3D Studio Max
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- nowherehead
I've got a project which I think would make a sweet animation but I know precious little about 3D software.
I'd like to sit down and learn 3D Studio Max but I'll be buggered if I can afford over £2,000 for it. Does anyone have a cheap copy going or know where I can get one?
Failing that, is 3DSM even the right place to start? Are there easier programs?
- mbr0
Try Cinema 4D for easy/cheap (relatively). There aren't any inexpensive 3D programs, unfortunately.
You can download a trial version of Max, too.
- Kiko0
not to get you down, but 3d software packages take a fair amout of time to learn. it is not something you vcan learn over night
or even in a month.
- UndoUndo0
I agree with kiko, dont under estimate how much learning it can be. i think there are easier packages like rhino and maya to model in
- nowherehead0
Oh yeah completely, I'm not expecting to turn this round this year even but I'd like to dip my toe in. I'll try 4D studio though, thanks Mbr.
- Nairn0
If you're honestly considering purchasing it at some point, why not just torrent it for the meantime?
- blingy0
I'm interested in this as well, does anyone know of any sites that have good tutorials on 3d Studio Max?
- ninjasavant0
Try SketchUp from Google. You can get a free version to get started with the basics of 3D. Its not a 3DSM by any means but it is at least a free place to start.
OR
Try Maya Personal Learning Edition. Also free: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/ser…
- PonyBoy0
Enter response:
what ever you choose... if you want to learn the soft quick...
VIDEO TUTORIALS!!!
:)
- skelly_b0
I have been experimenting with a Cinema 4D demo in the evenings and like it. I used to use 3DS Max years ago, so I had some experience going into it. It appears to be great for the money.
C4D also integrates nicely with After Effects if you are into that sort of thing.
- Adneilly0
I think the cheapest one (pro) is Softimage|XSI (Foundation). Or try Blender, but it is slightly hard to learn the interface.
- blingy0
What are the main differences between Maya and 3D Studio? Would you say Maya is better for someone starting out? For now, I'm just looking to create some 3D graphics, maybe some character design.
- skelly_b0
download demos and see which you prefer.
- turosatano0
choose maya, it has by far the most training material, free and not free but out there. and not harder to learn than the others
- chunkified0
LONG AND VERY INFORMATIVE MESSAGE...
if you're going to start learning 3D there's no point learning near redundant software... i.e. Cinema 4D. Yes it's easy to use and blah blah... but feature wise you will hit a wall very quickly. Also, it's hardly used in comparison to Maya, 3DSMax, XSI and Houdini in a commericial production environment. For a quick learning thing i'd go with 3dsmax... as the community is humungous and there are thousands of tutorials online...
http://www.google.com
search 3dsmax tutorialsIf u don't want to spend money go and download blender.org... it's better than Cinema 4D and free/open source so bug fixes and features are added on a regular basis.
What are the main differences btween Maya and 3ds max?
There aren't many... Maya is the more high end tool geared towards more character animation and visual effects. 3ds max is geared towards games and architecture but is still on the ultra hi end side of things. Softimage|XSI is like a mesh between them both but has as you can imagine has a completely different architecture.Due to recent merger between Autodesk and Alias|Wavefront... Maya and/or 3dsmax would be a good 3D program(s) to learn if you can.
Houdini is the suuuuuuuper hi-end tools geared to feature films etc...
anyways gonna leave it there... ill post this message on my site and post the link 2mrw...
Maya & 3ds max - http://www.discreet.com
Houdini - http://www.sidefx.com
Softimage|XSI - http://www.softimage.com
Good 3D community site
http://www.3dm3.com
- version30
blender is free wikipedia has the complete manual
- chunkified0
oh and also... if u get a chance pick up the latest issue of 3D world (http://www.3dworldmag.com) it has a massive section about the current open source software that people are jumping on like:
blender - http://www.blender.org - 3D Animation
Jashaka - google it - compositing and editing
- turosatano0
KPT Bryce was easy to use... thats the true meaning of oldschool 'they dont make them like that anymore'
- turosatano0
maya makes it easy to use their software even for commercial stuff without buying a full seat, and later on buy it when you can.
- chunkified0
you can do that with max too... with teh maya personal learning edition it watermarks all of your renders
- blingy0
Thanks for the info. Chunkified I like the T Mobile pinball game in your portfolio - cool stuff.