Did you ever have the problem that you created a project, a big one, and then halfway through lost the general overview or got sidetracked or something else happened that prevented you from finishing the project?

That?s about to change! Just follow these step-to-step-directions and you will never f**k up a project again!

• Step 1: Draw a rough sketch. The first thing you will want to do is drawing very roughly on a piece of paper what you want to create. Do is extremely roughly and do not spend too much time doing it, for many ideas arise during the actual creating-progress and not in beforehand-planning.
• Step 2: Draw reference pictures. Now that you have a general idea of what you want to do, draw your reference images on a sheet of paper as well. This time take your time, make sure all the proportions are right (it?s best to use paper with squares on it instead of blank paper!). Do it throughout, but don?t overdo it, either! The extreme detail should be left for the actual 3D-work in my opinion. Now scan the pictures.
• Step 3: Write down what you need. Now write down every object that you want to have in a scene. Give every object (character, whatever?) a specific, unique name. Now take your rough sketch and write down the names of your objects right beside them.
• Step 4: Create a new Project. Now open um Autodesk Maya and create a new project. Give it a descriptive name (not a number or something?) and click ?Create?.
• Step 5: Importing the Reference Pictures. Set up image planes and apply your Reference Pictures to them. Working like this is hard in the beginning, but as soon as you get used to it you will never want to miss it again!
• Step 6: Modeling. When you model, ALWAYS name your objects! Consider sorting your objects in groups. Use the exact same names that you have on you rough sketch. This will help you speeding up your workflow, but also, if you are working in a group, will make things a lot easier for everyone involved. Nurbs_Sphere_3 could be anything, but Mike_Head is a lot more specific

If you are working on a paid project, giving up is not an option anyway. But even if you are working for yourself you should never give up, either! Every project helps you developing your skills, but if you give up every time you encounter a difficulty you will never get better!

Good luck with your projects!