Practice Makes Perfect!
Just like @Zomebody’s post. I practiced for years during spare time in Roblox from 2013 and beyond. Yes, it was fun messing around with games using stamper building or btools. Although everyone, if not most of them, sound like a big shot, they actually have weaknesses in some areas and they can find room for improvement.
Giving Up?
Discouragement is not an option. True inspiration comes from the art of dreaming and finding your comfort zone(in building). Firstly, break the ice. It looks like you’re holding back yourself from knowing what and how to build. Do not compare yourself with others. It will demotivate you if you do. Secondly, plan your builds as if you were an architect who were to draw a blueprint of a house for a family. Ultimately, save the builds you really admire of that you’ve built as if they were an achievement of success.
If the anticipation was not as thought, it was probably that you did not write down the idea in the first place and the descriptions. Recently, I found my modus operandi for all forms of development and there I found my entire skill set to use; I used to be only a builder.
Talent?
Practised the skill in a rough method and found new techniques(both planning and actual building) which actually streamlined my entire development. I have seen talented people and admired their work, which then built up my motivations to “mimic” their technique.
Hmmm…
Apparently I have left a ton of unfinished projects in my local files. I should probably go and work with them or re-use the assets and rework it.
Just think of some ideas that you and others may like then build like a starter.
then after you have done that, look at it and make another one to see if you can improve your building you never know you probably get something out of it that you and other players may like!
READ THIS:
This very post is a test. You probably looked at this post and said I am not going to read this, it’s too long. This is literally a test right here. Are you going to break that boundary and read this, or are you going to pass it by and give up?
Building is like any form of art. Practice = Perfection. First of all, I am a bit shocked at the title of this post. “I can’t get good at building” This is your first mistake. This immediately shows me that you are discouraged and down, but if you want to improve you need to keep up your positivity and instead use titles like How can I improve my building? Looking in the positive direction will always be of help.
Stop using free models:
“I’ve tried for years, and I often resort to using free models.”
You are not going to get better if every time you get close to improving, you give up and resort to a free model. If you want to quit something, you just need to quit it. For good. Stop using free models and push your self to figure it out on your own. Break that boundary, don’t flee from it.
first you need to decide on what you want to build or have a clear idea
“I want to build a house”
If you feel like you don’t have a clear image of that house you want to build, look for reference images.
Later on, once you improve you can start building based on your own imagination and you’re own made up image. But right now, build of reference images so you develop the habit of following common architectural styles.
Watch videos:
Building is visual. You can’t read about it, you memorize it, you just have to do it. Watch other people build, see what they do. And look out for certain things like:
How they begin a build
How they vary detail throughout their build
Where do they add detail
How do they add detail
What is their workflow and how does it help them be efficient?
Here are some good videos to watch:
REMEMBER YOU CAN SLOW DOWN THESE VIDEOS.
Use a dummy character:
One thing I hear so many builders complain about, “I got the sizing wrong”. This is an easy to avoid mistake. Simply use a dummy from the toolbox in your build and keep the dummy next to your build so you can continuously compare your sizes to the dummy. This way your proportions will be much more accurate, and you will get things like height, door size, window size, etc. looking better.
This will also make you more efficient, so you do not have to go back and fix silly sizing mistakes.
Work from the ground up:
This one can be debated, but this is the method I’ve always found helpful. Don’t build the entire thing quickly as an outline, then add detail too it, go back and fix things, don’t do any of this. Start from the ground up and start small. Begin building the shapes and details at the same time.
Many people say don’t start with details, I disagree. Starting with details makes you more quicker and efficient, and still gives you quality work. Add detail as your building and making the shapes.
(You do not entirely have to follow this suggestion, if you want to follow another building style from a popular Youtube video or something, go ahead)
Stop giving up:
You won’t learn to draw if you stop picking up the pencil. You won’t learn to paint if you stop picking up your brush. You won’t learn to build if you stop trying.
Push your self to build. If you find a boundary, break through it and never look back. Build, and keep building. Never give up on your self, or your imagination.
I love what @PurpSinister said at the start of his post.
I do not believe there is any better way to put it. The way PurpSinister said it is beautiful and true. Don’t give up and even worse, don’t give up and try to justify it.
And please, never use talent as an excuse. Talent comes from hard work.
Every single developer on this website is here because they tried.
