My younger brother found a new hobby - LeoCad. It's a freeware program for creating virtual LEGO blocks buildings and stuff. Program is old and no longer supported but it can export constructions as .obj and .3ds. The problem is, when the model is imported to P4 (both as an .obj and .3ds) it gets all puffy and most of flat surfaces and edges gets rounded. The same problem shows up in DazStudio (on much less scale though and only with .obj since you can't import .3ds to DS). POV-Ray looked like a good alternative, but it's now too new and somehow doesn't support LeoCad's libraries anymore (ever seen 3 milions of parsing errors ?). The question is, is there anything FREE we can use for rendering such models ? We both know nothing about modelling so please do not send us to some 3D modelling tutorials :(

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

In Poser 5 and 6 you can opt to turn off smoothing but since you have Poser 4 you will have to do something different. Pick up the free Lite version of UVMapper from the link. Then in UVMapper:-

1. FileLoad Model
2. EditToolsSplit Vertices
3. FileSave Model (use the default save options)

Now when you FileImport the model into Poser it will have crisp edges.

The free version of uvmapper doesn`t split the vertices in the same way that the pro one does, it splits all the vertices individually and makes the object appear as if it has no phong shading (smoothing).

Attached Link: http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Home.2.0.html

Blender is free and can render stuff.

Attached Link: http://www.computerarts.co.uk/downloads/3d__and__animation/truespace_1.0

Truespace version 1

"Split vertices" in UVMapper did helped when it comes to flat surfaces and straight edges, although some rounded parts look like that poor robot on xantor's screenshot. You say UVMapper Pro does it better ? Sigh. Blender freezes when trying to import given construction. Truespace interface brings back memories - looks strangely familiar. I think I have one of old versions on a magazine CD - somehow I didn't think about it. You say it can render ? Thanks for advices PhilC and xantor. Still no solution but thank you very much for suggestions. Any more ideas, anyone?

Cinema 4d is sometimes free with magazines, version 5.2 is very good and can render any objects properly.

Attached Link: http://www.softlab.ece.ntua.gr/~jpanta/Graphics/Kerkythea/

There's a little-known renderer called Kerkythea (it's Greek, no really, it is!) which is still in the early stages of development but already very impressive and pretty easy to use (as renderers go). It has been built from the ground up as a daylight/global illumination-type renderer (rather than having GI tacked on afterwards as so many others have done) and it is very fast. The interface isn't pretty (yet) but it is coming along in leaps and bounds. Considering it's being written by one guy in his free time the rate of progress is startling. And it makes very pretty pictures - check out the gallery on the Kerkythea site

Attached Link: http://www.cbel.com/3d_graphics_software/

there's *gotta* be something in this list that'll do ya..;)

O.o never suspected there is THAT many of them :D

obm890:
Kerkythea is quite nice. Its interface is non-typical and a bit difficult for beginners, but basically it does what we want. It's also fairly new and regularly updated. It'll take a lot of time to get used to its Material and Light settings (especially lighting is difficult to set) though. Thank you so much for the link, it looks like it's what my bro and me were looking for - of course, if we ever manage to get through the interface.
Any other suggestions are still welcomed. It's difficult to find anything interesting/useful browsing through 1200 links ^^; Edit: typos, typos, typos...

Message edited on: 08/18/2005 15:04

Attached Link: http://www.ldraw.org/

Is LEO CAD the same as LDraw? LDraw is a free Lego modeling application. The site seems to have instructions for rendering in POVRay and reviews of Windows versions of LDraw that use LDraw libraries. Maybe some of the resources there can help you?

Attached Link: http://mystic-nights.com/directory/index.php

Truespace 3.2 - Freeware Also check the 3D Software section in my 3D Directory link above. I now have 142 software titles listed, Freeware, Shareware and commercial.

You can get one of the early versions of Vue on some magazine cover discs, this will also work. Also some 3D packages have demos that are not time limited, but only limit the save and render sizes. Seeing as you only want to render, the save option is not a problem, and the limited renders are usually something like 800 by 600, which is fine for most uses. I actually think the Student version of Maya can render inmported object files, is not time limited, and the render size is 800 by 600 if I am not mistaken. And it's free. If Maya can't do it, it can't be done, lol.

Maya's free edition doesn't know how to import OBJ, and it puts a huge watermark on your renders, unfortunately.

Message edited on: 08/19/2005 02:09

Also, given Vilian's comment above, I wouldn't have though Maya would be an ideal starting point LOL "We both know nothing about modelling so please do not send us to some 3D modelling tutorials"

Attached Link: http://user.txcyber.com/~sgalls/

PoseRay will split the mesh along creases and leave the rest smooth.

How did you do it ? Looks marvelous. What's the route to get that effect ? I never worked with PoseRay, sorry, and POV-Ray id difficult to lear :(

Attached Link: http://user.txcyber.com/~sgalls/

There is a tutorial for this effect in the PoseRay manual. Tutorial name: "Using PoseRay to import models into Poser/DAZ|Studio" With PoseRay you really do not have to learn POV-Ray to use it. Besides you can export the modified mesh from PoseRay to use back into your application.

Here's that tank in a quick Kerkythea render. Global illumination using the geyish background colour and a feeble sun to cast shadow.

And another. It's really worth a look as a no fuss, no muss renderer.