The latest issue of Digit Magazine (#63), a British magazine distributed in the U.S.A., is giving away the complete version of the expensive landscape creation tool, Worldbuilder Pro 2.3, for free on CD. I just picked it up today. Thought you might like to know. -jjsemp

Got it! Very cool. Exports 3ds also. -Mark

Heh heh. Wait 'til you get the next edition. Has a copy of particleIllusion, which is THE most fun program I've ever played with.

Hey folks - I live in Holland and can only get English language magazines from certain big newsagents in big cities - can anyone tell me the publisher of the mag - plus publication date etc and I can try and order a copy - thanks in advance. Angela.

Ver. 2.3 has no plugin for it to import PZ3 files with. It's possible that it doesn't import .obj files at all.

Attached Link: http://www.digitmag.co.uk/

Wohoo! 8.99 UK pounds for a $700 program, "I'll buy that for a dollar!" :) Many thanks, I've wanted play with that for a while but always balked at the price. later jb

I have WB 3.2 Standard. no lightwave or max plugins, only import a scene, poser import rough, really rought to do. now while WB3.2 is newer and not the one on the magazine, my experience with WB3.2 is HORRIBLE! Installation off the CD required me to contact the company and get missing files off the CD, NO manual included, I had to wait 4 months for them to write the manual and then when the pdf's came out on the company web site the Manual was for 3.5 and covered things TOTALLY different from 3.2. The company treats costomers that bought the World Builder Standard ($400 USA) as peons. They only support the Pro version which is $1000 USA. Now while my experience as a WB user may be totally different than others, the WB forums and several people that I have talked with have all concluded the same thing - World Builder sucks! I'm posting this because the idea behind the free versions of software are to get you to play with older versions and the eventually upgrade or purchase new versions of the software. I have never been so disapointed in a purchase, and a $400 purchase at that, treated so poorly. I will never buy another product by Digital Elements, and I am boycotting any upgrades and WB in general. Just thought some ought to know what the newer users have experienced incase someone wants to or is thinking about upgrading from the FREE older version. Buy Vue, it works with poser and is MUCH cheaper and better supported. my 2 cents and my opinions, hope others have much better experiences with WB.

Hi Does anyone know what stores carry the magazine? Thanks Keith

I agree with MachineClaw. I used AWB 2.3 and liked it. I upgraded to WB 3.2 and hated it. I still have the box, program, manual, and pamphlet, I mean manual, and if someone is interested I will transfer my license to them along all the above for $150. You can update to version 3.5 at Digital Elements site. Look there for details!!! What a sales pitch, right! Don't say we didn't worn you.

Worldbuilder is an extraordinary piece of software. But elite software is nothing without reasonable marketing. The problem is the price of WB pro (a thousand dollars) is absurd. Since Vue and Brice... They have to lower the price around $300.00, better $200.00. So skiled people buy it and use it. Now we see it given in a magazine. Absurd such of an excellent software given for peanuts. Go and get them. Its better to sell 5 units at $200 than one at $1,000.00 How many times stupid management sinks good software? This is a clear signal that the sells of WBpro is slow. Slow sells means a lot of thing. I dont tell them, you know already. Damn I am from Panama and in my country that clever magazine doesnt sell.

Attached Link: PoserPros

I began it yesterday, and finished it out tonight.

It is for an upcoming tutorial on building this scene that will be published soon.

For those of you who missed the Digit Magazine free version, 3D World Magazine is going to be including a full copy of WorldBuilder 2.3 on the cover CD with issue 44.

For those of you who were disappointed in WB3, indeed, there WERE LOTS of problems with WB 3. That is now a thing of the past with the latest upgrade, WB 3.55. It is now a joy to work with again, and the interface changes, new particles features, hundreds and hundreds of plants, sky wizard tools... all of it just rocks! :)

To learn more about what WB is like NOW, not the buggy past version, come join our WB Forum over at PoserPros.

We will also be supporting the Free WB 2.3 version going out with the magazines.

