Free 3D Programs "To which to learn with"

For those of you using Poser or Daz products, Michael 4 (base) is being given away free at the Daz website. You have to register but it's well worth the time. M4 - FREE!

[Kai]

Originally Posted by Fretslayer

For those of you using Poser or Daz products, Michael 4 (base) is being given away free at the Daz website. You have to register but it's well worth the time. M4 - FREE!

and a Eunuch. (his....Appendage is payfor... SO MANY JOKES!!!)

Well, I guess if it's that ...er... big of a deal (HA!) you can always use the 'appendage' from M3. It's pretty easy to place it anywhere you need to.
You should see the 'Mind Flayer' I once made.
LOL!

[gmd3d]

I got M4 .. I will have to learn how to add to poser.. what goes where ??

Taranis, when you run the M4 installation make sure that you are running the 11.5 Meg file. The other 2 are specifically for Daz Studio and contain the Power Loader and materials for DS.

Once you have run the installer and gotten through the legal waffle, when it asks you for a 'Target application' select 'Poser - all files' and continue. Next it will ask you for the destination directory. Just like with V4 you have to install M4 to the directory that contains your Poser.exe executable file. This will be something like 'C:\Program Files\MetaCreations\Poser' or 'C:\Program Files\e-frontier\Poser'. Just use Windows Explorer to check where you installed it to.

If you are using Poser 7 Pro (and I know you are using Poser 5 atm Taranis ) you will need to make sure that you have a file called Poser.exe in your Poser directory. Daz have had some major problems getting some of the advanced figure features to work anywhere outside of the main Poser directory, so they try to force you to use the Poser install path by looking for this file called Poser.exe. The problem is that with Poser 7 Pro they changed the file name to PoserPro.exe which breaks the Daz installer. Stupid I know.

What you do to get around this is simply create a text file with nothing in it and save it to the Poser 7 Pro installation directory. Then rename it to Poser.exe which lets the Daz installer work properly. Nasty hack but a functional work-around.

Good luck and give me a shout if you are stuck.

UA

What he said.

LOL!

On a side note, if either of you were using Carrara Pro 6 you'd never even look at Poser again.

[gmd3d]

Thanks UrbanArmitage.. I am trying that ..

I will have a look at Carrara Fretslayer

[gmd3d]

$549 for Carrara Pro 6 .. not at the moment

[Kai]

"The problem is that with Poser 7 Pro they changed the file name to PoserPro.exe which breaks the Daz installer. Stupid I know."

Daz still haven't fixed their installer? figures.. typical daz....


as for carrara... I tried... I really did... but god how can anyone get anything done in that? the way it works is totally twisted...

[evil_genius_180]

Originally Posted by Taranis

I got M4 ..

I used to carry an M4 when I was in the Army. :laugh:

*runs*

[gmd3d]

Originally Posted by evil_genius_180

I used to carry an M4 when I was in the Army. :laugh:

*runs*

ah ha I use to carry The Super Soaker – Aqua Master Krypton
http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/wp-im...toldiagram.jpg

[evil_genius_180]

I also carried an M240B machine gun (like an M60 but by a different manufacturer) for a while but that was mostly just to terminate with extreme prejudice. :cylon:

Well, Kai I guess I am totally twisted! LOL!
I've suspected that was the case for quite some time now!

I've used everything from Bryce v.1 through v.5, Max v.4 through v.9 and Lightwave v.7 through v.9 and Carrara Pro 6 is the one that works with the way I work.

Perhaps it's because I approach animation less as a modeler and more like a film director.
There are things I can do in Carrara in under 5 minutes that takes me hours to do in Lightwave or Max and it's not because I suck in either of them - it's because I have to fight their interface to get where I need to go.

I guess it's all just a matter of what you're used to and how you approach your art.
With both Max and LWO never finished a single animated project.
With Carrara Pro 6 I make an animated short film about every two weeks or so.
I have one comin' down the pipe right now that with luck should be available in about two months. It's running time will clock in at 35 minutes and I need to get with my voice actors for the dialogue. The more voices I have in the short the longer it takes me to animate it. The best thing about my friends who do the voice work is that they work for beer...Good thing I brew my own! LOL!

Taranis - there is a 30 day demo available for the program. Much cheaper than the $500.

