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Posted

I'm just getting into 3d modeling etc, and right now am using Gmax, Basicly cause it's free :thumbsup:. However I'm wondering if any of you have sugestions on what you suggest for a good 3d tool. There so many to choose from, 3dsMax, Maya, Lightwave, etc... Any Thoughts and why?

thx

:cool:

Posted

There is also Wings3D and Blender which are opensource. I know a few who use Wings for the basic modeling and then do everything else in Max. It's supposed to be good at that one thing.

Posted

I think most use Maya and 3D Max, but the really big companies have been introducing XSI, which IMO is a far superior program. Probably why its more expensive.

The area between the balls and the butt is a hotbed of terrorist activity.

Devastatorsig.jpg

Posted

As if 3Dmax and Maya wasn't expensive enough (still using Maya learning edition).

 

It might just be my imagination (I don';t have any numbers to back me up), but 3Dmax seems to be the preferred tools in the gaming industry and Maya the tool of the animated movies industry (like e.g. Pixar).

 

Edit: Lightwave is sort of the ugly duckling. Not as popular as it's two cousins, but reputedly easier to use than both.

“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein
 

Posted

Thx for the Responses. I also heard that Maya wants you to repurchase the license if you upgrade your comp... As expensive as that sucker is and as much as I upgrade for new games etc, theres no way Im going with Maya, so I'm glad you guys seem to go the 3dsmax route. :) Maybe Santa will be kind this year... hehe yea right.

Posted

If you're a student, you should check into student licenses. Last time I checked you could get Lightwave for a large reduction, and upgrade to commercial after 6 months if you want to (cheaper than buying the commercial version in the first place). I don't know what kind of student license there is for 3DS Max.

 

If you aren't a student, its probably still cheaper to sign up for a class and buy it :D

Posted

Not to mention, any firm that has you doing 3D modeling will usually have their own licenses to all this software. For a lot of software options, student editions will get you along fine until you get a job in the industry, at which point your job will cover the software. Unless you plan on doing independent work, you may never need a personal license.

Posted
If you're a student, you should check into student licenses.  Last time I checked you could get Lightwave for a large reduction, and upgrade to commercial after 6 months if you want to (cheaper than buying the commercial version in the first place).  I don't know what kind of student license there is for 3DS Max.

 

If you aren't a student, its probably still cheaper to sign up for a class and buy it :D

 

Avid released a free version of Softimage XSI 3.0 on there website here. You get a watermark on your rendered images, and can't export things that could be used in the commercial version, but its everything you need to learn the program.

 

*is an XSI fanboy*

The area between the balls and the butt is a hotbed of terrorist activity.

Devastatorsig.jpg

Posted

I r Programmer, I r very scared by 3D modelling programs... All those buttons (w00t)

 

Me make crazy squares ARGH! It cube some say, me say many many square.

RS_Silvestri_01.jpg

 

"I'm a programmer at a games company... REET GOOD!" - Me

Posted

Hopefully we can at some point (the sooner the better) receive word on what 3d rendering suite(s) will be supported so that the community can anticipate and design a library of resources for their own use.

 

Even without knowing the gross parameters that will be permissible (ex. poly-count), one can always model on the high side and 'dumb-down' any base models to fit. It's far simpler to take a single model blade you created, for instance, and break it up and adjust to fit the specs.

 

Even if it in the long run it means wasted effort (as some models might be too low or need too much work to convert) at the very least potential custom content creators will have practice time with whatever suite(s) and thus streamline the learning curve (and maximize content release) before day one hits.

Posted
If you're a student, you should check into student licenses. Last time I checked you could get Lightwave for a large reduction, and upgrade to commercial after 6 months if you want to (cheaper than buying the commercial version in the first place). I don't know what kind of student license there is for 3DS Max.

