Need a program for CG needs

[soldier one]

I thought you guys at DC could help me with this one. I need a program where i can make 3d models of things and realisticly, like the models you see in video games. I need it to be fre or extremely cheap, unless i can you know bit torrent it lol.

Anyways its going to be used for my animation im making. Currently im just using photoshop and making everything look 3d using techniques ive learned messing with photoshop, though it still looks extremely cartoonish. Its a comic book cartoon that a friend and I are making and we want to aim for a higher grade of audience kinda like "the batman" and such. I think alot of the stuff we need done would work alot better if i were using a 3d modeler and not photoshop.

Along with that we are also using flash so does anyone know a better one using 3d models where i can move the arms smoothly and such easier and more efficently?

[MrFenwick]

These are a few I could think of right off the bat.

Anim8tor - Link (http://www.anim8or.com/)
PovRay - Link (http://www.povray.org/)
Moray - Link (http://www.stmuc.com/moray/)
Blender - Link (http://www.blender3d.org/)

Those can output wonderful images if you can use them to there fullest. Hope that helps!

[soldier one]

Thanks for providing several. Based on your experience which one is
-The plain best when you get to using it
-the easiest one to learn
-good for getting you going on 3d modeling

Ive done 3d modeling a long time ago but i havent in a while so im kinda starting from scratch now.

[UndecideD]

Can I get a preview of the comic or can you show us once you're done.

[soldier one]

Yea its actuelly a animation right now, i got a demo almost done about 4 minutes so far, and its only 10 so it should be done. It was supposed to be done like 2 weeks ago but i have been so busy and im the only one animating it all so im doing everything from designing the charecters and enviroment to making it all come to life. He just wrote the storyline and gathered the voice overs for me.

I must say its a flash animation right now so it sucks, the charecters are not what i want them to be and look like a kid cartoon. I want the 3d stuff so i can go more advanced and make it more mature. I already told him this is the last one i do thats so kiddy, he was aiming for southpark and i want batman lol.

But yea ill upload it on youtube, im also putting it together as a comic book (paperback) and bringing it all with me to comic con.

[Cyrann]

I would to like to see it if you want some opinions...

[MrFenwick]

Thanks for providing several. Based on your experience which one is
-The plain best when you get to using it
-the easiest one to learn
-good for getting you going on 3d modeling

Ive done 3d modeling a long time ago but i havent in a while so im kinda starting from scratch now.

The best and easiest I showed you has to be Pov-Ray, but beware that its only code based. No GUI. Now if you want to have a GUI which is way much easier then I would choose Moray. The backend of it is Pov-ray, but gives it a GUI but it still able to use the code for more advanced scenes and animation and so forth.

Anim8tor is pretty good. I haven't used that one in a long time and can't say much about it.

Blender is a real pain to learn, but in the end it is the best by far. But be prepared to sit down and learn it for about a month before showing anything worth a penny. Its hard, its known to be hard.

So try Moray with Pov-ray, I'd say those are your best bet at the moment.

[soldier one]

Wow you just saved me lol, i got blender becausethe site was so clean and professional. Ill try the one you suggested instead.

[MrFenwick]

Blender is a awesome program. But if you don't want to sit and learn about it for a month or two, try the others.

But Blender is really hard, great but hard.

And Pov-Ray/Moray are wonderful to. Just gotta work at them to get the best details and so forth.

But good luck! I hope everything works out for you.

Just take a look in the Pov-Ray gallery and you'll see what can be done. ^_^

[soldier one]

So is blender like photoshop hard where you just got to work with it and learn it for a while or is it just plain hard?

Im willing to learn the program just not yet, i am trying to get this done before july 25th lol.

[MrFenwick]

Blender is hard, it took me 10 minutes just to make 5 different shaped because the interface is a pain!

Download it, take a look. Its confusing for beginners. Its a sit down, take 5 hours a day kind of program. Just to learn the interface.

Photoshop isn't nearly as hard.

But if your willing to take the time, and don't need to hurry then use Blender, but the others ones will do just as good with less time.

Pov-Ray Possibility;
http://hof.povray.org/images/twingirls.jpg
Blender;
http://www.blender.org/typo3temp/pics/0fa8ffcdb6.jpg

But thats me, you might be able to get Blender faster then me.

