Looking For Introductory 3D Modelling/Animation Software

[Spigot]

Hey everybody.

The thread title basically says it all. I've got one of the guys at work who is interested in learning how to do digital animation and modeling. He's looking for something very basic and easy to use/learn and also something cheap.

I figured you good people would have the best advice for what kind of software and books would best suit someone with basically ZERO knowledge of the subject. If he can pick up some of the basics on his own, we'll look into signing him up for a course at the local college or university, but I want to see if he's up to the task first.

[Banacek]

http://www.blender.org/

Best part is that it's free!

EDIT: I don't use it myself, I just know a few people who do. I have zero artistic ability ;)

[Lon Lon Rabbit]

I have no idea how robust it is (probably not very) but there's also this free thing from google (http://www.google.com/educators/spectrum.html) which must be fairly simple to use as they're giving it to autistic kids to help them express their creativity and such.

I have no idea about this stuff either sorry but this just looked like it could be a good starting point before getting into the more complicated programs.

[Spigot]

Thanks, Banacek. I'll let you know if his head explodes or if he starts a new animation studio :)

[Spectre-7]

I'm a pretty heavy Blender user, and I probably wouldn't suggest it for someone looking to dabble and get their feet wet. The interface, while exceptionally fast and effective once you learn it, is rather daunting and alien at the beginning. That exotic-ness will also hamper attempts to apply skills learned in Blender to other, industry standard software.

If you're looking for things that will just get him up and running quickly, I can make a few suggestions, though.

Wings 3D (http://www.wings3d.com/) is a very easy to use modeler, and is free/open-source.

Google SketchUp (http://sketchup.google.com/) is very beginner friendly, but is more aimed toward architectural modeling. The standard version is free (as in beer).

Luxology's Modo (http://www.luxology.com/) is a very cool modeling suite that's gaining a lot of traction in the industry. They usually offer a trial version, but they haven't done so for the newest version yet as it was just released about a week ago.

Nevercenter's Silo (http://www.nevercenter.com/) is exceptionally easy to use, and inexpensive should your friend decide to purchase it. There is a free trial version available.

None of the above offer animation in any significant way, unfortunately. As for more complete suites:

Autodesk offers free trial versions of 3D Studio Max (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=5659302&siteID=123112) and Maya. (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=7635018) Maya is, for better or worse, the industry standard modeling and animation suite for both film and video games, so it's definitely worth his while to head in that direction.

Otherwise, there's Softimage XSI (http://www.softimage.com/downloads/) (recently purchased by Autodesk), and Lightwave, (http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/index.php) which are reasonably popular minority choices. Both offer trials, although I haven't any experience with either.

And there is, of course, my baby Blender, (http://www.blender.org) which is free, powerful and a very small download. It really is an excellent piece of software, but it's a bit choosy about its friends, and I wouldn't want to scare someone off of 3D entirely just because Blender's interface is... well, a little unique.

Overall, I suppose a lot depends on your friend's level of interest. If he just wants to see if this is something he might be interested in, I'd recommend a spin with Wings or Silo. They're easy and fun to use. If, however, he really thinks he might like to chase animation as a career choice, I'd recommend Maya or 3DS Max, and maybe some training DVDs from the good folks at Gnomon (http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/) or Digital Tutors. (http://www.digitaltutors.com/digital_tutors/index.php)

The bummer is that either of those options will cost $3,000-$5,000 if he'd like to own a copy.

[Spigot]

Yeah. Well, his interest was piqued while watching a commercial for one of those Art Institute game design courses. I shooed him away from that option, if for no other reason than the fact that I'd looked into it myself a few years ago and found them insanely expensive and not 100% worthwhile, esp. if you're not a super artistic type. That said, he has spent the last year or so tinkering away with a few different CAD programs to design houses and such, so I know that he has the potential to go somewhere with digital modeling.

I figure that if he can get a relatively cheap/free piece of software and maybe invest in a basic 'how-to' book on the subject, that's a good way to see if it's something he wants to pursue long-term.

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone! I've loaded him up with Wings, Blender and that SketchUp software and he'll have an interesting evening tinkering with them, methinks.

[Dark Acre Jack]

Modeling clay and reference pictures are also essential.

The best 3D modelers and animators that I know are also excellent physical sculptors. In the 3D programs at Vancouver Film School knowledge of physical sculpture is mandatory.

[jeffbax]

I'm going to buck the trend and say

Windows: Milkshape 3D - http://chumbalum.swissquake.ch/ms3d/index.html

Mac: Cheetah 3D - http://www.cheetah3d.com/

Both are pay, but very affordable. Blender is nice, but is not easy to get into you first time modeling and I found it very frustrating compared to the two I mentioned.

[Thanasimos]

Blender will be frustrating for first-time users due to its positively fucktarded GUI (I think, anyhow). For the completely fresh meat, I recommend anim8or (http://www.anim8or.com). That's how I got started five years ago and it's simple enough to teach one's self -- and in spite of that, there is a wealth of tutorials for it, and back in my day, it even had a good community to support it.*

*It absolutely, 100% does not have an intelligent community anymore. More even now since all the middle school punks are out for the summer. Sadly, it got taken over by unbelievably stupid children several years ago (and useless -- a bunch of crap artists telling one another how good the other is), a large part of why I am no longer active in the community.

