Free or cheap 3d Modeling software?

Well I wanna make my way on 3d modeling(mostly characters), and I wanna know which 3D software could I use for someone as poor as me lol. Seriously, I cant afford neither Maya or 3DSMax, so I come here for some help. If this was asked before, I apologize. For my defense, I did made a search but I couldn't find a post related to my question. IF there is, I apologize once again =[

cheers

 

Blender is a 3D modeling software wich most of the guys here use its even used by profesionals.

 

There's about 100 similar posts But Blender is a great choice, it's powerful, it's free, and there's tons of tutorial videos out there. When learning make sure you're looking at tutorials for the correct version though. There's 2.49 and then there's the 2.5 series. 2.5 changed the UI and a lot of other stuff so the 2.49 videos might confuse you more than they help you if you're using 2.5.

 

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/88899-anyone-know-a-GOOD-modeling-etc-program
But there are more threads

Basically
Free:
Blender
Wings3D

Paid, but cheap (<200US$):
Silo
Cheetah (I think it's mac only)

 

Ah, sorry then guys, I was looking for "cheap 3d modeling" and "best free 3d modeling" and thats probably why I couldn't find those posts. I've always suck at looking for stuff on forums.

Anyways tho, I have of good things of blender. I was even looking at a few models made with blender and they look pretty neat. I will also try Wings3D and see which one works better for me. One last question tho, I see that there's a few things with blender and Unity about exporting and importing models. Should I be worried of which version to choose?

Also thanks for the replies and help,I really appreciate it =]

 

If you want to drop a blend file directly into Unity, some people have issues w/ versions of the converter script. But you can always export as OBJ or FBX and drop those into Unity and they'll work just fine.

Check out blendswap.com to get an idea of some stuff people have done and for some free models (they're under various CC licenses I think). Also check out Elephant's Dream and Sintel for an idea of what can be done with Blender if you're really good.

 

Hmmmmm ok, so I can transfer models with no problems right? I am a complete beginner on 3D software, so I'll have to look into it deeply and I think It'll work out.

I also took a look at blendswap.com and I must say, my mind was blown by the awesome models. Thanx a lot for sharing the link =]

 

You can get 3dsmax or Maya or Mudbox free for non commercial use if you are a student or educator.

 

Free Blender Training

Blender Design Course for v2.5x (Free)
http://gryllus.net/Blender/3D.html

Blender video tutorials (Free)
http://www.burgzergarcade.com/canned-mushrooms-blender-25-training

Blender Art Magazine (Free)
http://blenderart.org/issues/#

 

I wouldn`t recommend Blender for modeling as long as it still lacks of N-Gon support. Everything else yes, but not modeling. That`s the weakest part of it. When you search for a cheap modeling alternative for characters, then Silo could be a good bet for you. Even the free Wings 3D could be an option as a substitute for Blender modeling. There is also cheap stuff like Hexagon from Daz around.

 

Please cut out you N-Gon support obsession already. It's not necessary and in no way a needed feature. It encourages sloppy modelling and only hides triangulated tesselation. N-Gon support *can* be useful if you know what you are doing. Still it's all just hidden triangles. If your modeling workflow is clean and structured there is no need for NGons.

In fact I could not recall a single ocasion where I really needed NGons even though Cinema 4D supports them very well. To the contrary - I convert NGons pretty much instantly because sometimes they can become a great hassle in the process later on. You miss one and suddenly your edgeloops don't work any more or you'll have to put a triangle somewehere you don't actually want or need it. It's one of the annoying features for me that C4D has "create NGons" activated yutomatically. You get cuts and extra verts where you just don't expect them by accident and there you have it...

Blender has been and probably still is a very capable modeling tool. For free there's nothing better out there feature-wise. NGons are a plus if you know what you are doing but in no way needed.

 

+1

I've never used NGons and I'm not suffering. I prefer creating a clean topology as I go rather than cleaning it up later.

I don't know much about Wings 3D but I think Blender has better support and a greater number of tutorials. In fact, here are just a few websites with free tutorials:

http://cgcookie.com/blender/
http://www.blenderguru.com/
http://blendernerd.com/
http://blenderdiplom.com/
http://www.blendtuts.com/

 

Blender is probably better then most of the software you written there and its free.

