Khronos

Hi... i want to know from someone who worked with lots of 3D programs what program is the best... i mean what program has almost everything and and what program is the best for starters... i know a lot of photoshop but it has to many limits so i want to try to learn some 3d and maybe as much photoshop i know now...

Thanks! 8))

P.S. Excuse my bad english..

peekingrabbit

My suggestion is Cinema 4D ( http://www.maxon.net/ )

- not too expensive when you look at comparable products
- lots of features (more than you will ever use)
- easy to use, at least a lot easier than any of the other products like 3DS Max, Lightwave, Maya, XSI and comes with a highly adjustable interface.
- very stable and fast
- bright future for the product, gaining popularity every day

Khronos

ok man thanks... i have one more question.. do you have a site from wich i can buy or dowload a book about Cinema 4D from wich i can learn... because the tutorials from www.maxon.net are not enought

peekingrabbit

Just buy the product. 8))

jonbalza

What Mr. Rabbit means by that is the manuals that come with Cinema 4d are excellent. They are very complete, and give excellent explanations of all the tools, as well as lots of illustrations.

Gametamer

Because you are experienced w/ Photoshop, I recommend that you investigate every modeling app you can before deciding on one which best fits your workflow, as PS can help along in the texturing arena, and 3D models can assist in PS compositions.

C4D is great. There's also LightWave, 3D Studio, and Maya if money is of no concern. If you're on a budget, Blender and Wings3D are free. Download demos of every program to get their feel. I've been through Extreme 3D, Carrera, and trueSpace before settling on Maya.

Questions to ask of your 3D app:
+ Does it do both surface (nurbs) and solid geometry? Surface is good for easily building organic surfaces, but solid modeling allow for Boolean operations (addition, subtraction, ya-dah-dah).
+How's the rendering quaity, or will you need a separate rendering app? Many modeling folks use Poser or Vue 'cause the rendering unit in their modeler sucks.
+How's I/O? Will the modeler import obj, dxf, 3dmf, and other popular 3D formats? Does it export renderings with alphas? Is tga, tiff w/ alpha, or psd supported?
+Is it extensible? Is there a community of plug-in developers?
+Does it do animation?
+Does it do physical simulations such as wind, particles, and fluids?
+Are metaballs supported? This feature is good for creating quick fluid and organic shapes.

Happy hunting! The jouney's worth it! I "graduated" from a physical drafting board to computer graphics to 3D to 3D animation. It keeps me young!

My Best,

Gary

freddy

if you are a newbie to 3d application and will only be using it for .. print or web, i would suggest "Swift3D"

http://www.erain.com/

beautfiul 3d application, very user freindsly and easy to learn..
but if youwnat to get into deeper 3d apps....
depending on what, video or fillm/tv.....

video-> 3damax
film/tv-> maya