Well, since I hear about all of these learning editions of Maya, and 3D Studio Max, I really want to learn one of them. Can someone help me make the right choice. Please help me on this modelers.

------------------
One ring to rule them all. One to find them. One ring ti bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

All I've used is 3DSMax, can't speak for Maya, but I hear it's a wonderful program. So is 3DSMax, and they both have lots of possibilities. Check it out, see what's up, and figure out which you prefer.

------------------
There is no signature

I recommend Wings 3D. Its a great modeling program, and best of all, its free.

------------------
And everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon...
DSettahr's Homepage | Cantina Cloud | Rally NY

Either one will be helpful to you. If you're interested in the 3d industry, either will work. Both of those are widely used in the industry, so knowledge of both is useful.

As for the software itself, there is not much difference. It's been said before and I'll say it again: It's not the software, it's the artist. Anyone can use the most expensive 3d software to make horrible art, and a very skilled person can use freeware to make great art. The software is just a tool.

------------------
gree gree.

I am enamoured with Blender at the moment. 2.3MB freeware with complete modelling and animation capabilities.

/plug

Check out Cgtalk for plenty of examples of what people can do with various 3d programs. As for 3dsMax or Maya, it's really a matter of personal taste. From what I've seen though, Maya has better support for things like particles, cloth, hair and fur. But anyone feel free to prove me wrong.

Murc is right though, I've seen some dodgy stuff with the high-end programs and some awesome stuff with freeware like blender and wings3d.

Agreed Run. Blender = win. I've been using Blender since 1.68, and I couldn't be happier. It's a very strong program. I've seen Maya-comparable work done with Blender.

------------------
Our very existence is at stake

I'll definitely check out blender.


At uni we used this program called infini-d. Nice app, but the textures sucked. To get good results, i had to make my own textures in photoshop and import them.



------------------
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

Blender rules.

I'll always be a Blenderhead at heart

------------------
MadQuack on Military school: Pro's: I get to shoot a gun. Con's: Everything else.
"I'm going to beat you until the laws of physics are violated!!" ! Maeve's Warcry

RIP -MaDaVentor-. You will be missed.

While we're on the subject...what is up with the 30 day countdown for Milkshape? I don't recall that being there when I used to mess around with it, but its been awhile so I could be mistaken.

What do you folks think of Gmax and the Maya PLE? What are the advantages/disadvantages when it comes to them vs 3DS Max and Maya (full)?

I'll have to check out Blender and Wings 3D, they look quite good.

------------------
http://www.mentatmm.com (Status = Down :/)

Maya PLE is awesome, because it IS the full version of Maya, just with a huge watermark over everything, and you can't export your models. I really like Maya, and it seems a lot of companies are switching to Maya now.

------------------
"The future is not determined by a throw of the dice, but is determined by the conscious decisions of you and me."
I am addicted to ellipses!!! AHHH!!! ...
Make Sorrowind Worthwhile... join it! http://sorrowind.net

Gmax is evil, evil I tells you! I fiddled with this for a bit and didn't like it at all. The interface was kind of clunky and I always had problems with my mesh normals. Essentially Gmax is a stripped down version of 3DS Max, although you'll have to ask someone else for the specifics. It texturing ability is a bit dodgy too from memory.

The Maya PLE on the other hand is pretty good. AFAIK it contains all the features of the standard Maya program but any image you render is watermarked.

On a related note, don't get hung up on Maya (though I'd love to myself) and Max as there are other programs like Lightwave, Cinema4D and Animation master that are also pretty good.

I still vote Blender though

Wow, I'll definatly look into this blender.

1. I do want to use this for modeling, but also for rendering stuff. Like 3d movies and such. Can blender do that?

2. And what do you mean by watermarked, it is visable. (will there be a huge "MaYa" stamped across my guys back)


3.How come I can not export and of the models, does this mean I can't make something and use it for JA.

------------------
One ring to rule them all. One to find them. One ring ti bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Milkshape 3D is cheap (25 dollars), it's got a simple and basic interface, and it's perfect for point by point modeling.

GMax has more versitile features, including booleans and different extrusions. The interface is lacking, and because it's litterally had code deshelled from it's exterior, many things are unfunctional.

Anim8or suffers from GMax's unfunctionality, but offers it at a fraction of the file-size. Not only that, but it's got rendering capabilities. Anim8or is also free, but is mostly for getting used to 3D modeling.

Blender 3D, for me, was just simply aweful. Many other people can function with it, but I personally couldn't stand it (First modeling program I picked up). The interface just didn't feel right to me.

Wings 3D feels like some open source beta program, to me. Maybe because it is? It never worked propperly on my computer, but my computer sucks.

Now for the Expensives:

3DSMax Is by far my favorite of the expensives. It's got great rendering abilities, and my favorite interface. Creating scenes with it's object-related (very visual) coding menu is simply amazing. Even I was able to make a brick shatter like a real brick should! The modeling capabilities are also out of this world.

Maya is more of a rendering program. A lot of people use Maya WITH a modeling program, then apply special properties to meshes via Maya. Such as cloth, liquid, and physics. By far the better renderer, but is highly lacking in Modeling (I'm pretty sure it's mostly a spline editor, with a few simple booleans (Divide))

Lightwave is the lower end 3DSMax as far as rendering goes, but it's my favorite modeler. It's learning curve is steep, though. But perhaps that's what makes it the best modeler? It's functionality is composed of multiple viewports, multiple tabs, and multiple buttons. The interface, once learned, is astounding. My personal pick.

