3D editors, pros and cons
Visual effects, methods of combining computer graphics with real video amaze the imagination and cause many interest in three-dimensional modeling and animation.
But for a beginner who has set himself the goal of mastering the craft of an animator or a 3D artist, it is difficult to navigate the choice of software right away. So that after weeks or even months it does not turn out that time was wasted studying a 3D editor, you need to be well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each particular program.
The existence of this program proves once again that free does not mean bad. Creating an application for 3D modeling and animation is an incredibly difficult task. And if we add to this that the developer will not receive any reward for such a titanic work, except for the thanks of 3D artists, it would seem that creating a free professional 3D graphics editor is impossible. Nevertheless, the Blender project was not only born, but was also actively developing, not yielding to anything commercially similar. The secret of success lies in the fact that anyone can join the work on Blender. Many of the tools that appeared in this program were added by completely different people who created certain functions for solving their problems. However, in fairness it should be noted that Blender began as a commercial project, but was later closed and revived with open source.
Compared with commercial developments, the size of this editor is quite scanty - only a few tens of megabytes.
One of the main advantages of the program is cross-platform. Blender works equally well and consistently on Linux and Windows. In addition, the program can operate even on PCs with very weak configurations, up to netbooks. The minimum system requirements are more than modest: a single-core processor operating at 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM, and a graphics card with Open GL support and 64 MB RAM.
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The program includes a large arsenal of tools for creating three-dimensional graphics. So, in Blender, you can operate with particle systems, control the weights of individual particles during texturing, use guides during animation, and use external forces, such as wind.
In addition, the program has a fluid simulator, which opens up enormous possibilities for the user to create the effects of flowing bodies, such as smoke or liquids. In real-time, the user can calculate physical problems, for example, simulate the behavior of soft bodies. The program allows you to edit NURBS-surfaces, use the metabols and customize the snap of characters.
This program is very popular in our country, and a significant role was played by the fact that the editor from Autodesk is focused on architectural visualization. Even before the start of construction work in 3ds Max, you can create a three-dimensional photo-realistic model of the room or exterior, showing the final result to the customer.
In 3ds Max there is a large number of tools needed to model a variety of architectural projects - from blanks of doors and windows of various shapes to vegetation, stairs and fences. In addition, this 3D editor contains tools for analyzing and adjusting the illumination of a three-dimensional project. Also, a photorealistic visualizer was integrated into the program, which makes it possible to achieve high plausibility of the readable image.
For all its complexity, 3ds Max is easily studied, and the lack of any specific tool is more than compensated for by a large base of add-ons — plug-ins that significantly expand the standard features of the application. So, using the Afterburn plug-in program, you can create realistic explosions, and when installing Dreamscape, the editor gets additional tools for modeling water and natural landscapes. In addition, the 3ds Max user always has the opportunity to use alternative visualization algorithms. In addition to the built-in mentalray engine for 3ds Max, you can use faster and more accurate scene rendering systems, such as finalrender, V-ray and Maxwellrender.
3ds Max makes it possible to control particles in a very flexible way, creating a wide variety of effects - from modeling animated arrays of objects to simulating all sorts of natural phenomena, such as splashes of rolling waves, smoke, etc. At least, even before the appearance in the program of tools for imitating three-dimensional hair and wool (HairandFur module) animators managed to describe the particle system in such a way as to obtain the illusion of hair on objects.
A set of tools, which includes a special HairandFur module, resembles a barber's arsenal: virtual hair can be combed, trimmed and even styled according to a given shape. Before his appearance, only professionals with extensive 3D experience and knowing the secrets of imitating wool with textures and handwritten additional scripts could create hair.
Simple logic suggests that these two applications would have to be considered separately, but we cannot do this, because recently, both Sculptris and ZBrush have become parts of a single tool for three-dimensional sculpturing.
