Hi.
I'm blender challenged. I can use Lightwave, 3dstudio, poser, vue, truespace, bryce & other weird software that hasn't even existed for years, but when I try to use blender my ears start bleeding.
Unfortunately, I'm trying to do some mods for a game called "The Movies" from Lionshead, and the only functioning import/export plugins seem to be for..... blender.
Anyone here be willing to help me on this? I've been trying to get a serenity model into the game, and I just Can't, at least not with .dds textures intact.

there seems to be a new optional 3ds max interface for  blender, check it out on blendernation. 
http://www.blendernation.com/2007/04/16/maya-3ds-max-layout-with-icons/
(i personaly highly dissagree with this interface, i love the current one an extreem amount because its soo efficient... but for a blender noob i remember it was realy hard to get used to the interface, it took maybe 3 weeks just to get used to how to move items on the screen)

I don't know if this will help, but we host a set of Blender tutorials designed for complete newbies.  It covers how to do the same things in two of the apps you mention and in Blender.  Might be helpful in comparing concepts.

It's weird to me that people disagree with re-skinning blender.  Anything that can be done to make the transition easier for users of other applications is a Good Thing in my book.  I view it as a shame that more development effort isn't put into doing stuff like this, or at least into making it easier for others to "re-skin" Blender.

Why shouldn't Blender come with a LightWave skin, a Maya skin, heck even a Bryce skin?  Of course, there should always be a Good Ol' "Normal Blender" skin - after all, you don't want to alienate your existing user base by turning the software into a clone of other apps!

I can't speak for oodmb, but it looks to me like a lot of the arguments against it are along the lines of "Blender's better - why bother changing?"  This is kind of like the arguments I often hear against WINE: "Linux is better, why do we need WINE?"  The answer in both cases is simple: expecting people to morph to fit the computer is nonproductive.  If you want people to use your system over a competitive one, you have to make it as easy for them as possible.  If somebody has a lot of Windows software, they should be able to run it, unchanged, under Linux.  If somebody has a lot of 3dsmax experience, they should be able to use it, with as little re-learning as possible, under Linux.  There's a lot more people that have used other 3D packages than use Blender.  Why not leverage their collective knowledge?

I don't know about the Max interface, never tried it...has anyone else?  Is it any good?

If you don't go for that, some tips for the Blender interface:

• Select with the right mouse button.  Left moves the cursor.  The cursor is useful, but don't worry about it right away.  Middle mouse button/scrollwheel lets you move the camera, use shift+middle button to dolly.
• Hotkeys are your friends.  You can accomplish (almost?) anything in blender with a hotkey, and some things only with a hotkey, though it is getting better about that.  The hotkeys do make things lighting fast once you learn them, like oodmb said, but not easy to learn....
• Important keys (that I personally use all the time) are

• G - "grab" (move) selected object

• R - rotate selected object

• S - scale selected object

• Tab - in and out of "edit mode"

• Spacebar - lots of important menus (object creation, for instance)

• W - "specials" menu, things like removing duplicate vertices or subdividing

• K - knife tool, cut edges and create edge loops

• um...lots more, but those are the ones I use most

Quote - I don't know if this will help, but we host a set of Blender tutorials designed for complete newbies.  It covers how to do the same things in two of the apps you mention and in Blender.  Might be helpful in comparing concepts.

I just realised that I told you about our tuts but didn't tell you where they are... D'oh!

3D tutorials

I guess I got too excited in promoting skinning of Blender :-)

Quote - I don't know about the Max interface, never tried it...has anyone else?  Is it any good?

It's very different from Blender, and much more "Windows-ish."  I.e., lots of buttons, very mouse-oriented, although there are a bunch of hotkeys available, it invites newbies to experiment with its buttons where Blender's interface is IMHO more intimidating because it looks so different from everything else in Windows.  I'm not saying Blender is worse - in fact, I prefer it, but it definitely has a steeper learning curve.