I used to have the same issue when I was older. I used to be rubbish at building and mostly included a lot of free models. But I just started to watch YouTube videos were other developers build and most time inspired me to practice and I have definitely got much better. So I think you need more practice and try and watch someone build and try and rebuild it and you will get better.
Building is one of those things where it comes naturally to some people and not so much for others. Everyone started where you are now, even the best developers. However they all have one thing in common, lots of experience behind them. Every developer that has a front page game has had at least 5-6 years of experience prior to making that game. Remember you click the same upload button as those top developers so if they can do it you can.
When you are learning to build I wouldn’t compare yourself to those top developers but instead use them as inspiration, a role model. Go and look at their places and see how they have built them, see if there is any common themes between the places. Maybe go around and look at a few showcases for inspiration and for ideas:
Both of these showcases are very good places to get inspiration and ideas from. Both of these developers have similarities and differences in their build styles and the way they portray ideas and themes. Having lots of inspiration from existing builds will help you understand how and why developers do certain things and how developers get their ideas from their head.
Top tips for learning to build:
This may sound super obvious but you should keep practising as much as you can, keep experimenting with various building methods. The more you practice the better you will get at building.
“The greatest teacher failure is” - Yoda. If you fail that mean you are trying, no one succeeds the first time they do anything. A lot of the top developers have failed lots of time and learned from those failures. If your build looks horrible think about how you could improve it for next time.
This ties in with the point above, don’t give up. The worst thing you could possibly do is give up because if you do you will learn nothing. Remember, don’t be afraid to fail because you learn from your mistakes.
As you said you often resort to using free models. This is a bad habit to get into, free models are only useful as learning resources. To get out of this habit pretend that free models don’t exists. This should help you get out of the habit of using them.
The last tip is to stretch your self by building things out of your comfort zone. Don’t set your self a task that is way out of your skill level but one that is slightly out of your skill level. If you fail first time try again and again until you make what you wanted to make.
If it was self explanatory then we would not have been seeing this thread.
People do it all the time, iv met hundreds that do it. Its not very good, its themselfs that are holding back their true potential.
I believe OP is capable of many things. Basically the topic says hes given up. If he cant get good then why bother helping?. It should be he can get better but hes holding himself back.
Dont do that
Iv contributed something, thats more than nothing
If you know yourself your capable of great things, be happy about it. If you need help, call out for it. But no way in any shape or form think you cant do it.
That feeling is dangerous, going down that road, you will never recover out of it
I dont want OP going down that road
Patience is always key to becoming good at something. Take your time and as stated, if you don’t have a clear image try looking for a something you can build on the internet. Start with something small and slowly work ur way up to big houses.
Good job, using and designing from free models was one of my steps to enhance my building skills and it helps.
I’m not against free models, they’re there because Roblox wants us to use them, or think of it as a complimentary feature. I learned to script from free models too, so it’s not bad at all. People think free models are trash, well it can be, but it also have some uses too. I used to take free models out and see if I can recreate them on my own, of course the easy ones, like doors or chairs. Not buses or planes.
Practice, practice, and keep practicing. You have to know the essential skills of building on Roblox Studio, and it doesn’t come instant. It could take years, months, or even just days if you put a great effort and not give up.
Throughout my building journey on Roblox, it is very important to know about:
Getting used to the Roblox development environment
Just like other places, you need to adapt and be familiar with your new editor. You should know how to move around with ease, the shortcuts as it can save time, and finally know how to swim around the Roblox Studio area.
Tools
Use it properly, and know which one to use based on your needs. Know how to change the increments for the move or rotate tool and make sure it’s suitable for your work. The Roblox building tool is not just limited to create new part, move, rotate, or scale but also to use CSG. Learn to use union to make more complex shape and experiment them. Utilise the combination of these tools to craft a design.
Plugins
Yes, like tools, plug-ins help too. It can make your manual work get a lot easier. For example, I use this CSG Curve Cutter to help me make smoother CSG parts. There are other great plug-ins, such as Roundify, which helps you create a timeless and modern user interface. Be careful when picking them though, there are some sketchy plug-ins that could put your game in danger through viruses.
Referencing to images and ask feedback
See Google for ideas if you lost track on what you’re building. Or ask for feedback, from friends or devforum.