 

If you aren't a student, its probably still cheaper to sign up for a class and buy it

 

I havent Been a Student for many years but I do remeber those student discount books that had all the great deals on software. I would Love to take a class somewhere but locally there are only 2 schools that teach it, and both are kinda crapy. I know I went to one of them for my BA o:) . I wonder if being an "online" student would count? They have those online classes all the time maybe theres one for 3d modeling? Hmm oh well again thx for the advice.

Posted
Hopefully we can at some point (the sooner the better) receive word on what 3d rendering suite(s) will be supported so that the community can anticipate and design a library of resources for their own use.

 

 

Usually you can convert models from one program to the format that others use, so it shouldn't really make a difference until you get around to rigging and animating.

The area between the balls and the butt is a hotbed of terrorist activity.

Devastatorsig.jpg

Posted
If you're a student, you should check into student licenses. Last time I checked you could get Lightwave for a large reduction, and upgrade to commercial after 6 months if you want to (cheaper than buying the commercial version in the first place). I don't know what kind of student license there is for 3DS Max.

 

If you aren't a student, its probably still cheaper to sign up for a class and buy it

 

I havent Been a Student for many years but I do remeber those student discount books that had all the great deals on software. I would Love to take a class somewhere but locally there are only 2 schools that teach it, and both are kinda crapy. I know I went to one of them for my BA :thumbsup: . I wonder if being an "online" student would count? They have those online classes all the time maybe theres one for 3d modeling? Hmm oh well again thx for the advice.

Bit of a side note. I don't think the Student Licenses require you to be a student taking a class about the software. They just require you to be a student. You could be taking a history class :devil:

 

To get your feet wet, I start with the free trial of Max though. Even if you later choose a Lightwave License because its cheaper, you'll have a basic idea of the difference between the two.

Posted

I got to try Maya4 pro, I made a hairy door.

DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself.

 

Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture.

 

"I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "

Posted
I got to try Maya4 pro, I made a hairy door.

 

:rolleyes:

 

My first Maya project was an animated bouncing ball, jumping through a flaming loop. Right out of a training book that I bought. Still, it was a fun start, actually seeing something you do in action.

“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein
 

Posted

Honestly if you want to be a professional 3D artist in the game industry, you really should try to get experience with both 3dstudio max and Maya. Obsidian uses 3dstudio max exclusively, but many other dev studios use Maya.

 

As was suggested before, look into the student packages, they're much cheaper and fully featured.

Posted

haha, I just started using maya today, then I got lazy and ate a chicken.

 

I will deffinatly work on it tomorrow though. I am being marked after all, but it makes me happy to hear that this is one half of the 'industry standard'.

Hadescopy.jpg

(Approved by Fio, so feel free to use it)

Posted
haha, I just started using maya today, then I got lazy and ate a chicken.

 

I will deffinatly work on it tomorrow though. I am being marked after all, but it makes me happy to hear that this is one half of the 'industry standard'.

 

 

If it's the one that came with Unreal 2k3 (Personal Edition) it's rather lacking in features. :-"

Posted

Well, it's an educational version which my uni uses, so with any luck I can start crafting phallic objects while giggling innanely as soon as possible.

Hadescopy.jpg

(Approved by Fio, so feel free to use it)

Posted

The only amateur 3D-modeller I know of that's gotten a job from having his work posted on the internet is a french guy who made new models for System Shock 2. He is working as a modeller for Arx Fatalis 2 right now (a Source-powered game).

 

You can see his work here: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/etienne.aubert/ssh...ock_rebirth.htm

 

And, just to make this thread even more difficult to load, I'll add one of the pictures showing one of his best models.. :thumbsup:

 

SSR_Compar_4.jpg

Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish!

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Presuming that you can get trial or educational copies of each program, which is the best one to learn the basics of 3D in?

 

 

 

2 days later: Ok, so Im in the process of getting a trial package of Maya 6. I doubt Ill have the self-discipline to get into it but I just may.

DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself.

 

Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture.

 

"I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "

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