3D design programs for my Daughter

[Cr0nJ0b]

Hey Everyone,

My daughter loves to draw and create skins and the like. She's getting more and more interested in creating 3D designs and animations for movies and such. Can you suggest some good programs that would help get her started. she's looking at Autodesk MAYA, and Maxon 3D, but I think those are really sophisticated and probably too expensive...this is just for learning and starting.

Platform:
Windows 7 -- 64 bit
8GB RAM
Built-in graphics card with i5 processor

goal:
learning to build 3D images
Simple animations
create animated movies

Thanks!

 

[lxskllr]

Blender, or she could hack around in UnrealEd.

 

[Jodell88]

Blender, or she could hack around in UnrealEd.

+1

Blender is a really powerful program that's totally free and open source.

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

forgot to mention she's 12.

I'll look at blender.

 

[KillerBee]

how about Sketchup?

http://www.sketchup.com/

 

[Jodell88]

forgot to mention she's 12.

I'll look at blender.

Most software in this field is quite complex. Let her start small and work her way up.

Here are some tutorial sites that can help her learn blender a bit.
http://www.blenderguru.com/

http://cgcookie.com/blender/ <- They have paid subscriptions that gives access to awesome tutorials. :thumbsup:

 

[gorobei]

if they still make them anymore, i would recommend finding a demo version of any of the big packages. Maya, 3dsmax, softimage, lightwave, cin4d. the educational versions used to be an ok deal, but they tend to be limited to 3 or 4 year degree schools and the lic expires.

blender is amazing for freeware but nothing beats a proper user interface. 3d is fundamentally about tool/view/state manipulations running into 1000's of (mouse click or kb) operations per hour. starting off without the baggage of redundant clicks for making active viewport will save you from RSI if it becomes your career.

 

[slatr]

http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all

and a sub to

http://www.digitaltutors.com/

Hey Everyone,

My daughter loves to draw and create skins and the like. She's getting more and more interested in creating 3D designs and animations for movies and such. Can you suggest some good programs that would help get her started. she's looking at Autodesk MAYA, and Maxon 3D, but I think those are really sophisticated and probably too expensive...this is just for learning and starting.

Platform:
Windows 7 -- 64 bit
8GB RAM
Built-in graphics card with i5 processor

goal:
learning to build 3D images
Simple animations
create animated movies

Thanks!

 

[Imaginer]

If she likes to draw, then in reality for 3d modeling nothing beats these options:

Mudbox
Zbrush
Sculptris

This is from an organic 3D modeling perspective.

Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ4q3HApxFA

All of which "draw" and model with 3D models as natural as clay, given a pen digitizer setup (peripherals along the lines of the Wacom Intuos/Bamboo or an all encompassing device with a pen digitizer with pressure sensitivity and pen button options (like I have done with a Surface Pro 2). While it is quick to point out Blender, due to the free aspect, she would be more frustrated with the whole interface itself just to do a traditional wireframe modeling - and be confused by the layout.

Exporting them for rigging can be had in other 3D animation areas. 3dsmax is one, but I am not sure for other rigging animation modeling areas.

These options also allow painting on the models themselves.

 

[Imaginer]

More examples.

Mudbox:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX3FsxHbrow

Zbrush:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z_yg7ImbuY

Again, after the models are done, one would have to export them for setting up the rigging points for animation. Plenty of bad examples of rigging include ones done in the "Team Fortress 2" assets and animation, which is another battle in 3D presentation work.

I am sure other forum members can chime in to a good rigging and animation software. I am more familiar with creation and sculpting.

By the way, Sculptris is a free option too.

 

[Jodell88]

I don't believe that sculpted meshes are good for animation. She will need to retopo the sculpt to get a mesh that's adequate for animation.

 

[Thebobo]

if they still make them anymore, i would recommend finding a demo version of any of the big packages. Maya, 3dsmax, softimage, lightwave, cin4d. the educational versions used to be an ok deal, but they tend to be limited to 3 or 4 year degree schools and the lic expires.

blender is amazing for freeware but nothing beats a proper user interface. 3d is fundamentally about tool/view/state manipulations running into 1000's of (mouse click or kb) operations per hour. starting off without the baggage of redundant clicks for making active viewport will save you from RSI if it becomes your career.

Wow times have changed free 3d stuff looks nice, I used to use Lightwave when it was only on the Amiga Platform. Going to have to look at blender to play around with.

 

[Imaginer]

I don't believe that sculpted meshes are good for animation. She will need to retopo the sculpt to get a mesh that's adequate for animation.

There are though upon further digging.

Zbrush directly for rigging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nahq_EKxqAU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eCP6dwpclU