I was wondering if someone could inform me on picking the best, or a very good 3D modeling progam. However, one that is low cost would be best. I know about 3DSM, and Maya, but I''ll pass for now on those. I also know of TrueSpace and MilkShape, but could someone tell me how good those are, and how much they are? Personal opinions welcome, not just on those, but any other options there may be. I need one with a good UI, somewhat easy to learn, and good to design levels and character models in. I''m moving up from Blender, which is also really good. Thanks very much! I am not worthy of a sig!

Well, as I''ve only bothered to learn Milkshape (MS3D), I''m a bit biased =)
The main strengths of Milkshape are these:

-Easy to learn. Very clean interface, I learned most things in a couple of days without tutorials.
-LOTS of tutorials. If you have any problems, just take a look at some of the tutorials, and you''ll probably find the answer.
-Active community. The MS3D forums at the site are very active, but most importantly, your questions are most likely already answered, so do a quick search and you''ll find what you need.
-Frequent updates. Mete (MS3D creator) pushes out fixes quite frequently, always listen to feedback from the users and improves stuff all the time.
-Plugins. MS3D has a lot of useful plugins, and you can import/export to/from pretty much any file format. The community also provides a steady stream of plugins for specific formats, or adding new features.
-SDK. Using the sdk, you can write your own plugins, so if a feature doesn''t exist yet you can add it. (I think Mete is planning on improving the plugin system for the next version, so the possiblilties should be even better. )

Well, there''s lot more, but I dont''t really feel like writing a complete feature specification =)
Links:
Milkshape - Check out tutorials and links for lots of resources
Polygods - Site devoted to MS3D, maintains and updates tutorials/links, and provides free space to upload images/models for display on the web.

Hope this helped some.
Good luck with your modelling!

------------------
Lars Rinde | taharez@gdnmail.net

quote: Original post by jim bob
...good to design levels and character models in...

Didn't see that, sorry. MS3D wouldn't be very good for making levels, it's better suited for creating characters, weapons, and various objects, still very good for that, though.
Also, check out an UV-utility for texturing your models, I'd suggest LithUnwrap (it's called Ultimate Unwrap 3D in it's latest version, I think, but the older are just fine ).

Oh, and Milkshape is 20$ (USD).

[edited by - Taharez on May 14, 2002 7:44:55 AM]

One excellent 3D program that doesn''t get much press is OpenFX. It has to be one of the easiest modellers I have ever used. You can download it from www.openfx.org. It''s also completely free.

borngamer

www.anim8or.com

This ones free and very good IMO.

Before I begin, I will just let you know something. DOWNLOAD AND FILL OUT THE INFORMATION FOR THE TRUESPACE 5.2 TRAIL VERSION AT WWW.CALIGARI.COM. Caligari ALWAYS sends you emails for special discounts during every singly holiday(Even Mother's Day) if you fill out and download the trail version. It might say on their website that Truespace 5.2 is $600, but you can get it for $400 plus any of their plugin packs. The packs are around $200 seperately. If you want to do animation, I suggest getting the AniPak (animation pack). During these promotions they usually offer Truespace 4.3 for $99 too, but 5.2 is much better than 4.3.

Well, anyway, I asked the same question about a month ago. Everyone added things about the free 3d modelers, but I couldn't get any info on many others. I personally bought Truespace 5.2, and it works great for what I do. Before I bought the program, I read some people's thoughts about how good it is. Alot of them said the interface was a little confusing, but reviews were generally good in this area. Im guessing they downloaded the trail version, because it is a little hard without documentation. Once I learned how to work the interface, I must say that I am impressed with the ease of use and functionality. You can turn out some nice looking things in very little time. It also has most of the features found in the higher end programs. The book they send with it is 530 pages long, and it includes some good tutorials and documentation on all the aspects of the program. It also uses Lightwave's rendering engine.

As for using it to make games... It is ok. For making 2d game art and scenary it is great. For 3d games it has it's highs and lows. The lows would have to be character animation. It is kind of hard to do without their plugins found in AniPak (Animation Pack), and that is why I would suggest getting it if you want to do animations. It has some motion captured animations with some human skeletons which makes it easy to do standard stuff like running and jumping. As for making game levels, I really have no idea, but I came across someone who was making a complete 1st person shooter out of Truespace. If I find the link I will post it here. You would probably want to find or program a plugin to make it easier.

In terms of compatibility with other 3d programs and games it is pretty good. It can import DirectX, VRML 1.0, 3d Studio Binary, 3d Studio ASCII, Imagine, LightWave, Video Scape, Wavefront, and .obj files. It can export DirectX, VRML 1.0 & 2.0, DFX, 3d Studio Binary, 3d Studio ASCII, and object animation files. Since it can import/export .3ds and export animation, you shouldn't have much problem implimenting your work into a game.

If you don't have a couple thousand dollars to spend, then I would suggest getting Truespace 5.2. Skip the earlier versions though. It is a great peice of software for it's price in my opinion.

Oh, and don't waste your time with Milkshape. Sure, it has a community, but it is mostly made up of kids that can't afford anything worth using. It works well when you are making low poly objects, but that is all it is good for. You won't be able to create anything complex enough to compete with today's games, and the program itself is starting to die out.


[edited by - Zefrieg on May 15, 2002 6:57:14 AM]

hey.

well, I use Rhino3D, Milkshape, 3D Studio Max, and OpenFX. The best thing about Rhino, Milkshape and OpenFX is that they are all easy to use, easy to learn, and either very cheap (for modellers) or free. OpenFX is the best free modeller you''ll get, IMHO. But if you''re going to buy one, get Rhino3D.

hope that helps.

hey.

well, I use Rhino3D, Milkshape, 3D Studio Max, and OpenFX. The best thing about Rhino, Milkshape and OpenFX is that they are all easy to use, easy to learn, and either very cheap (for modellers) or free. OpenFX is the best free modeller you''ll get, IMHO. But if you''re going to buy one, get Rhino3D. And by the way, 3D Studio Max is expensive, hard to learn, and not really worth it. Use one of the others.

hope that helps.

The Gun''s Rose

Blender is free too. It has a slightly steep learning curve. Go to www.elysiun.com. The official Blender project is dead but the users are keeping it alive.

I haven''t heard anyone mention Hash: Animation Master http://www.hash.com .

This is the best organic modeling, animation tool I''ve ever used. It''s $199 with the student discount, and it really is worth every penny.



My Toolbox:

Hash Animation Master -
Modeling creatures, characters, etc.

Bryce -
Landscapes, terrains, backdrops.


For indoor level stuff, I would find a good polygon modeler.