Guest #1 October 5, 2004 Just got a 4-pack of 3D graphics apps: Ray Dream Studio 5 Bryce 3D Poser 4 Paint 3D I've had a copy of Ray Dream Studio 4 for years but never really used it til now. mh ."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Douva 0 #2 October 5, 2004 Ray Dream Studio 5 used to be pretty good (was about a $250 program, I think), but it may be a little dated now. It takes some real computer knowledge to start using it well--It's not just drag and drop like a lot of 3D programs. If you don't have the manual, try to track it down. The tutorials will help a lot. --DouvaI don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weegegirl 2 #3 October 5, 2004 I've used Poser before. Never for anything serious. Just playing around. Personally, I got bored with it pretty quick. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #4 October 5, 2004 I have been meaning to get my hands on Poser 5 or a like program. When I saw it I instantly saw some of the ideas I have in my head being conceptualized graphically. I just don't want to have to spend a college semester learning how to use a program though."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chivo 0 #5 October 6, 2004 You should try http://www.blender3d.org/ its free, and did I mentioned its FREE???? Well, it might not be 3d Studio Max or Maya, but its getting better and better plus it seems to have a lot of help from the community, since its open source. The new version has nice features like particle force fields and deflection, advanced UV mapping, ramp shading, etc. Check the gallery for samples. ~Chivo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #6 October 6, 2004 QuoteYou should try http://www.blender3d.org/ its free, and did I mentioned its FREE???? Well, it might not be 3d Studio Max or Maya, but its getting better and better plus it seems to have a lot of help from the community, since its open source. The new version has nice features like particle force fields and deflection, advanced UV mapping, ramp shading, etc. Check the gallery for samples. ~Chivo I have the following apps: Blender Vue d'Esprit 3D (1024x768 demo version) POV-Ray 3.5 Ray Dream 4 & 5 Bryce3D Poser3 Painter3D Blender's probably got the highest learning curve of the purely graphic 3D products. I hope it improves. POV-Ray has a steep curve if you want to do anything fancy, but Harju don't do calculus... I don't know how much better 3d Studio or Maya are, since I haven't used them. All I know is that although they're way expensive, their finished product doesn't look any better than the cheap ones, but then, a poor workman blames his tools. In answer to an earlier query, I do have an manual for Ray Dream 5, but there are lots of tutorials on the web for Ray Dream, and other 3d products. BTW I got Ray Dream 5, Bryce3D, Poser 3 and Paint3D in a combined package, with manuals for $26 on eBay. I've been having fun putting the Poser characters into naughty poses too... mh . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chivo 0 #7 October 6, 2004 QuoteBlender's probably got the highest learning curve of the purely graphic 3D products. I hope it improves. I don't know how much better 3d Studio or Maya are, since I haven't used them. All I know is that although they're way expensive, their finished product doesn't look any better than the cheap ones, but then, a poor workman blames his tools. True, blender isn't very intuitive, but its worth learning it. It is becoming more and more popular. Also, with 3d Studio Max and Maya, I've used both and found Max a lot more intuitive, and by that, I mean, I had to read a few books, like 3d Studio Max's bible and also followed a LOT of the tutorials that are available online. And I barely became proficient at simple animation and 3d modeling. I can only imagine how much time you got to dedicate to this in order to master it. No matter how simple or complicated your animation programs are. Most of these applications will require a lot of reading. If you just want the basics, maybe a few tutorials will be enough to get you started. ~Chivo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #8 October 7, 2004 I'm sorta going for the shotgun approach. I'm finding and downloading tutorials, and shopping for commerical manuals. The package I mentioned came with manuals, but today I bought 3rd-party books for Ray Dream 5 and Bryce (i was outbid for a Poser book tho ). I've recently become intrigued by 3D, especially since I have finally assembled (almost) all the pieces needed for a Beowulf cluster (e.g., a bunch o' P-III PCs in my garage), so I won't have to wait weeks for render jobs with POV-Ray. I really believe that desktop clustering is the (near) future. Already, Intel and AMD are close to releasing dual-core CPUs. I intend to get there ahead of, or at least at the same time as, my IT contemporaries. That, and I've seen a free, open-source Myst-style adventure game that's all about 3D. I'd like to emaulate that. mh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
