has anybody ever heard of MerlinVR ?
i have a copy that came with something but never installed it.

try this ,,,do a google for wondertouch

Richard,

I use NewTek's LightWave. I started with their Inspire 3D and then when they made me an offer I couldn't refuse to upgrade to LightWave, I didn't refuse. Buying LightWave outright is fairly expensive. They are at version 7.5 now, with a new version 8 expected within a few months. If you buy version 7.5 now you get a free upgrade to version 8. Check with NewTek to see what promotions they are offering.

Cinema 4D R8.5 at $595 is a less expensive entry into 3D than LightWave, and I think Maxxon is a good company. The basic Cinema 4D is very capable and you can further expand it in various ways with expansion modules. Maxxon also makes BodyPaint, a capable 3D paint program. For more information see Cinema 4D Release 8.5

-- Seeker --

A similar question was just asked in this thread although it was for titles and logos. I would also recommend Cinema 4D. I have Cinema 4D CE 6, which I got for free from 3D World magazine and it does everything you mentioned. I’d image version 8.5 does way more.

I found Cinema 4D much easier to learn that Maya or 3D Studio Max. (I only tried Maya PLE and Gmax because I can’t afford either of the full programs)

~jr

Looking at your wish list I think you will need more than Truespace or Cinema 4D - although I've started hearing good sttuff about Cinema but have never tried it,.

You say you want to do character animation? Then 3DSMax with Character Studio is the way to go. We model in Max or Lightwave (depending on the person, I prefer modelling in Lightwave) and then animate and render in Max.

If you are looking for just logos or not much character animation, then the lower end packages should do the trick. Depends on budget and how much return you expect on that budget I guess.

Cheers

Cinema 4D CE 6 has a basic IK system for boning. I’m not sure what version 8.5 has but you can certainly build a reliable IK chain with version 6. You can even write COFFEE scripts to make things like feet respond properly when moving a knee. There may be packages that do this better but as a general purpose easy to use 3D program, Cinema 4D is really good.

~jr

If you have bucks to burn then get XSI or Maya, but the best bang for buck is definitely Cinema 4D! It will work perfectly into an AE, Vegas, Photoshop pipeline (best Adobe integration in the industry, including light/camera support in AE and rendering in layers for PS/AE). The base package is the cheapest pro app going and the nice thing is that you can just add modules as needed.

I have been doing everything with the base package for the last half year and now that I have the Sketch Toon bundle and Motionbuilder( character animation software by Kaydara) and soon will get the Advanced Render module( GI, SSS, Caustics, Vector Mo blur, DOF, etc) ...the sky is the now the limit...or my imagination at the least...

To boot, the package is the easiest to learn and most stable with beautiful/fast render quality.... I could go on, but just download the demo and be blown away.... and to do everything on your list,other than the base package you would need the dynamics module to do physics based sims....It is the weakest point by Maxon at the moment, Maya is certainly king there! Most studios use Maya for its extensibility and scripting, though some individuals have done amazing things on their own.....

I recently picked up Cinema 4D 6CE (limited resolution version) for less than $30 on ebay.

I've got a question from those who use it...how did you go about learning it? From the online help, a book (i understand there's 2 of them), one of those online course you find on e-bay, or from knowledge of other 3D programs?

I have Caligari's TrueSpace 6.6. Sadly, I use it rarely. It can do many of the things that you seek. . . but I'm sure that other programs can do better more intuitively. TrueSpace has a steep learning curve. . . at least for me. I'm only just beginning to get into the nuts and bolts of this program's capabilities (in other words. . . more than just a flying logo). I can see that it can do some pretty nice stuff with the right talent and time to spare to use it appropriately.

I also use Ulead's 3D program (don't remember the name of it, off hand). It's a bit more user friendly with a generous supply of stock effects including smoke, fire, etc. But it too appears to be an entry level 3D animation program. (There's no character plug-in which TrueSpace 6.6 does have - different facial expressions and all!)