Unlike other three-dimensional editors Sculptris and ZBrush use only one 3D-modeling technique - the so-called three-dimensional modeling. The essence of this method of creating three-dimensional models is that a 3D-artist using virtual brushes gives the desired shape to an object by pressing or pulling out separate sections from the surface. This way of modeling is very similar to modeling clay, and the user, working in the program, becomes a sculptor. This method is very practical and has long been used in the production industry. Remember the main villain of the Pirates of the Caribbean - a monster with tentacles named Davy Jones? This character is a combination of a model made by three-dimensional modeling technology, and a real video. By the way, thanks to the appearance of this character in the film, the filmmakers received the prestigious Academy Award for the best visual effects.
Sculptris was originally supposed to be a standalone free application. The pace of its development was stunning, and the popularity of the program began to grow rapidly. This made the creators of the commercial software for three-dimensional modeling ZBrush, representing the company Pixologic, think. Today, this application can be considered almost the sole leader in the field of three-dimensional modeling (not counting the less popular package Mudbox, which is supported by such a giant as Autodesk, and the little-known utility 3D-Coat). After negotiations with Pixologic, an enthusiastic developer, we managed to lure the author Sculptris, the Swedish programmer Thomas Peterson, to his side. As a result, the program was included in ZBrush, and the author himself changed his place of residence to a warmer climate, moving to California.
It is not hard to guess that a tool like Sculptris is completely useless for owners of the powerful ZBrush package. The functions of the "younger brother" simply duplicate a number of tools ZBrush, which is most often used in the work. Therefore, in the future, the free version of Sculptris is likely to remain frozen. And yet, even those functions that the developer has managed to implement in the program are very useful for those involved in complex modeling, especially organic. If you need to quickly create the face of a three-dimensional character or model any animal, Sculptris can be safely recommended. However, due to poor toolkit, the program is not self-sufficient, and a full-fledged film cannot be made in it. The application lacks tools for texturing and rendering, not to mention the possibility of working with animation.
Sculptris supports import and export of models in the popular OBJ format. For example, you can transfer an object from 3ds Max or Maya to this program and complete its modeling by quickly correcting the shape and increasing the detail. Despite the simplified, compared with the ZBrush, toolkit, the possibilities of Sculptris are enough to recreate the look of the same Davy Jones.
Even eight years ago, the positions of this three-dimensional editor were much weaker than, say, Maya or 3ds Max. However, time has put everything in its place, and today this program competes on equal terms with such whales of three-dimensional graphics as Softimage and Lightwave. This editor has a very long history: its first version was written for the Amiga platform back in 1991.
The programmers of the German company MAXON Computer managed to very accurately guess a niche that has long remained free. The fact is that most professional programs focused on the production of games and films have always been worth thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars. But the concept of Cinema 4D was built in such a way that the price of the program turned out to be democratic, but the application remained interesting for 3D professionals and was constantly evolving. Its architecture is very logical, and for a beginner it’s pretty easy to figure it out.
The toolkit of the program was gradually improved and expanded with very useful additions. Today in Cinema 4D you can find tools for creating character animation, a convenient environment for working with particles, a powerful system of photo-realistic visualization and, of course, convenient modeling tools. In the latest versions of Cinema 4D, the rendering algorithm has been significantly reworked and the processing capabilities of three-dimensional scenes have been expanded. The program allows you to calculate the effects of global illumination, caustics, and takes into account the subsurface scattering of light, which can be observed, for example, when the candle wax is illuminated. The final argument for those who doubt the possibilities of this program was the release of the full-length animated film “Hunting Season”, which was created using Cinema 4D, and it was one of the main tools of 3D animators.
For a long time, this program was opposed to the main competitor in the three-dimensional software market - 3ds Max. “Holy War” and heated debate only stopped after Autodesk acquired AliasWavefront, under the brand name Maya. Among professional 3D artists, this package is used more often than others. This three-dimensional editor is adopted by such large studios as Pixar, WaltDisney, Dreamworks and others.
