Which 3D Modeling Software is Best for Learning Use? 60
An anonymous reader asks: "Blender 2.26 is out and 2.27 is soon on its way. This powerful 3D modeling/animation/rendering program is released under the GPL so it (along with the source code) is free, there is only one downside: the learning curve is large due to is abnormal user interface. I am in High School (unfortunately) and I want to do something related to 3D animation (movies, games, special effects, etc.) when I get older. Which package should I choose? The free, but difficult, Blender? The amazing, but bankrupting, Maya? Or should I get another program that is cheaper than Maya but easier to learn than Blender? If we take money out of the picture which is the best program to learn about modeling/rendering/animating on?"
Lightwave 3D (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Lightwave 3D (Score:5, Informative)
I second that. Out of the box, LW is very well rounded. Very good for character animation, modelling, and rendering. From LW, it's pretty easy to go to Maya or even 3D Studio MAX. (Or not move at all if you dun wanna...) If you start with something like MAX, though, you can end up with layers upon layers of stuff. That can be rather confusing if you move to LW. "Uh.. I just want to smooth this mesh, but I can't find the modifier for that!"
That's pretty much what I mean by 'get to the point'. You start with polygons, you end with polygons. You don't end up with an 'object' that has a bunch of settings to it you need to keep an eye on. It's like the difference between driving with a stick and having an automatic transmission. If you have an auto transmission, you can start driving right away but never truely understand what it is about shifting that makes a car efficient. LW would be more like the manual transmission, you have to do more work to get around, but you have a much more fundamental understanding of how your car works and how you can apply those gears to various situations like slowing yourself down on a steep incline.
*hopes that makse some sense, I'm in a bit of a hurry.*
Re:Lightwave 3D (Score:1)
Play-Doh (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Play-Doh (Score:4, Funny)
flour, water, cream of tartar, oil, salt, and food coloring [teachnet.com].
Yummy!
Re:Play-Doh (Score:3, Funny)
Homer:Oh, honey, it looks just like a REAL donut.
Bart: Dad, it says non-toxic.
try Caligari trueSpace (Score:3, Informative)
Caligari [caligari.com]
Caligari trueSpace v3.2 for free (Score:5, Informative)
It's not the most advanced, but learning the concepts is the important thing - not learning the exact intricacies of current software. By the time the author is out of school, the landscape of features will have changed anyway, but knowing the basics of how to animate and model will translate to any package.
Free version of Maya (Score:5, Informative)
AW [aliaswavefront.com]
Re:Free version of Maya (Score:2)
Oh, and it doesn't quite have everything, it has most of the tools that come with complete (and complete doesn't have SubD, a favorite tool of mine). and PLE doesn't have the scripting function (but its free, so what do you expect). oh, and when we say watermark, we mean it [renderosity.com].
Re:Free version of Maya (Score:1)
Re:Free version of Maya (Score:2)
Stick with Blender (Score:4, Informative)
Are you looking to pursue a career in 3D artistry, or are you looking for something to just play around with? If you're looking to do this professionally, you might want to use Maya or 3ds Max. If you're just looking to get your feet wet, or don't want to spend yourself silly, then Blender is the way to go.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
Coolest thing about blender is how it became open (Score:3, Informative)
details and a cool chart here http://www.blender.org/bf/ [blender.org]
I'm sure someone can fill in more details.
Re:Coolest thing about blender is how it became op (Score:2)
free learning edition of Maya available (Score:3, Informative)
Also, the prices for Maya have dropped significantly in recent times, so check it out.
Warez It (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Warez It (Score:2)
Re:Warez It (Score:5, Insightful)
Dude, don't suggest things like that. If it's public knowledge that stuff like that is easy to acquire, then the company who makes that stuff MUST do something about it or face not being able to take action down the road. Do you really want 3D rendering developers who make >$1000 per sale to become fans of DRM?
Please, use legit channels to acquire software. with a student ID, you can get LW for $400. That may seem high, but it's much better than using it's list price of $1,600. It's really not hard to sell your parents on either, provided you want to make a living with 3D. Let me explain:
1.) College doesn't exactly train you to take a decent paying position at a company. You still have to be talented. That's the type of thing that happens by pursuing it on your own creating inspired work. I'm dead serious about this. Somebody who didn't go to college that can show they have creativity + skills will go a lot farther than somebody with a 4 year degree but cannot do more than push a few buttons on the program. Art's funny like that.
