You’re struggling to improve your 3D modeling speed. What are the best ways to get better?

First and foremost speed comes with practice, there is no magic way to become fast. Practice, practice, practice. Second, you must understand that all people are different, everyone has their own physical abilities, it's nature, and two people with the same time spent on practice can have different results. Don't look at others, first of all start from yourself today and yourself in half a year, for example. It is possible that one person will be faster than you in modeling, but you will make more realistic textures because of your peculiarities, everything is individual.

Well, Plan out your project In a manner that you have a very clear idea what you are gonna do In next step you have to clear your cloudy mind then Observe ! Plan ! Execute! Collect the references of your object observe them carefully think what kind of shapes you need to model it. After that you can start doing grey boxing by using the basic shapes just take a box,cylinder, sphere etc. By keeping the dimensions just don't start giving shape to it. when you think you are done with greyboxing after that move to blockout now start giving shape to your object by observing your reference carefully and keeping the dimensions accurate. This practice will help a lot to speedup your modeling and improve your planing skills.

As a mechanical engineer that specializes in parametric models using programs such as SolidWorks, this is what I think about: -Flexibility of the model: What sketches/features/dimensions do I want to define the model? If I am designing a modular component with different configurations, I will ensure that my model is designed in a way that allows my feature tree to allow for different configurations without "breaking" the model. For example, if you're designing a model toy car, your first sketch would not be the wheels but hopefully the chassis. Knowing what features/dimensions are important will save you lots of time down the road.

Yes, reference and planning are the best way to approach a tight deadline. Also, if you have any modeling, texturing or scene configuration done from previous projects that can be used as base, it will save a lot of time.

-Do not hesitate to use common objects from open-source -More practice in drawing complex objects -Learn how to use hotkeys/shortcuts to save your time

Hot keys can save you hours. İn Blender there's this Quick Favourite Menu where you can add anything that you use a lot in your modeling process. The menu is different in object and edit mode which I find clean.

No meu fluxo de trabalho eu utilizo muitos atalhos personalizados que me ajudam a economizar um tempo que, por menor que pareça a princípio, acrescenta bastante no prazo final de modelagem. Assim, se você trabalha com o Revit, você pode utilizar o comando “KS” para criar ou editar comandos para as ferramentas que você mais usa. Se você utiliza mais de uma ferramenta em seu fluxo, é interessante buscar utilizar os mesmos comandos de teclado para ferramentas iguais/parecidas em todas elas, evitando assim confusões e atrasos.

Shortcuts can save a lot of time, but also costuming your workspace in the software will help you a lot. When we talk about macros, scripts, or plugins, they generally are a must when it comes to saving time for any professional. The easier and quicker, the better.

Las teclas de acceso rápido a mi me resultan muy útiles, no suelo modificar las que vienen por defecto pero en algún caso puntual lo hago para poder llegar fácilmente con una sola mano y así dejar libre la otra para el ratón. Además se puede guardar la configuración e importarla en futuros trabajos

Hotkeys definitely speed up the workflow saves a lot of time and i generally make hotkeys that are near and easy to access from my left hand fingers I keep it as near as i can so that I don't need to move my hand and it saves time and for right hand use some numblock keys. You can also customize your software's UI according to yourself making shortcut keys rather then going inside the tab and then selecting the tool these small things saves alot of time and get your work done in time.

I have always found that starting at the lowest poly count possible garners the best quality and most optimized result. In order to be successful in this pipeline, the key is to maintain good edge flow from start to finish and be true to your references.

Share your work with peers or online communities to receive feedback and learn from others. This can provide valuable insights and help you identify areas for improvement.

Optimizing your mesh will save you time in working by not slowing down your computer, and the most important, you will not need to work on the most expensive piece of hardware on the market. It will save you time in rendering, and it will help with compatibility issues with other softwares that might not deal so well with complex meshes.

When optimizing meshes, consider using procedural techniques or non-destructive workflows where possible. This allows for easy adjustments to complexity without starting from scratch. Using a library of pre-rigged skeletons or morph targets for character modeling can save time in both the modeling and animation phases.

Optimizing your mesh is a big relief for the viewport and your machine too which prevent lag issues and gives you speed Manage your mesh flow in a good distributed order it dosent only keep your viewport light it also save time in baking and texturing don't get yourself busy into putting small details save your self from complex mesh flow.