 

No need to be rude.

I don't say the things I do to bash or flame people. I say this because I've made the experience over the years that some people rely on things like NGons to make the modeling process faster in the beginning untill they know where the model is going. It's a little like adding to many divisions in Zbrush early on: you get distracted in details fast and lose track of the big picture of your model.

That's why I say n-gons *can* help you. They should not be and are not at all necessary for a good workflow, though. If someone prefers polymodeling over sculpting then it's good practise to start out blocky as well. Again it's still good practice to keep it clean and structured and you don't run into many ocasions where n-gons become anoying.

 

And if you *really* want ngons for some reason, you can always just download a build with bmesh support from graphicall.org and get ngons.

 

Greatly there are great formats between 3d world, so you can pick up what you think you are fine

 

... Which still doesn`t give you the proper tools, because they are all made for the old architecture, the Non N-Gon one ...

The toolset to take N-Gon support into account simply does not exist yet. In Blender you model by dividing faces. Not by manipulating edges and vertices too as i can do in my favourite modeler. I guess even with full implemented BMesh it may need two or three years until all the tools are fitted to work with BMesh. Maybe even more.

It`s not that i want N-Gons. It`s that i NEED N-Gons for proper state of the art polygon modeling. Being limited to Quad and Tris for poly modeling is outdated since around 10 years. Well, you can work that way. But it is cumbersome. I had situations where i would`ve to remodel the mesh because Blender didn`t let me reconnect an edgeloop. Which is three clicks in my favourite modeler. As told, polygon modeling is the weak side of Blender.

 

But Unity converts it all to triangles anyway, I don't see why you'd want N-gons for modeling for games.

 

LOL

This has nothing to do with the result but with modeling itself. It`s all about the tools. No N-Gon support means limited stone age workflow. Because the tools are not there to deal with N-Gons. Delete a edge in Blender and try to reconnect it into another direction. I wish you happy battling.

Well, yeah, you may not miss anything when you never learned something better. And you can also hammer a nail into the wall with just a stone. So there is no need for advanced modeling tools really, right? Some even still model their meshes with Milkshape, which has just the basic point edit tools. Or you can use Pov Ray and shape your mesh by code. Everything is possible, heh.

But even some Blender user uses other apps for poly modeling. For good reason. Wings 3D for example is still popular.

Nearly everything is better than Blender for poly modeling. Because of the N-Gon limit. That`s a fact. It doesn`t mean that Blender is bad for modeling though. Just that there are lots of better apps out there for poly modeling. I could never do human modeling in Blender and achieve a useful meshflow there. Not that i haven`t tried. But the toolset is simply too limited.

By the way, i`m a Blender User. It`s long part of my pipeline, and i use it for more than one job. It`s just that Polygon modeling is the weak side of Blender. And i simply use something better for that job. Something where i don`t need to sit down an hour first, need to plan how to achieve my needed geometry, and how to go around the Quad and Tri limit pitfalls. I simply shape it.

 

Please don't say that. For you it might be that way but it isn't a "fact" at all.
N-gon are not necessary for modeling and are oftentimes only a crutch to get to the proper results. If it's your workflow and you feel you need n-gons: fine! But please stop advertising something that is personal taste in workflow as the truth.

As you say - you simply jump into shaping without wanting to think and plan your model first. That's the thing right there: Thinking about what you want to shape is vital for a solid and clean mesh - at least if you want to create it in a fast amount of time. As I was saying: n-gons can help if you know how to use them. When I was starting out I was using them too. I was also complaining about programs that did not have n-gons at first. That changed after I found out just how often I had to rethink and rebuild large parts of my meshes because I missed a damn n-gon that I used to "shape the model fast". I rarely use n-gons any more and don't rely on them either.

It's personal taste and if it fits for you that's fine. But please don't advocate something as hard fact that isn't.

