I would like to buy a subscription to a good 3-D based topic magazine. I found two that seem pretty interesting to me, but before I purchase a subscription to either one I would like to hear your thoughts on each one.

The magazines are entitled:

3DCreative Magazine (which is a downloadable PDF monthly magazine)

http://www.3dcreativemag.com/3dtotal/

3D World Magazine (which is a regular type of monthly magazine. I've seen it in stores, but the darn things are about $10 each because they come out of the UK. Which leaves me wondering how much a yearly subscription would be?)

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/3dworld

The two programs that I use are Poser 6 and Lightwave 8.5 your thoughts are appreciated.

Enjoy the rest of the week,

-James

3DDCreative is not one I'm familiar with, but I do get 3D World every month... $10 isn't too much, since we pay £6 an issue over here, so the conversion rate sounds comparable. It's geared towards proffessionals and people wanting to get in to the industry, although it has some good entry-level tutorials, too. Poser 6 is occasionally, though rarely, covered in the tuts section, but Lightwave is a much more regular guest.

As to subscription costs for you Yank types... looking at the latest issue, the current rates are $99 a year (which apparently saves you about $95 on the cover price over the period, and you get the issues about 3 weeks before they normally land in the stores over there).

Hope that helps,

jonthecelt

Of course the good thing about 3d World is that every coupla months or so, you get a complete version of either rendering, modeling, painting, etc software package. Sometimes you get 'crippleware' (I have a version of Lightwave that can do up to 400 polys...whoopde..;), but it's handy.

2 more to check out are Computer Art, and Digit. Between the 3 of them, you can clean up. Not only do they have programs, sometimes they'll throw in Vickie, Mike, Dina, etc., for Poser, etc. In the past 3 years I've gotten...

Bryce (4)

Poser (3)

Mojoworld (2)

World Builder (I dunno..;)

Vue (3)

Amapi (5.5 - a modeler)

Turbocad (fergit)

Carrara (4?)

Cinema 4d

you get the picture..it's worth it. They all have websites, so check those out and look at back issues (which will have articles, but alas, not the software. A couple of them do have some good downloads on their sites..;)

Joe Bob sez check it out..;)

It was WorldBuilder 3.6 (I think) and Carrara 2... but don't forget Mimic 2, endorphin, real flow... my, but the list does go on, doesn't it? lol

Computer Arts is good for a more general cover... in that it incorporates 2D as well as 3D stuff. So, if you'r elooking to get your photoshop skill up to scratch alongside your modelling, then this could be one to look at.

jonthecelt

3D World is the magazine.  They cover everything without partiality (for the most part anyway), always have content/demos on CD, and have great tutorials and reviews.  Even the pros get interviewed and follow this magazine.
Robert

3D World just had Shade7 LE not long ago. I pay $15 an issure at B&N or Borders in the US. They have special subscription rates once in awhile, was just $88 not long ago. Also, you can buy back issues from the publishers for $8 US...it takes 3-4 weeks to get them, but that's way cheaper than the newstand.

Another mag that is real good is Imagine FX...its mainly 2D, but does cover some 3D stuff as well, and it will definitely help you out with your post work, which more than likely you will do at some time, or probably all the time.

 Thanks for the information. Yeah I deal with Photoshop as well, so I'm going to go take a look at that one which was mentioned. Hey and what's better than a free program or a plug-in? Nothing at all. Again if you can think of any other ones or specific niceties about a magazine to mention, just post it and it would be appreciated. Thanks again for the information!

-James

personally, id rather just frequent forums like cgtalk. its free, many notable 3D professionals hang out there, you can actually interact with the artists, theres much more content, and there are plenty of tutorials which you can even ask questions on.

as for getting free software.. ehh, perhaps youll get something you can use.. but you could just put aside the $10/issue youd be spending anyways and get the software you want instead.

sure, i could get an older version of worldbuilder or carrera from a subscription... but i could also just put the $120 id be spending a year and spend it on an unrestricted newer version or something i use every day like Silo and have enough left over to see a movie with rio.

if there really is a free bit of software in an issue that you want, you can always just buy that specific issue off the newsstands.

again this is just my opinion -- im a frugal bastard and i literally cringed in my seat when i heard the $10/issue price, heh. my god, when the can-us exchange rate was 1.6-1 it would have been $16 an issue. for a magazine? rolls eyes

...then again, i shouldnt be suprised with book prices the way they are :)
the thinnest paperbacks are $13 here, with hardcoveres approaching the $50-60 range.. wtf? no wonder so many people are illiterate these days.

im from eastern europe, im used to picking up magazines for 15 cents :)

Another good 3d magazine is Imagine FX. This one isn't programme specfic  it's much more about art. SFand fantasy art in particular.

Good for poser content as well. Issue 6 featured the chalice tower by dark anvil for free. 