The program has everything you need to create three-dimensional graphics. Maya allows you to go through all the stages of creating 3D - from modeling and animation to texturing, compositing and layer-by-layer rendering. This three-dimensional editor can simulate the physics of solid and soft bodies, calculate the behavior of the fabric, emulate flowing effects, allows you to fine-tune the characters' hairstyle, create dry and wet fur, animate hair, etc. The program's business card is PaintEffects, which allows you to draw virtual three-dimensional objects such as flowers, grass, three-dimensional patterns and so on. The program is quite difficult to learn, which is offset by a large number of lessons on this editor. In addition, Maya is very easy to use.
One of the tasks that often has to be solved by 3D artists is the modeling of the natural environment. Three-dimensional scenery greatly simplify the process of shooting the film, and in some cases reduce the cost of its creation. Realism of the three-dimensional world is also important when developing computer games.
However, the solution to this problem has its own specifics. The natural environment is not as easy to model as, say, creating a car or train model. All objects of nature have a unique shape, so in the natural environment you will not find, say, two absolutely identical trees. Creating a three-dimensional forest in the classical way, for example, using the method of polygonal or NURBS-modeling, is extremely inconvenient and requires a huge amount of time. Vue program helps to solve this problem in minutes, and this feature is the main advantage of the three-dimensional editor from e-onsoftware. Modeling natural landscapes is an extraordinarily fascinating process that resembles a child's play. The 3D designer creates his own three-dimensional world with his own hands: he adds vegetation to the virtual scene, determines the weather and cloudiness, indicates the location of mountains and elevations.
In this three-dimensional landscape generator there are very few tools for direct modeling of three-dimensional objects, but, on the other hand, they are an order of magnitude larger than, say, in another popular landscape generator - DAZ 3D Bryce. In terms of the number of features and features offered, Vue has no serious competitors. The program has a very large library of various elements required for building 3D: pre-harvesting materials (dozens of types of stones with fractal textures, glass, water, etc.), sets of vegetation, customized lighting options and much more. Another feature of the program, which you will not find in other editors, is the ability to simulate an ecosystem. This means that the program itself fills the areas specified by the user with a set of plants, arranging trees, flowers and shrubs so that they look realistic. Using the virtual brush, the user "draws" vegetation right in the scene. VuexStream has a very “advanced” rendering engine that allows you to get a photorealistic image.
The editor requires large hardware capacities, and the rendering process itself takes a lot of time, and even a simplified preview does not save complex scenes. Nevertheless, the picture rendered in the program, taking into account global illumination and using a multi-pass smoothing filter, is striking in its realism. It is very simple to evaluate the possibilities of this program: it is enough to revise the last Indiana Jones film, where all the landscapes are nothing more than a professionally made 3D.
Three-dimensional graphics is a whole science, an area in which you can improve your knowledge and skills throughout life. Therefore, listing the differences in the tools that are offered to 3D artists by each three-dimensional editor is a voluminous task and would take more than one article. Nevertheless, each software has its own specific set of tools, which determines the area in which the 3D editor is convenient to use.
For architectural visualization, undoubtedly, it is impossible to find a better program than 3ds Max — this is compatibility with other Autodesk applications, such as AutoCad, and an extensive library of architectural materials, and flexible visualizer settings.
The undisputed leader in the film industry - Maya. In contrast to 3ds Max, which is more designed for "techies", the toolkit of this package is very close to people who are dominated by creativity, in particular, artists.
Cinema 4D and VuexStream are the best options to begin your acquaintance with three-dimensional graphics. Constructing your Universes in Vue is sure to please anyone. Blender is the perfect solution for those who are used to saving the budget. Those who can count money should be interested in Sculptris. Unfortunately, it can only be used as an auxiliary tool for three-dimensional modeling. Well, the biggest fans of virtual sculpture does not find a better means than ZBrush.
