Simple 3D Program? 2828 Responses

Last post: 1 year, 1 month ago | Thread started: Apr 4, 12, 3:14 p.m.

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• CanHasQBN

  I'm looking for very basic 3D software for Mac. I'm trying to lay out a city landscape. I just need the ability to create simple block shapes, and to quickly replicate those blocks, have them at different sizes and heights, and color them.

  I've Googled and tried about five different programs, Sketchup, Blender, etc. Everything is either crappy or is too complex.

  Apr 4, 12, 3:14 p.m. – Permalink

• fate

  Blender is pretty easy.

  So it SketchUp.

  You're gonna have to take the time to actually learn something though.

  • +1– loool

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 3:17 p.m. – Permalink

• pressplay

  illustrator 3d tool? won‘t be exact though and needs some trying around...

  • I need ability to pan & zoom around.– CanHasQBN

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 3:25 p.m. – Permalink

• CanHasQBN

  They both seem cumbersome when trying to duplicate or edit things.

  Do any of them have a layer feature similar to Illustrator, so that I can select ALL of the objects in that layer with one click? Sketchup doesn't seem to do that.

  • C4D– Julesvm

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 3:26 p.m. – Permalink

• ETM

  You need actual layers, or just grouping? As most software should allow you to group.

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 3:30 p.m. – Permalink

• CanHasQBN

  Layers preferably. If I group objects, will I have the ability to move just ONE of those objects without moving the others?

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 3:35 p.m. – Permalink

• fate

  Blender is super fast to Duplicate stuff?

  Shift+D

  This took me literally 5 seconds:

  

  • Yeah I'll keep trying it out. It'll take me a little bit to get used to it. I just hate waiting.– CanHasQBN1/4

    even then, when you duplicate them, they're all over the place along the vertical axis. I need a floor! lol– CanHasQBN2/4

    jesus. just dragging one of these boxes around is a pain in the ass. can't even grab it.– CanHasQBN3/4

    is that on windows 95????– fadein114/4

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 3:36 p.m. – Permalink

• CanHasQBN

  I'm trying to 3D the below. All of the same-colored objects are grouped together. So if I want to change the light brown blocks to green (for example), I'd be able to select all of them through the layer palette. It's just in Illustrator for now.

  

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 3:39 p.m. – Permalink

• loool

  the thing is : there is not an easy 3d program...some softwares are easier than others, but for a noob everything 3d is complex...the easiest thing is to ask someone to help you with your project, rather than learning new stuff, if you don't plan using it afterwards...

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 3:42 p.m. – Permalink

• NONEIS

  If you have access to C4D you should be able to simplify these to basic shapes in illustrator, and then extrude them with extrude nurbs, then break it apart and adjust each height individually - lots of good video tutorials out there for that...

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 5:06 p.m. – Permalink

• nthkl

  Found Sketch Up to be the easiest out there. I didn't think Blender's GUI was all that easy to use. But maybe it's evolved in the last 3-4 years.

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 5:07 p.m. – Permalink

• CanHasQBN

  Hate sketchup. There's a selection tool AND a move tool. So I have to select something first, THEN click on the move tool just to simply move it. Unless I'm doing something wrong, this is incredibly cumbersome. And when I'm dragging an object around, I have to perform a damn magic trick to get it to release (drop).

  • sounds like PS :)– Amicus

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 5:29 p.m. – Permalink

• fate

  CanHasQBN, you don't know what you're doing. You need to setup view ports before you can move and position things accurately.

  Here's a sample file:

  

  http://www.evanburke.com/untitle…

  • windows95?– fadein11

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 5:39 p.m. – Permalink

• fate

  Blender Shortcuts:

  Right Click = Select Object
  Shift + D = Duplicate Object
  G = Move Object
  G, then after releasing G hold CTRL = Move along axis
  S = Scale Object
  Tab (when object is selected) = Enter Edit Mode
  Right Click (when in Edit Mode) = Select Vertex Point
  G (when Vertice is selected) = Move Vertice
  E (when Vertice is selected) = Extrude Vertice

  • something as simple has having to right click an object is a deal breaker...– CanHasQBN1/2

    it goes against every instinct I have when having to select an object.– CanHasQBN2/2

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 5:42 p.m. – Permalink

• CanHasQBN

  ^ Thanks. Do I have to right click an object and then left click an object just to drag and drop it?

  • nevermind. thx– CanHasQBN

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 5:42 p.m. – Permalink

• CanHasQBN

  I think it's too complex for what I need. Might not be for you, since you've been using it for a while. But it's just too much. Thanks anyway.

  Maybe I need SimCity lol.

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 5:48 p.m. – Permalink

• Llyod

  use maya.

  • +1– Duffer1/6

    downloading now.– CanHasQBN2/6

    can't download. "my system is too new". Dumb.....– CanHasQBN3/6

    For lion? there is a script you can put into Terminal that will allow it to run, I had the same problem– Duffer4/6

    or when at installation options menu not to install the Direct Connect 6.0– Duffer5/6

    it's gets easy once you learn the ui– Llyod6/6

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 5:49 p.m. – Permalink

• albums

  Autodesk Maya
  http://usa.autodesk.com/maya/

  Autodesk 3ds Max
  http://usa.autodesk.com/3ds-max/…

  Autodesk Softimage
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/ser…

  NewTek LIghtwave
  http://www.newtek.com/lightwave

  Luxology Modo
  http://3d.about.com/od/A-Guide-T…

  Maxon Cinema4D
  http://www.maxon.net/products/ci…

  Side Effects Houdini
  http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?…

  Blender
  http://blender.org/

  solidThinking
  http://www.solidthinking.com/st8…

  Google SketchUp
  http://sketchup.google.com/downl…

  Daz 3D
  www.daz3d.com

  IronCAD
  http://www.ironcad.com/

  SolidWorks
  http://www.solidworks.com/sw/pro…

  Catia
  http://www.3ds.com/products/cati…

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 7:40 p.m. – Permalink

• mikotondria3

  I'm totally biased toward Cinema4d.. You should be able to do what you're wanting within a couple of hours - start with the simplest tutorials about basic shapes and how to use the selection tools, etc, then merge/import/open your city layers, familiarize yourself with extrude nurbs and get the right view you want with a camera, etc. By then you'll be hopelessly addicted and spend far more time playing in it than exploring the avenues that would be beneficial to your actual line of work, and find yourself a few years later scrabbling around with responsive designs and html5 wondering where it all came from, and having bypassed major technologies like iphone apping in the process.
  Maybe.

  • Thanks. Will download.– CanHasQBN

  

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  Dog-earApr 4, 12, 10:10 p.m. – Permalink

• i_was

  Bryce3d

  • Doesn't work on OSX Lion.– CanHasQBN

  

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  Dog-earApr 5, 12, midnight – Permalink

• pizzafire

  browser based 3d app. might be interesting. http://shapesmith.net/

  • interesting. but no color control or grouping.– CanHasQBN

  

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  Dog-earApr 5, 12, 12:29 a.m. – Permalink