30% off through the 17th...

http://mysmithmicro.com/marcom/eblasts/Silo/20131106/A/index-web.html

Check it out at Steam as it may be cheaper.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

But its being dead for years now .. i dont understand why SM does so much promotion for it .. 

Its a good modeler ..but badly supported ... 

I have it from version 1   but left it due to the lack of progresse and updates..

From my point of view 26Fahrenheit, it's a good modeller of course but more importantly I think it's a very good starting point to learn about modelling.

Because that's pretty much all it does, you make your model, give it some mat zones and uvmap it and you're done.

Other applications I've used have complicated the workflow by including other things, like animation, integration to other applications, physics engines etc, etc.  All of which has confused the modelling part making it harder to work with.

Silo on the other hand is pretty uncomplicated, leaving you to learn about modelling and building your skills up.

many people will find they don't need anything else, others will want to move onto something more complex.  But I think the grounding in poly modelling you get from Silo will set anyone in good stead for getting into more complex applications.

John

Nothing wrong with Silo, very easy to use. It's no good having a screen full of icons and menus if you get lost in them.

Silo is very streamlined and for the price it is on Steam (just google it), you can get it cheaper and tsart learning to make your own stuff.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

does Silo handle bigger poly counts better than wings? 

i luv wings, but it seems to bog when opening M4 or Sydney.

In comparison with hexagon that crashes a lot, how would the users who have used both (hexagon and Silo)rate each one?

i am a hexagon fan and am looking for an inexpensive modeling program with same functions That is not prone to crashing.  Not interested in wings.

pappy

But I have got Roxie, Rex, Tyler, V4 and as you can see M4 with no probs.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

Well, I had Hexagon, and I hated it, plus I used to get the famous Hexagon bloat that would take a 100k obj and make it 60 meg for some stupid reason.

Since I got Silo I have produced quite a few things very easily, I would never go back.

If you want to check a few things out, pop over to Sharecg, type in my username for my portfoillio and have a look at what I have done, plus there are some basic tutorials I did to get people going.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

All the best,

Great Uncle LROG

That is just my base to start playing with. Two minutes makes this, and yes those are material zones.

Just low res.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

go on Steam and get it a lot cheaper....

I'm not sure of the dollar price but it is £29.99, well worth it.

Once you have Silo, you will bin Hexagon. Silo may look simple but it has some very powerful options.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

There is a site that has Silo 2.0 for $24.95, downloadable only.  OEM (softdepot.com) has reputable programs (I purchased Poser 7 there for 14.95 rather than Smith Micro's 59.99 sale they had going during the time frame that 8 came out) and they are legitimate applications.

They have Silo, Poser, Zbrush, and other programs that aren't the most up to date versions, but if you are wanting to try them out without having to fork out the cash for the latest and greatest, that's a great place to hit.

Silo is well worth using.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

Quote - There is a site that has Silo 2.0 for $24.95, downloadable only.  OEM (softdepot.com) has reputable programs (I purchased Poser 7 there for 14.95 rather than Smith Micro's 59.99 sale they had going during the time frame that 8 came out) and they are legitimate applications.

 

They have Silo, Poser, Zbrush, and other programs that aren't the most up to date versions, but if you are wanting to try them out without having to fork out the cash for the latest and greatest, that's a great place to hit.

I did go to softdepot.com, but it's gone, did it move or just shut down?

I had the demo version of silo awhile back.

got the full version and used it to do a couple of things but got distracted from it.

Lost the program and the zip, serial to it in a hard drive crash.

I searched my email archives and find no sign of my purchase.

And I can't even rwemember the year I bought it...sigh.

But I liked it and wanted to learn more.

Can't afford it now sooooo.

But I'd say if you have the money and want an easy to work with modeler, go for it. :)

I tried Hexagon on more than one occasion but spent more time trying to keep it working than I did learning.  I even tried using it when I first started buying the Digital Tailor Tutorials from Fugazi1968 but Hexagon was a pain.  Having seen how it worked in the tutorials I purchased a copy of Silo and found it easy to work with.  The only complaint I had at the time is it would not recognise my Space Navigator 3d mouse, since then I have found a driver for that also. 

I have learnt a great deal from many of the tutorials, skills I would not have learnt without Digital Tailor and Silo.  Having recently retired I intend doing a great deal more with Silo as it is fun to use.  I have uninstalled Hexagon as I cannot see me ever wanting to use it again.

can Silo complete install on a pc without an internet connection?  does anyone know?

some pesky s/w require an internet connection to activate. achoodobe.