I've heard that WB 3.5 fixed the bugs and really improved the product. unfortunate for those of us that payed into WB3 wanting a working product. mine will not even run or install without files that were emailed to me, CD Distribution Error not me. upgrade to WB3.5 was expensive, more than buying Vue NEW or Bryce 5 NEW for an upgrade! If you use Max or Lightwave you need to buy the plugins which is an additional charge because they are by a 3rd party vendor BUT the plugins ONLY work with WB PRO not Standard. So if you want WB 3.5 pro and lightwave or max plugin your looking at about $1200 usa. Sorry that's what I payed for Lightwave itself no thanks. OH and WB Standard users? They can not upgrade from Standard to Pro version. You have to buy the program again and buy the PRO version this time. Digital Elements was 'thinkin' about changing this policy when I last spoke to them but no decision had been made. I'm all for free versions. I may even try the Free version of WB 2.3 since my wb 3.2 is useless (I'm not just saying that, it crashes and has so many problems that DE's solution was for me to upgrade that was their only sugjestion $200 fix).

Er... Machineclaw, you have a few of your "facts" in error. The Max and Lightwave and Maya communication plugins ARE included with WB Pro, and always have been. They are NOT a separate purchase. You must be thinking instead of the Rosetta plugins which are sold seperately, but they are a different animal entirely. There IS an upgrade path from WB Standard to WB Pro, at a nicely reduced price that basically discounts what you paid for standard from pro. As far as 3.X not even installing for you, man, I am sorry to hear that. It sounds like something wrong with your specific system conflicting with it in some way. Mine installed and ran fine. Sure, there were bugs in it, it crashed a good deal, but I still managed to do lots of fine work, at production speeds, and made myself a good bit of money on commissions for the work I've done with the 3.X version. That Digital Element sent you specifically additional files to help resolve your problem was really sweet of them I think. Lord knows most other companies would not go that far, you'de just be SOL. Don, at Digital Element is one of the nicest persons I've personally met, and very fair and reasonable. Over and over when I have approached him about getting with people specifically who were having a hard time with the old 3.X version he has, and has done all in his power to make it right to them, even when they turned around and stabbed him in the back by immediately auctioning off the replacement versions he sent them and still dissed him all over the net. I'd have had some people in court by now if I were him, but the man is a saint, what can I say. He inherited a mess when his company took over after version 3.X and tried to do the best he could, and still does, but some people never forget anything I guess, if they were unhappy for any reason in the past. I find it personally frustrating, since WB has so much to offer people, particularly compared to the limited abilities of Vue and Bryce, and since I see the exact same small handful of people always putting it down, constantly showing up to warn people away, and prevent the financial recovery of this company. It is a well deserved and earned recovery, considerings where they were with version 3.x when the company was going bankrupt, and where they are now that Don took over. But it is as if these small number of people will not be happy till this company and it's product no longer exists period, and it is driven totally out of business.

I don't know if I can be clearer but I'll try. When I opened my shiny new WB 3.2 package that I had payed $400 for I put the CD into the compuer and the install wouldn't work because of MISSING file ON the CD. DE sent those. I installed the application, I clicked on the program to run my new fun great program and it crashed saying it needed a file that was missing, so I emailed again, and again I was sent the missing file. NOT an issue with my machine, the production of the CD round that I purchased had missing or corrupt files. This got fixed. Then I waited 4 months for a manual. To buy a $400 'pro' application and NOT have a manual is retarded, again this eventually came out, only to find out that waiting ALL THAT TIME the manual covers WB 3.5 and NOT WB 3.2, differences in the WB 3.5 application make it hard to follow the steps in tutorials because the screens are not the same. WB out of the box (least with WB 3.2) is limited in what can be done with Max or Lightwave, scenes can be imported but there were lots of problems. This is WHY DE made the communicator plugins for Max and Lightwave however they ONLY work with WB 3.5 PRO not standard. DE's site info on the WB Products is confusing and can lead to assumptions, I fully agree that I did not understand when purchasing. It WAS stated that WB Pro had network rendering and that was the ONLY difference at the time between the Standard and Pro verisons on thier URL. MY experience has been a horrible one, as stated. I know that DE has done a bang up job fixing the bugs, compatibility and support. I personally have been dead in the water for months with MANY emails that say, wait, wait, wait, it's okay wait, and finally told okay were ready to help send us money now. $400 up front, no manual, wait 4 months, told to upgrade and spend $200 for the upgrade. $600 for a working fixed program is a LOT, no HUGE amount of money, I did not choose to upgrade. I still believe that people need to hear my horror story and experience as well as new users of WB 3.5's good experiences. WB is a LARGE investment in money. It can do amazing things. I do not think that it is for hobbiests, more for advanced users, but again these are my feelings. I will not rant anymore on the topic, I just want it clear that my bashing is not my machine, user error, it was unclear info on DE's url, that has been fixed, bad CD, fixed, no manual, fixed, but for me to experience the joys that others do, I have to spend much more money than a new 1st time buyer. I'm done.

