LOL, true, though my story's a bit different. I ended up exiting the space entirely when I moved to DC - got so busy with politics and other things that I just didn't have time anymore, and it wasn't long before the software had just left me behind altogether. You may recall it was around that time that Caligari (which made trueSpace) got bought by Microsoft and went under (or was forced under in typical M$ fashion). It also didn't help that I left my desktop behind with my ex when I moved, so I didn't really have a good machine for that kind of work anymore (still don't actually, just an iMac at work).
It's conceivable I could get back into it, but kind of unlikely especially now that I'm in NYC, and the learning curve is so high with a new platform that it'd be a long time before I was back at my old level. :-(
Yeah I wouldn't even know what to best reccomend for a package right now, as the knowledge base is frightening for each of them... and each one has a unique set of pitfalls. On the other hand, there's a lot to be said for raw ability and perseverance... you are quite capable of doing that, if you want too, we've seen it, it's just wanting too...
Yeah, it's definitely not the capability that's the issue, it's the massive time sink for a very delayed return on investment relative to other things I have going on. :-(
Seanr
I would recommend learning blender, unless you have a long time of experience in some other package whose updates have not changed it's interface too radically. If you want something which is really easy to model in then try sketchup, but exporting the model from it to a more capable package is tricky. I have a technique i can exlan that works for Sketchup 8 but it MIGHT not work for later versions of the program, it's only been a few years since sketchup 8 was released and already it has been replaced by several newer versions, so I understand any annoyance you are experiencing at the software you are familiar with getting replaced many times over, i have already found myself somewhat unfamiliar with new interfaces of programs just because I have stuck with software which is 2 or 3 years old.
@Sean: With the current state of things I'd recommend Blender, if you can stomach the interface (their new GPU-based efforts can actually compare to the power of commercial suites), otherwise LightWave, since it offers the most bang for the buck. Slightly under a grand for a software whose parent company is constantly adding a ton of actually useful features, unlike the Autodesk's unbearable stagnation and alibi tweakings to justify the price of new update licenses (and you know that I've been a Max user for ages).
Granted, you'd probably need a crash course courtesy of tobian and IRML to hit the ground running, but look at their work and you'll see the possible rewards.
Well, nice to see this thread raise its zombie hand for a friendly wave.
I totally get the Tobian/SeanR 3D motivational theology though. Something I used to crave and claw for daily just isn't at the forefront of my thoughts of late. My latest job and a few medical issues involving sleep have stripped me of a lot of that impetus these days.
I think I've turned on my home computer 10 times in the past 6 months (and I just bought it less than a year ago), and I've loaded Lightwave maybe 3 times since October? Still, Hoping I'll get some motivation back in the spring (I pretty much hate winter except for the stars).
Slowly working on a bathroom renovation though, so I'm not a total loser.
For me though, it's mostly about just turning something that persists within my imagination (regardless of who cooked it up originally) into something I can experience with one or more of my actual senses.
Hopefully someday everyone can get back some of their former passions and make good on them. I know how much raw talent is attached to those posting in this thread just over the past few days alone, and it would be a shame if it never got to see the light of day again. Who knows Sean? In just a few years, software interactions might be even more simple, and the learning curves won't be so tough. Hang in there. :thumb:
Nice to see some old faces on here, it's like a reunion... and I hope to see you all do some new work in the new year, like I hope to see myself do some too!
Yeah I wouldn't know what to recommend right now, the whole industry is in flux. LightWave is alight but has some rendering issues I'd like to see cleaned up, as well as some issues with modeler's high-poly-count handling. Modo , ugh, the Foundry are being put up for sale, so god knows what's happening there, and anything from AD is a rip off, and you basically need a third party render engine, as everyone seems to hate MR haha That leaves Cinema, which is expensive, Houdini, which is for maths geniuses, and then Blender.. The trouble with Blender other than it's hideously designed UI, is everything gets to a point and then stops... the really advanced stuff is usually done by one person who if they are good then leave to go work in a paid for job...
