Today I went on the net ready to purchase 3DStudio Max 6. And the value for it is $3000.00 How in the world can anyone afford that (Or even pay that much) for a software and it does so well around. Here in Canada will cost about $5000.00 to $6000.00 I know 3DS can do wonders. But come on, that it just rediculis. Sometimes I wonder why the copyright thing just fails. Who is 3DS max for anyway? Maybe someone can help me. I am looking for a software program that can make; obj, 3DS files, and/or other, so I can group them, boning, so then when I import into poser, I wouldn't have to do all that. It will be done already. I was also looking at Cinima 4D W8 for animations. Need advice. All I am seeing is Poser5 mostly making images. When it is a character creator animation program. But, need to make characters (Cars, vehicles, other objects, characters) from another program, then import, then group, then bone in the setup room.

I know how it feels.......

But try this...

http://www.wings3d.com/

IT"S FREE and is quite good.
Hope this helps.

Message edited on: 08/25/2004 10:28

Or you can buy Softimage XSI for $495 -- and the advanced version for $295, if you're a student. "I am looking for a software program that can make; obj, 3DS files, and/or other, so I can group them, boning, so then when I import into poser, I wouldn't have to do all that." XSI is considered to be a very good modeller. Lightwave is very much so-- I think I've heard that the DAZ people use LW to make their models-- but both are subdivision surface modellers. Poser's greatest limitation is that its strictly a mesh application-- which means that if you need local detail, or smoothness, you have to increase the polygon count enormously, compared with how you'd do it in Lightwave, 3DS or XSI I don't think that any other boning system exports to Poser. There are some custom Poser utilities, but if you do your character rigging or grouping in Lightwave, 3DS, or XSI, I don't think you'll have an easy time exporting the rig.

You may find these links to these free or low priced 3D modeling programs helpful:-- Anim8or

• Blender
• MilkShape 3D
• Wings 3D
• 3D Canvas
• Rhino
• Amapi & Carrara

Curious Labs has teamed up with Shade which is worthy of a look at. Finally I model in Truespace which may be within your budget. You may like to visit my site to see what that program can produce.

" Today I went on the net ready to purchase 3DStudio Max 6. And the value for it is $3000.00
How in the world can anyone afford that (Or even pay that much) for a software and it does so well around. Here in Canada will cost about $5000.00 to $6000.00 I know 3DS can do wonders. But come on, that it just rediculis. Sometimes I wonder why the copyright thing just fails. Who is 3DS max for anyway?"

Well, programs like 3dsMax and Maya are able to charge so much because the people who buy the software (mostly) are going to use it for professional purposes, therefore they will make back their investment on it with just one deal, and most likely reap a large profit still.

I agree Discreet needs to lower their price, AND offer better customer support (which by the way really stinks) if they're going to continue to compete with Lightwave and Maya's market value.
Message edited on: 08/25/2004 10:39

On the plus side, the new 3dsMax 7 will incorporate Character Studio and the newest version of Mental Ray into the package at no additional cost. (both of these individually would cost in the $1000+ range last time I checked).

One more thing... Where did I see that free SOFTIMAGE/XSI EXP v3.0?

3ds max is overpriced, IMHO. Maya Complete, C4D or the XSI Foundation give you a much better price/performance ratio.

Attached Link: http://www.softimage.com/home/

I found the link, and I found it to be very Awesome..which I find it to be more confusing. Big name companies like UBI, Valve, and used for commercials, music videos, are using the software. I thought 3DS max was for the big name companies, and I see them go for XSI? Which I find a very good price I can afford as well "$565.00" Now, I like this (Even though $500.00 or $600.00 is alot to spend.). Even a manual how to create characters for $45. :-)

I am no rich, wealthy person who can spend $3000.00

But I can look into those Free ones as well, and buy groceries. :-) Thanks everyone and philC for all those link. I see good ones in there. Looks even more promising. :-)

Message edited on: 08/25/2004 11:06

"I thought 3DS max was for the big name companies, and I see them go for XSI?" Depends on what "big name companies" you mean. Pixar uses their own proprietary software mostly, and Weta uses Maya for certain things. ILM has used XSI. But 3dsMax is still the one most big name game developers use, and companies like Blur Studio and Animal Logic both use 3dsMax. They're small studios, but big names.

I'm tired of fighting Amapi's weirdness. Truespace looks interesting. A couple of questions that probably won't be answered by their demo: Can Truespace make MTs for Poser cleanly? (i.e., without a lot of fuss about scaling and Groups) Would it make sense to buy one of the earlier versions, which are considerably cheaper?

Attached Link: Curvey 3d home site

Thanks..more links, advice..is really helping me. :-)

" 3ds max is overpriced, IMHO. Maya Complete, C4D or the XSI Foundation give you a much better price/performance ratio." Performance/price ratio? Nothing beats BLENDER. Hands down. Also, I hear some really great things about Project Messiah : Studio 2.0 ($695).

