Go Back   AC3D Forums > General > AC3D General
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 13th December 2019, 08:31 AM   #1
Spkier
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 8
Default Worth getting AC3D?

Hello,

I'm from blender3D 2.8 and i really want to export to xp11 and i like AC3D (trial mode) alot better some stuff is harder but i find it alot better, and was curius if anyone can come up with pros and cons and why i should or should not get it?

I have used blender and 3dsmax for years and modelling and learning a new workflow is not an issue for me. Is it worth getting AC3D and does it still get's updates? any discord channels? there don't seem to be alot of peolpe using it atm.
And is it bad idea to get it for xp11 when FS2020 is around the corner?
Appreciate any help.

EDIT: 12 hours since post and not a single comment tells me that this platform is dead.

Best regards
Ulrik Brun

Last edited by Spkier; 13th December 2019 at 03:38 PM.
Spkier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15th December 2019, 09:17 PM   #2
domhenry
Member
Expert member
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 57
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

Well I don't think its dead - a lot of folks use Blender of course. The key for me is that I can import plane .obj format files - then save them in ac3d format .ac. It also allows lots of other file formats to be imported and exported. In terms of using AC3d then it has easy features that are relevant for aircraft. Aircraft are symmetrical and AC3d is good at symmetrical objects. Its good at repeating objects - and mirroring. The Xplane plugin works well - its easy to animate rotations, transitions and manipulators. The 4 window view works well. The down side is probably the UV Mapping - its adequate - quite usable - but just needs a few more options for really complete objects. This is not a stopper by any means.
domhenry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th December 2019, 06:21 AM   #3
Spkier
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 8
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

So would you say it's worth the 140$?
looking at the updates there has not been one since 2018.
How about Cockpit modelling is that working good or is it hard?
does it have any NURMS NURBS or turbosmooth modifier? any modifiers at all?

Does it support inset, bevel, knife cutting, etc?
Does this modelling software have a discord like blender and 3dsmax has?
kinda helps getting faster reponse thru a site where everybody uses

Last edited by Spkier; 16th December 2019 at 06:28 AM.
Spkier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th December 2019, 11:24 AM   #4
Andy
Administrator
Professional user
 
Andy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,563
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

Well AC3D's definitely not dead. A new release will be along soon. It would have been sooner but Apple have been causing a lot of problems with their OS updates.



The forum is very quiet sometimes but that's because people generally get the software and go off to use it productively.



There are many thousands of AC3D users worldwide, including lots of large corporations and universities. Users of commercial software don't usually go around saying "Hey, we use this", unlike many open source communities - which obviously rely on the community.



Try the AC3D demo and try Blender too (other software is also available) - no pressure.



P.S. A personal license is only $99

Last edited by Andy; 16th December 2019 at 11:26 AM.
Andy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th December 2019, 11:37 AM   #5
Spkier
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 8
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy View Post
Well AC3D's definitely not dead. A new release will be along soon. It would have been sooner but Apple have been causing a lot of problems with their OS updates.



The forum is very quiet sometimes but that's because people generally get the software and go off to use it productively.



There are many thousands of AC3D users worldwide, including lots of large corporations and universities. Users of commercial software don't usually go around saying "Hey, we use this", unlike many open source communities - which obviously rely on the community.



Try the AC3D demo and try Blender too (other software is also available) - no pressure.



P.S. A personal license is only $99
Thanks for your quick reponse, i'm not a new modeller i'm rather experienced and working on a model however i'm tired of paying 350 each month for 3dsmax and blender didnt fit my needs and i have tried AC3D demo and i enjoyed it alot so i made this post to get some head room into how the community is and now that i see an administrator responded i might go ahead and get AC3D, but before i go and do that i have a few more questions if you wouldnt mind.

1. i will be using it comercialy so i am thinking of using the versiont that costs 140$ unless i can use the personal for comercial as im a single person?

2. If i end up buying one of the versions will i get access to updates that you said were going to be released soon or will i end up paying 140$ more to get updates?

3. In blender and 3dsmax you got something called Msmooth and shaders is this available in AC3D?

Appreicate your reponse.

Best regards
Ulrik Brun
Spkier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th December 2019, 12:43 PM   #6
Andy
Administrator
Professional user
 
Andy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,563
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

Hi Ulri,


We advise businesses to purchase a commercial license, since it is attached to the business, rather then a named user (and therefore handles staff changes better). Commercial licenses also include multi-users and server compatibility i.e install once, use on any client, which you may want. There is no restriction on what you do with files generated from AC3D, whatever license you have.



