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Alright - Starting this topic for 2 reasons: 1. So I can get a good idea about whats out there for graphic making. 2. So everybody else has a better knowledge of the tools. Heres the deal. Write your answer in this form below. I'll give an example (which is not accurate):
Name: Maya What makes it so good?: Its pretty Price: 1000$ Any tips?: use the thingymabob Any known tutorials?: THe Maya thing - posted here (url="http://"http://www.somethingorother.com")www.somethingorother.com(/url) Recommend to Newbies?: No User friendly?(as far as model programs go?): No Score (1-10): 8.9 General/Other Comments: IT takes awhile to download
NOTE: Everything written above is completely false. I made it up to show what your answers should look like.
------------------ In the words of my generation, UP YOURS!!! - the crazy guy from INDEPENDENCE DAY
Name: Wings 3D What makes it so good?: Easy to use for new modelers Price: Free Any Tips?: Just go crazy and have fun and see what you can make. Any Known Turtorials: There are some at (url="http://"http://www.wings3d.com")www.wings3d.com(/url), I believe... Recommend to Newbies?: Yes User Friendly?: Yes Score: 8/10 Complaints: Doesn't allow you to texture your models you have to use another program to do that, and I haven't found any other free modeling/texturing programs out there...
------------------ http://www.cdrwerks.com Home of the EVula Plug.
I use Cinema 4D. Its pretty easy to use, and even easier with a tutorial.
The demo doesn't allow you to save anything, but if you're just making planets or whatnot, that can be worked around using Snapz Pro. (I don't recommend trying to capture ship graphics this way-----it takes too long, its a pain, and it usually doesn't come out right anyway.)
There's a slightly limited (but still quite usable) version which was included with a UK mag on a CD awhile back. You should be able to get ahold of that if you look hard enough.
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Name: Mechanisto What makes it so good?: Has built-in texturing, making visits to photoshop infrequent. Price: Free Any tips?: The gradient shader is your friend. Any known tutorials?: Yes, (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/tycho61uk/index.html")http://www.geocities...61uk/index.html(/url) has good information. Recommend to Newbies?: Yes User friendly?(as far as model programs go?): Yes Score (1-10): 7 General/Other Comments: Setup is different from what I've seen in other programs (though my experiance with them is limited). Runs in os 9, not X. Lights cannot be grouped or copy-pasted, making extensive use of them torturous. Glowing objects (flares, etc) don't usually look like they really glow, like in more advanced programs. Ships usually end up looking sort of cartoony, like old EV sprites.
------------------ (url="http://"http://www.evula.org/infernostudios/search.html")The plug-in search engine!(/url)
Name: Infini-D What makes it so good?: It's easy to use and cheap Price: fr33 Any tips?: Just mess around for a bit Any known tutorials?: The Shipbuilder's guide to Infini-D (you can find it in the EV Addons section) Recommend to Newbies?: yes User friendly?(as far as model programs go?): yes Score (1-10): 7 General/Other Comments: It's outdated, but makes up for simplicity with ease of use and good anti-aliasing, along with reasonably good compatability with other graphics formats
Divals
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Quote
Originally posted by Bozo The Evil Clown: **Alright - Starting this topic for 2 reasons: 1. So I can get a good idea about whats out there for graphic making. 2. So everybody else has a better knowledge of the tools. Heres the deal. Write your answer in this form below. I'll give an example (which is not accurate): **
Bozo, I know that you're somewhat new here, but please do a search for topics like this. They're almost a dime a dozen, and there's a lot of information on them. You could even just look through the EV Image Gallery. Just check out the images that you like, and see what program the person used. That'd give you an idea of where to start. But for the sake of the thread:
Name: POVRay What makes it so good?: Its free, has a good renderer, and is totally unlike all other programs on the market. Price: free Any tips?: don't be intimidated by its lack of a GUI. Be persistant and keep working at it. Any known tutorials?: beats the heck out of me, go to (url="http://"http://www.povray.org")www.povray.org(/url) Recommend to Newbies?: Yes and No. I started as a newbie, but a lot of people get turned off by it User friendly?(as far as model programs go?): No. You need to be persistant and not give up, but it gives good results Score (1-10): 6 General/Other Comments: The lack of a GUI is annoying, as well as its non standard modelling tools.
Name: Newtek Lightwave 8.0 What makes it so good?: It has powerful modelling tools. Has the best bundled renderer on the market. Supports HDRI. Integrated Polygon and Subdivision Surfaces. Price: $1700. $500 upgrade from 7.5 (I think) Any tips?: Practice a lot. Read the manual. Practice more. Any known tutorials?: All over the internet. (url="http://"http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/tutorials/index.html")http://www.newtek.co...ials/index.html(/url) Recommend to Newbies?: No. It's too expensive for that. For a newbie, I'd suggest a free program until you surpass its capabilities and you know that you're going to continue in 3D. It's not worth it to buy an industry standard program if you're going to just make a sphere and quit. User friendly?(as far as model programs go?): Yes. Score (1-10): 10 General/Other Comments: ATMOS used Lightwave to make the ships of EV Nova. It is also used by EdenFX for the visual effects on Enterprise.
------------------ "Interestingly, according to modern astronomers, space is finite. This is a very comforting thought -- particularly for people who can never remember where they have left things." - Woody Allen
(url="http://"http://htf.mondominishows.com/valentine/main.asp?seed=7375&serial;=214877")The funniest valentine I've ever gotten.(/url)
(This message has been edited by what_is_the_matrix (edited 07-08-2004).)
Name: C4d What makes it so good?: Powerful yet user friendly both to a certain extent. Animation is easy and intuitive. There are lots of different plugins available. Price: 500$ Any tips?: Hypernurbs is your best friend and your worst enemy. Use them wisely. Learn to model without them. . Do not render with the cruel ambient light which is emitted from the camera. Any known tutorials?: (url="http://"http://www.cinema4d.com")www.cinema4d.com(/url) Recommend to Newbies?: Yes, though some experience is good. User friendly?(as far as model programs go?): Yes Score (1-10): 9 General/Other Comments: Can achieve results close to Maya, Softimage and Lightwave. Is cheaper and user friendly.
------------------ And then there were silence.................
Originally posted by what_is_the_matrix: **Name: POVRay What makes it so good?: Its free, has a good renderer, and is totally unlike all other programs on the market. Price: free Any tips?: don't be intimidated by its lack of a GUI. Be persistant and keep working at it. Any known tutorials?: beats the heck out of me, go to www.povray.org Recommend to Newbies?: Yes and No. I started as a newbie, but a lot of people get turned off by it User friendly?(as far as model programs go?): No. You need to be persistant and not give up, but it gives good results Score (1-10): 6 General/Other Comments: The lack of a GUI is annoying, as well as its non standard modelling tools. **
Name: Moray What makes it so good?: It's a GUI for POV-RAY. Free demo version. Price: free demo/EUR 80 to register Any tips?: It's best for the math/construction oriented. Lots of support for primitives, but the more complicated objects (3D Splines, NURBS, Bessier Patches) is a bit kludgy IMHO. Any known tutorials?:Many included in the help files, and on the offical website (url="http://"http://www.stmuc.com/moray")www.stmuc.com/moray(/url) Recommend to Newbies?: It took me about an hour with no prior experience with 3d modeling to start making passable ships and landscapes, but I am a heavy math geek. Score (1-10): 7 General/Other Comments: Only for Windows (which brought the score down).