[Nico]

Originally posted by DragonClaw


Well, when I _did_ try it, I was always pressing icons and that crap... when I wanted to add a light, I had to press a blasted lightbulb. Maybe this is only for 3ds Max 3, because thats what I was using.

no, that's not only max3 I've used about all the max, from 1.2 to 5.1. you didn't try anything, so I won't bother replying.
( but yeah, max3 is by far the most unstable one, and you can't expect a warez version to be stable anyway, so it won't help. no pb like that with Gmax ).

and what's with the red?
it's goddam awful

[Unknown Target]

It might be illegal to do what Nuke suggested.
After all, Gmax was specifically designed to only work for certain games (which support .plasma models)

[phreak]

just do the

gmax -> tempest -> 3dx to cob -> pof route

[DragonClaw]

Originally posted by Venom
1)  you didn't try anything, so I won't bother replying.

2)and what's with the red?
it's goddam awful [/B]

1)Actually I did try a lot of stuff, I made a few renders with it, tried making beams with it(thats why I tried it in the first place, because I had trouble making beams with LW), and made the sh*ttiest Tie Fighter you've ever seen... and then my hard drive crashed and I had to format.

2)Hah, is this better?  Colors pwnz j00!

[Nico]

Originally posted by PhReAk
just do the

gmax -> tempest -> 3dx to cob -> pof route

to me, the interest of having a new converter is to get rid of the damn TS step.

Actually I did try a lot of stuff, I made a few renders with it, tried making beams with it(thats why I tried it in the first place, because I had trouble making beams with LW), and made the sh*ttiest Tie Fighter you've ever seen... and then my hard drive crashed and I had to format.

ok, just to be nice: get rid of the creation bar on the top ( you probably stuck to this, it's godamn useless, you can get rid of it ).
then in the right panel, you have the create tools ( a box tool is a button with "box" written on it, for exemple. but hargh! the horror, the creation panel isn't named "create"!!! there's a pic instead. it seems to make your mind bleed, so instead of using the right panel, just right click in a window. I think it's right click with alt hold down. if it's not alt, it's crtl or caps. can't remember, it just comes naturally when I use it. you'll get a pop-up menu with submenus and all, and it's 100% text allelujah!!!! )
there's so many different ways of using max, the one who criticizes the UI just didn't try, coz there's no way there's not one of the way that won't fit him.

[Deepblue]

Got beams?
Done in Max 5 in 2 minutes.

[Nuke]

truespace is a very low end proggie. and its limited features dont justify its pricetag. max on the other hand is what the pros use. i mastered truespace because of freespace. its high time i learn a new program. but i need a use for it first. im waiting on the combat flightsim 3 gamepack to come out, and i might do a couple planes for that (or just use my fs models).

[Liberator]

I remain in defense of Blender.  I know of no other modeling package that makes it so easy to manipulate a polygonal model.  

I downloaded GMax and was completely lost.  I even went and got a tutorial, I was more confused after reading it than before.  

The high end modeling packages have a very steep learning curve, requiring you to learn a lot of jargon just to be able to use them properly.  Blender on the other hand has a much shallower learning curve, you only learn what you need to learn to do a specific task.  

Ex. In TS 3.2 I can add a cube into the scene, I can rotate it, scale it's dimensions up and down, and even move it around.  I'm at a loss as to how to extrude a particular face.

Part of this is due to poor program design, part is due to my general lack of talent, but a lot is due to the fact that TS, as well as 3DSM, Lightwave, and Maya, are actually animation packages that happen to make models.

With Blender on the other hand I can place a cube(press spacebar, select ADD, then MESH, then CUBE), I can rotate it(select it by pressing A and then press r), I can move it around(press g once) and scale it up or down(press s once).  More over I can extrude a face or faces quite easily.

The reason for this is mainly due to the fact that Blender is a 3d polygonal modeling package with a limited animation suite thrown in on top of it.