Someday I hope to have the time to learn deeper the art of 3D animation. I'm an animation lover (2D and 3D) for many, many, many years (decades). Sadly, I just don't have the time to learn more about this craft. So for now, I'm happy to settle for being a 3D animation (and 2D animation) lover rather than an artist.

A long time ago, I considered purchasing the 3D Studio program. This was during the pre-pentium computer days! (EEK!). Back then, way over a decade ago, it seemed like a fantastic program. I just didn't have the $$$ to spare then. I can only imagine just how mature (and expensive) this program is now!

Good luck with your persuits! :)

Ted

Anyone use Animation Master?

This software always seems to be demoed at just about every video/pc convention I have been to in the past 12 months (and I have been to a lot). The system looks pretty good from my perspective (someone who knows nothing about it).

At the recent Videomaker conference there were a bunch of Maya experts (or so they seemed) who were throwing challenge after challenge to the presenter... all of which were covered in the software (the demo guy basically did all this stuff "on-the-fly").

WARNING - this post contains personal opinion. If you have strong opinions on 3D apps, breathe deeply and count to ten before replying. :-) Plus I think I may have said all this in another post a year ago, but I can't find it. Liam Vegas said:

* Anyone use Animation Master?

Yes, I'm a current AM user. I love it, and the TGA files it can output work fine with Vegas, including those with alpha channels. I use AM for simple logo animations, animated title sequences, and simple character animation for corporate clients (it has paid for itself many times over) as well as my own projects. But AM isn't for everyone. If you want to learn an industry-standard app, so that you can hit the ground running on a future employer's animation workstation, then you're unlikely to encounter AM out in the animation industry - so the usual advice I give is that it would be better if you learned a more industry-standard appliction if you want skills like that.

AM is aimed aimed squarely at the "indie" market at the moment, either individual animators or small shops - people that are looking for a 3D app that almost does the lot in one package, while being primarily aimed at character animation. Having said that, the owner of the company, Martin Hash, is openly (on the AM mailing list) seeking feedback on a possible change in the marketing direction for the software, perhaps going for a more "professional" market, though not surprisingly most of the users are just fine with the indie approach (and the low indie price tag - US$299 for the software and a calender year of access to all the latest versions plus alphas and betas, US$99 per calender year after that for continued access). You can see most of the conversations and suggestions here:

AM Discussion Threads

I'm trying to teach myself character animation (not architectural or spinning logos etc), so for me the switch from Lightwave to AM was obvious, as at the time AM's character animation tools were easier and more powerful than anything in LW's price range and above (and the price of AM was far less than LW's upgrade price). Out of the box, AM is still the best for character animation in many ways IMHO, though other apps have definetely closed the gap.

* This software always seems to be
* demoed at just about every video/pc
* convention I have been to in the past
* 12 months (and I have been to a lot).

Hash don't use standard marketing techniques (ads in glossy mags, etc), but are big believers in demoing at conventions and using word-of-mouth. Again, they seem to be reconsidering this approach, but it would be a major shift if they did and I for one would miss the current "small" approach (what other 3D app lets me, a hobby user, chat via email about bugs and/or features with the programmers and even the owner of the company, then see those fixes/suggestions show up in the software a few weeks later? If that approach changes I'll miss it).

* The system looks pretty good from my
* perspective (someone who knows nothing
* about it).

AM is fantastic on many levels. There are only four disadvantages to AM in my opinion:

1) Steep learning curver for polygon users. If you're already familiar with another package that uses polygon or nurb modeling, you're going to find AM's splines difficult to adapt to - not just because they can be tricky in themselves, but because they are radically different to polygons and nurbs requiring you to "unlearn" before you can learn. As a LW user it took me almost a year before the penny dropped and I could model in splines without thinking too much - now I can't use polygon modeling! :-) If you've never done much 3D modeling, then you don't have anything to unlearn, and this issue only exists for modeling, not animating, texturing, etc.

