After years of practice in the 2D graphic design realm, I eventually moved into the world of 3D via Poser several years ago (as many folks seem to have done).  That said, I now am feeling enough confidence to begin to examine the world of 3D modelling - but I am overwhelmed and I need some good advice.

1 - Where is a good place to start?  I'll need software and a host of quality tutorials.  I know that freeware and shareware is available, but is it worth having?

2- If I am going to invest in a big name piece of software, what will I get for all that money?  (Use small words because I'm really new to this!)  :-)

3- As a school teacher by day, I have the opportunity to buy software at really good discounts.  Rhino has the most attractive offer at $200 (for a $900 piece of software).  But is Rhino a good one?  Will I be able to do the same sorts of things that folks do with 3DSM and Cinema 4D?

4- I plan to start on simple stuff like boxes, books, furniture, and lamps.  I will probably use these pieces in my Poser program.  Do I need anything special to be able to import objects into Poser?

I thank you most heartily for any advice you can pass along.  I know this sort of question has probably cropped up in this forum dozens of times before, so thank you for your patience.

All the best,

--Invidia

Hiya Invidia,

Here is a really good place to start. You'll find that most of the folks here are here to help.

(1) Common answer to the second part of the question would be to try out the demos to the different programs. Each one will have its different strengths, but the core techniques will be similar. The user interfaces will be the biggest hurdle between you and what it is you want to do, so my piece of advice is to work with something that feels intuitive for you. And definitely freeware/shareware is worth having.

The second one is harder to answer... (2) you'll get a tool to create whatever it is that your imagination wants to give birth to... :biggrin: Basically you'll get a tool to put together points in virtual space to create polygons... and then you'll be able to join those together to create shapes. Hopefully, meaningful shapes.

Have a real good look again at the price tags after you've played with the demo units for a while. (3) If Rhino is what catches your fancy, then I think you should have a look at what they're doing in the Rhino Forum and Gallery. Teyon (who moderates this forum) is pretty amazing with Rhino, and he creates content for Poser as well.

(4) As long as the application you have selected is capable of saving or exporting to the OBJ file format, you should be able to take that mesh into Poser.

You might also want to look up the dictionary of terms that ClintH put together. Part of cracking this whole mystery of modeling is to be able to speak the jargon a wee bit.

Good luck! M

I think the best thing you can invest for the moment is some time!. Take a look in the applications sticky at the top of the forum for some information on free applications, then try some out. From items like carrera / truespace through to the top end pro-applications you will find that they can all model and export .obj files that will go into poser (you may find with some of the apps you end up wanting to take up the figures from poser to your new app).

The most important thing is to find what suits you. I love 3ds Max, I quite like cinema but get frustrated with it's material handling, I dislike maya's interface, etc etc, but this really is personal preference from use.

I would really suggest trying out what you can get for free first! so either learning editions/demos of the big apps or try k3d (one of my favourites for free ware) / blender / wings and see what suits. As you get a little more experience you'll start to work out your own work techniques and can then make a more informed decision on what to buy!

Thank you both very much for your good advice.  I agree that time to investigate on my own is a crucial part of this process - just as is this querry to the forum. 

With more research since yesterday, I've discovered that I can purchase Maya for about $300 and Lightwave for less than $200 (academic discounts, both).   At those prices, I won't be suicidal if either one turns out to be something that has a very steep learning curve.

Years ago, I had a copy of CorelDraw 3 and it was what I cut my teeth on in the 2D realm.  It was hard for me to learn - very hard!  But I kept at it day after day until I learned it.  Today I'm up to CorelDraw 12 and I suppose I'm as good as anyone out there now - but my big problem really was that no one else seemed to be using Corel so there was not any community support.  I had to keep at it all by myself until I learned things one teeny tiny bit at a time. 

I guess I don't want to be left all alone in the 3D world like I was in the 2D world.  Whatever it is that I eventually choose, I want there to be a lot of people out there using it too.  I want forums, tutorials, advocates, and dicussions - because I don't want to be left to learn this on my own.

One of the problems I also want to avoid is that I want to find a place that is newbie-friendly and nurturing because this is likely to be a long journey for me - and my engines run on praise and flattery.  :-)

From my looks at the galleries here, I'm impressed with the work people are doing in Cinema 4D . . . but that one costs as much as a down payment on a small mansion.  I guess I'll keep looking!

Many thanks!

--Invidia

Well if you decide to go with LightWave you've got a commitment from me to help out with the modeling bits... be warned though, I'm not much at organics, but I can help with the hard surface and architectural modeling bits.

Good luck! M

P.S. I started out in CorelDraw as well, and I'm up to version 11 and saving up for the upgrade to X3. :biggrin:

I would like to add that while you are trying the different demos of some of the commercial products out there, that maybe you would give Blender a look. I have been using it for about a year. I cannot compare it to the pricy commercial apps because I have not tried them, but for a free peice of software, I think it is totally amazing. I have learned everything from the wealth of free onlione tutorials available, and there is a Blender forum right here on Renderosity.

I cut my 2d teeth with neopaint, but as soon as I got a PC coreldraw 3 was a package I also used> I have to say this site is on of the friendliest and most helpful, I tend to use bryce and 3ds Max, both forums are full of good advice. Best of luck and help I can give I will.

Hello Invidia

I've been using Rhino for about three years now. It is probably more free-form than some of the other (poly) based systems (never looked at blender I confess) . Everything is based on curves - you can just steam in and start making surfaces and joining them into complex shapes. The other packages I've used tend to rely on constructing polygon meshes and using sub-division to create a smooth model.
I've used Lightwave a fair bit (still do) and it requires much more planning (maybe that's a good thing?). C4D is also quite process driven - (I tried it briefly )  and most of the high end systems are poly based with rhino style nurbs bunged in afterwards. Also look at Zbrush - it's cheap, uses a painting metaphor and produces amazing results. But you'll need a chunky machine to use it happily.

And here's the rub - If my experience is anything to go by it's going to take you 12 to 18 months to feel you are in control of what's happening to your model. Unless of course you can spend 8 hours a day using the software! Hope this doesn't sound negative but I found shifting up from 2d to 3d very time consuming and frustrating.
But you'll get there if you want to do it. Rhino is completely terrific and worth the dedication if you have the time. But also think about getting access to a good renderer. Flamingo is a bit limiting.

And just when you think you've mastered Rhino you import a model into poser, look at the results and then go down the pub and drink 14 pints of guiness. The nurbs to mesh journey can be painful, but once you get it to work, it works.  Hope this is some help and good luck.

ps - And if some of this is confusing I apologise. Post again to this thread and I'll do my best to explain the concepts if that would help.