Staying up to date is crucial, there are new tools coming out almost every week lately and softwares are constantly being updated to make things better, easier and faster for the end user. Take advantage of this. Most software companies have some educational database on their new features and how to use them.

Join beta testing communities for your 3D modeling software. This gives you early access to the latest features and tools and allows you to adapt your workflow to upcoming changes before they become mainstream. Additionally, mastering less commonly used features, like procedural texturing or node-based material creation, can offer unique solutions to common problems.

Looking on places like itch.io, github, and even on places like twitter you can find some seriously wonderful tools to not only boost your speed but add to your productivity by taking care of things like finding textures, commercial assets, or HDRIs and handmade shaders so you can focus on construction and less on hand creation of some of the detail work.

Becoming proficient with the tools provided by your 3D modeling software is crucial for improving speed and efficiency. This involves not just knowing what each tool does but understanding when and how to use them in different scenarios. Familiarity with advanced features and functionalities can help you execute tasks more swiftly. Practice specific tool-related workflows to streamline your modeling process and enhance overall efficiency. Continuous mastery of your tools will empower you to tackle various challenges with confidence and speed in your 3D modeling endeavors.

Being familiar with the tools and knowing what steps you want to take to get to the end result will go a long ways towards improving modeling speed.

Ok, can someone please tell me which one is correct. "you know how to get hold of me" "you know how to get a hold of me" "you know how to get ahold of me" "leave me alone, i hate you"

Contests, awards, speed modeling, always good to make you challenge yourself, to test your skills, limits and creative mind...

Don't be an lazy ass to practice and Learn something new every day keep your curiosity alive and keep yourself motivated get on your chair set the music have bottle of water on your table. Regural practice of softwares is just like running everyday it will make you run faster and make you better day by day and Learn how to handle your hurdles. Everday practice will automatically increase your speed before you notice. It will bring you diffrent chalanges every time, you gonna do mistakes and from that you'll learn new skills you gonna realise it in next project it's not taking that long as it used to. That's the only ninja way 🥷

I agree, because. There is a saying that, Practice makes us perfect. But, You should also take advice from industry experts like watching videos on YouTube or LinkedIn for their tips and tricks. And implementing it in your daily practice. Same way I made myself improved in speed of modeling and rendering.

Anyone can learn and design 3d modeling but when it comes to speed, only those people will have who have a lots of practices on various designs and problems and projects, rest of things will gain your knowledge and learning but not speed. So practice is only the key for speed up your designing.

Don't get bogged down in noodling details until the very end if the project. Fine details are like the cherry on top of the sundae. If you don't have a plan in place, it's easy to get wrapped up in the details of a 3D model & noddle certain areas of it to death, in the end this is a complete time sink. Make sure to set a timeline in place with goal markers at each needed major accomplishment. You can subdivide the major goal markers into smaller milestones to keep yourself from getting caught up in noodling the details & wasting your time. Stick to the plan. There is no point in setting up a plan if you don’t stick to it. Become extremely aware & in tune with yourself while modeling to understand & catch yourself when you start to noodle!

I'd like you to reflect on the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between speed and quality. Rushing through models can lead to mistakes or a loss of detail that might not satisfy the project's requirements or your standards. Additionally, consider the physical and mental health aspects of working long hours on modeling tasks; investing in ergonomic equipment and taking regular breaks can sustain your productivity and creativity in the long run. Lastly, keep an eye on emerging technologies like AI-assisted modeling, which could revolutionize traditional workflows and offer new avenues for increasing efficiency.

I developed a personalized pre-work checklist!.. Ensures I have everything I need before diving in, from essential tools and reference materials to a comfortable workspace and even a quick nap (if needed!). My checklist covers everything from internet access and software updates to having the right music playing and a cup of tea brewed. Once I tick off all the boxes, I feel confident and focused, often completing projects in a single sitting. It's a simple system that empowers me to work efficiently and avoid distractions, making the whole 3D modeling process a breeze.

Pour moi, 3 points sont primordiaux : -Respecter les consignes (implique de lire les consignes). Les conventions et directives sont faites pour ça. - Ne pas se perdre dans le détail. -Travailler rapidement n'est pas gage de qualité.

There are different tools and workflows for different type of models. And within those tools and workflows there can be variety of ways on how to use them best in particular case. So it is good to know many of them and experiment and try new things. But the speed is not as important as relevancy, if you model fast but your models look bad or are missing the proportions or given style then what is the use of speed. So most important is to simply be attentive and focused and work consciously. Speed is one of the features, but not the most important one.