But for a beginner who has set himself the goal of mastering the craft of an animator or a 3D artist, it is difficult to navigate the choice of software right away. So that after weeks or even months it does not turn out that time was wasted studying a 3D editor, you need to be well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each particular program.
Blender 2.59
The existence of this program proves once again that free does not mean bad. Creating an application for 3D modeling and animation is an incredibly difficult task. And if we add to this that the developer will not receive any reward for such a titanic work, except for the thanks of 3D artists, it would seem that creating a free professional 3D graphics editor is impossible. Nevertheless, the Blender project was not only born, but was also actively developing, not yielding to anything commercially similar. The secret of success lies in the fact that anyone can join the work on Blender. Many of the tools that appeared in this program were added by completely different people who created certain functions for solving their problems. However, in fairness it should be noted that Blender began as a commercial project, but was later closed and revived with open source.
Compared with commercial developments, the size of this editor is quite scanty - only a few tens of megabytes.
One of the main advantages of the program is cross-platform. Blender works equally well and consistently on Linux and Windows. In addition, the program can operate even on PCs with very weak configurations, up to netbooks. The minimum system requirements are more than modest: a single-core processor operating at 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM, and a graphics card with Open GL support and 64 MB RAM.
')
The program includes a large arsenal of tools for creating three-dimensional graphics. So, in Blender, you can operate with particle systems, control the weights of individual particles during texturing, use guides during animation, and use external forces, such as wind.
In addition, the program has a fluid simulator, which opens up enormous possibilities for the user to create the effects of flowing bodies, such as smoke or liquids. In real-time, the user can calculate physical problems, for example, simulate the behavior of soft bodies. The program allows you to edit NURBS-surfaces, use the metabols and customize the snap of characters.
3ds max 2012
This program is very popular in our country, and a significant role was played by the fact that the editor from Autodesk is focused on architectural visualization. Even before the start of construction work in 3ds Max, you can create a three-dimensional photo-realistic model of the room or exterior, showing the final result to the customer.
In 3ds Max there is a large number of tools needed to model a variety of architectural projects - from blanks of doors and windows of various shapes to vegetation, stairs and fences. In addition, this 3D editor contains tools for analyzing and adjusting the illumination of a three-dimensional project. Also, a photorealistic visualizer was integrated into the program, which makes it possible to achieve high plausibility of the readable image.
For all its complexity, 3ds Max is easily studied, and the lack of any specific tool is more than compensated for by a large base of add-ons — plug-ins that significantly expand the standard features of the application. So, using the Afterburn plug-in program, you can create realistic explosions, and when installing Dreamscape, the editor gets additional tools for modeling water and natural landscapes. In addition, the 3ds Max user always has the opportunity to use alternative visualization algorithms. In addition to the built-in mentalray engine for 3ds Max, you can use faster and more accurate scene rendering systems, such as finalrender, V-ray and Maxwellrender.
3ds Max makes it possible to control particles in a very flexible way, creating a wide variety of effects - from modeling animated arrays of objects to simulating all sorts of natural phenomena, such as splashes of rolling waves, smoke, etc. At least, even before the appearance in the program of tools for imitating three-dimensional hair and wool (HairandFur module) animators managed to describe the particle system in such a way as to obtain the illusion of hair on objects.
A set of tools, which includes a special HairandFur module, resembles a barber's arsenal: virtual hair can be combed, trimmed and even styled according to a given shape. Before his appearance, only professionals with extensive 3D experience and knowing the secrets of imitating wool with textures and handwritten additional scripts could create hair.
SculptrisAlpha 6, ZBrush 4 R2
Simple logic suggests that these two applications would have to be considered separately, but we cannot do this, because recently, both Sculptris and ZBrush have become parts of a single tool for three-dimensional sculpturing.