I even go that far as to say: as soon as I've understood blender's modeling (after I attended a talk from Andy Goralczyk about blender's tools to be precise) I switched from Cinema4D's tools to blender for LowPoly modeling for quite some time because it allowed me to create models in 25 - 50% less time (!).
So again: But please don't advocate something as hard fact that isn't. Personal preference: okay. Hard fact: no way!

 

blender is the best in terms of cost. cinema4d if u r a mac user..


but blender works on mac too.

 

Maya also works on Mac. So does Modo. There are lots of programs for Mac as well as for PC.
As I said in all the last few topics about it: the topic pops up every few days and it's also been covered as many times with endless more or less usefull discussions.

On the free sector there is nothing more complete than Blender in a loooong way. Then there are a few more that may or may not be useful to the individual user - but hey: they are free so go try them.

On the commercial sector there are even more different programs. Bottom line as alwasy: everyone has their own preferences. Checking through Unity's documentation there's a list of the most commonly used. Again: check out the demos and see which one is worth the money. No rocket science there either. Just a lot of time to test and chose and many likes or dislikes.

In the end it's always the artist not the software.

 

Blender.

 

Hmm. You still miss what N-Gon support really means. To repeat it: it`s about the tools. It is NOT that i want to have N-Gons in my mesh.

It is no personal taste when you need workarounds over workarounds to achieve your goal, when you can do the same job with one mouse click in another app. Missing N-Gon support is simply a big handicap.

The Blender tools are limited to the tris and quads architecture that is underneath. You directly modify faces only. The highest access to edges is that you can collapse them, and weld them to one vertice. With N-Gon support you could also modify edges or vertices directly when the tools would exist.

I can select my edge tool, can start at any point of one edge, and end at any point at another edge. No need to care about the created N-Gons at this point. I can even add a vertice somewhere at the face. And connect it with other vertices by edges in any way i want to. This workflow is simply impossible in Blender because Blender doesn`t even have a edgetool to do that. And because Blender triangulates every N-Gon away immediately, manipulating and destroying my mesh that i want to shape.

I don`t need to plan the modeling workflow part in my favourite modeler. I have full control over the mesh. I can change and clean the mesh topology at any point of the process. I can fully concentrate at what i want to achieve.

But i need to think and plan the modeling workflow part in Blender. Because i always battle with the N-Gon limit at one point. I`ve more than once reached the point where i would`ve need to restart because Blender didn`t let me go on. I even have to care about things like how much edges a cylinder should have, so that i don`t get trapped at a later point. And the point when i want to change something at the topology afterwards is the moment where Blender really bites me into my butt.

Call me old fashioned, but I want to decide how my mesh has to look. I am the artist. Not Blender.

I don`t even moan about the missing tools here, which are missing because Blender cannot handle N-Gons. And which are a real time savers.

That is what i mean with better. And this is not a thing of personal flavour, sorry. Those things are facts.

That`s not the question. And i even share your point that everybody should give Blender a go. Some of the tools are really nice to have in the pipeline, not only when you`re short of money. As told, and just in case you have overread it: i am also a happy Blender user. I even submit bug reports very regularly.

The poly modeling part stays weak and outdated though. And it will stay that way until BMesh is fully implemented. And even then it may last years until Blender becomes equal powerful as the current modeling apps.

You can also paint with just the fingers, that`s true. But i prefer to have some pencils too

I don`t rely at personal taste. I use and compare. And then i decide what`s better, trying to be as objective as possible. Because it brings nothing to lie to myself. When Blender would be the better modeling app, then i would use it. That easy. Maybe you should do that too. Give other modeling apps a go. Then decide.

 

I'll keep it short...

1. No decent modeler ever puts you in a place where you cannot go on with your mesh any more unless you added too many details too fast or didn't know where you were going with your model. Not "even" Blender.

2. I do understand what "true" n-gon support means. I also do know that I didn't need it over my at least last 3 years of being a professional 3D artist. That's why I say it is a personal choice of workflow. If you need n-gons that's fine. Others might, too. Yet n-gons are not essential. They've become pretty standard nowadays but they are not needed.

