what's the best 3D art program?
 

I got a guy in my forum who asked what the best 3D art program is to make people, vehicles and what not for video games. I specified Maya, but are there more that anyone else can think of? Also, it would be cool if you told me how beginner/advanced the newly recommended programs will be.

I think the majority of Sims fans use Milkshape 3D from Chumbalumsoft. They sort of specialize in making surface models for fans to add content to computer games and even have importers and exporters built in that make the interface relatively straightforward.

I don't see a price on the site but the last I heard, it was only $100 or so; fantastically less expensive than Maya.

Grandma uses Wings, but her tutorials are gone now, so that's probably not a good idea.

I think there are some people who use 3DS Max, which is free, but don't think there are many tutorials for it.

Is that 3D Studio Max? The last I heard, that cost as much as Maya.

Maybe I've got the name wrong, lemme look... Brain fart... free trial: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet...112&id=5972446

Blender: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_%28software%29

thx :) (that blender thing looks pretty sweet for a free program!) I used all your advices :)

It was gmax I was thinking about... sadly, AutoDesk has discontinued the product line: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet...&siteID=123112

$25, it's shareware. (Milkshape 3D that is)

Blender is really nice and very powerful, but it has something of a steep learning curve. You'd have to start with the tutorials on the Blender site at http://www.blender.org/tutorials-help/quickstart/ before even looking at tutorials for using it in connection with Sims 2.

I believe I have Grandma's tutorial videos somewhere on one of my many backup DVDs.

MikeD

That's cool. I don't think it's exclusively (if at all) being applied to the Sims :) Who is this Grandma, anyways? :blob7:

Grandma was the proprietoress of Artistic Habitats on SimsHost. She was talking about setting up her own webspace instead of coming here with the rest of us, but hasn't posted her new URL yet.

i c :imnotworthy-1:

Yes, Milkshape rules for sims stuff.

Is this topic out of place?

Yeah, it probably should be over on the help desk... Maybe it will magically move there!

I'll just wave my magic wand...

... and here we are! :D

Oh, I wish she would make a come back!

I love her stuff & miss her site terribly!

-ZW

I think I have her Wings 3D tutorials around here somewhere...

Yeah, Grandma was really great at this stuff. She was the master who figured out how to make .package files even before Quaxi did!