[Spectre-7]

Blender will be frustrating for first-time users due to its positively fucktarded GUI (I think, anyhow).

It's actually quite elegant and sensible once you learn how to use it (for the most part). Friendliness, however, was not one of their primary design goals.

[jeffbax]

It's actually quite elegant and sensible once you learn how to use it (for the most part). Friendliness, however, was not one of their primary design goals.

Sounds like a design failure.

[Banacek]

Sounds like a design failure.

I wouldn't call Blender a failure with any connotation.

[Spigot]

Modeling clay and reference pictures are also essential.

The best 3D modelers and animators that I know are also excellent physical sculptors. In the 3D programs at Vancouver Film School knowledge of physical sculpture is mandatory.Great point. That said, I think right now the main thing is to let him tinker with it and get a feel for the software and then we can move forward from that.

He did spend most of this evening working on making hands and faces in Wings. It's not super easy, but he was pretty happy whenever he figured something out, so my work was done... literally, I was at work and making him happy is pretty much my job description :)

[Spectre-7]

Sounds like a design failure.

Maybe from one perspective. It really depends on how much you value the new user experience. In Blender's case, the answer was historically not that much because it was originally developed as an internal tool at an animation studio. It didn't have to be user friendly because it was being designed to the artists' orders.

Of course, things are different today, and I'd be lying if I said this fact wasn't hindering it at all in the market place. I don't really give two shits, though, since I'm not a new user.

Not that I minded when I was starting out, anyway. I don't have any problem with software that's difficult to learn if it pays off in the end. Blender's always been pervasively hotkey oriented, which results in a lightning fast workflow once you've memorized those hotkeys...but there's nothing transparent about hotkeys for new users. The only option is rote memorization.

It's really kind of like the Vim of the 3D graphics world.

Truth be told though, it's not as if most professional grade graphics and design software is a cinch to learn. Photoshop is pretty easy to poke around and explore, but I'll be god damned if I can figure out what the fuck is going on in After Effects without a big fat manual. I wouldn't bother to touch Autocad without some good guidance, either. And hell... I've been learning about Renderman for a little more than a year, and I'm still hovering around square one.

...but I guess that's all a design failure.

[jeffbax]

You say that like being efficient and easy to use are two irreconcilable things. They aren't.

I'm not even claiming that Blender isn't a powerful piece of software, but having your software being an utter bitch to learn is not something I'd be bragging about and is something they really should remedy. Is it offset by being free? maybe, but you never want to have the attitude that "it's ok to have barriers to entry for new users" because that should not be a goal for any software. I shouldn't have to study a manual just to get started (also true for video games)

[Spectre-7]

You say that like being efficient and easy to use are two irreconcilable things. They aren't.

I'm not even claiming that Blender isn't a powerful piece of software, but having your software being an utter bitch to learn is not something I'd be bragging about and is something they really should remedy.

Look, I'm not some starry-eyed Blender zealot. I like it and I use it frequently, but I'm not at all deluded into thinking it's perfect. As you might have noticed, I gave a pretty measured recommendation against it for new users.

If you take a look back, I never so much as implied that being efficient and easy to learn are irreconcilable. Not even once. I did say that I don't mind it being difficult to learn because it's efficient once you've learned it. That is not tantamount to saying the two things are mutually exclusive.

Nor did I brag about it being difficult to learn. I specifically pointed out that it's a problem for Blender right now, and something inhibiting uptake.

So, congrats on arguing against points I'm not making.

Is it offset by being free? maybe, but you never want to have the attitude that "it's ok to have barriers to entry for new users" because that should not be a goal for any software.

Personally, I think it's sometimes okay to have barriers to entry for new users. I don't believe that every piece of software should have user friendliness as its primary concern. Feel free to disagree.

I shouldn't have to study a manual just to get started (also true for video games)

That's your perspective, and as far as games are concerned, I tend to agree. Professional graphics production packages, however, are not games, and as far as tools are concerned, you should probably get used to reading manuals. It's not a perfect situation, but a lot of industrial software requires not only reading documentation, but often times actual training by qualified instructors.

I'm sorry you don't like Blender. Really, I am. But when most people find they dislike the way something works, they just move on. I'm really not a huge fan of Max's interface, but I have more constructive uses for my time than hanging around bitching about it every time it's mentioned. You'll excuse me if my sympathy only stretches so far.

[Spigot]

Sounds like Blender is the Dwarf Fortress of 3D graphics software packages.

[Spectre-7]

Sounds like Blender is the Dwarf Fortress of 3D graphics software packages.

That's not an unfair comparison.

I really wish I could get into Dwarf Fortress, too. :)

[Dark Acre Jack]

For me, the thing with getting behind these production packages is all about learning the navigation.

No one gets behind the wheel of a vehicle for the first time without being intimidated by the controls, and some people never get past that.

Z-space will always be a tricky thing to move around in, let alone manipulate and sculpt objects in. Until we're dealing with a holographic interface where we can physically sculpt digital models with our hands, the mouse and keyboard are going to be the biggest barriers to entry for anyone with digital art aspirations.