[haloboy100]

I'll cut to the chase as i've procrastinated long enough for doing something in modeling...so i've decided to take it up.

My question is predictably which program i should use. I've looked and compared very long and i've come down to a few choices.Not counting the price, because torrentz nullifies that problem.

This is what i've heard:

3DSMax - seems to be perfect. From what i've read it has very high quality....stuff (i don't know, i just keep hearing "high quality" or "very good" over again about stuff i don't understand).

Blender - I heard the interface is horrible, but it's right next to 3DSMax if i can't get that.

Maya - Steep learning curve, but really easy interface and perfect for games.

Sketchup - Easy to use interface and learning curve, but I heard it's pretty weak.

Lightwave - Sounds pretty high-end, but i haven't heard much else.

Cinema4D - Sounds similar to lightwave, with an apparently flexible interface thats artist friendly

Wings3D sounds fairly mediocre...and i know i'm gonna get *****ed at for saying that

Strangely enough, my comparison charts never had truespace...

first comparison chart
second comparison chart

I also read up the modeling programs on wikipedia.

So, i need some expert opinions. Any idea what i should use?

[shiv]

I've used TrueSpace and sketchup. I've also tried blender and gmax - Those were a horror for me. Maybe I'll try them one mroe time but I were just confused after using them. Sketchup is easy and allow you to make a good models in a few hours of practice. TrueSpace - Good for finalizing model but not for modelling.

[haloboy100]

what about blender? i was really considering that one for a bit, untill i heard about the interface.

[shiv]

Blender is good and powerfull but Interface disgusted me.

[haloboy100]

i'll wait a day or 2 for the opinions to gather

[Jeff Vader]

But don't just believe us blindly. Listen to this testimonial from yet another satisfied customer:

but you most buy everything for modelling full version

[Unknown Target]

I'd recommend Sketchup, you can make some incredible models with it once you get past the "OMG ITS EASY" stage and actually start pushing the prog.

[Vasudan Admiral]

Blenders interface is called horrible because people usually don't realise that most of the visual interface is kinda 'backup' for the real interface - which is keyboard shortcuts. I can model stuff ever faster and make it ever more complex at the same time almost entirely through the keyboard shortcuts. In fact if I'm not creating a cutscene or rendering something, I barely touch the buttons panels at all.

Layout wise I use a dual screen setup with my left one devoted to one huge 3d window, and the right one with a hierarchy (outliner) panel, a UV mapping panel and a buttons panel down the bottom just in case:

You can arrange the entire thing to approximate anything you like.
For example - the 3DS Max layout:


There are huge volumes of tutorials (including video ones) on the blender site, including the pretty comprehensive noob to pro tut, which I'm currently helping a 10 year old go through. He loves it.

Strangely enough, my comparison charts never had truespace...

Yeah, there's a very good reason for that.

[blowfish]

I'd recommend Sketchup, you can make some incredible models with it once you get past the "OMG ITS EASY" stage and actually start pushing the prog.

You'd be surprised what you can do with SketchUp once you get a hang of it.

[haloboy100]

Blenders interface is called horrible because people usually don't realise that most of the visual interface is kinda 'backup' for the real interface - which is keyboard shortcuts. I can model stuff ever faster and make it ever more complex at the same time almost entirely through the keyboard shortcuts. In fact if I'm not creating a cutscene or rendering something, I barely touch the buttons panels at all.

Layout wise I use a dual screen setup with my left one devoted to one huge 3d window, and the right one with a hierarchy (outliner) panel, a UV mapping panel and a buttons panel down the bottom just in case:

You can arrange the entire thing to approximate anything you like.
For example - the 3DS Max layout:


There are huge volumes of tutorials (including video ones) on the blender site, including the pretty comprehensive noob to pro tut, which I'm currently helping a 10 year old go through. He loves it.

Strangely enough, my comparison charts never had truespace...

Yeah, there's a very good reason for that.

I love keyboard shortcuts

But one of my comparison charts said blender didn't use them...so right now my choices are either blender or sketchup.

[redsniper]

Try both. Blender is great. Wings 3d seems better modeling-wise, but can't do much else and I haven't taken the time to learn how to use it properly.

[Vasudan Admiral]

I love keyboard shortcuts

But one of my comparison charts said blender didn't use them...so right now my choices are either blender or sketchup.

Oh it definitely uses keyboard shortcuts. I wouldn't be using it if it didn't.
The charts might have been talking about the ability to customise your own shortcuts - for some reason that ability has not yet been added to blender, but it will be present in the next release version.


Another thing to consider is ease of import into FS. Currently, you can export a PCS2 ready cob straight from blender using Waters modified script. It's unable to preserve smoothgroups or hierarchy, but hierarchy can be done in PCS2, and smoothgroups can be done in a quick TS stopover reasonably easily.

I don't know the exact process of exporting sketchup models, but apparently every single disconnected mesh is separated into a separate object when you import it into TS. This doesn't sound bad until you consider complex models where you have huge amounts of small details all disconnected from the main hull as they should be. Each and every greeble would be it's own object - which I can unfortunately guarantee will be a major headache.

UT, what was the process we used to get that fighter of yours in-game?

[IceyJones]

Not counting the price, because torrentz nullifies that problem.

when i hear THAT, i feel anger arising in my stomach......

but to come back to the question:
if you are really a total noob in any 3d-software i recommend to start with blender directly. IT IS FREE and in some parts BETTER than commercial products. of course the interface is not really comperable with commercial products, but if you are a noob, EVERY interface will be complex to learn.....so why not starting with blender and the huge community in the background to support you?!

and personally i think, that 3dsMAX has the worst interface of ALL 3d-programms......

but in general:
every 3d-package has its pro´s and con´s. one package is best in modeling, the other has the best material-editor, the next has the best rendering capabilities, and so on and so on....

thats the reason, why the big studios use 3 to 4 different programm-packages simultaniously.....

for pure.....
modeling i would choose modo.....
texturing: bodypaint
particles: maya
redering: final render

but that would cost something about 10000 EUR total.....money I do not have!

so i´ve choosen a package wich can do everything, but nothing perfect, but is relatively cheap.....i bought cinema 4d. best alternative imho would have been softimage XSI. very big package for low price.

and if i win in a lottery i buy houdini

[Unknown Target]

I'd recommend Sketchup, you can make some incredible models with it once you get past the "OMG ITS EASY" stage and actually start pushing the prog.

You'd be surprised what you can do with SketchUp once you get a hang of it.

I take it you haven't seen my models with it I was saying that most people look at SU and don't really exploit it's power, because it's so simple to use it doesn't occur to them to try something other than the simple "trace outline and pull it out".

Vasudan Admiral: I know that when I was getting SU ships in-game, I would export them to .3DS, import them into Max, and fix the vertices and smoothing groups there. Then I'd use 3D Exploration to convert it from MAX to COB, where I'd then use PCS2 to save it as a PCS2-compatable file, then reopen that, then save that as POF. And that sometimes worked

If PCS2 ever gets .ASE support, I've found an ASE exporter for SU that works really well, so there's always that option.