Software for simple 3d modelling
s.volchkov_c8cb502348
Posts: 0
I'm needing some custom props for my project, namely
- a sleeping bag
- a double-tiered bunk bed
- a scary-looking combat knife like the one used in the film Cobra
Perhaps some of these can be found in the existing prop collections, however I thought it would provide me with motivation to start learning how to do 3D modelling.
I'm not sure what software would be most suitable for this task. I was thinking about learning ZBrush but I know that it's rather complex and probably would not be the most suitable tool for creating this simple stuff
What would you recommend? I need something that
- can produce objects that can be easily exported to DAZ
- relatively easy to create the above objects
- ideally. has good supporting documentation and/or enough information on the web to learn on my own
Cheers!
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Daz Hexagon - help
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/298/
Honestly, while I can't get along with the UI personally I'd still recommend using Blender. Several reasons why.
1) Massive community. If you need help, you can almost guarantee someone has been through something similar and is willing to lend a hand.
2) It's free. That means using it comes at no financial risk to you, so you can easily get it and find out if it's for you.
3) It's comprehensive. It's got a lot going for it, and you can build your skills up from being a novice to a professional without changing the software.
That's my 2 cents at least.
I'll recommend Hexagon available here at DAZ
http://www.daz3d.com/hexagon-2-5-download-version
there's a forum here to get questions answered, and it has a very User friendly interface. It can be glitchy on some systems but I use it for my products, The geekatplay video tutorials available on youtube will get you working in it very quickly. Best of all it is reasonable priced
ZBrush is crazy expensive and has a massive learning curve for a "first modeler".
Start off free! http://www.wings3d.com
Decent documentation, lots of YouTube tutorials, easy to learn and plenty powerful enough to carry you on for a while.
If Silo were still under development I'd recommend it, but.. I have no evidence it's evolving. :long:
Happy Learning!
It is that glitchiness that IMO makes Hexagon a bad choice for people new to modeling software. How can they know if something isn't going as expected because they are doing it wrong or because the software just glitched. Blender's interface and workflow is a bit odd but not impossible to learn as so many people claim.
Choice of modelling app is a matter of what works for you. Not to mention what you can afford or what you want to spend. Add to that the time you wish to put into learning the app.
There are some good to excellent free modelling apps available. Blender is the best known and has the largest tool set I know of. Some have not problem with the UI, some give up in frustration.
Wings3d is another. If you are familiar with Apollo Max then you can see what someone who knows the app can create.
Scupturis is a free app from the makers of ZBrush. It has some of the features. It's been a while since I played with it so I don't know if anything has been added.
Low cost modellers vary. There is the already mentioned Hex. It has its issues. There is Pegasus modeller. Again, there are good and bad reviews.
Up toward the high ends we go from Silo and Milkshape to Modo to ZBrush to Lightwave and up to the Autodesk stable of Max, Maya, XSI, and Mudbox.
Best advice is download the free ones and try them. Download the demos and try them. Find one that makes sense and works for you.
Blender interface is a little daunting to get started but for versatility it holds it's own with the very high end of 3D software. I recommend if you do use it that you have one computer or monitor for Blender and one for video tutorials.
Although a long-time Blender user, for a beginner I have to add my vote for Wings3D. It's also free, and it's easy to get around in. My only problem with it was it's really made to work with a mouse, and because of my chronic CTS I have to use a Wacom pen and tablet, so the only way I could, for example, set a specific length/width of an item, was to hit the Tab key to pop up a dialog box that allowed me to add in the required dimensions, because just dragging would wind up off the screen in whatever direction I was dragging.
That said, I was able to follow a tutorial and create a cute little dog house, so if you use a mouse, I would suggest Wings3D as well.
There is no "relatively easy" with 3D Modeling. There's always going to be a learning curve.
With that said:
-Hexagon and Wings3D both have the reputation of being easy to use for beginners.
-Blender can do just about anything but is hard for beginners to learn. I say this as one who uses it for most of my professional work.
-Zbrush is a specialty tool with an unusual interface. Don't try and get into this one until you've mastered at least one easier one (which is nearly all of them except Blender). And I also say that as one who regularly uses this, professionally, too. :D
Other specialty tools that are best for specific applications include:
-3dCoat (great for painting diffuse textures in 3D)
-Blacksmith3D (great for painting character textures in 3D)
You will also need a 2D image editor for creating and modifying your textures (ideally in combination with 3d texture painting in your modeler). The GIMP is a great free one with a ton of features, filters and scripts out there for it (it's what I use).
