Well there are other things to consider. You could get Electric image it comes with Silo as the modeler. Electric image is a rendering animation package that does little or no modeling but they do package it with silo. Just to think of something else. There are a few small cool programs on the mac that can do some things too that are dirt cheap like Chettah 3d and Pixels animation studio.
Just a few things to keep in mind. Have fun try some demos. :thumb:
Tried those, and hated them.
Basically, I want to be a serious 3d animator, and Carrara just seems too much like a toy. It's an amazing program for landscapes though, I'll give it that. I have just been so impressed by some of the work done in Lightwave, as well as some stuff I threw together in the trial version.
Yeah i am still learning LW 9 and i am actualy starting to have fun with it now that i am used to its interface. I got into LW cause i had read alot about it and i knew that they had used it for some of the Star Trek movies that and when i found out they used it for the new BSG i had to get it.
I saw cinema 4D before from what i have read its much better for animations then LW is, But it sounds like thats gonna change in the next version of the program.
Yeah i am still learning LW 9 and i am actualy starting to have fun with it now that i am used to its interface. I got into LW cause i had read alot about it and i knew that they had used it for some of the Star Trek movies that and when i found out they used it for the new BSG i had to get it.
I saw cinema 4D before from what i have read its much better for animations then LW is, But it sounds like thats gonna change in the next version of the program.
Thanks everyone for the input. I think I've made my decision that if I do switch programs, it will most likely be LightWave.
I've been a Max user for the past few years and, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a great interface and easy to get on with. Things feel natural and quite intuitive. You don't have to spend hours with the manuals to get anything done - usually just fiddling about finds the answers.
I've recently begun dabbling with Lightwave9 at work. At first, the learning curve is more of a sheer rock wall...certainly not the friendliest of interfaces, but I've been hammering away in Layout, trying to understand how LW does animating and I must admit I've been suprised how effective LW is at animation - and how easy the tools are to get to grips with (I didn't say 'to 'master', though!). I've been able to set up real-time previews with comparative ease and my progress to date makes me more curious about what LW9 has to offer this long-time Max user... LW9 is also great for OpenGL cards - better than Max9, in my experience.
None of this helps you, but it does underline the fact there's probably not a lot to choose between the various apps unless you're working on very high-end projects.
This is not really a recommendation, but I think it is interesting to know.
Electricimage is a nice Mac/Win animation package: its renderer is really fast and produces nice results without needing too much effort. Has some character animation facilities, but it is most useful at hard surface animation (ILM used to go EIAS for many things that wouldn't require a Maya, such as spaceships and camera projection things).
Its main problem, of course, is the lack of a modeling app. Years ago, the usual combo was EIAS plus Autodes•sys' Form•Z, a nice modeler with CAD-ish leanings). Then EI produced Electricimage Modeler, sort of a poor man's Alias StudioTools, which had a very nice workflow and offered NURBS-based subdivision surfaces/solids. A bit buggy, though, but it was really getting there.
They were adquired by Play, Inc. (founded by some NewTek guys, I think), but things were a bit turbulent. After getting out, Electricimage lost its Modeler because of some ACIS licensing issues (it was Spatial's solid/surface modeling engine-based). They do this Silo bundle thing, but mostly any third party modeler will do (EIAS supports the usual file formats, although sometimes it is a tricky thing to import them).
Recently the app has been ported to Universal Binary for Mac. The company is actively seeking users' opinions about pursuing certain directions (resurrecting Modeler, etc.): you can follow the discussions and ask questions here: CGTalk - Electric Image Animation System . The EI website is renovating, and you can ask for a demo of the app: EI Technology Group
Posts
Tried those, and hated them.
Basically, I want to be a serious 3d animator, and Carrara just seems too much like a toy. It's an amazing program for landscapes though, I'll give it that. I have just been so impressed by some of the work done in Lightwave, as well as some stuff I threw together in the trial version.
I saw cinema 4D before from what i have read its much better for animations then LW is, But it sounds like thats gonna change in the next version of the program.
Thanks everyone for the input. I think I've made my decision that if I do switch programs, it will most likely be LightWave.
I've recently begun dabbling with Lightwave9 at work. At first, the learning curve is more of a sheer rock wall...certainly not the friendliest of interfaces, but I've been hammering away in Layout, trying to understand how LW does animating and I must admit I've been suprised how effective LW is at animation - and how easy the tools are to get to grips with (I didn't say 'to 'master', though!). I've been able to set up real-time previews with comparative ease and my progress to date makes me more curious about what LW9 has to offer this long-time Max user... LW9 is also great for OpenGL cards - better than Max9, in my experience.
None of this helps you, but it does underline the fact there's probably not a lot to choose between the various apps unless you're working on very high-end projects.
Electricimage is a nice Mac/Win animation package: its renderer is really fast and produces nice results without needing too much effort. Has some character animation facilities, but it is most useful at hard surface animation (ILM used to go EIAS for many things that wouldn't require a Maya, such as spaceships and camera projection things).
Its main problem, of course, is the lack of a modeling app. Years ago, the usual combo was EIAS plus Autodes•sys' Form•Z, a nice modeler with CAD-ish leanings). Then EI produced Electricimage Modeler, sort of a poor man's Alias StudioTools, which had a very nice workflow and offered NURBS-based subdivision surfaces/solids. A bit buggy, though, but it was really getting there.
They were adquired by Play, Inc. (founded by some NewTek guys, I think), but things were a bit turbulent. After getting out, Electricimage lost its Modeler because of some ACIS licensing issues (it was Spatial's solid/surface modeling engine-based). They do this Silo bundle thing, but mostly any third party modeler will do (EIAS supports the usual file formats, although sometimes it is a tricky thing to import them).
Recently the app has been ported to Universal Binary for Mac. The company is actively seeking users' opinions about pursuing certain directions (resurrecting Modeler, etc.): you can follow the discussions and ask questions here: CGTalk - Electric Image Animation System . The EI website is renovating, and you can ask for a demo of the app: EI Technology Group
(A wonkypedia entry: Electric Image Animation System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )
Oh, the tangled web we weave.
M.