BigBlueBuddha opened this issue on Jan 19, 2006 ยท 13 posts
pwbrown posted Thu, 02 February 2006 at 4:01 PM
Considering that BigBlueBuddha expressed how little he/she knows about 3D, it might do well to clarify a few things about what software will be needed. Wings3D, which I use all the time to model objects, is only that--a modeler. Unfortunately this will not provide the entire workflow for creating final images. To break the entire process down to a beginner level, your 3D work will involve modeling objects, texturing them, and assembling your scene with lighting etc to prepare for rendering. Then rendering will complete your process, except for any "post work" you care to do in Photoshop. Many of the better software packages will provide tools for this entire workflow. Others focus on one or two steps in the process. Wings3D, which I use and has been mentioned above as a free modeler, provides primarily only modeling. You then would need a UV mapping utility such as UV Mapper Classic (free) or Pro ($60 USD or so) from uvmapper.com to create a template on which you will paint your texture for the object(s) in Photoshop. Then you will need to import the object(s) into a program that will allow you to arrange and light your scene, and render it into a 2D image. Bryce (www.DAZ3D.com), which has been mentioned above, can do this part at an entry level, but isn't so great for the modeling and texturing steps. Blender3D (www.blender.org) is a free, open-source software product that can handle most if not all of the required workflow from modeling to rendering, but you will NOT likely find the interface intuitive, and you listed that as your main criterion. If you truly are interested in the very highest-end, top-quality images, you may be interested in looking at software such as Maya (store.alias.com) or 3DS MAX (autodesk.com). Incidentally, Maya's developer Alias has recently been aquired by Autodesk, maker of 3DS MAX. These will provide high-end tools for your entire workflow, in concert with Photoshop for your texture painting and post work. These suites will cost you multiple thousands of $US, however. Somewhere in the middle of the pack pricewise are SoftImage XSI (softimage.com), Lightwave (NewTek.com), and Cinema4D (maxon.net). These have tools for the entire 3D workflow and have versions ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand $US. Small free packages focusing on one or more steps in your workflow abound... I've already mentioned Wings3D and Blender. Anim8or, a free modeler and animator mentioned by another poster, looks quite user-friendly due to its simplicity and would probably be great for getting your feet wet. However, you'll want to move up fairly soon as it will choke on intricate objects, and the rendering engine doesn't support some pretty basic needs. By no means am I an expert on all the products available, and as has been said, neither is anyone else ;-) I apologize for the long post, I simply thought it might be wise to point out that there are multiple steps involved in creating a 3D render, and Buddha might not have realized that some of the packages mentioned would not cover everything he will need. As a final word of advice, you need to anticipate a number of months, possibly years getting to a level you will consider "stunning". :-) 3D is not simply an add-on to your Photoshop skills... it will take you over and you'll spend many evenings with bloodshot eyes in front of your computer once you are hooked ;-) Holy COW that was a long post... sorry =-o Good luck! Patrick