All updates/new-versions are free for one year after purchase, i.e. regardless of version number.


Msmooth in 3DS looks like subdivision-surfaces. In AC3D, make a Mesh object and press "Subdivide" in the tool bar, a couple of times. Then manipulate the vertices.


Shaders - if you mean OpenGL shaders, there is no support in AC3D. If you mean normals/shading then that is all calculated automatically in AC3D.

Last edited by Andy; 16th December 2019 at 12:53 PM.
Andy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th December 2019, 12:56 PM   #7
Spkier
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 8
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy View Post
Hi Ulri,


We advise businesses to purchase a commercial license, since it is attached to the business, rather then a named user (and therefore handles staff changes better). Commercial licenses also include multi-users and server compatibility i.e install once, use on any client, which you may want. There is no restriction on what you do with files generated from AC3D, whatever license you have.



All updates/new-versions are free for one year after purchase, i.e. regardless of version number.


Msmooth in 3DS looks like subdivision-surfaces. In AC3D, make a Mesh object and press "Subdivide" in the tool bar, a couple of times. Then manipulate the vertices.


Shaders - if you mean OpenGL shaders, there is no support in AC3D. If you mean normals/shading then that is all calculated automatically in AC3D.
Appreciate the response.
I have taken a look at the normandy project from objects library and after import it seems extremly laggy and i have built meshes bigger than this with other software, is there some sort of settings to make it less laggier? i can't work with 2 fps. I have never seen a 3d modelling software not beeing able to handle that low amount of verticies.
Spkier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th December 2019, 02:29 PM   #8
Andy
Administrator
Professional user
 
Andy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,563
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

That sounds very slow. My old laptop handles it fine. Ensure your graphics drivers are up-to-date.



There's a lot you can do, of course the render speed depends on your graphics card and processor. Depending on your graphics card, you may find it faster if you switch off textures (press 't'). Also, if you press the eye icon (top right of each view window), that will switch off all the editing lines, saving quite a bit of render time.



You can also switch 2D/3D views to interactive-wireframe (main menus) which will switch to wireframe when manipulating.


Also, you can hide or lock different parts of a large scene (bottom right expanding section of left control panel). This is very handy when "walking" around a large scene (i.e. walk-mode in a 3D view) e.g. a large airport model.



The biggest speed saving is probably to to switch to a single view (press space to max/min current). that saves rendering 4 views at once.
Andy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th December 2019, 04:05 PM   #9
Spkier
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 8
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy View Post
That sounds very slow. My old laptop handles it fine. Ensure your graphics drivers are up-to-date.



There's a lot you can do, of course the render speed depends on your graphics card and processor. Depending on your graphics card, you may find it faster if you switch off textures (press 't'). Also, if you press the eye icon (top right of each view window), that will switch off all the editing lines, saving quite a bit of render time.



You can also switch 2D/3D views to interactive-wireframe (main menus) which will switch to wireframe when manipulating.


Also, you can hide or lock different parts of a large scene (bottom right expanding section of left control panel). This is very handy when "walking" around a large scene (i.e. walk-mode in a 3D view) e.g. a large airport model.



The biggest speed saving is probably to to switch to a single view (press space to max/min current). that saves rendering 4 views at once.
Did all that yet it laggs alot and i always use 1 view same as i did in 3dsmax.
GPU is a 1050TI and cpu is amd athlehon 860k and both 3dsmax and blender renders at over 300 fps with the same settings and same mesh while AC3D renders at 2fps. GPU is up to date but will check agen and try and downgrade to lower version and see if there is any mess with ac3d and latest.
Tried with my old laptop wich only has a buitl inn gpu but it lagged even more so it crashed.
In viewport at 35K vertitices the viewport starts to lagg alot this is not good at all. and this is not render but viewport as a single viewport

Last edited by Spkier; 16th December 2019 at 06:32 PM.
Spkier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 17th December 2019, 06:59 AM   #10
Andy
Administrator
Professional user
 
Andy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,563
Default Re: Worth getting AC3D?

I think I have the 1050 (non ti) card on my main PC and that's very smooth/fast with the large Normandy model.


AC3D may not be using your graphics card - check the console when it starts. You can make it stay open with File->Settings->Advanced-show-windows-console.


Let us know what you find.
Andy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:05 AM.


AC3D Forum
(C) Inivis Limited 2020