All the advice already given is what I would recommend! Use the free stuff first! I would recommend Blender because it is free and it has 3D Connexion Space Navigator support and you can use this 3D mouse in Daz Studio and other professional 3D software. Trust me it will make modeling faster and easier for you!, what this 3d mouse is primarily for is to move the camera you see the 3D object in, allowing you to keep working while not having to stop to move the mouse pointer to the camera controls to see another perspective. I use Lightwave because I got a cheap version as a student and was able to convert it to professional via their web site when I graduated from college. Dream Light a daz vendor has some excellent Modeling as well as an intro video of how to use this pro software at his website. Most pro 3D software have more features but are not always a good fit for hobbyist, and I mean budget wise otherwise I say stick with the software that works best for you and download demos to see what does work for you. My advice don't spend big money if you can avoid it!
Thank you so much for all your responses.
Yes, Blender has been on my agenda for a while but I haven't had a chance to check out its modelling capabilities. I presume it won't be a problem to export the objects from it to DAZ after I've spent a couple of years learning the UI? :)
Didn't know about Wings3D, will give it a try as well.
Exporting is the easy part; and once you've got the surfaces tab figured out, setting up props with no moving parts in DS is very easy.
Silo from Nevercenter would be my recommendation. I built 2 sports cars and several smaller items with it all within the span of a year without any previous knowledge of modeling. The UI is simple and not clogged up with what you dont need. There are some really good videos on Youtube that can help you see how it works and how easy and powerful it is
Basic Tools in Silo: (Part 1 of 4)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoxZuNQPcQs
Any videos for Silo from Glen Southern is worth watching.
Common Tools and How to use them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s59fsiG2Xw
Polygon Modeling in Silo (series):
http://www.youtube.com/user/virtua3D/videos
With Silo, there are 2 persons who are very knowledgeable. Glen Southern and Antony Ward
http://antcgi.com/writing/3d-modeling-in-silo-2/
Above page contains a link to a zip file that has all the resources to the book including the UV grid image used for below listed PDFs.
UV Mapping In Silo:
http://www.ant-online.co.uk/FTP/AntWard_SiloUV.pdf
Modeling a pistol in Silo:
http://www.ant-online.co.uk/FTP/AntWard_SiloPistol.pdf
or go here - http://antcgi.com/2011/12/15/free-stuff-12-book-downloads/
Additional tutorials:
http://nevercenter.com/silo3d/wiki/index.php?title=Silo_Tutorials
http://www.andykinsella.co.uk/tutorials.html
Just learning Zbrush to model some simple props may look like "overkill" at first glance.
But in the long run learning Zbrush will put you in the position to be there at the top with any 3D artists.
- - -
Pixologic ZBRUSH.
@ learning curve
The learning curve was steep a few years ago but now there are a lot of free training videos out there that guide you step by step.
http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/#getting-started
No matter which software you learn you will need to invest some time...
@ price
The price only seems huge at first glance. Fact is Zbrush 4 users paid a one time fee and all the amazing updates in the last three years up to 4.7 are included.
So for three years I got regular updates and saw real improvement while other software developers wanted money each year for some minor updates.
The price for Zbrush is truely fair.
@ Continued Development
ZBrush 4R7 was now announced. The step from being a 32 bit to a 64 bit software will add a lot of new features.
ZBrush 5 was allready hinted at and will be a pure 64 bit software that may bring quite some surprising new features that make use of those 64 bit...
- - -
To put it frankly:
Do not waste time on software that is not anymore developed even if it is free.
The CG industry is moving very fast. New file interchange formats change the way we work.
Any software that is not anymore updated will limit the way you work in a way that you loose touch with the latest developments of the rest of the industry.
The time you spend learning software is time you are not doing anything that will earn you money immediately.
So learning free software also "costs" you.
Therefore I would rather spend my time on software that has a future...
Yes, the videos are nice, but if you want to do a specific thing you're going to spend a lot of time googling forum posts. It's not going to be in the manual.
For a very typical example take brush stroke spacing. It turns out the only actual way to control the spacing of brush strokes is to use the Lazy Mouse as a workaround and adjust the settings through that. This is a very important tool for the artist customizing brushes, and customizing brushes is one of Zbrush's most powerful functionalities - and the spacing doesn't work without a workaround. The one in modifiers is permagrayed out in the present version.
Zbrush has a lot of things like that. It does a couple of things really, really well and is bad at everything else. This is also why it is not optimal as a base modeling software and best fits into a workflow as an IMM detailing/displacement sculpt/texturing finisher for models made and UV mapped elsewhere. I guess Mec4D is using it for her entire process, and brilliantly, but I'd sure love to know how she's getting it to do base meshes without tearing her hair out. :D