Trying the strange designs
Experiment with easy models at first, perhaps a desk. It may seem trivial, why would you build a desk? You can do a lot, make it artistic, try it with different materials or colour. A desk is not just a desk, it can be a piece of art. Don’t just make a four-legged desk with flat surface, that’s boring, and that’s not what I’m talking about. Try making a unique-legged, or uneven yet realistic surface. Incorporate textures or decals, if you didn’t know what texture is, it works like the Roblox material. Trying to create weird but likeable things can build an artistic sense in you, I guess.
Planning things when you have a big project
Depends on your personal preference, you can choose to draw or write it or even do both. It helps remind you of what you need, you can see other articles how to plan your build. Don’t stress over it though.
Having spirit in you and keep it on fire
Don’t easily give up. Don’t force yourself into building if you don’t feel like it, but when you want to build, just open Studio and mess with the tools.
At last, remember that it is very achievable and good luck!
Try to identify what your biggest issue or main issue is and start working from there. I’m not that great at building either but I’ve gotten a lot better compared to when I first started because I realized that my biggest issue when I build is that I have no idea how I want my build to look like. Nowadays, I usually have a reference point whether it be another build that I like or an image which has helped me improve my building drastically.
Hmm, let me see… I recommend that you watch some building tutorials, first. When you first build, it is just like being a small child lost in a maze. Alternatively, try Google Searching what you want to build, and replicate it in Studio. Try using plugins as well. Try using Building Tools By F3X or Studio build suite.
Of course, I have been building for years! These are the methods I use for building.
You can either like building or love building. If you like building, you will only build for others. I you love building, you will build for others, and for yourself just for fun. If you’ve been trying to build for 1 year, then try more. Here is how I learned to build.
When I downloaded studio, I just explored everything. Like parts, and what certain things did, like particles.
I started building personal projects, like houses, stores.
I made myself familiar with all the materials, and when something looks good or bad.
I took inspiration from others. I would watch people building huge buildings and towns.
I started challenging myself. This is the most important step. You can never really get good at developing without challenging yourself.
It’s also just really fun to play around with studio. Particles are cool to play around with, and so is lighting.
You can’t get good at building probably because you keep downing yourself. No one gets good quickly. I learned how to build (albeit I cannot state that i’m the best) overtime just by doing it. Gradually, your taste and style will begin to expand.
I find watching videos boring but they sort of help. Maybe to provide you inspiration? Your style comes from how you continuously build and what you continue to make.
Here is after many years of just building (Haven’t watched a single youtube tutorial. Now you can see the change after just seeing other people’s creations and being inspired by them or just simply building whatever I needed to build):
I like to start by doing simple warm up builds before building. I start my builds from just a simple outline and a building, then I go into details. The trick is, Be patient. Some things take hours. Do not put that tab on your studio or it will tempt you.
Hello there @Vaspeli! How is your day going? To answer your question on how to get good at building, here are some tips!
Talking with your friends or relatives.
One way I like to build is talk with experienced builders, like me! I am always a perfect, trusted person to go to if you EVER need help with building. You can learn tips from others!
YouTube
Luckily, there is a wide, caring world of YouTubers like @Alvin_Blox or @Roblox to help. I made a simple car using tutorials on YouTube! Check it out just click @Joshuaborn_2007 that name! That is my profile where you can check out all of my creations. Try inserting some models first and look at how they work. Now, I am getting off topic which leads me into my next tip!
Inserting some free models
Sometimes, you just need some inspiration, something to spark the fire of your imagination. Think something like “Tom built a drawbridge.” or “Kim built a game of a tale of a village.” Simple things like this can really get you set off into building! Let’s just stick to the road. So, inserting simple models like mine can really help. For example, I made a house, a car, a kart and I am currently making even more!
Freely building until you get good impressions of your model
Even if you continue building freely, you can get good, experiment with the tools and continue on!
Using plugins
Simple plugins like F3x building tools or Studio build suite can help! Also check out gap fill or resize align! Using plugins can help you 1, build faster and 2, there are way more ways to build great things!
I hope this helps! Make sure to check out some of my models or, check YouTube, use plugins, ask builders, use free models and way more!
It takes time to get good at something, more or less than for others
I don’t build all that much, but when I did I noticed that I really lacked creativity and my buildings didn’t look correct or practical so I used images from google and build based on what I saw and I actually made some decent stuff (and I still use reference images to this day with my UI even though I don’t build anymore and it helps a lot)
I went from building like this
to this
(Also, could we see some of your builds they might not even be bad and you’re being hard on yourself)
