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Old 4th November 2005, 07:23 PM   #1
newbie
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Default Looking for reviews for this product

Hi! I am really seriously thinking about getting this product and wanted some reviews from people who already had it. Post as much informatin as you can, it would really help me.

Is this relatively easy (or really just not hard, I'm willing to spend some time learning how to use this) for somebody who's never used anything 3D before? Are there a lot of resources I can get about this product (i.e. tutorials in case I can't figure something out etc.)? Can this product animate in 3D? I know I can't make games with it, but can I use the work I make in this product to be used in games such as Flash? Can it make hard surfaces as well as round blobby shapes? All kinds of answers to these and any other questions you can think of will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much
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Old 4th November 2005, 10:12 PM   #2
Dennis
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Hi newbie (nice name )

I don't have a complete review for you, but I can answer some of your questions:

* Is this relatively easy (or really just not hard, I'm willing to spend some time learning how to use this) for somebody who's never used anything 3D before?

That's almost a loaded question, which boils down to whether 3D modeling in general is difficult. Some folks find 3D modeling harder than others.

That being said, AC3D is by far the easiest and most intuitive modeler I've ever used. I have only used 3d Studio, Blender, Anim8or, trueSpace, Wings3d, RayDream Studio, and I've possibly tried a few more out, but AC3D is the best I've run across.

* Are there a lot of resources I can get about this product (i.e. tutorials in case I can't figure something out etc.)?

Compared to other 3d products, I have not seen nearly as many tutorials out there for AC3D. Some of the folks here have posted some tutorials:

http://www.ac3d.org/ac3d/tutorials/GettingStarted/
http://www.ac3d.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1155
http://www.ac3d.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1296
http://www.snickwerks.netfirms.com/Elric/AC3D_Wing.htm
http://thecontinuim.no-ip.com/AC3D/Tut1/column1.htm
http://www.ac3d.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=228
http://www.ac3d.org/ac3d/tutorials/heads/

Outside of this list, I haven't personally seen that many, BUT, once you get the techniques of 3d modeling down, you can use tutorials from other software packages and apply them to AC3D.

Also, this board is a great place to post questions if you're stuck trying to model something. I've never seen a question yet on "how do I make xxx" go unanswered.

Also, check out the plugins/tutorials forum for other resources - there's a good list there. http://www.ac3d.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=11

* Can this product animate in 3D?

This product currently has no animation support --- it is a modeler, and exports to POV-Ray (free renderer) and many popular file formats. I'm not too knowledgeable on animation support outside of products like truespace and blender, so cannot provide much insight there.

* Can it make hard surfaces as well as round blobby shapes?

Absolutely. Using Subdivision surfaces, organic shapes are quite easy to achieve. You won't find NURBS support here (I may be out of touch, but I haven't seen NURBS support in modelers under $100?).

----------------

AC3D is not an all-in-one solution like the more high-end modeling packages --- it specializes in modeling and does it very well. I've been doing work in other modelers recently, and abhor their modeling interfaces after using AC3D. However, because AC3D has not yet tackled animation, it's not the only tool in my arsenal...

Also, my frustration factor with other less-expensive or free modelers was pretty high --- the $60 for AC3D was well worth having such a stable, intuitive modeler on hand. Even if I hadn't stuck with it, it still taught me quite a bit about modeling (and is still helping me learn).

The best advice I can give is to download some trials (or free) 3D modelers along with AC3D, and get a feel for the one(s) you like. This is how I ended up sticking with AC3D.

Hope that helps.

Dennis
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Old 5th November 2005, 12:22 AM   #3
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I agree with Dennis. Like him ... I've tried a lot of 3d modelers ... and AC3D does what I need (creating geometry for VRML scenes) in 95% of the cases ... and it is *easy* to learn. And for my VRML it gives very clean code.

AC3D is a static modeler, not an animator. Several years ago I told Andy it would be nice to have animation capabilities, but on reflection, I think that might be a huge task. Most of the VRML animations I want to create I do in VRMLPad which while not a WYSIWYG set up does have nice auto-complete routines.

In terms of support ... well I think Dennis was being modest ... he has created some interesting plugins. Since they all are designed for V5, I have no experience of how well they work, but from the way Dennis seems so meticulous about how he uses AC3D and the fact he updates his plugins regularly ... I get the feeling they probably work very well There are other plugins including a .mesh export for OGRE and a plugin that will take a 2d greyscale image and create a 3D terrain (not tried either of these).

My only complaint would be the Boolean operations which I have detailed elsewhere, but there are some workarounds .... and maybe with the upcoming V6 they will be fixed ... *keeps fingers crossed* ...

http://www.ac3d.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1233

If you are new to 3d ... AC3D is probably a good place to start at a pretty cheap price. And is window layout (though not the functionality) is very similar to Lightwave and 3dMax ... if you decided to spend the big bucks somewhere down the road ;-)

griff
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Old 5th November 2005, 02:16 AM   #4
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Thanks for the kind words, griff - and, yes, I'm a terrible salesman .

Don't want to downplay the product at all here --- the $ for this software is easily the best money I've ever spent on a piece of software. I'd highly recommend it for the modeling phase of any project where polygon-based modeling is a must. And if you're just learning 3d, I cannot think of a better software to get you introduced.

Good luck.
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Old 5th November 2005, 01:32 PM   #5
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Dennis and Griff are correct in all points. I have tried all of the majors, shareware, and freeware, and AC3d is by far the easiest to learn and use. I have started using Silo and Carrara Studio, but I still run home to AC3D a lot. If I quit using AC3D tommorrow (doubtful) it has been worth every penny invested. I have learned most of my 3D concepts in AC3D. One more point is that you won't find a more involved and responsive developer than Andy, It is a large part of AC3D's success.

Thanks again Andy

Art
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Old 5th November 2005, 04:03 PM   #6
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Thanks, guys! That really helps me a lot! You answered just what I need to know... I think this'll be a great place to start and I think I might get this by December!

Thanks again!!!

(and thanks in advance, Andy if I ever get this product, I know I'll have a few questions )
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