2.) $400 is not too much to spend when learning how to use that app can get you a job you can make a living on. That $400 alone (plus personal effort put into making yourself into an artist) can earn you a living. My dad realized this while I was in high school and he spent $3,000 on a high end computer and software for me to expand my skills with. Not only did I earn a $22,000 scholarship with my 3D stuff at the top of my portfolio, but also within a year of starting college I had a job doing it. (I never finish college as a result of that, wish I did though. Drawing courses in particular would improve my abilities a lot.)
3.) 3D related demand is only going to go up. All one has to do is watch the 'making of' section of a few DVDs here and there to find that 3D's a major part of any movie or TV show. Even ER had some 3D effects in it last week that most people probably didn't notice.
Hope that's helpful. Don't take parent poster's advice.
Re:Warez It (Score:2)
Blarg?
This isn't a trademark... it's copyright. You don't lose it if you don't run around defending it against everyone.
Re:Warez It (Score:1)
Re:Warez It (Score:1)
Do you really want 3D rendering developers who make >$1000 per sale to become fans of DRM?
Yeah, I hope not also, but I can think of one situation where DRM proponents might win an argument. A Computer Animation school that my friend is attending had a guest lecturer who had worked on several movies. The lecturer brought up the fact that her company had done its work on cracked copies of Maya. I've heard similar stories about Adobe products. Its sickening when professional design and computer animation
translation (Score:4, Funny)
If we assume that I'll get an illegal copy....
Learn the concepts on whatever you can afford (Score:3, Interesting)
I suggest at this stage learning the concepts, techniques and "general" skills, with whatever you can reasonably afford. When the time comes for you to be on the job market in a few years, the software will have changed a lot, but you'll be prepared because you'll know how to craft a 3D model. As opposed to simply knowing which menu selections to use to apply a texture, or add a special effect.
I've had several people ask me the same question about Photoshop vs. The Gimp. Obviously the cost issue is not nearly so huge, but nevertheless the answer should be the same.
When you get closer to the time when you actually start to interview, you can begin the process of translationing your skills to another package. Until then save your cash so you can by the latest version a few years down the road when you'll need it.
I learned this lesson the hard way, spending cash on software that by the time I needed to use it professionally it was way obsolete. (This was back when DOS was ceding its claim to Windows, and applications ALL had proprietary interfaces.)
Good Luck,
MS2k
Blender + Blender Book (Score:3, Insightful)
Previous to learning Blender, I was already familiar with 3D Studio MAX and Lightwave, & I have to say that I much prefer Blender's interface now that I've gotten used to it.
That and $30 bucks for a book and a free peice of software is a hell of a lot cheaper than what they're charging for Lightwave.
(NaN also released a manual for Blender which may now be sold by the Blender community, but it's more of a reference guide. Buy it if you like pretty pictures, but it's worthless as a tutorial.)
Gmax = free (Score:2, Informative)
Gmax linkie-poo [discreet.com]
If you happen to 'own' one of the many games that it is compatible with, you can even see your creations in a real game engine! Wowie-zowie!
Not again (Score:4, Interesting)
Maya, Lightwave 3D and Softimage have interfaces that are somewhere in between of your-regular-win32-app and blenderesque-maze-of-keystrokes. So, whatever you choose, I recomend find a nice book (or site full of tutorials) to go with it.
Re:Not again (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course, once you lea
Re:Not again (Score:2)
If you happen to be one of the lucky people for whom blender 'clicks' you'll be unable to understand why on earth anyone else would be unable to understand it.
If you are one of the people who simply cannot cope with the interface (which pretty much everyone admits is 'unusual') then no amount of trying will enable
Choices (Score:3, Interesting)
I know how to use 3d Studio, and that is very powerful, but will run you around $1000 for a commercial liscence. I feel that it was easy to use, and I could easily produce some good results.
On the Cheap side, If milkshop 3d is still around, that is a very cheap 3d program used a lot in the game modding community.
Then You have Maya, but ive never used it, so cant compare.
Lightwave, has a great renderer, but i find that making models is easier in 3ds
of course, you also have all the support packages, like Bryce 3d, Poser, etc.
But honestly, from someone whose dabbled in 3d, go with the choice that major motion picture studious use. Blender, as soon as you master the interface, is easily the most powerful modeller around, and it makes great sense for High School budgets.
Re:Choices (Score:2)
So, that would be Maya then... Thanks for the recommendation!
This is what I did (Score:1)
When I say "upgraded" it was an upgrade but nothing that was beyond belief. Yes it was multi-threaded and could do network rendering, there were some other things that it could handle, but it took away productuvity for some time while I learned the new system.
