Good 3D Application

I’m thinking about learning a 3d program. I’m good with Photoshop now so I’m thinking about moving on to 3D. The only 3d apps that I know of are Maya, 3ds Max, and Bryce. Which one should I try first or should I try a different application?

There are also Swift 3d and Cinema4d. I don’t know which is best for a beginner though, but I’ve heard that Maya and 3ds Max are the best two, but they are expensive.

Honestly right nw I am hooked on silo www.nevercenter.com. Very powerful and cheap 100 bucks but you need an exteranl renderer which there are good free ones. But I would suggest Lightwave or Max. There are trial and learning editions so try them all.

I think I’m gonna get the trial of Max I have a friend that seems to lke it.

search search search!!! there are lots of threads that talk about this kind of thing…
and to summarise them, a lot of people say that max and maya are both equal because they excel in different things. And max is apparently easier, so that makes learning it much less painful.

It all depends man.
Maya is a really hard, but serious 3d application.
The pros of the app include great render ability (mental ray :P), character rigging, animation, etc.

If your just going for an easier modeling app, try 3dsmax, many people I know change from Maya to 3ds…

Ofcourse you can’t forget about cinema4d and swift.

max has MR too

C4d and Bryce are easy but there totaly diffrent layouts to maya and 3ds max so u will get confussed flipping between them try the trails and stick with the one u like best.

Silo rocks… i had downloaded the demo a while ago and never installed it, seeing this thread i though i’d give it a go and man was i suprised. Not only is the navigation similar to Maya (same shorcuts, “W” for translate, “E” scale) and also the zoom in and to dolly around the scene similar to maya. But it ran super quick on my computer and was easy to use and for the price its going for the deal is even sweeter, the only thing is the need for external render. Suprisingly nice app, most definitely worth the trial.

I’ve been using 3ds Max for about an hour now and I like it a lot. I completed the first tutorial. Note that the tutorial didn’t have the “Tony’s Caffinated Water” label, I added that. View my masterpiece

Yep. Discreet (3DSM Creator) was the one who created mental ray. Vray is also for max - only max :).

But the first thing I’d start with is swift 3d to get used to easy modelling and lighting. It’s really a fun program and extremely easy to use but gives pretty pleasing results :).

Afterwards I’d move to Max :thumb:!

But either way, it’s just what you’re used to and what your choice is that makes you better :).

I’m gonna see how I do with Max. If I don’t like it then I’ll try Swift.

Lol I thought it was supposed to be the other way around.

Swift is the easy one :P.

But either way, you won’t just pick up Max and be a pro. It takes quite some time to get used to the interface and learn the functions of the buttons :).

Swift is not really easier per se (as of v3) - just simpler. Its interface still sucks and fairly hard to navigate within. Apps like Max and Maya give you much more control and make it so much more easier to model with. Swift can be just down right frustrating. If you can get your hands on something like Max, go for it. Swift 3D V4 should be an improvement, but I have yet to see that first hand (my boxed version is supposed to be shipped today :bad: )

Note on Swift v4
While it has made amazing strides and is a good app. I would still not classify it as a true 3d app. There still remains alot of work. You will find yourself spending alot of time trying to figure out work arounds to limitations. But still worthy of the tool box.

Yes I have become quite hooked on Silo for modelling. The speed is blazing. And everything on the interface is customizeable. You can even make your own button and image for the buttons. If you are trying to break into modelling I recommend this program. Based on the fact it runs super fast on the slimmest of computer specs. Has all the modelling features of the big boys. Exports to all the big boys. And only cost 100 bucks. Cheaper than Swift v4. Amazing app. Really cool.

Lol I agree. ContinuumXLS was teaching me how to use the metal material (drag and drop I know, shut up :P)!

And so I was creating the tower (or syringe whatever you want to call it ;P), I used for the lathe editor on the front page of kirupa.com.

I actually moved one of the little cylinders away and pressed control + z to undo and it ended up twisting all the other shapes away. This happened 5 times (I swear to my mother) - 5 TIMES! I was so frustrated…swift 3D’s navigation truly SUCKS. They hardly even let you tumble and pan around.

But either way, it’s a good program overall :).

I’m starting to get the hang of UI. Here is a picture of Mars that I just made. I think once I finish the tutorials included with the trial I might go on to some on the web.

good start…Remember Rome was not built in a day. You should also hang around www.cgtalk.com. If you are serious about 3d.

Remember Rome was not built in a day.

Yeah I know that from past experiences.

but the earth was!