Thanks. 

If i remember rightly it needs an Internet Connection to register first time but after that it seems to work fine for me with no Internet connection.

Quote - If i remember rightly it needs an Internet Connection to register first time but after that it seems to work fine for me with no Internet connection.

oh noes. 

i sent an inquiry at the nevercenter site.  see if they have options for non-internet pc.

hip hip hooray yayy

response from nevercenter about installing to a non-internet pc

Absolutely. You will need to download the program from an internet-connected computer, but if you can then transfer the installer file to your non-internet-connected system through a USB drive you should be all set. The registration code will validate internally with the system, so activation should not be a problem.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Nevercenter Support

Go on, grab it, you know you want it, and it's nearly Christmas time!!! Lol.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

OK, I'm tempted. I currently use Hexagon. I don't get the constant crashes others seem to have with Hex, but there are other issues with things like UV mapping and lost mat zones as well as the occassional  crash that make me want to try Silo.

Can anyone with Hex experience give me any sort of insight into how the transition was from Hex to Silo. I've downloaded the demo before but couldn't figure out how to manipulate the camera. Very frustrating. I'm downloading some of the tutorial vids from Nevercenter, so I can get a better grasp of what the software can do, but I've used Hex for so long I'm a bit concerned about the transition.

Thanks.

(booksbydavid) 

Quote -   Can anyone with Hex experience give me any sort of insight into how the transition was from Hex to Silo.

     Well, modelers are a personal thing, but I never got comfortable in Hex;  it was always a chore to get anything done.  Silo just seemed...easy.  Silo has ever since been my comfortable old shoe.  I have modo, and use it occasionally for special tricks, but for the most part, I model in Silo.

Question!

is SmithMicro having the silo sale because they are going to be the owners and updaters of silo or is NeverCenter still the owner and developer of Silo?

pappy

The Steam version need the steam account login.

. . . Steam rocks.  I used to be a 'Steam hater', but the convenience of being able to install/uninstall to whatever new or old machines without having to dig up disks and serials, never having to hunt down patches, user docs right there (most of the time).  Steam is just a wonderful convenience.

Camera controls are easy in Silo, just hold down the ALT key and use the mouse wheel to zoom, or use the ALT + Left mouse button to rotate.

As it's been said, yep, Silo becomes like a nice pair of comfy shoes. If I had a person at the side of me, I could show them how to make something in about 5 minutes.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

(Pappy411) 

Quote - Question!

is SmithMicro having the silo sale because they are going to be the owners and updaters of silo or is NeverCenter still the owner and developer of Silo?

     SM is only selling Silo licenses.  NeverCenter owns Silo;  they have not put any visible effort into it the last few years.  I put in a suggestion to SM that they buy Silo and develop it as a 32/64bit app with modeling for Poser (and Manga Studio?) in mind.  But, things are tough nowadays, so I realize that I'm asking a lot.

     SM is only selling Silo licenses.  NeverCenter owns Silo;  they have not put any visible effort into it the last few years.  I put in a suggestion to SM that they buy Silo and develop it as a 32/64bit app with modeling for Poser (and Manga Studio?) in mind.  But, things are tough nowadays, so I realize that I'm asking a lot.

Ok!  Thanks!  I was thinking if SM was the owner now maybe further development would be in the works.  Silo has been without further development for quite some time. Then again this might be a means for NeverCenter  to raise cash for just such a venture.  Hope so.

     I hope so too, pappy411.  :thumbupboth:

Quote - Camera controls are easy in Silo, just hold down the ALT key and use the mouse wheel to zoom, or use the ALT + Left mouse button to rotate.

As it's been said, yep, Silo becomes like a nice pair of comfy shoes. If I had a person at the side of me, I could show them how to make something in about 5 minutes.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

Thanks. I began watching some of the tutorial videos listed at Nevercenter and found the same info along with a lot of other good stuff. I'm seriously leaning towards a Silo purchase.

Don't lean, get it!!!! Lol.

The only thng that stops people from making things is not getting the software.

When it comes down to it, it's the human that makes the item, not the software.

You can have the worlds most expensive and best program but if you don't want to make something then it is just a waste of money.

Go in at the ground level for a low price and then see where it takes you.

You can always download the demo and test it out.

The one thing I would suggest is that if you do get it, then get Jogn Digital Tutors series. He uses Silo for all his tutorials and I have never been disapointed with any of his work and the info I have got from them.