Hoboy... Softimage looks yummy, but 140+MB & 56modem = one long nite..... LOL.

Attached Link: http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=19315

Performance/price ratio? Nothing beats BLENDER. Hands down. Sure, but Blender's functionality is far from XSI Foundation or 3ds max.

Attached Link: http://leigh.cgcommunity.com/beginnerguide.htm

:-)

Message edited on: 08/25/2004 11:26

"Truespace looks interesting" It's "wonderful" software, it's really fun and easy working with! It's been some years since I used it so I cannot answere anything about groups and scaling... :-/ Lightwave, especially if you're into modeling for Poser would be my first choice thou! /Mattias/

fyi

3ds max is owned by Autodesk. Autodesk's primary market is engineering not entertainment. 3ds max is advertised as "Quickly and effectively communicate your design intent with 3ds max software, the advanced visualization tool that improves connectivity, image quality, productivity, and content delivery."

I do not doubt that it is used for things other than engineering presentation, but i belive engineering is the largest chunk of 3ds max's market.

Message edited on: 08/25/2004 11:42

"I'm do not doubt that it is used for things other than engineering presentation, but i belive engineering is the largest chunk of 3ds max's market."

Actually, Tyger_purr, Autocad has more of a following in the engineering department (another Autodesk product). 3dsMax is owned by Discreet, a subdivision of Autodesk, and is geared towards game developement professionals more than anything. However, the newest version incorporates a VAST improvement in character creation and developement for more than just games as well.

That Rockfish animation, for example, in the other thread was done with 3dsmax.

** http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12356**Message edited on: 08/25/2004 11:46

Really helpfull when a program comes with its own uvmapper, and the grouping, boning much more in depth (I guess) from the videos in the websites.

Checking the software programs and links you guys are giving. And I find em very helpfull. I sure like to see Poser (even P5 that I am using) expand more in the animation trend, although it is an animation program and character creation. I am not seeing much. Only pics. Poser has to expand more than just pics. This is why I looking for another program to use em both. One for making characters, boning, grouping, uvmap, and then importing em into Poser without doing all that in poser. But one says that here, that is unlikly. I feel that he is correct on his statement.

Message edited on: 08/25/2004 11:48

Truespace ... yes and yes :)

I sometimes scale by a factor of 20 for convenience, but its no big deal. It works now there is the free LUUV plugin for importing OBJ's. I started with a free version 2, purchased 4.3 and now have 6.6 Getting an early version is a good way in. The most significant jump for me was version 5 when they added more editing tools and subdivision of surfaces.

Go for it :))

Thanks! Would 4.3 be a good place to start?

Dag-nab-it, Freejack...now I gotta buy Curvy3D. I need another 3d app like I need a beveled hole in my subdivided head, but that just looks like too much fun for pocket change to pass up. Thanks for the link ;)

I am unable to see anything about Truespace on your website. Furthermore, I like to ask. From truespace of boning, and grouping. Will I be able export as an obj file, then import it into poser 5 without boning and grouping in the setup room. It will be done already from the importing obj file?

About the OBJ filetype: It can contain "groups" but not "bones". Sorry. /Mattias/

Attached Link: http://www.turbosquid.com/gmax

There are three ways to create Poser rigs (without a specialized third party app): 1. Phi file and much JP tweaking. 2. By hand tediously in Poser Setup room. 3. By swiping an existing rig from a CR2 file and editing it to work with your figure (hmmm, just as tedious). Poser will accept meshes, mesh groups, and materials on import - adding morphs and rigging have to be done within Poser.

tS 4.3 has been discontined :( early this year they pulled it from sale.. Entry level atm is 5, and I think they are running a good deal on 6.6 (with plugin packs and training videos.. not sure, check the site to see - www.caligari.com ) I'm thinking tho... with tS 7 round the cornerish.. we may see 4.3 on magazine disks before long.. maybe a coupla months after 7 is released....

lol This really got me started up... right now I'm searching trough my old (really old, these are on diskettes!) images for those I made on the Amiga in Truespace... (think it was called Caligary or something, then) .. I hate to get this nostalgic! :-) /Mattias/

Wings 3d will do uvmapping..btw, how did Rhino get in the 'low cost or free list'?..;)

The Caligari site allowed me to buy 4.0 for about $200, so we'll see what happens. The price of 6.6 was too high for a "gamble".

Maxxxmodelz: Autocad has more of a following in the engineering department (another Autodesk product). 3dsMax is owned by Discreet, a subdivision of Autodesk, and is geared towards game developement professionals more than anything. AutoCAD is a design/drafting program. AutoCADs primary output is blueprints (for lack of a better term) not models. Comparing AutoCAD to 3ds max is like comparing Word to Excel. Yeah, they can do some of the same things, but they are designed with a different end in mind. But we digress.

