3d software

[patrickdigi]

hai all,i want to start with learning a 3d program. i cant choose between all the programs that are out there. i am thinking about 3dsmax or zbrush. what is the most user friendly for a beginner?

[Meloncov]

Zbrush and 3ds max are very different types of programs. ZBrush is a sculpting program; it's very good at high resolution sculpting, and absolutely nothing else. 3ds Max is much more general; you could theoretically make an entire movie without leaving the program.

I'd recommended learning Maya. It's the most widely used in the industry, and you can get it for free if you're a student. If you like modeling and texturing, also learn either Mudbox or ZBrush (Zbrush is more versatile, but Mudbox is easier to use and can also be got for free by students.)



Alternately, if you open Maya and feel totally overwhelmed (I certainty did the first time I opened it) you might want to start on something simpler, like Google's SketchUp, to get a general feel for 3d before moving on to a more complex package.

[patrickdigi]

tnx for your answer, i am to old for a student i think, but i want to learn it.maybe i can use a trail version to see if it works for me.

[ikken]

hai all,i want to start with learning a 3d program. i cant choose between all the programs that are out there. i am thinking about 3dsmax or zbrush. what is the most user friendly for a beginner?

what exactly type of 3D are you planning to do?
maya = great for characters, especially when it comes to rigging/animation
max = really widely used in the games industry, especially for hard-surface/environment stuff
xsi (autodesk softimage) = as intuitive as maya, probably even better, but not that widely accepted

you can get training materials for any of there packages, majority of tutorials are done for max and maya, some very good ones do exist for xsi

zbrush and mudbox are essential for the character artist, zbr is more powerful and rapidly developing, however it's interface is created by evil blenderheads from the outer space
mudbox is a great and very intuitive program, more resticted in the features than zbr, but the learning curve is much smoother on this one.

there're cheaper alternatives for the modelling packages (like silo, modo, etc.), since all three major applications are now owned by autodesk, and their pricing policy is quite stiff.

[patrickdigi]

tnx for your answer. i want to make human heads and helicopters and ww2 fighters.i am looking for a program with a user friendly interface and where you can create animals and faces with hair.i dont want to make toy story chars.

[patrickdigi]

can you use a drawing in 3d programs as a layer or guide or do you have to make it from a picture beside youre computer?

[BAN_KAI]

well i have learned to make a face sculpture in Zbrush in the 1time i opened it, just watched a few tutorials on the offical Zbrush page and i learned it but i could only do the stuff that was in the tutorial, the interface was so complicated for the 1st time.

But before that i was using SKetch uP for just making buildings and it was really easy to use.

But about Blender, i opened it and looked for 4 sec and i just removed the program , guess why xD

[patrickdigi]

think i am going for maya and mudbox, its just a hobby.i am not working and i dont have, my bones are about the age of a 75 year old woman they have told me last week and my body doesnt make a stress hormon any more and it also doent make testostoron and a hormon that renews the cells in your body. the medicins they give me now makes it a little bit difficult to concentrate and i have to take them at least 5 years.i want to have a challenge with al my free time now and i love the art that exist in this great community. i think these to programms are the most user friendly but if i am wrong please tell me.

[itraenk]

Blender 3d is free, and powerfull, but the learning curve is WAY STEEP. and it's opensource, so i don't think there are books on it. just tutorials.