Appreciate the recommendations for Blender, however, I never could stand the UI (same exact issue with Lightwave). TrueSpace had a much more intuitive and visual user interface - the closest match I can think of is Maya, but it's insanely complex for the amount of time I have to spend on it (not to mention very expensive).
You might want to give LW another try as it has some good strengths, and It's a lot more intuitive than you might think. It's a lot easier to get in at the ground floor than many other apps. Give the Demo a go... For much the same reason I can't get into Blender either
argh not heard true space for ages - i started on it but for me the interface was horrible and it was a dream come true when i got lightwave - i upgraded to 2015 and while its not perfect its pretty damn good - as for blender again horrible ui but has serious advantage of being free
You might want to give LW another try as it has some good strengths, and It's a lot more intuitive than you might think. It's a lot easier to get in at the ground floor than many other apps. Give the Demo a go... For much the same reason I can't get into Blender either
I agree, Lightwave is awesome. I wish I'd been using it from the beginning, instead of wasting so much time in Truespace. I find the interface to be very intuitive. Things are in categories by name of what they do. I found it really easy to navigate when I was making the switch from Truespace. The last time I opened Truespace to render one of my old models, I had to sit there staring at a lot of those little icons going, "OK, now what does this do again?"
Aside from the interface, there are so many great modeling tools that I never had before switching to Lightwave. But, that's just my take on it.
LW's interface isn't my cup of tea either, but out of the connercial apps out there it currently seems to offer the best cost-benefit ratio. Don't forget to also give the trial version of MODO a look.
I've been thinking of trying Modo also. I watched a bunch of their videos on its features one day. Of course, knowing my luck, I'll like it and want to buy it and I don't have the money.
chances are that modo will be bought by autodesk and effectively killed soon - would be hard pressed to advise people to buy into it right now - best to wait and see what happens to it first
chances are that modo will be bought by autodesk and effectively killed soon - would be hard pressed to advise people to buy into it right now - best to wait and see what happens to it first
Well basically the Carlyle group put up a notice it intends to sell on it's software division, which includes Modo, Mari and Nuke. It's not guaranteed but it's a serious possibility that Autodesk will buy them up as it represents a serious competitor. It won't be cheap though, and perhaps Adobe could swallow them, which would be very interesting indeed, and they wouldn't necessarily kill anything, though in both cases it would transfirm it from a dynamic young company to a dead slug...
Not Adobe. Almost anybody but Adobe. Modo is one I've been looking at because it looks like a great package and because it has native Linux support. If they get it, said support will likely be the first thing they kill, since that frakking company seems to be on an anti-Linux crusade. (first they killed the Adobe Flash Player for Linux, then they removed the Adobe Reader for Linux) Besides, if they get it Adobe is likely to turn it into some stupid Creative Cloud thing, like they have with most of their stuff. :rolleyes:
autodesk is the most likely purchaser - they have a history if buying the competition and stealing little bits of it and then killing it
Sounds like Microsoft.
Too bad, I was going to try Modo. Though, I'm glad I didn't do it months ago, when I was first thinking about it. It would have sucked if I'd liked it and then found this out.
Well watch this space, it's all up in the air. Modo us a solid product. It certainly has it's quirks and some major limitations, but that's like all software really. If it is bought out by autodesk, it'll be the deathknell. Another possible option is cinema, which has recently added a bitching new chamfering tool. Check out the vids.
I grabbed the 30 day Modo demo and am going to give it a try anyway. The UI looks pretty good and maybe I can get somewhere with it, at least enough to get back into the swing of things. Will also probably check out Cinema.
Yeah, nothing is ever solid until it's done. I remember Barnes & Noble trying to get bought out several years ago, but they never were. Similarly, T-Mobile was trying to be purchased by AT&T but the US Government put a stop to that due to antitrust laws. So, not every company that tries to get bought is actually bought.
@Sean: Good idea. Even if the company is purchased, that doesn't mean you can't buy it before it goes kaput and enjoy the current version.
Cinema. You mean Cinema 4D? I've heard of that, but it's been ages. Yeash, it's around Max/Maya price.