[gmd3d]

I had great difficulty with Truespace 3.2 and 5....... and thought it to be worthless ..
That was until I saw what EvilGenius180 and a few others has been able to do. I could not model a box .. well I could only because its simple.. I have long since changed my opinion regarding TS ..

it depends on how you approach your work. Like Fretslayer said he coming from a director me I work like a modeller and less like an artist which is how I started .. with LW

and always I find it more difficult jumping between Modeller and Layout (the art bit)

I honestly envy you guys with the killer modeling skills.
My modeling is pretty basic IMO but it's because I've only developed it enough to be able to tell a story. My animations were never about my modeling ability but story.

Well, with one exception - I did a Godzilla spoof that was designed to look like one of those old 'Rankan/Bass' Christmas specails (like Rudolph or Frosty) - My goal with my modeling was to make it look cheasy and awfu. I was most successful. LOL!!!

Originally Posted by evil_genius_180

I also carried an M240B machine gun (like an M60 but by a different manufacturer) for a while but that was mostly just to terminate with extreme prejudice. :cylon:

LOL! Yeah that's about the finesse of a half-brick!

Michael 4 (M4) is the first Daz3D adult male figure to come without anatomically correct genitals, so you could say that your M4 had more lead in it's pencil than Daz's EG.

UA

[evil_genius_180]

My lord. I don't even think I want to know for what someone would use an anatomically correct 3D figure.

I've been using Daz figures for a long time now and I've not needed the M3 penis once.
I can't imagine it being a 'make it or break it' factor in the deal.
LOL!

But you know, there are a lot of people out there who make 'Poser Porn' so I guess it's important to somebody. LOL!

Originally Posted by Fretslayer

I've been using Daz figures for a long time now and I've not needed the M3 penis once.
I can't imagine it being a 'make it or break it' factor in the deal.
LOL!

But you know, there are a lot of people out there who make 'Poser Porn' so I guess it's important to somebody. LOL!

LOL, yeah me neither Fretslayer. I really can't see the attraction of polygonal genitals. :laugh:

There is obviously a market for it though. Sites like Renderotica wouldn't exist if there weren't I guess.

UA

[evil_genius_180]

Originally Posted by Fretslayer

But you know, there are a lot of people out there who make 'Poser Porn' so I guess it's important to somebody. LOL!

Yeah, that was basically what I was getting at. I'm just trying to fathom what kind of loser goes in for that crap. I prefer the good ol' fashioned human action myself.

Oddly you have all mentioned software that I use. I use different software for different applications. Blender to make a model and Bryce to texture it and put it in a scene. Daz studio 2 For human characters or something a little different like fantasy or scifi. I can add the finishing touches to my art in paintshop pro and will try truespace to see what it does. i tried the maya learning editionbut found it way beyond me. I like it simple where I can create a shape and then create anothe shape to go with it and so on until i have a result I like. Of all the software I use only Bryce cost me any cash because I have generous friends or the makers offer it for free. Now when some one designs a 3d package that has power tabs for easy working such as mesh splitting or UV texturing I will carry on regardless. I think that any software you can get for free is worth a try and should be at least given it's due. Oh as for human models with all the attachments, they get in the way unless they add extra shape to the model. male genitlas are pointless unless you are doing adult rated material and i am sure the people here are more inclined to make a model that has that extra special technical look to it rather than an anatomically perfet human figure that plays it's own bedroom golf.

[gmd3d]

Welcome aboard .. psycoderek..

well said . I hope you will be posting some art here some time

I'll check the faq's to make sure I do it correctly and in the proper place and at the right size.
Soon as that's done i'll put some up. I hope they are to a high enough standard.

Cheers.

[gmd3d]

cool .. There is no standards here only Art and Design admirers .. I am not a pro .. and I am always stunned at the work shown here over the years..

we want to increase the amount of art posted .. and help new comers to CGI or traditional art to post work .. ..

[gmd3d]

I have just added links for Bryce3d .. I am trying them out .. you have to registered to receive a licence number ..

It's worth registering so tht you can access the forums there. Check the freepozitory section where you will find hundreds of links for bryce and daz material and links for other software too.

[gmd3d]

I going to have a look through it later .. hope I can do a scene too .

[gmd3d]

Added Vue 7 Pioneer beta .. free ..

[cloudwkr55]

While researching free apps, I ran into this one I didn't see in your main list: Amapi 6.1

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/subco...nity/amapi-3d/

[gmd3d]

Thanks its been added