3D Modelling software

Any recommendations?

[BlobFisk]

Hi All,

A colleague has asked me about this, and I'm afraid it's something I know very little about.

The only requirement is that the user can specify points on an image to be rendered in 3D. Free/Shareware/Licenced!

TIA

[korkus2000]

>>user can specify points on an image to be rendered in 3D

Can you elaborate on that. Are you looking to extrude the 2D image or something more? What output are they looking for Web, TV, Print? Are they looking for animation?

[kingkelly]

You looking for a cheapo 3d sfotware or the cooler stuff like 3d studio max or lightwave...?

[bcolflesh]

From a previous WW thread:

www.povray.org/

Regards,
Brent

[benihana]

i like cinema 4d and max myself: heres the previous thread

[webmasterworld.com ]

[Sarah Atkinson]

I personaly am a Strata fan. Although it has been suffering lately (mostly casue i can't aford the other stuff)

[BlobFisk]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies.

Korkus, I believe that extruding points from a 2D image is the aim.

[benihana]

extrusion is a fundamental technique in 3D - I think almost any package will be able to handle it to some extent

[BlobFisk]

I've no experience with 3D rendering at all, but I do have a question!

If I have a 2D image of (say) a persons face, and I wish to extrude certain points - how does the application do this? Does the user specify light source direction etc.?

[benihana]

modelling faces is pretty complex and extrusion would not really be suitable IMHO.

If you are trying to model based on an image of a face you would probably need to get a side and front view photograph, drop them onto suitably aligned planes in your application, and then trace using splines to build up a 3D mesh. You then maybe able to 'wrap' the original photos (with the help of photoshop) around the model.

This little description is incredibly simplified - this is not an easy process - certainly if you have no experience.

Extrudings great for things like creating building models from floor plans, for example.

3D progs will let you specify all manner of things to do with lighting - from very simple positioning and colour to more advanced things like decay rates, shadow casting and hotspots.

Good lighting is crucial to the quality of final output - it can be the make-or-break factor, and is worth researching traditional film lighting when planning your scene.

[korkus2000]

This thread has some good info about medium to the top of the line modelers.
[webmasterworld.com...]

This also has some info on modelers and Flash.
[webmasterworld.com...]

I personally would either try Rhino [rhino3d.com] or Ulead COOL 3D Studio [ulead.com]. Both have free trials and are medium to low range modelers with animation capabilities. You sound like you may be looking for a standard polygon modeler and not a nurbs modeler. The higher end packages can do it all, but lower end stuff is not as versital.

[edited by: korkus2000 at 2:29 pm (utc) on May 9, 2003]

[BlobFisk]

Thanks benihana and korkus - much appreciated. I think that Rhino is the recommendation I'll make!

[kingkelly]

Rhino is an easy modeller, and a good pal to 3d studio max. But still, its hundreds of dollars. To my recolection, Strata Studio was free?

3d studio max is the way to go, and i find it to be the easiest. So if youre going to actually model a face and not just extrude soemthing, then heres an easy way.
-------------------------------------------------------

Have 2 pictures of the face, one front view, and one side view. Import the 2 pictures into the 3d app, and have them intersect (it would like '+' from a top view). Then working in 2 views (front, side), plot points on key parts around the face, and pull them outwards. Thats the traditional way of modelling almot anything. This is more precise.

[LeClair]

I discovered a 3D Open Source software called "Blender" recently.
I have not worked with it but it seems to be well developed. Worth a try I guess.

[kingkelly]

Lots of people like blender, bit simpler than most apps, and a heck of a lot cheaperrrrr....

Metacreations (Bryce creators) developped Carrera to eb their answer to 3d studio max. The work environment is much more user friendly, like Bryce or Poser.

[TriPixels]

I guess I'd have to say Swift3D

[benihana]

swift 3d is really only for moving 3D into flash, in my brief experience of its unintuitive to model with, and only good if you really need animated 3d on the web.

<edit> woo! 100 posts </edit>

[wanderer]

Truespace is great 3d modelling program. Easy to use interface. Price ranges from $200 to $700 depending on the version. For what you want version 4 would probably suffice.

www.caligari.com

[Sarah Atkinson]

The first 3D modler I used was true space, and I aboslutly hated it. does it still have the interface similar to bryce and poser. I know it did back then and I don't care much for either of those interfaces. The second one I worked with was 3D studio(not max)3.0 I think maybe 4.0. I realy liked that interface if that say anything aboult the type of interface I like. All though my favorite interface would have to be MAX.

Last I heard Strata Studio offered 2 versions a basic(free) and a pro version which is a few hundred. It was a great program to help teach the basics of modleing and how 3D space and modles work. I actualy learned most of my 3D stuff useing StrataVision. Pro offers extra modleing features and more textures.