Content makers are like writers, until they put off the excuses about starting, then they will never progress. Take the plunge, make mistakes, ask questions, do more, make more mistakes, gain experience and you will soon learn that making things isn't as hard as people think.

All the best.

Great Uncle LROG

     I also found this book helpful:  3D Modeling in Silo

Thank you both (paganeagle and seachnasaigh).

I am fiddling with the demo right now.

And the book looks to be very helpful. I'm partial to books for learning and reference, so that was a good find.

Thanks again both of you. More things to consider. :)

So we have:

Smith Micro: version 2.2 @ USD109.- (http://mysmithmicro.com/marcom/eblasts/Silo/20131106/A/index-web.html)

Steam: Version 2 @ EURO 54.99 http://store.steampowered.com/app/100400/

That is a factor 2 in price. Is there a significant difference in features or performance?

Quote - So we have:

Smith Micro: version 2.2 @ USD109.- (http://mysmithmicro.com/marcom/eblasts/Silo/20131106/A/index-web.html)

Steam: Version 2 @ EURO 54.99 http://store.steampowered.com/app/100400/

That is a factor 2 in price. Is there a significant difference in features or performance?

Good question. Maybe it is possible to upgrade? Sitting on the fence, I have a budget to keep, and this could really bust it.

 

 

V 2.2 would be a better deal if and when an update comes out.  This could be the precursor of an upcoming upgrade and to build customer base and interest in Silo.

Just a thought. 

pappy

I've been playing with the demo, and I'm liking it. I'm still on the fence, but teetering. Somebody push me.

Please. :)

Does Steam disable your software and make you log in online every few months like they do with single person games like Skyrim?

read back guys.

you've been given the answer already about steam.

I quote

*Quote -*hip hip hooray yayy

response from nevercenter about installing to a non-internet pc

*Absolutely. You will need to download the program from an internet-connected computer, but if you can then transfer the installer file to your non-internet-connected system through a USB drive you should be all set. The registration code will validate internally with the system, so activation should not be a problem.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Nevercenter Support

*they won't have altered it to require steam.

I cant say enough good things about silo!!  I started out modelling in wings but found silo a huge step up for the 100$ or so it cost me.  I've been using silo 2.2 and haven't used previous versions so i cant speak to the differences between 2 and 2.2.  

And for my 2 bits... another vote for SM to buy and rekindle development of silo.

Quote - I've been playing with the demo, and I'm liking it. I'm still on the fence, but teetering. Somebody push me.

Please. :)

Quote -  

I cant say enough good things about silo!!  I started out modelling in wings but found silo a huge step up for the 100$ or so it cost me.  I've been using silo 2.2 and haven't used previous versions so i cant speak to the differences between 2 and 2.2.  

And for my 2 bits... another vote for SM to buy and rekindle development of silo.

Quote - I've been playing with the demo, and I'm liking it. I'm still on the fence, but teetering. Somebody push me.

Please. :)

OK. I took the plunge and bought it. After playing with the demo most of the night, and finding the program to be very responsive and just a little bit fun, I just couldn't be without it any longer. Now, to get modeling. :)

Just a heads up - Silo is 50% off via Steam until December 3rd. That's an incredible £13.99 for me... Gonna get it.

I had lunch with a couple guys in my industry (unrelated to 3d) a few weeks ago.  One of them pointed out that we could probably all run our businesses just fine with the spreadsheets and word processors available twenty years ago because two plus two still equals four and a sentence is still a sentence no matter what features get added to Excel or Word.  The only difference is our documents today are a little prettier.  Same thing with modelers, really.  They all make verts.  They all move verts around.  Those fundamentals will never change.  Silo does those fundamentals well.

Quote - There is a site that has Silo 2.0 for $24.95, downloadable only.  OEM (softdepot.com) has reputable programs (I purchased Poser 7 there for 14.95 rather than Smith Micro's 59.99 sale they had going during the time frame that 8 came out) and they are legitimate applications.

 

They have Silo, Poser, Zbrush, and other programs that aren't the most up to date versions, but if you are wanting to try them out without having to fork out the cash for the latest and greatest, that's a great place to hit.

Yeah, you better check that your CC is not being ripped off.
I helped in getting rid of these rippoff sites, they deal in illegal versions of software.

In all honestly, you probably have a hacked version or a keygened serial for poser.

veselyjsoft was also in this group of pirates.