Unlike other three-dimensional editors Sculptris and ZBrush use only one 3D-modeling technique - the so-called three-dimensional modeling. The essence of this method of creating three-dimensional models is that a 3D-artist using virtual brushes gives the desired shape to an object by pressing or pulling out separate sections from the surface. This way of modeling is very similar to modeling clay, and the user, working in the program, becomes a sculptor. This method is very practical and has long been used in the production industry. Remember the main villain of the Pirates of the Caribbean - a monster with tentacles named Davy Jones? This character is a combination of a model made by three-dimensional modeling technology, and a real video. By the way, thanks to the appearance of this character in the film, the filmmakers received the prestigious Academy Award for the best visual effects.
Sculptris was originally supposed to be a standalone free application. The pace of its development was stunning, and the popularity of the program began to grow rapidly. This made the creators of the commercial software for three-dimensional modeling ZBrush, representing the company Pixologic, think. Today, this application can be considered almost the sole leader in the field of three-dimensional modeling (not counting the less popular package Mudbox, which is supported by such a giant as Autodesk, and the little-known utility 3D-Coat). After negotiations with Pixologic, an enthusiastic developer, we managed to lure the author Sculptris, the Swedish programmer Thomas Peterson, to his side. As a result, the program was included in ZBrush, and the author himself changed his place of residence to a warmer climate, moving to California.
It is not hard to guess that a tool like Sculptris is completely useless for owners of the powerful ZBrush package. The functions of the "younger brother" simply duplicate a number of tools ZBrush, which is most often used in the work. Therefore, in the future, the free version of Sculptris is likely to remain frozen. And yet, even those functions that the developer has managed to implement in the program are very useful for those involved in complex modeling, especially organic. If you need to quickly create the face of a three-dimensional character or model any animal, Sculptris can be safely recommended. However, due to poor toolkit, the program is not self-sufficient, and a full-fledged film cannot be made in it. The application lacks tools for texturing and rendering, not to mention the possibility of working with animation.
Sculptris supports import and export of models in the popular OBJ format. For example, you can transfer an object from 3ds Max or Maya to this program and complete its modeling by quickly correcting the shape and increasing the detail. Despite the simplified, compared with the ZBrush, toolkit, the possibilities of Sculptris are enough to recreate the look of the same Davy Jones.
CINEMA 4D R13
Even eight years ago, the positions of this three-dimensional editor were much weaker than, say, Maya or 3ds Max. However, time has put everything in its place, and today this program competes on equal terms with such whales of three-dimensional graphics as Softimage and Lightwave. This editor has a very long history: its first version was written for the Amiga platform back in 1991.
The programmers of the German company MAXON Computer managed to very accurately guess a niche that has long remained free. The fact is that most professional programs focused on the production of games and films have always been worth thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars. But the concept of Cinema 4D was built in such a way that the price of the program turned out to be democratic, but the application remained interesting for 3D professionals and was constantly evolving. Its architecture is very logical, and for a beginner it’s pretty easy to figure it out.
The toolkit of the program was gradually improved and expanded with very useful additions. Today in Cinema 4D you can find tools for creating character animation, a convenient environment for working with particles, a powerful system of photo-realistic visualization and, of course, convenient modeling tools. In the latest versions of Cinema 4D, the rendering algorithm has been significantly reworked and the processing capabilities of three-dimensional scenes have been expanded. The program allows you to calculate the effects of global illumination, caustics, and takes into account the subsurface scattering of light, which can be observed, for example, when the candle wax is illuminated. The final argument for those who doubt the possibilities of this program was the release of the full-length animated film “Hunting Season”, which was created using Cinema 4D, and it was one of the main tools of 3D animators.
Maya 2012
For a long time, this program was opposed to the main competitor in the three-dimensional software market - 3ds Max. “Holy War” and heated debate only stopped after Autodesk acquired AliasWavefront, under the brand name Maya. Among professional 3D artists, this package is used more often than others. This three-dimensional editor is adopted by such large studios as Pixar, WaltDisney, Dreamworks and others.
