Which program 3d

[gundamvi]

Hello I am choosing a 3d program for my mac. I know that there are lots of options out there but I need to find one. I will be using it for graphic design, animation, 2d animation, web and print. I want something not too exspensive but not too cheap where I will be limited. Something mid level . Which ones?

[derboy]

The adobe suite for the 2D stuff, and the textures, bump maps etc.

Then Cinema 4D would suit your needs quite well. It has a decent quality renderer, which means relativly quickly you can get some impressive results.

Possibly maya, But i have found it bloated with annimation features. Also There is Strata 3d, and Vectorworks. Have a look at them, then get Cinema!

[gundamvi]

How is Light wave?

[Eric5h5]

I use Blender. It's free, and while not on the same level as Maya, it's not particularly limited either...it has tons of features. Supposedly it has a steep learning curve, though I didn't find it as bad as all that.

--Eric

[abrooks]

I recommend Blender as its free, but if your willing to pay for your goods then I highly recommend Modo.

[gundamvi]

What is Modo?

[abrooks]

Incredibly easy to use and get used to, well in my opinion.

http://www.luxology.com/modo/

[Mr. Anderson]

Lightwave is great - but it might be way more than what you want or need if you're just going to do simple stuff.

Check out the Newtek pages to find out more or go to www.cgtalk.com and ask the same question and you'll get a much better response because almost everyone there has experience with 3D.

D

[superninjagoat]

Originally Posted by gundamvi

How is Light wave?

Lightwave is fantastic. Assuming that you've got a decent background in other illustration programs, you should pick up the program pretty quickly. It's not cheap, but it's render engine is second to none.

There's also tons of web-based tutorials out there, so learning new tricks is a snap.

Still, the lightwave suit is not for the faint of heart. If you're not committed to learning the software, you'll have a very expensive paperweight.

My experience in Strata has been blah. My models look great, but the lighting in the render engine makes things look … well … "rendered" when what I was going for was "realistic."

Haven't used blender, but a guy in my office has. He says it's OK. Better than strata, worse than Lightwave.

I've got nothing else, unless you count the RayDream Designer and AdDepth I used to run on my Mac Quadra.

[virus1]

modo is awesome, but it doesn't animate or render. i know an alpha tester for modo, and he said that there is a version coming with animation and rendering, but is a long way off.