize what I liked or didn’t. I learned that not everything is for everyone, but trying hurts nobody. Now mentioning that I know that I missed out on opportunities because I was scared of approaching them, but I’m hopeful for the future.
When I came across Maya/Blender I had no fears of jumping right into the applications and spending as much time as possible to get familiar and comfortable with them. I quickly realized that I need extra time than others to understand certain settings and options. I am a slow learner, but I do learn.
The last couple of months before the last years started, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do or how I will do it. What I did know is that I wanted to keep moving forward no matter what. So I kept practicing multiple applications with a promise to myself that I will not fail. I am self-aware and I realized that I am struggling with a lot of issues, throughout the course I tried my best to juggle my emotions and pressure from the outside world. The biggest realization for me is that I have a fear of failure in every aspect of life and it’s something I am working on day by day. That being said, Maya and Blender have improved over the years and gained new options for me to try out. Thanks to all the informational guides and materials out there I was able to understand everything. UVs, still confuse me like hell, but that’s a topic for another day. The discord channel that was set up for us was so useful for me personally, because I was able to get feedback and access different learning materials with ease. Made me feel comfortable working on this project. Everyone’s presence in the discord is motivation and I recommend everyone uses it.
I think my schedule at the start of the project was fair and clear, but I still struggled with finding time for everything in my life. I always tried to prioritize my project, but I wasn’t able to do that a lot of the time. This meant that I had to have a lot of sleepless nights to catch up with my own schedule. I also kept punishing myself for what I did/didn’t do. I realized that stuff like that takes a toll on your mental health and it’s something I will have to look out for in the future. I was able to manage my ups and downs, but I want to make sure to take extra steps to improve my mental health and seek help in the future.
In future projects, I will be more specific with my work schedule and what needs to be done. When working with others I will make sure to be mindful of their time and their schedules. Another priority is to keep applications up to date to make sure there are no crashes or errors that end up with the loss of work on anyone’s end.
It’s been a very long year for me personally. Many days of experiments, methods, issues, and failures, but in the end, I am happy to show off my final creation and be proud of myself. I put myself in many positions that required patience and responsibility. This taught me a lot about myself personally and the way I prefer to work on projects. I am now able to undertake any 3D with confidence that I am able to complete it. I always felt like I wasn’t good at something or I am simply not good enough, but I was able to learn that no one is ever 100% sure and help is always there. I also know that there is a solution to every problem as long as I don’t give up, the sky is the limit as they would say. I learned that understanding the application itself is the main part of the learning process, as after that it’s just trying everything and seeing what works.
Spending the last few months working inside Unreal Engine, I can confidently say I enjoy working with the application and creating rich environments. I enjoy making environments stand out and make sense. It is something I would like to do in the near future.
Mantas Macidulskas 