Forum Moderators: Lobo3433
3D Modeling F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2024 Sep 29 9:12 pm)
Freeware 3D Modeling Software Links:
Blender | Trimble Sketchup | Wings 3D | Anim8or | Metasequoia | Clara IO (Browser-based 3d modeler)
Check out the MarketPlace Wishing Well, as a content creator's resource for your next project.
"What 3D Program Should I buy?" Not one person here can really tell you what's best for you, as everyone has their own taste in workflow. Try the demo or learning edition of the program you're interested in, this is the only way to find out which programs you like.
Try Rhinoceros.
It is extremely intuitive. You do a background bitmap, trace the outside. extrude the curves. Viola! Surface.
The Rhino Demo Program, which is available through Renderosity, will allow you 25 model saves before the save feature is disabled.
Other than that, it remains a fully functional program.
Yank My Doodle, It's a
Dandy!
Goto: http://www.rhino3d.com/
Follow the link to Try Rhino, you will find the download there.
Remember: You only get 25 saves until the save your workcapability is disabled. So, unless you really must save leave Rhino run and keep your computer on. It will take just a bit to get used to it. There is a new user at Rhino forum here, she copleted a whole duck using the tutorials included in Rhino Help FIles/b> found in the program and getting pointers over at thr Rhino forum.
If you have any troubles, go to the Rhino forum here and I or someone else will answer your questions.
Yank My Doodle, It's a
Dandy!
As it happens, Carrara is very similar to its ancestor Ray Dream, and in version 3 allows background images in the vertex modeller (I tried that out recently, making a weapon from screenshots from Barbarella). A cute way of making a bas-relief object like a badge is to paint a height map then use a terrain modeller to convert that to a mesh. You can do this with lots of different aps -- even Bryce. (Did this once for the Crysanthemum on a Japanese cop-car for a long-ago image). Isn't very efficient with polys, tho! (Wanders away humming "Silver wings, upon his chest....")
Rhino has a Heightfield from Bitmap command/tool. Also, there is a freebe plug-in called Geofrac but I'm not sure if it runs in V-3? You can do some spectacular imaging using that and import into rhino, then create a NURBS surface using the drape command. Pull a few points and then texture map, and render.
Yank My Doodle, It's a
Dandy!
Thank you Stefan! This is exactly what I've been looking for!!!! But as I'm fairly new to Wings3D also could you elaborate a little bit on the procedure to follow after I import the *.AI file? And thanks to the rest of you also guys for pointing me in the right direction. Cryptojoe, you are absolutely right about Rhino. I started with the tutorials and I like it a lot!
"That's another fine mess you got me in to!" -- Oliver Hardy
Hi Panko, there's really nothing to importing an .ai file into Wings, if you click in the box next to .ai import in the import menu you can set the number of edge bisections, you'll probably need it quite high to keep the detail in the badge. This is only a guess but try 20 to begin with and adjust the number until you get the result you want. After you've clicked import Wings automaticaly creates the mesh though you may want to tidy it up a bit once it's been created. I think you need to save the .ai as version 7 or earlier, most apps will give you a choice :o) - Baz
Baz, I tried it and a strange thing happened. As I was importing the *.AI (20 bisections) the program froze and an editor log window opened behind (called erlang). Guessing that this was a kind of debuger I loaded the log file it had created that reads as follows: Erlang (BEAM) emulator version 5.2.3.3 [threads:0] Eshell V5.2.3.3 (abort with ^G) 1> Trying: [{buffer_size,32},{depth_size,32},{stencil_size,8},{accum_size,16}] Actual: RGBA: 8 8 8 8 Depth: 24 Stencil: 8 Accum: 16 16 16 16 Abnormal termination What is that it went wrong? I exported the *.AI path from Photoshop (v. 7.0)....
"That's another fine mess you got me in to!" -- Oliver Hardy
Wings is written in Erlang and the Erlang window needs to be open. If you close Erlang then Wings will close. That will probably be why you got the abnormal termination in the log rather than an invalid *.AI file. The first time I used Wings I didn't know what Erlang was and closed it down immediately. Hope you get up and running with your project. :)
"That's another fine mess you got me in to!" -- Oliver Hardy
Wings for wings, eh? Could you do me a favor and tell me whose jump wings these are? They look familiar but all I know is they aren't American. Might be British. "Fighting soldiers from the sky Fearless men who jump and die Men who mean just what they say The brave men of the Green Beret" -- Barry Sadler :)
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"That's another fine mess you got me in to!" -- Oliver Hardy