Dear fellow moccists,i have,though my time here has not been long,looked among many mocs,each one completely better than mine.My problem is,my inability to in any way make a marginaly remarkable moc.I’m a terrible drawer,and worse planner,and a complete lack of vital parts most usually have.My wish is that you see that i cannot come up with as complex builds as @Connor_Hoffman ,or as Amazing stop motion videos as @TheShadowedOne1 .I have seen many builds,and think that everyone’s is better than mine.I marvel at such builds,even those who most believe are simple,as i can’t make a complex torso,head,or even limbs.I hope that you can understand exactly why my builds aren’t as intresting as most would think.
Not only that, its been quite hard to get how-to instructions for things.The topic has been inactive for some time…
So please,just show some consideration for those who are lacking in parts.
Most of you have been kind,so please,keep it up.
Perhaps you should get Stud.Io. it isn’t as easy as physical building, but you can pretty much do the same thing. Want instructions? There are many kind people who show off their Moc’s functions on such sites as YouTube, and Flickr, etc. And hey, if you can’t make anything now, try again later!
If you have limited pieces, you should definitely use stud.io.
As for learning how to MOC, what I did was just copy other peoples builds. Find a video, or instructions for a MOC, and just follow it. One thing I did was find a MOC I liked, and try and replicate it just based off pictures. I learned a lot about building techniques this way, and for a while a lot of my torso builds were based off of what I had seen elsewhere. Now I can’t vouch for how well this will work when using stud.io, but I think it should do the trick.
And of course, everything takes time, and you can’t do anything about that. If you’re seeing a good MOC, chances are the one who made it has many years of experience.
As Bean and Krelikan have said, Stud.io could help a lot, no color restrictions and unlimited pieces. But you should get the Stud.io Pack for more of the Bionicle parts.
And about not being able to build any limbs, torsos, etc. you could try to reverse engineer some other builders builds, to train a little, but if you want to use their design add a bit of your own flair to it and credit the creator.
Over time you will get better.
I used to be in a similar situation to you, and while I cant say anything one way or another for Stud.io, since I havent used it, I can say that as long as you keep mocing, you will improve over time.
Apparently you’re not allowed to make these types of topics, or so I’ve heard.
But yeah, as the others said, stud.io is an excellent resource if you want to improve your building skills. Stud.io is also my go-to for making G1 MOCs, as I am very, very limited on first generation pieces. I also don’t have many CCBS and G2 pieces either, and I have around 15 BIONICLE sets total.
Thank you for your compliment, MakutaOisli. That means a lot to me.
No one is a terrible MOCcer. That’s purely a matter of opinion. Everyone has their way of building and everyone builds differently. You just have to discover your way of building and when you do, you’ll accomplish wonders. Believe in yourself, you’ll get there.
Don’t compare yourself, because it will never lead anywhere. There is always another mountain to climb, always another thing you wish you could do better, always another person you look up to and think “I could never be that good.”
Every person you listed feels the same way about someone else even better than them. There is no top, and no end to improvement.
Focus on the now. Focus on where you’re at, and focus on growing and learning. That’s how you get better. Are you always going to feel satisfied with what you do creatively? I don’t think anyone ever can, but that’s not the point. As cliché as it sounds, the journey is indeed what matters.
And if I can speak personally for a moment, I’ve found recently that no-one is actually a truly terrible MOCer. Even some of the worst things I’ve ever created I’ve found some merit in, or some measure of improvement or value. And I have yet to even see a truly “bad” MOC on this site. Don’t ever sell yourself short.
oh yeah, I forgot to touch on this, fantastic point Pakari. Something I reccomend if you find yourself not liking a moc you made is either find what you like and think more positive or ask yourself and others for constructive criticism, and try and improve from there
I really have enjoyed the Vortixx you have displayed. Yes its limited parts but thats the greatness of it to make something so cohesive with small part count.
if you look at the evolution of my self moc over the 8+ years ive had him he was originally nothing more than a basic recolor of maxilos build and all now hes changed as ive looked at him and started trying new things thats half the fun of mocing is improving or adapting what you have seen. It is extremely rare that I make a moc in its first “finished” version is that last
This may sound cheap, but the best answer is just keep trying; don’t burn yourself out, and if you feel like the building process is becoming more frustrating than enjoyable, don’t be afraid to take a step back for a bit. Take inspiration from the great moccists around you, but don’t compare. I found that I most improved when I just kept building. Sometimes I’d just sit down to build a moc, and try to focus on nailing one specific aspect, like a custom arm design, or something along those lines. Some times I’d come up with something I was really proud of; most times it looked pretty bad. But building bad mocs is a necessary stepping stone to building good mocs. One final note I’d like to add is, (and this is a topic I’ve been entertaining writing a full post on for a bit now), while stud.io does seem like a good tool, I’d encourage you to continue to try and build within the limits of the pieces you do own from time to time. Sometimes restrictions during the art process can yield more creative results. But that’s just me.
