Wow. What can you say? First SketchUp gets bought by Google-- which is cool. But Truespace for free? Just Wow. Anyone here use Truespace to model with?

BTW, they're also giving away thousands of dollars of free training with it. There's a whole section on trueSpace and Vue.

I doubt tS will be free. M$ is mainly interested for their virtual world project and tS will likely still sell for the same huge price if you buy all the modules....too bad tho...it'd be worth the confusing interface if it was free.. ...

Well....check it out for yourself! It IS free. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have posted.
www.caligari.com

TrueSpace was offered free a few years back. Calligari i think was he name of the company. First modeling software i ever tried. It came with a toot on how to make a mace in fact. I think it was TrueSpace 3.5 or sumpthin...but memory isnt my strong suit, but i do remember it being free(;

The latest version, if memory serves me, was sold for $700. It's a strong package and I would imagine will shake up quite a few folks in the 3D arena.

-C

Call me naive' I never understood the idea of strategic marketing or w hatever the hell. Why would MS buy something then give it away for FREE ?

To capture marketshare. Remember when Netscape Navigator was King? MS gave a free copy of IE away with every version of OS, and they finally did in Netscape. Now everyone has to use IE (though Firefox is trying to do the same to MS).

And MS wants their version of Google Earth to become a standard, so they are allowing people to build models for it using a free copy of trueSpace, just as Google does with the free version of SketchUp.

I suppose there's a lot at stake in the "Virtual Earth wars."

Oh, and it appears the last version of trueSpace sold for under $600.

Virtual Earth is used in MS Train Simulator 2 due out in Christmas 2009.  Truespace will replace GMAX and 3D Canvas which have been used in the past to make content for Train Simulator and other games.

Yeah, they would give it away for free and not the first time Microsoft has done it, bought out a graphics company and then given the software away.

Jon

Chipp, do you have a link to the free version as I cannot find one.

Cheers
Jon

Its ok, dug around and found it :) Downloaded now

Cheers
Jon

http://cart1.caligari.com/web/Truespacemainreg.aspx

Easy =D

Edit:  drat, you found it before i finished reading the thread LOL

Hehe, yeah, I downloaded it ok, loaded a sample scene but god knows where the render button is, all I can find is a render with offline renderer, which it says none is installed.

Anyone know how to get the renderer to work? I have read the manual and it says clicking on any render button will bring up the render but all the rendering options show an offline renderer.

Jon

no idea... i'm still downloading.  (wannabe DSL).

any of the videos give a hint?

this feels like the trial version of Zbrush - took me three hours to find the renderer in that one.

oh, they forgot to mention...the renderer is 700+ tax ROFL :D

Lol, the way this is looking it could well be lol :)

Jon

baps Trepz (gently, mind you)

say it isnt so!  LOL

laaaaaaaaaaaaaughs
good joke on us then, huh?

gets distracted and points at your sig

I was willing to learn.  My hands refused (and still refuse) to obey.

edit:  yipes, Jon - ya did it again!

still downloading here... at 54%.

would probably help if i stopped yappin.

Ironically I can find the render buttons if I change to Truespace 6 view. Continue searching I guess

Jon

So how is TrueSpace ? is is as simple as Cinema  ? I will download over night,just curious.

Its a beast of a learning curve, I have used C4D for years on and off and C4D is far easier to use.

The layout is confusing and not very intuative, though from what I hear its a very love/hate relationship with Truespace.

Jon

Attached Link: http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-246/

I guess learning curve can do that to any software.

Speaking of learning curve, if you are going to invest in learning a free 3D modeler, your time will be better invested if you learn this one (attached link) :)

And yes... it has improved a lot since the dark ages of its convoluted interface.

Quote - Well....check it out for yourself! It IS free. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have posted.
www.caligari.com

Sorry Chipp, I couldn't find initially it but I sit corrected...dl-ing as we speak...I've wanted something more than a demo of this for a long time an I guess it finally dipped into my financial strata...thanks for the heads up chipp.. ...

