3d Tool

Status
Not open for further replies.
Learn a proper modeling application.
Maya, Max, C4D, Blender there are alot out there, some you can download free full versions, some give you restricted trials. All of them are better than sketchup.
 
IMO, sketchup sucks. I use Milkshape 3D ($25), and I get to use 3ds Max at school. I've never tried Maya, but I've heard it's good. I do not like blender at all, nor do I like most of the other 3D programs. Wings 3D is free, but it's hard to use, and isn't that great either.
 
I dont really think any 3d modeling application is "hard" to use. Its all down to how much time you're willing to spend working with it. You'll need to learn a lot, read a lot of books, and do a lot of tutorials but if you persevere you will pick it up, Its not impossible, they are just programmes
 
I bought 3dsmax8, over all, the best of the best (except 9, 8 came out), but then again, it has many features not needed for just modeling.
 
sketchup isn't bad, it's really bad :p and i'll even admit it, but if you learn it good enough and can get all of it's sucky tools to work together right you can create ok models. but i recommend getting anim8or then gmax. anim8or is good to learn about what each tool will do and give you a basic idea of what you will do in a program that can actually make something good.
and best of all they're both free.

links:
gmax anim8or
 
My personal opinion is Cinema 4D is by far and away the best modeling tool, as a polygon modeling tool it is superior to 3DS and Maya (not that maya will exist much longer).
 
I'm using Cinema 4D for about...four years now. Mainly did space ships, aircraft and architecture. So...modelling "my" Mk.4 armor in C4D for the pepakura export will take some time. But hey...I learn alot. ;-)

I can't say much about gmax' modelling tools, because I only use it for texturing (Don't own Bodypaint for C4D) my FlightSim objects, but maybe it will also get the job done. Or you may have a look at Blender. It's a free Programm, that allows modelling and rendering.

And NZ-TK already said it: It's the time you're willing to spend that limits you.
 
It matters what you are going to do with the model after you are done. Modelling is very easy in Rhino 3d v.4, Max, Maya, etc. You just have to learn what tools do what. We use Rhino a lot but Rhino files are not very useful when it comes to CNC. If you are intending on using the model for an output media like CNC or SLA then you should use something like Solidworks or MasterCam. You can probably export files to and from any of the above programs but mesh files have to be converted to surfaces for CNC and vice versa.
 
NZ-TK said:
I dont really think any 3d modeling application is "hard" to use. Its all down to how much time you're willing to spend working with it. You'll need to learn a lot, read a lot of books, and do a lot of tutorials but if you persevere you will pick it up, Its not impossible, they are just programmes
I second this statement.
This applies to pretty much any software.
Such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, i use that for my website, and at first it was like trying to read chinese. but through reading and tutorials on line and help of my friend, i got to know how to use the program with no sweat.

-Justin
 
Last edited by a moderator:
supertaco said:
sketchup isn't bad, it's really bad :p and i'll even admit it, but if you learn it good enough and can get all of it's sucky tools to work together right you can create ok models. but i recommend getting anim8or then gmax. anim8or is good to learn about what each tool will do and give you a basic idea of what you will do in a program that can actually make something good.
and best of all they're both free.

links:
gmax anim8or


Thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I personally like Blender, you can get some nice looking stuff out of that without a lot of work. I'd post some renders i've done, but my new comp doesn't like 3d modeling programs... :cautious:
 
Dark Rogue said:
I personally like Blender, you can get some nice looking stuff out of that without a lot of work. I'd post some renders i've done, but my new comp doesn't like 3d modeling programs... :cautious:
blender is ok but it takes really long to learn. but it works really good.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
supertaco said:
blender is ok but it takes really long to learn. but it works really good.


and this is unlike any other 3d app how?

if you don't already have a decent amount of experience modeling, any program is gonna take a long time to learn.

I've been doing 3d art for about 6 years now, and believe me, once you learn how to model, switching programs becomes a problem of just learning the interface, shortcuts, and terminology differences.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
mesh lab is not really a modelling tool, its used to organise point cloud data from 3d scans to generate meshes.
 
If your on a budget , try Blender or Milkshape , or Wings 3D.

If you have some money to spend ( about 7,000) get the Maya Professional edition..everything you could ever want...a bit much though.

If you have about 1,000 dollars to spend , people say lightwave is really good , and , semi-cheap.

I've actually had my eye on Amorphium. ( http://www.eitechnologygroup.com/products/amorphium/ ) It's a couple hundred.

Good Luck

-Joe
 
for most of them you could probably download a trial and then download a patch for the trial to make it a full version... I'm not like that with stealing... But my friend is... That's how he got AutoCAD on his computer... :\
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top