oh and since this is the poser forum, WB's comatability with Poser is limited. getting better but not as much compatibility as say Vue with Mover at a cheaper cost to the user.

I've always managed to import Poser stuff into WB scenes without problems, all the way back to version 2 even... I just export out as 3ds back then, and import into WB. Starting with version 3.x there was an actual plugin that enabled direct import of Poser files, via 3 different methods, each being a little more "friendly" than the other as far as "doing it all" for you. I see I must get back to finishing out that tutorial on importing Poser things into WB soon now! :) MachineClaw, I can see now from what you say how things went for you, as far as misunderstanding that only the Pro Version has EVER come with the Max and Lightwave and Maya plugins... that is in fact why it is called Pro version... and also evidently a bad cd burn to boot. I would be frustrated were I in your shoes also. Please contact Don and speak to him on your situation specifically. He is a good man. The "missing manual" was a huge mistake, it is true. This came to pass in the "last hours of the sinking of the titanic" as it were... they were in terrible troubles, and alot like CL shipped without a decent manuel. It hurt them alot. It was a terrible mistake. The company was going under in Russia... LOTS of fine companies went under in Russia during that period of upheaval in their early days of trying to learn to manage in a democracy and capitalist environment. I knew so many of the team there... my heart still grieves for one and always shall, who took his own life during that time period of chaos. Only those who were around with the company in those dark days can understand what I am talking about I guess, and I won't go into it further here. It is too depressing and dark. For me, having tried out Vue... at long last, let me say this. Vue is indeed a splendid tool, with a superb user interface. I hope in fact to see some great user interface improvements coming down the pike with WB 4, based on suggestions I am making and experience with Vue and how easy it is to use in certain ways. But Vue ships with only 30 plants, though you can purchase more later... at a premium price. And no waterfalls, surf particles, and as far as I can see, no true volumetrics, though they have something they call volumetrics. Just a ton of differences. For beginners, I definately would strongly recommend Vue, but when you are ready to really stretch your artistic wings and fly without limits... there is nothing that compares to World Builder.

.. an email from the stupid management staff of DE that is sinking a good product ;) ... in fact I can say I am 100% responsible for all of the situations mentioned in this forum. Thanks MachineClaw for the complements in fixing bugs -- that as well as documentation were our priorities for the last year -- along with the communicators. Obviously, we think here at DE that WB it is an appropriately priced product. Im not sure if WB is as much of a hobbyist product as some of the others -- WB is more powerful, has more of a learning curve, and isn't priced to be a hobbyist product. After all, we import satelite data, export to RPF format, and EVERYTHING animates. Its a Professional tool -- even the Standard version -- and it is priced accordingly. I have heard from professional circles that our product is underpriced -- Poser users think we are overpriced. Of course, the poser community REALLY thoguht Poser 5 was overpriced, so what are you going to do? So about the communicators -- they were developed by a third party. DE doesn't make a lot of money on them -- they were made by a company called Strela. They do only work with Pro and there is a new website going up either today or early next week that describes Rosetta (the communicators) quite well. Its amazing how little difference there is between WB Pro and Sts. So many people who dont need that communication can save $600 So with WB Standard you get normal importing and exporting of all of the formats. However, WB exports at a very high polygon count. This means you can import your LW, etc. into WB but other renderers dont like as many polygons as WB can handle. So this means WB Standard works best with the other packages by importing from them and to a limited extent exporting to them, but watch the poly count. BTW -- WB Standard comes with the Poser Pro Communicator -- so everyone does get that. We have been working with Curious Labs to beef it up, but the slowdown right now isn't on our end. MachineClaw -- sorry to hear you havent got a lot of use from WB 3.5 -- send me an email and we can discuss what you think people would like to see in WB 4. We are pretty receptive, but you're right that things havent happened so far overnight and complex issues take time to solve. Let's just make sure I know where you are coming from so I can integrate that into the gameplan. BTW -- there are thousands of people out there that do use WB and get the results they want. That doesn't mean we don't want a 100% success and satisfaction -- but keep in mind that forums are about hammering out concerns so this kind of thread sends an unbalanced message. Mehndi is right about the learning curve -- this is not a discount product line and the package takes time to learn. The bottom line is, though, WB can create effects the other packages cannot create. Regards to All Don don@digi-element.com