C4D also has probably the most customisable UI I have come across. If you don't like how it looks out of the box (and I don't), you can change it so that it is barely recognisable (and I have).
Not to hijack the thread any more than we already have, but a little experiment after about two and a half hours playing with Modo (note, there's a matching handle on the other side as well). I think I could get used to it fairly quickly - certainly easier to pick up than some of the others I've tried. Only question is whether I'll have time to really do it right; if so, y'all had better watch out.
I feel kinda bad - just gave their poor sales guy a virtual earful via email about the possible sell-off/buyout, and Carlyle Group, seriously? Oy (Google that company). They've got a very good product; I pray they don't screw this up. If I'm going to do this again, I want to do it right - won't be cheap in either hardware or software and I've only got one chance to nail it.
Now, Tobian, if you want your thread back, I think another full station render would do the trick.
Posts
It's conceivable I could get back into it, but kind of unlikely especially now that I'm in NYC, and the learning curve is so high with a new platform that it'd be a long time before I was back at my old level. :-(
I would recommend learning blender, unless you have a long time of experience in some other package whose updates have not changed it's interface too radically. If you want something which is really easy to model in then try sketchup, but exporting the model from it to a more capable package is tricky. I have a technique i can exlan that works for Sketchup 8 but it MIGHT not work for later versions of the program, it's only been a few years since sketchup 8 was released and already it has been replaced by several newer versions, so I understand any annoyance you are experiencing at the software you are familiar with getting replaced many times over, i have already found myself somewhat unfamiliar with new interfaces of programs just because I have stuck with software which is 2 or 3 years old.
Granted, you'd probably need a crash course courtesy of tobian and IRML to hit the ground running, but look at their work and you'll see the possible rewards.
I totally get the Tobian/SeanR 3D motivational theology though. Something I used to crave and claw for daily just isn't at the forefront of my thoughts of late. My latest job and a few medical issues involving sleep have stripped me of a lot of that impetus these days.
I think I've turned on my home computer 10 times in the past 6 months (and I just bought it less than a year ago), and I've loaded Lightwave maybe 3 times since October? Still, Hoping I'll get some motivation back in the spring (I pretty much hate winter except for the stars).
Slowly working on a bathroom renovation though, so I'm not a total loser.
For me though, it's mostly about just turning something that persists within my imagination (regardless of who cooked it up originally) into something I can experience with one or more of my actual senses.
Hopefully someday everyone can get back some of their former passions and make good on them. I know how much raw talent is attached to those posting in this thread just over the past few days alone, and it would be a shame if it never got to see the light of day again. Who knows Sean? In just a few years, software interactions might be even more simple, and the learning curves won't be so tough. Hang in there. :thumb:
(You too Pluto!
Yeah I wouldn't know what to recommend right now, the whole industry is in flux. LightWave is alight but has some rendering issues I'd like to see cleaned up, as well as some issues with modeler's high-poly-count handling. Modo , ugh, the Foundry are being put up for sale, so god knows what's happening there, and anything from AD is a rip off, and you basically need a third party render engine, as everyone seems to hate MR haha
I agree, Lightwave is awesome. I wish I'd been using it from the beginning, instead of wasting so much time in Truespace. I find the interface to be very intuitive. Things are in categories by name of what they do. I found it really easy to navigate when I was making the switch from Truespace. The last time I opened Truespace to render one of my old models, I had to sit there staring at a lot of those little icons going, "OK, now what does this do again?"
Aside from the interface, there are so many great modeling tools that I never had before switching to Lightwave. But, that's just my take on it.
Ah, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.
Sounds like Microsoft.
Too bad, I was going to try Modo. Though, I'm glad I didn't do it months ago, when I was first thinking about it. It would have sucked if I'd liked it and then found this out.
@Sean: Good idea. Even if the company is purchased, that doesn't mean you can't buy it before it goes kaput and enjoy the current version.
Cinema. You mean Cinema 4D? I've heard of that, but it's been ages. Yeash, it's around Max/Maya price.
Now, Tobian, if you want your thread back, I think another full station render would do the trick.