What I would suggest to you
PLE versions (Score:2)
theres Maya, for animation, charachters, and more 'artsy' stuff
and Studio Tools for 'a-surface' quality modeling. (if you dont know what that means, you shouldnt be using it).
you can also try Rhino 3d, its made by some of the ex-alias coders, and is excellent as wellas low cost.
lightwave and 3studio max are
How about a game editor? (Score:2)
Wings3D (Score:3, Interesting)
Its free, its Free, and its M-Fing E.Z.
[wings3d.com] [wings3d.com]
Re:Wings3D (Score:1)
if all you want to do make 3d models with no animations or textures, Wings3d has one of the best, easiest, intuitive interfaces for pushing vertices around. i really really like it.
I came from using maya and occasionally, 3ds mx professionally while experimenting with most everything else I could get my hands on. I've played with Carrara and It's cheap($399US) and offers you a lot but it's polygonal modeling capabilites are lacking my opinion...
Try Wings3d You'll love it.
Othe
Re:Wings3D (Score:2)
Re:Wings3D (Score:2)
Don't deal Blender out of hand... (Score:3, Informative)
There are many things to consider when choosing a 3D package. Most of it really comes down to taste and money. I don't much like nurbs or metaballs -- I prefer to have control over a control mesh, so I use polymesh smoothing / subsurface modeling, for which Blender works wonderfully. But you'll need to experiment with many different packages and find what works right for you. Strangely, whatever you first choose will likely end up being your preference, so choose your initial foray wisely.
However, I'm going to advocate Blender whole-heartedly. It's got most of the important features, support for external renderers, and what's more, it's totally cross-platform. I can model on my Mac and render on my unix box while I'm at work. You can't do that with any commercial package I know, not at prices that a hobbiyst will be able to afford.
Further, the community *is* great, and once you get past the hurdle of the UI you'll realize it's really powerful software. Don't believe me? http://membres.lycos.fr/garbager/ That's what can be done with free tools.
Maya Personal Learning Edition (Score:3, Interesting)
Enjoy - Maya blows the competition out of the water. Also the prices have dropped down to reasonable levels, with Maya Complete for $1,999, so once you get to the point that you need to buy a real copy, your family won't have to starve for more than a week or so.
Pick Blender (Score:2, Insightful)
Blender is free, the other software packages are not. While it would be possible to get a pirated version of a more powerful set of software, it won't help. For one, your later employer will probably have a completely different set of tools - so all the time learning one particular interface will be wasted. For another, if you tell you employer you're fluent with Maya, they're going to wonder if you'll be pirating software from work, too. Of course, if you can afford to actually buy some s
Re:Pick Blender (Score:1)
He specifically states "If we take money out of the picture". Therefore "it's free" is not an argument.
Also I've never heard of an employer not hiring someone because he thought he pirated software. If this was the case there would be no one working in the IT industry as we know it today.
Maya, Lightwave, SoftImage, (Score:3, Informative)
Others have mentioned Maya PLE [aliaswavefront.com] but there are free / learning editions of most of the top commercial 3D apps these days:
SoftImage XSI|EXP [softimage.com]
Lightwave Discovery Edition [newtek.com] (takes a while for them to mail it, though)
Houdini Apprentice [sidefx.com] (a lesser known but very powerful 3D app used by major studios.)
blender.. (Score:2)
Blender (Score:1)
It lacks a lot of functionality other programs have, it has a somewhat messy interface, it's hard to learn, but it's still nice.
Bryce 3D and PoVRay (Score:2, Informative)
First of all there is Bryce 3D which is available from corel (at the moment). It is 'frowned' upon by many pro's but it gets (most of) the job done. Also its terrain editor is great.
And if you just want to learn the basics, then you can do a lot worse than look at PoVRay, which is free of charge. It has a very peculicar interface, since it's entirely text based. But somehow this gives you fantastic control over your scene. See http://www.povray.org for some a
no single answer; also consider Cinema 4D (Score:2, Informative)
However, there's no one right answer to this question. Your decision will depend on whether you plan to work in animation eventually; wh
Hash Animation Master (Score:1)
-sid
A comparison (Score:3, Informative)
computer graphics world (Score:1)
good luck!
AC3D. (Score:3, Informative)
I've used it to build simple 3D games - and whilst it has it's faults and is missing quite a few important features, it has a lot going for it.
There is of course a downloadable demo version.
In the UK... (Score:1)
Also - beware the dodgy version floating around with a useless crack and a virus in uninstall.exe
Now i have left uni, and costed up the software to start up as freelancer - I nearly shat. £10000 + (for all software co
Art of Illusion (Score:2)
AoI is a modeler and raytracer. It includes global illumination, subdivision surfaces, soft shadows, and procedural texture