Quote -  Well if it's any consolation to anyone, Blender is so far the only 3D modeler where I can't figure out how to do diddly squat. Not even a stupid BOX.. And it irks me but I've decided it's Blender's fault ;) as I found both Max and Hexagon and z-brush (which are all very different) easy enough to get started with. (I left Z-brush again because... that interface makes my hair smell singed...) but I really DID give Blender a chance because it looked like it was at least somewhat like Max.. only.. well it isn't. L

These days, I use Hexagon almost exclusively. THERE'S a program that is easy to learn and which doesn't have zillions of menus or bells and whistles you aren't using anyway.

I know Blender can do a lot of things, just like all the high end programs, but if all you want is to MODEL something (and not animate or render it as well...') then  Hexagon does the trick and a lot easier too :)

You are indeed entitled you your opinion, TG, but just because you say Hexagon is easier doesn't automatically make it easier. I ran into nothing but interface problems with Hexagon (I believe I have the latest version) and finally gave up in frustration and went back to Blender. By interface problems I mean: I couldn't figure out where to do stuff. It wasn't as bad as Silo, which as a thousand times worse and the silly thing kept crashing on me, but it was still very annoying.

At the end of the day, when I finally started get my head around it, I realised I was dealing with a modelling app with a some limitations (no cloth sim or fluid sim), so I went back to what I knew.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is not whether a programme can do what you want it to, but if the interface works for you. If it doesn't, then move on. It doesn't mean that Blender is a bad programme if you can't work it out or if after studying tutorials and everything the process is still counter-intuitive... it just means it doesn't fit to how you do things.

The main reason you can't just MODEL something in Blender 3D is because it was originally designed for professionals in the 3D arena - who would have resented a lot of hand-holding - costing thousands of dollars. Professional modellers value speed over accessibility and are prepared to spend time learning an interface (time investment) in order to quickly generate their models in the long run.
The new interface (2.50+... probably be 2.6 by the time it is released) is much more user-friendly and so one can probably get somewhere just by mucking around, which wasn't possible in prior versions: you had to know what you were doing.

BTW, a box in Blender is called a "cube" - you insert one into your workarea with:
SPACEBAR
ADD
MESH
CUBE

I know: not very intuitive. :biggrin:

Well, the neverending shortcuts are what's holding me up at the moment, but at least I can move around in it now...lol. A year ago when I tried it, it just sent me screaming...lol. Of course, I couldn't model even a cube then ;o).

Laurie

seriously, then ignore most of them.  you don't even need most of the ones i posted.  even in 2.49, i think every single shortcut has a menu item associated with it.

you know why i found Blender way easier than Hexagon myself? i started with morphs.  import, scale, switch to sculpt mode, and away i went.  by the time i started actually making stuff, i'd done a lot of playing around in sculpt mode.  and even now, i'm better with cloth sims and dynamics than polygon modeling.

checking, i see Hexagon now has sculpting, but it didn't when i bought it and tried to learn it. and i had interface problems that i just didn't in Blender.  not because i was used to Blender, because at the time i wasn't.  i just knew what i wanted to do, and when i looked that up in Blender, there was tons of straightforward information.  in Hexagon, not so much at the time. 

everyone i watched say they loved it said they started off with beginners tutorials, so they started with making what the tutorials told them to, rather than immediately trying to get it to do what they wanted. and i kind of did that with the Noob to Pro for Blender.  i think that can make learning an app easier.

but at least i understood how some people could like Hexagon.  i loathed Max's interface.  and the tutorials i tried took 2 million steps to do anything.  i tried it before Blender, and moved on happily.  i know Max has power, but whuff!  the interface had pretty obviously grown organically when i'd seen it. maybe it's more unified and streamlined now, but i no longer have access to it.

Hi LaurieA,

This is my notes regarding import/export and scale.  Please note that I'm using the Polygon Group for grouping, i.e., the model is one single mesh.

Scale

The model is created using 1 unit = 1m in Blender.

Import OBJ from Poser to Blender

1. Use Scaler3c to “Enlarge” with the scale of “2.4384”.
2. Import the enlarged OBJ into Blender using the following settings.
   

Export OBJ from Blender to Poser

1. Export the selected object to OBJ format using the following settings.
   
2. Use Scaler3c to “Reduce” with the scale of “2.4384”.

amy_aimei - out of curiosity, why the unusual scaling number?  that sounds very specific.

Quote -
You are indeed entitled you your opinion, TG, but just because you say Hexagon is easier doesn't automatically make it easier. I ran into nothing but interface problems with Hexagon (I believe I have the latest version) and finally gave up in frustration and went back to Blender. By interface problems I mean: I couldn't figure out where to do stuff. It wasn't as bad as Silo, which as a thousand times worse and the silly thing kept crashing on me, but it was still very annoying.

Yes I know. I find Hexagon very intuitive while my friend is constantly pulling out his hair when he tries. I've also been spared most of the crashing problems in Hex. That's not saying it never crashes, but it's not something I find it does often.

And interfaces are always a personal preference. I hate DazStudio's interface because I can't figure out where to do what, probably the feeling you had with hexagon :) And I'm by no means saying it's better than any other program, just that because it's just a modeler and not a "Make the next Avatar movie with this" kind of all in one program there's a lot less controls to learn and if all you want to do is to MODEL, then it's great.

Quote - The main reason you can't just MODEL something in Blender 3D is because it was originally designed for professionals in the 3D arena - who would have resented a lot of hand-holding - costing thousands of dollars. Professional modellers value speed over accessibility and are prepared to spend time learning an interface (time investment) in order to quickly generate their models in the long run.
The new interface (2.50+... probably be 2.6 by the time it is released) is much more user-friendly and so one can probably get somewhere just by mucking around, which wasn't possible in prior versions: you had to know what you were doing.

Oh I know. My first modeler was 3D Studio Max 3.1 - but even in THAT program I had no problems doing stuff, I've never encountered a modeler (and I like to try them out whenever there's a demo available) where I didn't even know how to create a box or a cube or whatever. I really wanted to give Blender a try.. but failed.

Then again it is several years ago (like 7 or 8 most likely) so it has most likely changed tot he better :) I should probably give it another go.. but I'm just happy with my little Hexagon these days, so... 

I'm gonna give Silo a very serious look-see ;o). It looks exactly like it's laid out in a way my brain can understand...lol. I've watched a few videos and it looks intuitive to me. On the outside though, it looks very simplistic which is what I need for the most part. Clean and uncluttered and yet the controls are all still right there.

Laurie

I was just musing how I'd tried Bryce before I'd ever tried Vue. I struggled with Bryce always... Vue came along and I was in love! Everything was placed right where I would put it if I had been given the chance and it just made "sense". I'm looking for that in a modeler. Wings is close, but it has some limitations to it. I'm looking for more powerful and yet still uncluttered with stuff I'll never use, like animation, rendering, etc. Silo looks like it would fit the bill for just what I want ;).

Laurie

Quote - amy_aimei - out of curiosity, why the unusual scaling number?  that sounds very specific.

The unusual scaling number is for converting meter to Poser unit.