[Nico]

Originally posted by Liberator
With Blender on the other hand I can place a cube(press spacebar, select ADD, then MESH, then CUBE), I can rotate it(select it by pressing A and then press r), I can move it around(press g once) and scale it up or down(press s once).  More over I can extrude a face or faces quite easily.

ok, why max owns blender even on simplicity. want to make a cube?
alt+ right click, create, cube, draw your cube in viewport ( like for any paint pro, hold caps down while drawing it will make all sizes proportional ).
want to scale it? right click, scale, use the gizmo.
want to move it? right click, move, use the gizmo.
don't need to learn two dozens keys for such basic things, thank you.
there's limits to bad faith, you know

of course the learning curve isn't the same. you're comparing a ruler with a computer, efficiency-wise, there.

oh, and:
"Part of this is due to poor program design, part is due to my general lack of talent, but a lot is due to the fact that TS, as well as 3DSM, Lightwave, and Maya, are actually animation packages that happen to make models"

3dsmax is the tool of choice for game makers for building low-poly meshes, and EASY modelling has always been the moto for selling Max.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Venom
oh, and:
"Part of this is due to poor program design, part is due to my general lack of talent, but a lot is due to the fact that TS, as well as 3DSM, Lightwave, and Maya, are actually animation packages that happen to make models"

3dsmax is the tool of choice for game makers for building low-poly meshes, and EASY modelling has always been the moto for selling Max.

Besides which, If GMax isn't a modeller can someone tell me what it is for then?

Personally I find Truespace very easy to deal with. I can extrude any face I want to with ease.

Basically the best thing to do is download TS3.2, GMax, blender and the lighwave demo and play about with all of them. Then use whichever you find the easiest.

[Nuke]

i have mastered truespace, but i am still disatisfied with it. i like the features and interface of max, but i still cant do jack with it.

its like comparing mac os with linux, mac os is easy to use, but you cant do jack with it. linux is versitile, but you cant do jack with it, unless you know how.

its beter to start with something easy, master it, then go to the next level. but never assume that what you are using is the best of the best, it never is.

[karajorma]

Unfortunately as has been stated several times once you've learned to use a certain program you tend to stick with it.

I don't know why but in 3D modelling more than almost any other field I can thik of what you learn first is what you stick with.

[Nuke]

i dont like to follow the no advancement mentality. a pro always looks for new ways to do things to make their job easyer. once you lock into cycles of old ways. you become inflexable, something intolerable to any computer professional. never stop trying new ways to do things, i think i tried something new with every model ive done. never stop trying to improve your skills. if that means using a new program, then so be it. ive been trying to learn a program other than truespace, for obvious reasons.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Nuke
ive been trying to learn a program other than truespace, for obvious reasons.

That's basically what I mean. Swapping from PSP to Photoshop probably won't take you more than a few days (if that!) cause most art packages from PSP all the way down to MS Paint work in a basically similar way.

 Swapping from Truespace to 3DS Max or Lighwave is a completely different matter. Although your skills of knowing when to extrude or when to bevel to get the effect you want are still there you have to learn how to do it all over again. Very few people bother and instead use the time to become better with the program they started with.

If you're willing to go through the whole process of relearning another program good for you though

[Nuke]

i like max's modifyer system that lets you tweak your model in a mater similer to the layers in photoshop. but i still havent figured out how to work at the vertex level in max, the main thing holding me back (other than the fact that i dont have a copy of the real max). if a plasma to pof converter was made, id definately start modeling under gmax. once you learned program 1 and 2, learning 3 and 4 is a snap. i say learn as many modeling software packages as possible.

[Nico]

when you're in editing mesh mode, push 1. voila, you're in vertex mode ( push 2 for edge, 3 for face, 4 for polygon, 5 for element ).

[KARMA]

does the meshtools work for gmax too? i remember a lot of people telling me that without this plugin max was a little worse in modelling than other packages like LW or XSI

[Nico]

heh? dunno what you're talking about.

[KARMA]

this is an old link from my bookmark (but since i don't have max i never looked deeply in this)

http://www.scriptspot.com/download.asp?ID=619&inf=1

[Nico]

oh, I see. It doesn't really add anything, it just makes things a bit easier ( one click instead of two for most editing tools, stuff like that ). It's for lazy bums ( nah, it's nice, but it really does not improve much on anything ).