But, like many have said before: It's not the editor, it's the artist. Play with different programs to get a feel for it's layout and it's features. Sometimes the free programs are better than their more expensive counterparts because it works with YOUR style. That's why I'm still modeling with MS3D instead of lightwave (Which I legally own both :-D )

JediKirby

------------------
"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

does anyone here still use Bryce?

Granted, the output leaves much to be desired in terms of realism, but it still can make excellent terrain if you know how to use it.



------------------
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

If you want to make terrains, I highly recommend Terragen. I've never used Bryce.

------------------
Our very existence is at stake

Terragen doesn't hold a candle to Bryce as far as terrain and environments goes. Not to mention you can export it to DXF, and import the DXF in JK, thus, you can use terrains in JK

As for Maya, it is definately not just a rendering program. It can do nearly EVERYTHING 3DSMax can, which is why people are dropping 3DSMax, especially since 3DSMax hasn't been keeping up with technology lately.

------------------
"The future is not determined by a throw of the dice, but is determined by the conscious decisions of you and me."
I am addicted to ellipses!!! AHHH!!! ...
Make Sorrowind Worthwhile... join it! http://sorrowind.net

Yup. Check out Blenderwars when the site goes back up as they have some movies, also check out the Elysiun forums which is blender devoted and a good place to get an idea of what it can do. Blenders internal renderer is very fast, plus you can get raytracted versions as well using the internal raytracer (still under development) or use Yafray (a separate program with with integrated support into blender).

The interface is a little tricky at first, especially at the moment as it has recently been overhauled and the web-based instructions aren't up to date (older versions like the 2.2x series might be easier to learn with as they match the web-instructions).



Yes, there will be a big Maya printed across the middle of your picture, its faint enough that you can see your work, but too strong to be able to use it for commerical or purposes or anything other than learning.



You can only save in the native maya format to prevent youo from making any money off you creations (you are getting the program for free after all). You *might* be able to get someone else to convert it for you if you give them the file, but thats just speculation on my part. So you wont be able to make anything for JA. Most freeware programs wont export to Md3 or glm either. Gmax can export to Md3 but it screws the meshes up (fixable with a another program). But the expensive ones can export to md3 so if you make something in blender/wing3d etc you can export to something like dxf and give it to someone with 3dsmax and they can convert it for you.

Summary: if you want freeware with animation/movie capability, blender is the best option.

If you can get a student license on something like Maya or 3dsMax then go for one of them.

I never noticed that option. The only reason why I have bryce is because an acquaintance that owed me a debt used a copy of bryce 5 to pay me back with.


------------------
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

I really recommend starting with a simple program - Max, Maya, Lightwave, and Softimage are great, but they can often be disorientating and there's so many buttons and menus and features that it's overwhelming to someone trying to learn the basics of 3d. I recommend Wings3d for modeling, and Blender for animating/rendering - wings has an unbelievably simple interface that belies extraordinary power and efficiency, and most importantly both programs will get you started learning 3d, rather than struggling to find what buttons to push. And they're free!

I want wings to work for me :-(

------------------
"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

Terragen creates more realistic terrain than Bryce, but is far less flexible. Bryce's interface is also horrible. It consists mainly of unlabaled OSX-bubble-buttons and annoying sliders that are counter productive and hard to figure out how to use. I can't believe they managed to make sliders difficult to use.

------------------
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

As an interesting side note, you can import terragen worlds into blender using the ter2blend script and turn the terragen world into a mesh so you can edit it. I've seen a few awesome movies with planes and canyons using this.

very true. Bryce is a good example of custom interfaces gone wrong. Would it have killed the designers to put text labels on the new controls so we could at least reconize them from the start?


I just downloaded wings, and i love it already. It's simple enough to use so you hit the ground running, and yet is powerful enough to compete with maya and 3ds max. The first time I loaded maya, I was overwhelmed, literally. I didn't know what most of the control did, and I still don't.
------------------
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.



[This message has been edited by Pagewizard_YKS (edited April 08, 2004).]

I have a wings-related question: can I make my own textures in photoshop and import them into wings?

also, how do I make my objects shiny (like reflective metal shiny) in wings?



------------------
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

Wow, tons of replies, and thanks for them. I think I'm going to stick with blender, and mabey learn Maya on the side. But....

1. Is there a good place to get Blender Tutorials for a total begginer.

I know nothing of modeling and want some good tuts.

------------------
One ring to rule them all. One to find them. One ring ti bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Good luck with blender, I could never understand it.

I use wings too, really easy, you can just go on and mess around with it and come up with something cool.

------------------

"Run Away!"

I use lightwave. There's already been plenty of reasons posted as to why it's really great.

Blender knowledge base

Blender tutes and online manual

Lots of tutes

More tutes

Current blender download list

Archived blender versions

Since you are completely new I would suggest downloading the 2.28c version of Blender from the Archived blender versions list and using the online manual to get started. The 2.3x series has a new interface which is different than what is shown in the online manual, so you'll probably want to stick with an older version until you've found your way around it a bit. There is a bit of a learning curve as blender is very hot-key orientated but give it a week or two and you should be up and running nicely

You'll also want to keep an eye on the Blender homepage and the Elysiun page, especially their forums

If you want a really good idea of what it can do take a look at the WIP video clip (~950kb *.avi) of Giger's alien someone made on this thread. Link is right at the bottom and you made need DivX to view it. Most awesome thing ever.

/fanboy linkage post




[This message has been edited by Run (edited April 09, 2004).]