2) No demo version. Hash argues that at their price point, a demo isn't necessary. Many, MANY users have tried and failed to change their mind on this issue, and on the email list at the moment, thanks to Martin's request for marketing input, the suggestion for a demo version is once again being made. After using AM for several years now, and having seen Hash's attitude to a demo, I doubt it will ever happen. I'd be delighted to be proven wrong.

3) Stability. Hash hates it when people state that AM is unstable, but its a simple fact - it crashes more than many 3D apps, and a LOT more than your average non-3D app. Vegas users are well and truly spoilt when it comes to stability across a wide range of hardware - but Vegas' kind of stability is rare in the 3D world, and AM crashes more than it should. To their credit, Hash has stated the past couple of years that stability is a priority, and they have made huge strides in this area but there is a way to go. Why do I use and recommend an app that crashes more than I think it should? Because even if you take into account the time wasted and frustration caused by AM's crashes, AM is STILL faster, easier, and more intuitive when it comes to character animation than anything else I've ever seen (and could afford). Combine that with the price, and I can live with AM's quirks. And if they day ever comes when AM is as stable as Vegas, it will rewrite the 3D landscape.

4) No one else uses it. Okay, I'm exageratting a bit, but as I said before, if you want to learn software that you're likely to encounter as a hired animator in a large shop, then AM is not your app. Then again, neither is Vegas by that criteria -- neither are standard industry tools, YET!. Another point: some animation houses add so many extensions and in-house plug-ins to standard apps that you CAN'T learn to use their software until you start work there, so they often look for generic character animation skills, not software-specific skills, and AM is great for learning the art of character animation, a skill that can be transferred to any 3D app that supports character animation. And Pixar's software isn't available anywhere but within Pixar....

If you;'ve read this far you must be interested, so here are some links showing work done in AM:

Image Contest
Some Cool Contest Winners, many using the new hair features
Animation Contest

* At the recent Videomaker conference
* there were a bunch of Maya experts (or
* so they seemed) who were throwing
* challenge after challenge to the
* presenter... all of which were covered
* in the software (the demo guy
* basically did all this stuff "on-the-
* fly").

Heheh - sounds pretty typical I believe. Any chance you remember the presenter's name? I'll let him know that he impressed you! :-)



Skevos Mavros
mavart@mavart.com
http://www.mavart.com

Thanks for the detailed post on this software. I cannot recall the name of the guy who did the demo but I have seen him many times at these events.

I did buy the software (it was $199 at the show).

-Liam

> I've got a question from those who use it [Cinema 4D]... how did you go about learning it?

Maxon has a lot of 3rd Party Tutorials listed on their Resources page. I found the link to Joel Mill’s Tutorials for C4D Beginners site to be quite good. It gave me all the basics to keep going on my own. Also, 3DBuzz.com is also an outstanding site for 3D tutorials.

~jr

I also have a copy of Hash's Animation Master

I bought it years ago. I hated it :-)

At that stage I was using Imagine 2.0 and Lightwave 3.5 on the Amiga.

Dunno whether it has got better but I just could not get the hang of Hash... but I know there has been some very good animation done with it, so that's probably just me.

Cheers

What about Carrara Studio 2 or 3? The internet reviews rave about it's power and ease of use and if you do some searching you can find a new NR version of Studio 2 for less then $100. I'm considering it. I think it would be cool to create some 3D stuff and throw in some of my Particle Illusion magic on it. Anyone used Carrara? Thanks

I own the carrara basics and demo carrara3 ,,the apps are great for adding animated objects to your video's,,you can do alot with the spline tool and carrara's rendering engine. I use it along with video factory ( sonic foundry) it's a watered down version of vegas but it has taught me alot. Carrara has some great tools to work with for creating custom text.The most enjoyment I get out of carrara is after creating my text or objects ,,I create an animation which works very well.. I feel having vegas and carrara you could create some really good videos,, and like you said " throw in some of my Particle Illusion magic on it."