The main thing 3dsmax has that I miss in Blender is parametric modeling.  Want a staircase?  Grab a staircase plug-in and tell it how many steps.  Want a box that twists?  Add a box, then put a twist modifier on it.  Want to change the amount of twist?  Select the twist modifier, and change the amount.

Must admit I miss some of those modifiers! but given the cost of upgrade from max 3,1 to a current version I switched to blender, IMHO blender has better basic modelling then Max once you're used to it

I put together a small link page on my site feel free to go through some of the links. I was up and running with blender after looking at these.

http://www.darkfrog.orcon.net.nz/Blender.html

the problem with all the difrent  ui's is that people will write tuts for those diffrent versions, only adding to the confusion. just my 2 cnts about the max ui what good is the look if u dont get the functions?

I tried the max maya interface lol. Dont even look anything like it, best to stick with how you like to use blenders windows after all it quite good for splitting windows for your needs :)

ysvry - This is by far the best argument against having different skins for Blender that I have seen.  Usually they're based on the notion that because Blender is "better," having skins would be "worse."  This is basically a circular argument.

Your argument on the other hand, is quite valid.  If user "A" and user "B" are each using different skins, then it does become difficult for those users to discuss how to do something.

On the other hand, if user "B" is coming from 3dsmax and can put Blender into a mode where its UI is a reasonably close approximation of 3dsmax's interface, then he may not need to bother user "A" to ask how to do stuff.

All in all, I think having a good skinning system would be advantageous.  By good, I mean something where all of the following are true:

1. Any user can quickly figure out how to modify the skin to their liking.
2. Skins can be easily saved and shared. (XML doc with buttons and such embedded?)
3. Switching between skins is made as easy as possible, i.e., no re-start of Blender required.
4. Standard skins cannot be modified in the UI, other than by saving a copy.  This means any user can quickly revert to one of the standard skins if they screw up their customized one.

#3 is especially important to mitigate the costs imposed by your argument.  A tutorial could easily say "this tutorial written for the standard Blender skin...", and somebody following the tutorial would choose that skin before starting.

Another advantage of #3 would be for professional users transitioning.  If you're a Max user making the switch, you don't have time to learn how Blender's UI works, except perhaps as an on-the-job self-training exercise.  So you can switch over to standard Blender, try to do stuff, and when your deadline starts to loom, just switch back to the MaxClone skin.

I believe that if serious effort were put into providing the ability to make Blender feel like other apps, it would start to gain a much stronger following.  Removing barriers to entry is quite important, even if those barriers are purely psychological and educational.

Quote - I don't know if this will help, but we host a set of Blender tutorials designed for complete newbies.  It covers how to do the same things in two of the apps you mention and in Blender.  Might be helpful in comparing concepts.

It's weird to me that people disagree with re-skinning blender.  Anything that can be done to make the transition easier for users of other applications is a Good Thing in my book.  I view it as a shame that more development effort isn't put into doing stuff like this, or at least into making it easier for others to "re-skin" Blender.

Why shouldn't Blender come with a LightWave skin, a Maya skin, heck even a Bryce skin?  Of course, there should always be a Good Ol' "Normal Blender" skin - after all, you don't want to alienate your existing user base by turning the software into a clone of other apps!
I

You know, when Twingy and I started the nurbana project many years ago, that was one of the key features we wanted to put into it - the ability to 'skin' it so it looked and felt like what-ever other application the user was used to, whether it be lightwave, Maya, 3dsMax or Blender.

I think it's an excellent idea. Of course, given the efficiency with which you can use the original Blender interface, it would be a shame for blender newbies never to get to experience the joy that is Blender because they have an alternative skin to use.

Aarrgh. No matter how many people vouch for the easy-to-use functionality of Blender, you're right in this instance. The interface might have come from outer space. It doesn't hold to many general modeling standards, and its different modesare beyond my current level of understanding.

I hope you know that there are other people out there that have just as much trouble with Blender as you do. Right now I'm checking out the tutorials at www.blender.org. Maybe they'll help some.