Next software
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I rather think in software combo's, so you have the whole range of features you need. Sketchup is in all the combos for basic quick low poly modeling.
- Sketchup + Cinema 4D + VrayforC4D : for advanced rendering and animation. (3dsMax would suit as well but way too expensive)
- Sketchup + Rhino + VrayforRhino : for advanced architectural modeling
- Sketchup + Modo: for non architectural stuff.
I would include Vray in the first two combos.
VrayforC4D is the most advanced. The other Vray versions (Rhino and sketchup) are a bit incomplete but acceptable for basic Viz stuff. -
Now I have a lot to think about.
Maybe I'll download a trial of Rhino to my laptop and take it with me for the weekend.
I really wish all these companies would take SketchUp's lead and offer 8 hr trials. I downloaded the trial to Bonzai and have been too busy to open the program since. The trial will probably expire and I'll have used it for one or two hours at the most - not nearly enough to get a good sense of it.
My gut instincts have suggested Modo and Vray as next purchases when (and if) I have the money. This thread more or less confirms that but Rhino is a new idea.
I ran into the website of a French woman who makes stairs out of rough planks and tree trunks. http://www.lozere.net/escaliers-bois Quite interesting. It made me want to go outside the purely architectural structures I'm used to.
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@unknownuser said:
I really wish all these companies would take SketchUp's lead and offer 8 hr trials.
I seem to remember that the Rhino trial does at least let you save and export your work, unlike a lot of those crippled demos. I managed to draw all the tubular steel shelf supports I needed for a shop-fit with that Rhino trial. Liked it, but never used it since.
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@arail1 said:
Now I have a lot to think about.
Maybe I'll download a trial of Rhino to my laptop and take it with me for the weekend.
I really wish all these companies would take SketchUp's lead and offer 8 hr trials. I downloaded the trial to Bonzai and have been too busy to open the program since. The trial will probably expire and I'll have used it for one or two hours at the most - not nearly enough to get a good sense of it.
My gut instincts have suggested Modo and Vray as next purchases when (and if) I have the money. This thread more or less confirms that but Rhino is a new idea.
I ran into the website of a French woman who makes stairs out of rough planks and tree trunks. http://www.lozere.net/escaliers-bois Quite interesting. It made me want to go outside the purely architectural structures I'm used to.
Rhino will work fully functional, but with a limited number of saves. I used Rhino 2/3 when I did my studies. I've go the Rhino4 Trial installed now. It's nice for small little play around just to see what it can do. If I run out of saves it's an indication that I need to get it.
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A little confused - bear with me, I'm just learning about the difference between nurbs and polys and all the rest of it. One suggestion was MOI + Modo + Sketchup. What would you get with MOI that you wouldn't get with Modo? Or is it just that MOI is a fast and agile little program and at $200 bucks it might be the 1st choice to model something organic very quickly?
Maybe what I want is MOI + SketchUp + Vray.
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If by "organic" you mean human anatomy and such, MoI isn't the right tool. A polygonal modeler is much better suited for that sort of stuff. May I suggest Silo? Cheap, and quite able. However, if you simply mean "curvy stuff" like, say, phone horns, MoI might come in handy.
Are you considering modeling with MoI and rendering with Vray for SU? Possibly not the best of workflows: a moderately complex MoI model will drag SU to it's knees. Vray for Rhino may be the better choice.
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@arail1 said:
A little confused - bear with me, I'm just learning about the difference between nurbs and polys and all the rest of it. One suggestion was MOI + Modo + Sketchup. What would you get with MOI that you wouldn't get with Modo? Or is it just that MOI is a fast and agile little program and at $200 bucks it might be the 1st choice to model something organic very quickly?
Maybe what I want is MOI + SketchUp + Vray.
I mentioned MoI not for it's organic modelling capabilities (modo would be better for that) but for the fact that it uses NURBS. This can be very useful if you need to model something like an aeroplane or a kettle as NURBS are generally a better option for curvy things like this.
MoI is also very good at converting NURBS in to polygons, so you could model your aeroplane in MoI, convert it in to a polygon model and import it in to modo.
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Well, i own rhino, modo, moi and sketchup - they all have different strengths, but as a team they are a great combination.
Most of my work is done in rhino, and i am using modo only for rendering (i doubt i would ever want to model anything in it).
Moi is coded by the same guy who originally created rhino, so they have a number of similarities (for example, you can cut and paste models between them) - I just think of moi as a rhino plug-in.
Moi (the V2 beta which you can download free if you purchase V1) has a fantastic sketchup exporter, models come in so clean and smooth.
As a group these four programs are a real bargain if you are making a living drawing / designing stuff with a computer...and the companies / support behind them are, strangely enough, also amazing.cheers
rabbit -
@arail1 said:
... on a new modeling program ... what would be your first choice...
if you need exact, feature-based NURBS volume and surface modeling incl. history and support of all common cad interfaces, the only capable choice below 1,000 bucks is Shark LT, nothing else... SU import and OSX version too.
check the vids and get a 14 day trial.. and drop the rest 
Norbert
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rabbit -
Could you expand a bit on your comment about not wanting to ever model in Modo?
Thanks
Alex
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After using rhino, or moi, or sketchup, modo has an arcane, frustrating view manipulation toolset, (inherited from lightwave). It just drives me crazy. It crashes a lot also, so you need to save your work often.
On the other hand, its render engine is very very fast, and has a (depending on the model complexity and your processor speed) a real-time preview, so you can see what you are getting as you work up the scene.
I read somewhere that they are going to release the renderer as a stand-alone app, which would be a good move i think.cheers
rabbit@arail1 said:
rabbit -
Could you expand a bit on your comment about not wanting to ever model in Modo?
Thanks
Alex
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even agreeing with most of what is complained about SU, if you use it as a design tool, as an app that allows you to build a project in more than way --as opposed to using it only as a modeller-- it is very difficult to think of moving on to another software. in my opinion, there is no app that gives you the feeling of being really building an object as you model it.
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Modo without a doubt.
Kwist, Why not modo for Architectural stuff?
Scott
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Rabbit,
I have been using Modo for a while now and have not had crashes hardly ever. SU crashes on me far more than modo. As far as the viewing tools they are almost identical to C4D and are really easy. Maybe you had trackball check on. That will screw most people new to it. Other than that I have found it to be a great app and with 401 coming any day it will easily compete with MAX, C4D, and the rest of them if not walk away from them.
Scott
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Photoshop!
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