OK. I will admit to being biased here. While I've been buying the magazine since issue 1 and last month (issue 7) was lucky enough to get some of my work and Vanishing Point's featured in the mag and on the disc :)

Great for sales and exposure - it's really got me on the radar of some folks who don't take poser very seriously. Though it does kill your sites bandwith!   

to be honest, I don't have a subscription either..;) still, being broke all the time, it's about the only way I can afford real software. But I forgot to mention that regular Poser content shows up, sometimes stuff you don't see that often (Dina, Vickie/Mike Lo-res, Uzilite's outfits, houses, the list goes on). I buy them on rare occasions, but it never hurts to check 'em out.

when you buy a back issue do you get the software that originally shipped with it as well?

the ones I bought came with the CD...yes. It came in one piece, too, which is a bonus :)

I didn't know what to expect, if it would arrive all torn up or whatever, but all was in perfect shape...just in a cello wrap.

Quote - when you buy a back issue do you get the software that originally shipped with it as well?

I just picked up Imagine FX #6 a couple weeks ago. Very nice magazine, but the CD only has project based stuff I think. The CD wasn't worth it to me, but the magazine itself is very nice.

I like 3D World. I have picked up a few issues of that here and there. I like when they include models. Free software is cool, but it's always either stripped down, or an old version. Getting models for free is worth it, on top of the magazine.

I like 3d World and computer arts, but here in Canada they are like $20 + a piece. So I only buy them when the CD has something worthy on it or ther is a feature I cannot do with out. :)

some more CG Related magazines:

http://www.highendmag.com/

http://www.hdri3d.com/

http://www.digitalproduction.com/home.asp?NS=1

http://www.commarts.com/

http://www.3dmansion.info/

http://marketing.futurenet.com/imaginefx/

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/3dworld

http://www.3dcreativemag.com/3dtotal/  (download only)

http://www.3dattack.net/  (C4d Specific - download only)

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

http://www.deathfall.com/article.php?sid=5717 

Non CG but worth a look:

http://www.juxtapoz.com/mambo/

http://www.rawvision.com/

http://www.illustration-magazine.com/

Also check out your local library,when I first got into CG I found the library had all the back issues of 3dworld & Computer arts..if your lucky all the cd's wont have been stolen.

Quote - I like 3d World and computer arts, but here in Canada they are like $20 + a piece. So I only buy them when the CD has something worthy on it or ther is a feature I cannot do with out. :)

sweet mother of jebus. again, for a magazine?

if you count canadian taxes, then for 5-6 issues of 3D world you could just go out and buy Silo outright with a full commercial license. 24 issues will net you Zbrush 2.

since everyone who gets the software in 3Dworld gets the same serial number, there is no upgrade path, correct? so for example if 3Dworld has a copy of Bryce 4, i cant pick it up then upgrade to the current version for a reduced price? thats the only way id see it being worthwhile, and only if i knew in advance what software they were giving away.

so in the end, it seems like its not 'free' software after all.

oh no..not at all!  The whole point of getting the old software is to make you want the new software!

Give 'em the razor, sell 'em the blades...;)

Trust me, every issue has an upgrade path. Many times you even get a discount on the upgrade. The serial numbers are usually generated by a online web page you register at. Can't tell if they're different, or just the same (one was 'slartbartifast', which gave me a chuckle..;).

As for getting software with back issues, and earlier thread (maybe a year or 2 ago) said you didn't. Either the policy varies by magazine, of they've changed their minds. I was told in that thread that they didn't ship software with back issues.

I've seen some art mags at the B&N go for $30-40 a pop, but they're 'art', fancy stuff by fancy names..;)

Thanks for the links stonemason, and I've never thought about looking at the library for 3D magazines. And thanks to everybody else for the other bits of information.

-James

hi James (and all others),

I'm subscribed to 3DCreative as well as 3D World both from issue 1 on, and my note is ... it depends.

3DW is better on news, the industry, the schools, the studio's, new hardware and software, presents a CD with demo's and a freebie (half of them can be downloaded from the net as well) and contains basic tut's into the CD software. There is some (understandable) UK/US bias in its contents.

3DC's interviews are much more "on the person itself" from studio bosses to talented newbies, and the articles and tutorials on modelling (cars and creatures) and texturing are brilliant at the advanced amateur / beginning pro level. No CD's, but much cheaper than 3DW.

When you decide for the 3DC option, my recommendation is to get all the back-issues as well, keep the e-mail with the order- and delivery details, and go fot the Jane of Arc tutorials (or ask the staff for access).

regards,
aRtBee

Okay it's been settled on which magazine that I'm going to subscribe to. I went out the other day and bought the August issue of 3D World. Man they've got some awesome articles in the magazine but I think what sold me the most was their feature on landing your first job. While reading that particular story it gave me some cool insights about what I should focus on as a 3D novice still in school. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to take a look at the other magazines that you all mentioned. It's just that I only had $15 to spend on “one” magazine. I thank you all for your input.

Cheers,

James

August CD World is two iaaues behind the UK, October issue just out. The October issue, themed as "The Horror Issue" has a mildly demonic red-face on the cover, and the CD has the DAZ M3/V3 skeletons. textures, and some sort of Zombie texture set. Imagine FX for September has been out for a couple of weeks. They've dropped the coverart poster, not such a suprise, and it does seem to have settled down to focus on 2D digital art. The publishers have shifted from mounting CDs on the magazine cover to having them in a bound-in envelope, both Imagine FX and 3D World, and both currently mention the software in their back-issue info.