Honestly it helps to just build what you want instead of whatever trend or whatever else is going on. No ones going to complain about the lack of some metru team or whatever canon thing that they’ve already seen 3 versions of.
Ok so I have a similar problem for limbs, but for torsos I’ve developed a sure fire way to make something unique and sticks to part limitations.
Here’s my process:
1). Firstly, load up Bricklink and Stud.io
2). Find every color you want to use. Grab pieces in these colors, preferably ones you own or have a different color of.
3). Remember to grab Liftarms and Connectors, as these will be the lifeblood of the torso.
4). Start forming the torso around a central piece, usually the Metru Lower Torso or the neck Socket. This will allow you have an easier time and potentially swap the pieces out later for a different connection. Sidenote, anything you build should be replicatable IRL, as you find out how well it holds up and if it has any major problems
5). Remember this takes time and TONS of trial and error. I’m currently on the 28th version of my Nidhiki and he’s finally 99% done. In fact, he was made from a limitation of only Green parts I owned, as I counted them out and used them inside Stud.IO.
6). Try building something just for the heck of it, as that’s how I came up with my Dume, as he was originally a Toa Naho I built randomly.
7). Towards the end of the process, try finding armor pieces that will got the shape and overall look of the character. Like my Tuyet was built around Metru meets Nuva, giving her a Smooth meets Pistons and Ridges style. If you want, you can also rebuild the torso to match the armor style better.
8). Sometimes a build will just end up being incompatible with your current idea. For those, save them away in an extra file, that way you can always go back to them and possibly salvage something.
Finally 9). It’s very tempting to compare it to other creations out there but the fact is practice makes better. Your first build is gonna look vastly different from your 30th. Yes it’s never gonna be perfect, as all creations will have a flaw in them but if you put in the time and effort, then that won’t matter. You’ll have something you’re proud of and might even inspire someone else to become better.
I hope this helps you out and I can’t wait to see what you make with all of the advice everyone’s given. Good luck!
I’m saddened that you feel this way about your own art. I personally think your mocs are fantastic but I can understand why someone may feel “not 100%” on their work. If it is of any consolation, I too find myself in crippling creative slumps. I have a number of larger projects that some have been in limbo for nearly a decade (MOCPages Vets might remember a teaser I dropped back in 2012). Getting back to your feelings and doubts, I’ll parrot what a number of people have said already; Download Stud.io and any compatible Technic/Bionicle model packs. I jumped on that program while I was away from my collection for weeks on end. Creativity seemingly hit when I was ALWAYS away so it was very easy to bust out the computer and go nuts until something stuck then build it when I returned home. That being said, if digital designers aren’t your cup of tea, I can understand that as well and suggest you set aside time to literally just look at your piece collection. Hold one in your hand and experiment with ANY idea that passes through your skull. Lastly, don’t ever compare yourself to anyone else. Building is an art and comparing yours to anothers would be like comparing Michaelangelo to Picasso. Two completely different styles, but both revered as masters. Hope this helps and Happy Building!
Hey guys.Im here again,with yet again another problem.
This time its the lack of inspiration.I was wanting to create a rahi inspired by Little Brotherhood Studio’s Makiki moc,only to find myself stuck on what to do. I turned to the message boards.No dice.Its hard for me to even come up of a build of my own nowadays.And each time i think about creating a beeg bionicle,i immediately get shot down because there is just not enough parts to go around. Sigh
I don’t have many rare or effective parts,and using stud.io just makes me feel weird.Because if i’m going to go on a computer to mess around with something i could actually enjoy in my hands,it breaks me into pieces.Not only that,it would just be better to play video games in that case. That’s why i don’t have very many moc topics,and many of my builds are not at all cost effective. Its driving me crazy,and i needed to talk to a community that can understand that.Its been really hard and i really just need help. I’m basically drowning in self doubt and lack of inspiration.
Plus,i don’t know about you,but ever since Greg got fired and the contest were over,we were back in free fall. I needed to get this off my chest and explain exactly what i believe is happening. I’m just really going through a depression in inspiration,i guess. But at least i can talk to you guys about bionicle.Many people i would talk to when i say bionicle would ask what the heck i’m talking about and why a strange four eyed man in a suit is following me around. coughcough@Ghid .