main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

big 3d prog question

Discussion in 'Fan Films, Fan Audio & SciFi 3D' started by _Vengeance_, Jul 25, 2002.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. _Vengeance_

    _Vengeance_ Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 1, 2002
    ok ppl, i need a good 3D animation prog, and i been saving up for one, but i don't know which one i should get. So, i was just gonna post up what i need, then i'd like some advice on what i should (gotta d/l the demo first ;)) anyways:

    Ok, im gonna need a 3d animation prog that has some really good star wars models (like really detailed and stuff like that.) Second, im hoping that i can get one that'll let me make a good looking space fight. Third, its for mac ;). And last but not least, i can load the animation sequences and stuff into adobe premiere 6.0. PLEASE ASSIST!!!!!
     
  2. Jedi Chimi

    Jedi Chimi Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2000
    If it's for Mac, then Lightwave would be a good bet for you. Also there is Electric Image.
     
  3. borjis fett

    borjis fett Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 1999

    you should get the 3D toolkit from dvgarage.com

     
  4. Golden-Y

    Golden-Y Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 18, 2000
    hey borjis, that's Macho's line. ;)

    i'd say if you have the the cash, go for Maya. But beware of the steep learning curve. LW is used by many people and is easier to use than Maya. There are also many tutorials and support for it all over the place. Many models in Sci-Fi 3D are in LW format too.
     
  5. Macho

    Macho Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 2001
    yeah whats up boris? that line is copyrighted :p

    i think it would help if we knew how much you are willing to spend
     
  6. JediTAC

    JediTAC Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2000
    If the ONLY thing you want a 3D program for is to make space scenes, or even a whole FanFilm,
    then I would say that you are wasting your money.

    However, if you plan on LEARNING the program towards creating other things besides space flights and lightsaber effects, then yes, Lightwave would be a good choice for you ... as would Electric Image.


    The thing is, DO NOT expect the program to do the work for you. You cannot simply download pre-made models, import them into the program and expect to instantly produce spectacular space battle scenes. There are A LOT of elements that go into it. You will need to learn modeling, animation, texturing and compositing. It takes time and patience.

    If you are not willing to devote the time and effort needed to learn and become proficient with the program ......
    then don't bother.

     
  7. _Vengeance_

    _Vengeance_ Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 1, 2002
    yes, jediTAC, i will be using this prog for stuff other then SW stuff (like school and the likes) and i have considered that it will take a LONG time to catch the learn curve... so it seems as though lightwave is the way to go??? Does it have a demo available? And can you put it's file type into premiere??



    P.S.: Thanks for the help so far!
     
  8. NXTB

    NXTB Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 17, 2002
    If you plan on doing a lot of effects, it may be wise to invest in a compositing package like Adobe After Effects before you venture into the full-fledged 3d world.
     
  9. tumblemoster

    tumblemoster Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 1, 2000
    You can render a video file or targa sequence to use in premiere, yes. Have you read the FAQ? There is a big section on the various 3d apps available.

    -tm
     
  10. borjis fett

    borjis fett Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 1999
    Lol I knew i'd get busted for saying that :)

    but seriously vengeance, you should check out the 3d tool kit. You can get started RIGHT NOW :)

    Just a download away...


     
  11. agentgonzo

    agentgonzo Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 17, 2001
    There's no worry about exporting to Premiere. Every 3d app that I know of is able to export into many many different formats, straight to an avi/mov, with their differing codecs. They also allow output into a different number of image sequences (bitmap, targa, tiff, jpeg etc - as an aside point, I've always rendered things to bitmaps (24bit), but loads of people render to targa sequences. Is there any difference?).

    Basically, they are all very compatable. One programme (Americans note the spelling) that people haven't mentioned is 3d Studio Max. As has been said before, it's not the tools that make the man. There are differences between them all (price being one of them), and so it's really up to you as to what you want out of the package. I'd say download a few of the demos and play around with them and decide which is easiest to use/get the appropriate effects. One huge plus of lighwave is hypervoxels (I think that maya has a similar feature, but I'm not sure if Max does) for doing volumetrics (gas clouds, fluid motion, fire, smoke etc. Superb tool, though a little hard to get the hang of.

    Oh, and there's also blender that's available somewhere, that's entirely open source and free. Don't know how good it is really.

    Personally, I'd go for lightwave, but that's only as I have it!
     
  12. NXTB

    NXTB Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 17, 2002
    Blender will help you get started, and of coruse, the price is right! You can get lots of info on it here Blender Wars. And Gonzo, people tend to render out to targa sequences because targa supports an alpha channel (transparency) to help with compositing.
     
  13. Carl_el_cee

    Carl_el_cee Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 9, 2002
    MAYA! Maya is good, if I had a MAC... wait a minute, I do! :D COnsidering the price drop, MAYA is a great way to go. Try out the personal learning edition, which includes every feature except it has a watermark in the renderer. So far, the only downside I've heard about MAYA is that its renderer isnt that good for extensive projects (non-fanfilms). But, as everright TAC mentions, don't expect any of these to do the work for you.

    Carl
     
  14. agentgonzo

    agentgonzo Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 17, 2001
    Ta NXTB (what does that stand for?)
     
  15. NXTB

    NXTB Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 17, 2002
    (Excuse our off-topicness everyone) Nothing really, I started using it a long time ago, I suppose it sounds cool, NX is the startrek (hides) prefix for an experimental vessel and TB are the intials for my real middle and last name.

    To post something quasi-related to this thread, I don't think blender is actually avaliable off blenderwars, but rather off this unnofficial mirror FTP site and others.

    -James Thomas Barrett IV ;-)
     
  16. Pixelito

    Pixelito Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 16, 2002
    I'm a Maya user, and I'm completely baffled by Lightwave. (granted, I haven't spent more than 10 minutes with it).

    But as far as "a program that has detailed Star Wars models."

    if you're going to spend this much on a 3d app, LEARN TO USE IT, and build your own models instead of just animating other peoples.
     
  17. Macho

    Macho Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 2001
    Lightwave demo type thing i think this is a demo as far as i can tell, i ordered it, if you can wait i'll let you know. If you can get your hands on an old 3dworld, it has a burning paper on the cover, you get a lightwave 7.5 demo with it
     
  18. Carl_el_cee

    Carl_el_cee Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 9, 2002
    You mean Issue 19? The one that explains how to make a digital flame (Llama digital in Spanish, funilly [face_laugh] ) in Houdini?

    I got that today and theres only the IntelliCAD 2000 full version. No LW demo...

    Carl
     
  19. Macho

    Macho Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 2001
    no i think its issue 25, not sure, it uses cinema 4d

    edit: i just looked its issue 26
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.