@agiel I seen the blender hair module in last months 3D World. It does indeed look like a seriously powerful FREE application,but does it have Vue support:D How does it handle exporting .obj files, you know with an .mtl that Vue can read?? I have found lately that for export of content (Poser content of course) It is far better to use DAZ Studio and have it convert materials for Bryce, then import into Vue. WOW what a remarkable difference. For me personally, if it doesent work with Vue,it isnt any good to me:D I use Cinema 4D and it works fine as wine.

ok - had to D/L twice - first file got corrupted...

i JUST installed.

maybe later, i can play a little...

but hey - you know... i've had people swear that bryce was top notch etc - i cant wrap my head around it.  this may be the same way - but like i have the free version of bryce (wont upgrade LOL), i'll have truespace now, too.

maybe one day, it'll finally click.

like when i discovered the dials are good for something on a figure (translate/pull landed me many a pretzel person)  =D

@Trepz: Materials are much nicer in Vue, and easier to work with. So I model in Blender in the default material then export as .obj. It imports in Vue fine and at that point I stat playing with the materials.
Not having worked with any modeler until the last couple of months Blender hasn't seemed any more difficult than any of the others. I actually found Sketchup frustrating when I was trying to place objects and gave up on it. I will download truspace and give it a shot.
What I really would like to see is a few more modeling tools in Vue. If i could control and extrude individual vertices/edges/sides and paint on the 3d object I doubt I would ever need to look elsewhere.

I suggested that a while ago and the response I got was Vue wouldn't be Vue, it would turn into Cinema 4D or something, personally I can't see that happening, a few modelling tools would be very handy to have.

Jon

As you guys probably all know, I've been a Truespace modeller forever. Most of my products were made with it until about two months ago.  AND, despite the power of Maya, I am keeping my Truespace.

Anyhow, for all of you who are new to this, the very first training video you want to download is "The Spirit Of The Interface." its quite a good video, and even though it's designed for Truespace 6.6, it covers most everything you need to know. In fact, its so good, that I learned things when it came out, even though I'd been a Truespace user sincer Version1. 

Free or not, I really hate the interface.
Maybe if they paid me enough, I'd try it again :o)

I will take a look at the video Forester, but on the latest version, 7.6 I think, how the hell do you render lol?

I can only find the render button if I change to Truespace 6 mode. The only render button I can find in the default 7.6 mode is render to offline renderer, so how do I get the normal render buttons to show?

Thanks for any help.

Jon

you need vray to render in workspace

Workspace has dx9 realtime render or vray a paid add-on.

Model side has lightworks or virtual light both included free.

Hope this helps.

Might I suggest that further queries be done in the trueSpace Forum here as you are going to have a lot more users there than in the various forums this announcement has been posted...not a scold...just a suggestion.. ...

I have bought Truespace since version 3 to 7,5 . Version 7,6 now free Not used it  to much in the past because  complexity of iconesinterface  (someone can like it much than me)
But when i learn it  more ( user manual of 992 pages for version 7) more you discover its power and lots of  features . Need motivation and time  to learn :it like all pro soft  .It  is a big soft not just lots of icons even i still prefer menu with text

You can also download for free lots of courses (were too expensive for me before and now they are free)

And vue can import native Truespace  format (.cob) with textures

And its true that the real power of rendering with Truespace is with VRay (you must buy) even the DX9  rendering is not bad

Thank you for sharing! :biggrin:

Traditional rendering is through the "Model" window (tab in upper left screen).  The real time rendering in the Workspace is excellent.. Load "Night Church," and set antialiasing to about 6.
Actually, TS is one of the most powerful 3D modeling software apps out there, though the UI is quirky (seems to have improved a bit though -- I left TS at version 6.0, for Carrara and Vue).

Thanks :D

I've played with TS now for a few days an I have to admit that it's incredible to have an application with so much functionality for free.  I'm probably only going to be using if for NURBS modeling tasks (creates beautiful UV's).

The interface is really horrible.  It's like one of those awful science experiments gone horribly wrong - similar to Z-brush. 

You can't beat it for the price.

Ever since I registered this product the spam has been rooling in constantly. Anyone else notice this?

nope, not heard a peep out of 'em