This is going to be long post, but I was researching the question about which is a good 3D modeling package and came to the conclusion that Maxon's Cinema 4D must be nearly the equivilent in the 3D world as to what we have with Vegas in the NLE world. Vegas has the best interface, stability, and outstanding features for the money, and quite a few people think Cinema 4D R8 stacks up the same way next to it's competition.
Here are some comments I found on the cgtalk.com forums. I hope these guys don't mind me quoting them.
JBJones
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Pixeldoggy
I used to work with both Maya and Cinema, but it's strictly Cinema for me now, especially with the new Version 8. The Maya interface has become too cluttered over time, and while it has a ton of features, it doesn't do me no good if I can't remember how to access them.
Maya might be great if you are a studio and can afford a TD to set it up for your individual preferences, but I'd like to concentrate on the creative process more than on the software, and for that Cinema is just fine. It can do about 90% of what Maya can do, some of it better and faster. Don't know how 3D Max compares, but I hope this will help you for now.
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DeathCarrot
Cinema 4D was the first real 3D package I ever got, apart from Simply 3D which i got free with a cover disc on some magazine, and I wouldnt change it for anything, Ive tried maya, 3ds max, xsi and lightwave, I would have to say Cinema is my favorite. I would defeneatly recommend C4D and yes i feel it is very easy to learn and the interface is very flexible...
But that's just my opinion, and I am biased towards c4d
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Phasmatis
I’ve been into 3d for about 4 years now and for 3 and half of those years I used 3dsmax, so I've been using Cinema for 6 months and I have created much superior work in cinema than I ever did in max, something about it make it very easy to work with. There are also a lot of cost benefits too, not only is cinema extremely cheap but you don't have to pay out a load more for renderers, even the plugins are cheap compared to most other packages, infact most of my favourite plugins are free to download.
So to sum up, Yes, in my opinion cinema is a lot easier to learn than other packages.
One more thing, the cinema community is extremely helpful if you get stuck with something, post here and I'm sure someone can help.
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ThirdEye_01
What I like about Cinema 4D:
- stability: the program has always been stable as a rock. I often remember a time when Win 98 crashed and made crash ALL other opened programs but not C4D.
- speed: this is the fastest raytracer on the planet and it doesn't require a great hardware. The other programs are useless if you don't have a great computer.
- ease of use: great GUI (completely customizable), great access to tools. It's surely the 3d program with the best workflow on the market.
- youngness: C4D is a young software and it surely will grow, I don't think the other programs are so good written to let the programmers introduce new features with speed and stability.
- great render quality: GI, raytrace, NPR, a great set of procedural shaders (SLA)...
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FrankW
I started out with Truespace (2 years) and later moved to 3DS Max 1 and later V2 (2 years), which I was happy with at that time. Then I got introduced to C4D XL5 and use it ever since! It took me a while to switch my "3DS way of work" to C4D, but I never want to go back. C4D is very intuitive and fun to work with. It NEVER crashes and is fast as lightning.
And the support from the company and at the newsgroups is first class!
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Here are some comments I found on the cgtalk.com forums. I hope these guys don't mind me quoting them.
JBJones
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
Pixeldoggy
I used to work with both Maya and Cinema, but it's strictly Cinema for me now, especially with the new Version 8. The Maya interface has become too cluttered over time, and while it has a ton of features, it doesn't do me no good if I can't remember how to access them.
Maya might be great if you are a studio and can afford a TD to set it up for your individual preferences, but I'd like to concentrate on the creative process more than on the software, and for that Cinema is just fine. It can do about 90% of what Maya can do, some of it better and faster. Don't know how 3D Max compares, but I hope this will help you for now.
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DeathCarrot
Cinema 4D was the first real 3D package I ever got, apart from Simply 3D which i got free with a cover disc on some magazine, and I wouldnt change it for anything, Ive tried maya, 3ds max, xsi and lightwave, I would have to say Cinema is my favorite. I would defeneatly recommend C4D and yes i feel it is very easy to learn and the interface is very flexible...
But that's just my opinion, and I am biased towards c4d
-------------------------------------
Phasmatis
I’ve been into 3d for about 4 years now and for 3 and half of those years I used 3dsmax, so I've been using Cinema for 6 months and I have created much superior work in cinema than I ever did in max, something about it make it very easy to work with. There are also a lot of cost benefits too, not only is cinema extremely cheap but you don't have to pay out a load more for renderers, even the plugins are cheap compared to most other packages, infact most of my favourite plugins are free to download.
So to sum up, Yes, in my opinion cinema is a lot easier to learn than other packages.
One more thing, the cinema community is extremely helpful if you get stuck with something, post here and I'm sure someone can help.
-------------------------------------
ThirdEye_01
What I like about Cinema 4D:
- stability: the program has always been stable as a rock. I often remember a time when Win 98 crashed and made crash ALL other opened programs but not C4D.
- speed: this is the fastest raytracer on the planet and it doesn't require a great hardware. The other programs are useless if you don't have a great computer.
- ease of use: great GUI (completely customizable), great access to tools. It's surely the 3d program with the best workflow on the market.
- youngness: C4D is a young software and it surely will grow, I don't think the other programs are so good written to let the programmers introduce new features with speed and stability.
- great render quality: GI, raytrace, NPR, a great set of procedural shaders (SLA)...
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FrankW
I started out with Truespace (2 years) and later moved to 3DS Max 1 and later V2 (2 years), which I was happy with at that time. Then I got introduced to C4D XL5 and use it ever since! It took me a while to switch my "3DS way of work" to C4D, but I never want to go back. C4D is very intuitive and fun to work with. It NEVER crashes and is fast as lightning.
And the support from the company and at the newsgroups is first class!
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