I'm New and confused

[Deleted User]

Right, I have seen quite a few star wars fan films with space battles and thought "I want to try that." I love doing video editing and the like and thought i would try and get into 3d modeling and filming. I like to think im very good with computers and can adapt rather easily. However looking at both blender and 3d studio max (is this the one that everyone referrs to as 3ds?) After reading a few tutorials and video tutorials i still seem lost with the programs. As i said all im interested in is xwing and tie fighter battles, maybe with a few flying ships and planets, is this easy to do or would i be pulling my hair out and getting stressed so much with all the buttons and options until i end up uninstalling everything?

Andrew March

Well coughing up £3,000 for max if you are going to get frustrated and jack it in is an easy way to lose three grand (as autodesk won't let you sell on your license).

3D programmes can be confusing, the terminology and the learning curve can scare a lot of people.

Saying that my advice is try out the programmes you're interested in (I'll list the best ones at the end of this reply). get as many tutorials under your belt as possible, you aren't going to be able to open the programme and produce a great animation straight away, it will take time.

Visit forums like this one for advice and to get answers for questions that you have. Don't be afraid to show your work in progress, you'll get honest feedback on how to improve the key elements of your animations, Lighting, FX, motion and sound are all key elements and this board has it's fair share of professionals to help you, including people that have worked on Enterprise and Battlestar Galactica.

Don't be tempted to buy pirated versions of your chosen programme, you won't be getting the full programme, you won't get a manual, you won't get any support.

Autodesk (3D Studio Max) Autodesk - Autodesk 3ds Max - Product Information
Autodesk (Maya) Autodesk - Autodesk Maya - Product Information
Newtek (Lightwave3D) LightWaveAR - Go Ahead, Make A Scene
Caligari (Truespace) trueSpace7, Introduction
Blender blender.org :: Home

There are a lot more 3D programmes available and I'm sure others will reply with more advice and choices.

I hope that helps a little.

[Deleted User]

another choice is wings 3d. I dont use it but i know its free and supposedly really easy to use.

linky

but when choosing what you want to use you have to consider some things. price, whether or not your a hotkey kinda guy(which is blender) or a menu lots of clicking guy(max from my experience). Im sure there are lots of other things to think about but i cant think of any more. :thumb:

Andrew March

Winds is just a modelling programme Dallidas.

[Deleted User]

Andrew March wrote: »

Don't be tempted to buy pirated versions of your chosen programme, you won't be getting the full programme, you won't get a manual, you won't get any support.

That is a very good point! With max e.g. there comes a ton of tuts with it.

and you can also buy lots of the programs on studens license, so you don't have to pay the full price...if you are not a student anymore, maybe you find someone to buy it for you

Samurai

The most important thing to do in any event is to try demo versions if at all possible- I'm pretty sure all the major applications listed by Andrew have demo versions available.

A good method would be to try and find a fairly simple tutorial for each application, something along the lines of modelling and rendering a small object, like a mug or a bowl. Try and find a similar tutorial for each application, if the end product is the same, or as similar as possible, then you can concentrate better on the process of creating it, and thus pay more attention to the interface of each application.

Ultimately, the holy grail is to find an application that you can work intuitively in, that you are confident using- this takes time, but it's important to make the right decision, as even student licenses are an expensive way of finding you don't like something. Each application has its own unique pros and cons- for example, 3D Studio Max has unparalleled integration with AutoCAD for Architectural work, but is expensive. LightWave 3D is relatively inexpensive, and is dual-boot out of the box, ideal if you work across Mac and PC, but is not the easiest interface to learn. Cinema 4D has a very intuitive interface, but is somewhat lacking in industry support compared to MAX and LightWave- though this is changing.

Those are just some examples, but the golden bit of advice is to look around, and ask questions- nobody here bites... much...

If you're going to contact software makers, don't be afraid to ask questions for fear of looking stupid- you're a customer, and they've heard every question in the book. They'll bend over backwards to help you because if you get good service you'll spend money with them.

Lonewriter

You can get an older version of Max on ebay and it is legal. I use Max 7 and it's great now that I'm getting the hang of it. If you get Max be sure to get a good manual. I use 3ds Max Bible by Kelley Murdock.

hal

CINEMA 4D! on a parr with max and lightwave and easier than Maya (some reason Andrew left this of his list)!

Andrew March

Sorry Hal, an oversight.

Maxon (Cinema 4D) MAXON - The makers of CINEMAA?4D and BodyPaintA?3D

hal

Thank you