Don, absolutely hear that Wb 3.5 has handled a lot of the problems associated with the WB 3.1 and 3.2 releases. I have not upgraded to wb 3.5 standard or pro. I'll say it again, when I buy a product I expect it to work and have at least limited bug fixes to address those problems. I understand DE went through hell to get WB 3.5 fixed working and released and I aplaud the effort. Unfortunately I purchased Wb 3.2 right as the chaos was hitting and then the fixes that came out in an update being WB 3.5, and would have to pay even more money for were completely outragious to me. Information at the time on DE WB products were unclear as to standard and pro differences, at the time there was NO upgrade for standard users to Pro version (now there is). DE addressed many of the issues again I'll say it, after the fact, after I brought it up, DE fixed those issues. I'm still stuck in the wind. Look I do not want to be the badger biting the ankle. I was impressed enough with WB to buy it. however once bought, during the chaos cycle, it is useless to me and sits in it's CD case on the shelf because I do not feel like I should have to pay to get bug fixes. I have sent emails on these and the issues that got fixed like the web url info on the products etc. I'm happy to see that DE has done soemthing about these issues. There was a post in the DE forums that when WB 4 comes out ONLY WB Pro users would be able to upgrade. Any WB Standard user or purchaser whould be kinda miffed at this response. In the emails to DE I put it this way: I bought a car, it has doors, windows, looks great, but I got no engine and it sits in the driveway, I was told and told the engine was being built and to just wait, and now I have to buy the engine (WB 3.5 upgrade) shelling out more cash just to go down the road. I'm all for paying for substantial upgrades if there are new features and some tweaks. but WB 3.1 was a DOG with fleas, now it's gotten the flea dip and been combed. great for new purchasers, hope that it and the support is good, but for the vocal few (I am not the only one btw) we have to pay DE to get what was on the box. BTW I would have returned WB 3.2 within the 30day return policy but I was told and told the manual and tutorials were coming and to give it a chance, well, I did, now I'm stuck. Many companies in the software industry allow for a free update to the new pruchaser within a limited time of a new release, NewTek Lightwave is one example. The vocal few who are screwed and have to pay for the update to get what we originally purchased, when beta testers get free upgrades magazine copys get review copies for free and marketing promos. WB 3.5 great, works great tastes great woop. I do not believe that I should have to pay for the upgrade, and I wont period. I am not saying that I got 4 months of use and I'm just pissed that there was an upgrade that has to be purchased. I'm saying I bought a product, it was USELESS, let me be clear USELESS to me because there was no manual, crashes that made it impossible for me to even run the application (I didn't know what I was doing, I had no manual) for 4 months, then the manual comes out, then the fixes and I have to pay $200 for the upgrade that I read fixes the issues that I'm having. THEN I read in the DE forum that WB4 upgrades when they eventually come out are only going to be for Pro users, and standard users get screwed again. Tell me again why I should send DE my money? now like I have said over and over again. new purchasers I'm sure will not have the horrible experience that myself and a few others have had with WB or DE, but I just have to be vocal to people considering purchasing WB to investigate, ask ALL your questions about upgrades now and future and really think about the investment before you throw down your money, you may have a great experience, or you may like me and a few others be standing in the back of the bus holding air.

one last thing. when WB 3.5 came out, it need fixes as most software does when new features are introduced no suprise there. the upgrade, wb 3.55, nobody had to pay for it, was a free update.