Attached Link: http://www4.discreet.com/3dsmax/

3dsMAX is marketed towards animation and game development professionals, while VIZ is marketed toward architectural development. Of course, it's very similar to the MAX version, but MAX is geared more toward animation and game production, as you can see at the Discreet website.

In fact, I don't believe you can even Purchase 3dsMax through the Autodesk store, only the VIZ version.

You can do basically the same things in either, but one is for one thing, the other is for... well, you get it. :-)

Message edited on: 08/25/2004 14:03

Yep, I was REALLY suprised to see the price on 3DMax6... I had used it for the trial period, and I thought to myself, "Sure... why not buy it? It ought to be about 50-100 dollars." ... LoL... Then I clicked the BUY NOW link. Oops. $3000 is a little steep. If it weren't for compatability, you'd be a step better off using gmax.. heh.

"$3000 is a little steep. If it weren't for compatability, you'd be a step better off using gmax.. heh" Sure, except GMax doesn't have a renderer or Character Studio. ;-)

What's the deal with Maya's Personal Learning free version? I thought about downloading. I would like to learn it. I'm trying to learn the stuff, so I don't care about the watermark as long as I can save the work I've done. I tried the Cinema 4D demo, but it don't allow you to save. So the demo is really a waste of time.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=3422340 3ds max is listed on the Autodesk website (nothing about games here :-D ) complete with feature list. But the how to buy (online) will send you to discreet. I cant imagine that I am mixing up Viz and Max, but I may be. I Max it is capable of a lot and is not a engineering/design program, but Ive always seen max associated with autodesk/autocad/engineering and the visualizing and presenting of designs. Maybe its just in my little world. :-)

Sure, but Blender's functionality is far from XSI Foundation or 3ds max.

Don't dismiss an application just because it isn't as powerful. In experienced hands, even the simplest tools can create masterpieces. Look at Antares' Alien Queen (downloadable at Sixus1.com) if you don't believe me.

What's the deal with Maya's Personal Learning free version ... I don't care about the watermark as long as I can save the work I've done.

Oh, you can save your work. You just can't save it to any other usable format (.3ds, .obj, etc.).

Maxx + Tyger, 3dsMax/VIZ are both widely used in the Architectural ,Electronical ,Mechanical & Structural Engineering fields, although VIZ is more commonly used specifically by architects (it comes with arch materials, etc.). However, it is also quite true that 3dsMax is the most widely used 3D application for game creation (spending more than a day on CGtalk will undoubtedly confirm that).

That's one of the main reasons 3dsMax sells so well... because it appeals to all those fields as well as the entertainment industry.

So you're both correct.

Message edited on: 08/25/2004 15:29

Re: GMAX exporting files You can't export .obj files with just the free download of GMAX but I believe there is a fairly low priced plugin that will enable the export function.

Attached Link: http://www.curiouslabs.com

Peggy Hmmm, link is not working. They must be working on the site...?

Message edited on: 08/25/2004 18:05

.... but I believe there is a fairly low priced plugin that will enable the export function.

The free Tempest plugin allows you to export meshes in Quake 3 format. From there, you can convert to .obj with LithUnwrap, Ultimate Unwrap3D, or MilkShape.

"3dsMax is owned by Discreet, a subdivision of Autodesk" 3dsMax is Discreets product, Autodesk owns Discreet. If Autodesk likes a software they either buy the company or crush them. Autodesk makes Microsoft look user friendly. Autodesk probably sets the price on 3dsMax; all their mainline software is over $2000. I guess they feel that keeps out the riffraff. "AutoCAD is a design/drafting program. AutoCADs primary output is blueprints (for lack of a better term) not models." AutoCAD is quite capable of modeling. It can create wire frame, surfaced, or solid models. AutoCAD can render with ray tracing, it has lights, cameras, UV mapping, materials, textures, and refection maps.

Agree with Maxxxmodelz about Blender. It's great for modeling and the ambient occlusion rendering function makes lighting a breeze and the render quality is on the money. Don't automatically assume that more expensive means better.

One thing that you can try on Gmax is exporting ASCII files. I was doing that somehow on my other computer, and I was importing them into a different animation program. I remember going through a bunch of stuff to do it, though... I can't remember if it's not set up that way or if it took me a week to figure out that I could... heh. Or was that 3Dmax6... ? LoL I'm no help.

Pakled: "Wings 3d will do uvmapping..btw, how did Rhino get in the 'low cost or free list'?..;) " Mostly because McNeel doesn't restrict what you can do with the educational version of Rhino. ;) @Robo2010: Are you a student? Do you know any? Students generally get major discounts on apps like Max, XSI and Lightwave.

Don't dismiss an application just because it isn't as powerful. In experienced hands, even the simplest tools can create masterpieces. I know that - many of my 3D apps are free - but there are a lot of things in the "big ones" like XSI or Maya that the free stuff doesn't even come close to. Heck, I'd kill for having Maya's UI in Blender.