[soldier one]

Man i need someone to help me with theese lol. Any good tuitorals online that anyone recomends?

Right now im making a movie and we dont have huge rooms or anything to shoot it in so all we are going to do is set up a green screen and make the background on the comp. So i just need to make like a house decoration still frame ect... Id do it in photoshop but it wouldnt look natural. It needs to looks some what realistic as well.

Later im going to need to work with my animation again and i need to make charecters but they are not realistic so that fine. I worked with almost all the programs and its just hard to catch on without knowing what it is.

[Hippo]

I use 3D Studio Max regularly, but as for someone wanting a program they can quickly pick up...3DS is the exact opposite.

However, if you want to use the same program the actual game designers use, most use 3D Studio Max. The learning curve might take you about 3-6 months.

[Blu-Ray]

Great thread. I wasn't even thinking about CG until someone said it.

(And I keep thinking that you guys are talking about me ei Povray)

[soldier one]

Do you know a place i can download already made scenes?

[MrFenwick]

What program did you choose to use?

[soldier one]

I have all of them lol, i think pov rays interface looks easier to use though. I havent done anything but screw with shapes because i cant figure it out.

[MrFenwick]

Well I'm really not sure where you can find a good place for tutorials. Its best just to search google. I did and found a few different sites that offer different things. So Yeah, I'm no help there since I've been out of the CG scene for a while. Sorry.

[soldier one]

Ive been searching all day and i only found one site that offers already made loops but you got to pay for them. I then found another program that they used for movies like posiedion, 300, and a few other buts i dont know how or if you can buy it lol.

[MrFenwick]

Yeah, tutorials are a hard find. Well quality ones at least...

But what was that program called? I'm sure you can find it on the internet somewhere. -_^

[soldier one]

I thinks its a company actuelly, dont know which is the company and which is the program lol but here is the site i found.

http://www.flowlines.info/software01.html

[MrFenwick]

Well I found it, but its inside some pay sites.

[soldier one]

Thats ok, how much? Maybe i can find it elsewhere lol.

[MrFenwick]

http://www.fullreleases.com - The program is Flowline VFX.

[Hippo]

As long as the program has a solid UV Mapping tool, and you have an image editing program...you're pretty much on your way. Watch out for the poly count though, that's the key. Some of those programs aren't made to have their models be put into a video game...so they may look really cool, you aren't learning much about video game models. The key is to learn about texture baking...which is essential in low level video games...and a good foundation.

Can we also stop referring to this as CG...it keeps making me laugh...it really isn't a good term. I mean, computer graphics encompasses a lot of things. Even animation is a better term than CG.

[soldier one]

Ok animation then lol, CG just sounded smart. :lol: What do you guys think of that program? I found it on that site.

[Hippo]

The problem with those programs has a lot to do with how widely it is used...and that they do most of the work for you.

That second part sounds good right...actually wrong.

If you want to learn modelling, texturing, and rendering you need to learn the foundamental skills. That's why I suggest programs like 3D Studio Max, Maya, ZBursh, or SoftImage. These are the no-nonsense programs that make you do everything. And thats how you get the foundamental skills to eventually be successful.

As for why you shouldn't focus on lesser known programs, mainly because knowing really doesn't help you much in the long run. If a lot of people don't use that program there isn't much sense in learning it.

---------------------------


I should one day make a topic about "CG"...I have about 2 years professional, as well as about 5 years total experience. I've learned a lot, and I know a lot of people that work in the video game industry. Hopefully my knowledge, as well as what I know from my friends, can help guide some of you if video games is a career you're interested in. I know what I know now would have been very benefitical to a lot of people. If the interest is there I'll do it, otherwise I don't want to waste my time lol.

[soldier one]

The pic didnt show up, fix it im excited lol. :lol:

If you could help me get going with theese programs, id appreciate it so much lol. I dont know what i could do to thank you. Ever since i watched toy story and played my first game ive always thought itd be cool to create things like that.

About that "it does everything for you" is it as easy to use as it sounds? If so i can use it for little things right? Just not as my main program.

[ps3isawesome]

The pov ray pic looks better than the blender one ... but the blender one has more detail