The program has everything you need to create three-dimensional graphics. Maya allows you to go through all the stages of creating 3D - from modeling and animation to texturing, compositing and layer-by-layer rendering. This three-dimensional editor can simulate the physics of solid and soft bodies, calculate the behavior of the fabric, emulate flowing effects, allows you to fine-tune the characters' hairstyle, create dry and wet fur, animate hair, etc. The program's business card is PaintEffects, which allows you to draw virtual three-dimensional objects such as flowers, grass, three-dimensional patterns and so on. The program is quite difficult to learn, which is offset by a large number of lessons on this editor. In addition, Maya is very easy to use.
Vue9.5 xStream
One of the tasks that often has to be solved by 3D artists is the modeling of the natural environment. Three-dimensional scenery greatly simplify the process of shooting the film, and in some cases reduce the cost of its creation. Realism of the three-dimensional world is also important when developing computer games.
However, the solution to this problem has its own specifics. The natural environment is not as easy to model as, say, creating a car or train model. All objects of nature have a unique shape, so in the natural environment you will not find, say, two absolutely identical trees. Creating a three-dimensional forest in the classical way, for example, using the method of polygonal or NURBS-modeling, is extremely inconvenient and requires a huge amount of time. Vue program helps to solve this problem in minutes, and this feature is the main advantage of the three-dimensional editor from e-onsoftware. Modeling natural landscapes is an extraordinarily fascinating process that resembles a child's play. The 3D designer creates his own three-dimensional world with his own hands: he adds vegetation to the virtual scene, determines the weather and cloudiness, indicates the location of mountains and elevations.
In this three-dimensional landscape generator there are very few tools for direct modeling of three-dimensional objects, but, on the other hand, they are an order of magnitude larger than, say, in another popular landscape generator - DAZ 3D Bryce. In terms of the number of features and features offered, Vue has no serious competitors. The program has a very large library of various elements required for building 3D: pre-harvesting materials (dozens of types of stones with fractal textures, glass, water, etc.), sets of vegetation, customized lighting options and much more. Another feature of the program, which you will not find in other editors, is the ability to simulate an ecosystem. This means that the program itself fills the areas specified by the user with a set of plants, arranging trees, flowers and shrubs so that they look realistic. Using the virtual brush, the user "draws" vegetation right in the scene. VuexStream has a very “advanced” rendering engine that allows you to get a photorealistic image.
The editor requires large hardware capacities, and the rendering process itself takes a lot of time, and even a simplified preview does not save complex scenes. Nevertheless, the picture rendered in the program, taking into account global illumination and using a multi-pass smoothing filter, is striking in its realism. It is very simple to evaluate the possibilities of this program: it is enough to revise the last Indiana Jones film, where all the landscapes are nothing more than a professionally made 3D.
Conclusion
Three-dimensional graphics is a whole science, an area in which you can improve your knowledge and skills throughout life. Therefore, listing the differences in the tools that are offered to 3D artists by each three-dimensional editor is a voluminous task and would take more than one article. Nevertheless, each software has its own specific set of tools, which determines the area in which the 3D editor is convenient to use.
For architectural visualization, undoubtedly, it is impossible to find a better program than 3ds Max — this is compatibility with other Autodesk applications, such as AutoCad, and an extensive library of architectural materials, and flexible visualizer settings.
The undisputed leader in the film industry - Maya. In contrast to 3ds Max, which is more designed for "techies", the toolkit of this package is very close to people who are dominated by creativity, in particular, artists.
Cinema 4D and VuexStream are the best options to begin your acquaintance with three-dimensional graphics. Constructing your Universes in Vue is sure to please anyone. Blender is the perfect solution for those who are used to saving the budget. Those who can count money should be interested in Sculptris. Unfortunately, it can only be used as an auxiliary tool for three-dimensional modeling. Well, the biggest fans of virtual sculpture does not find a better means than ZBrush.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/136350/
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