3. Blender is not a bad modeler just because it lacks n-gons.

4. Whether blender is the best software on the free sector indeed WAS the original question of the topic. ("Free or cheap 3d Modeling software")

5. I don't know why you think I never used anything other than blender. In fact I did not use blender since the reworked GUI any more. I am a Cinema 4D user for about 7 years now. I've tried maaany different software packages and worked with several professionally. Free as well as commercial.

 

No decend modeler ever uses Blender for modeling. Maybe that`s why. Blender rarely gets used in the industry. Blender is a Hobby tool.

You can bet that i pretty well know how to shape a mesh after over 10 years of doing 3D. And Blender is the only app that has put me in the place where i couldn`t go on so far.

I don`t have the feeling that you really understand it. I guess you don`t even realize what high number of tools really relys at N-Gons support. When you know which tools needs N-Gons to work, and you really don`t need those tools, then you are an exception. This starts with proper edgeloop tools, and doesn`t really stop at stuff like Boolean.

I think it`s another way around though. You say you use Cinema now? Cinema has N-Gon support. Like (nearly? I heard some rumours about Max ... ) all big boys. And so it has tools that relys at it, tools that needs N-gons support to work. Chances are big that you already use such tools. But you simply don`t notice it.

Blender is definitely no good modeler anymore. It is too limited and aged for that. It has its reason why BMesh is in development since several years.There are lots of better tools for poly modeling now. Even free ones.

Nope. Modeling was the question. And even cheap was considered. Not which complete free 3D package is the best. The thread opener asked for a modeling tool. That`s most probably the biggest misunderstanding here at the moment. When we would talk about the best complete free 3D package, then it would be Blender all the way. But he asked for a modeling software.

Because in the former posts you acted like you would`ve never used anything else than Blender, and would not know anything behind this horizon. When Blender is this good, and good enough for nearly everything, why do you use Cine then nowadays? You don`t use the "better" tool here by chance, do you?

 

As a user of Maya, I have to say that Ngons are useful but I really don't think they make or break a tool. Blender is definitely the best free 3d modeling tool out there from my research, as it has many Maya features while other free programs seem to be stripped down (can only do modeling and not animation, for example).

 

@tiles: Allright ... whatever.

 

Agreed

 

Hmmmmmmmmm you guys lost me there lol Now I am confused. Remember I am a complete noob and I don't understand much of these. I was asking for suggestions on 3D modeling softwares, which it focuses more on character modeling. I was trying out some tutorials on blender and so far it seems to work fine with me. What I really want to know right now is if blender can be used entirely for modeling. Like I said I want to start with character modeling only, for the time being. Maybe once I gain experience I could go for more complex models like infrastructure, landscapes, etc... but for now only characters.

If Blender is not the best option, I would like to hear a few suggestions(or rather pros and cons) of which software would suit me better. I saw a few named in previous posts, but I am oblivious of how good can I work with it etc.. I will most likely end up trying all of them, but is good to hear some experiences.

Cheers and thank you =]

 

Don't worry about it. NGons are just polygons with an arbitrary number of sides. Some people like to use them, others don't. Like you said, download trials of stuff and use what works best for you. People have made amazing stuff with blender, so it's more than up to the task, but something else might fit you better.

 

I like Blender a lot...

 

WRONG! I have seen professional artist probably 250 times better then you working with blender on history channel and others.

 

Ok, then I'll try not to think about it. I think that I'll stay with blender tho, I've became rather familiar with the GUI and the software itself. I was also checking out models and a couple of animations and I am really impressed of what you can do with blender. So yea I think I'll stick to it until I see a better software.

Thanx guys for replying, I really appreciate it =]

 

Take a look at Lighthouse. http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/movies/

 

Amazing!

 

I find Sintel a bit washy. But that`s beef at a very high level. And just my personal opinion. The results are indeed amazing, even when they could look much better with an industry renderer like VRay. And they are much better than what is possible with the currently implemented renderer. The by Sintel used renderer was an experimental renderer from what i know, and never made it into the trunk.

Let`s have a look what turns out with the new renderer that gets developed by Brecht van Lommel at the moment. Cycles would bring Blender to a complete new level, renderingwise. I really look forward to it

Wohoo, not thousand times? I feel honoured

Okay, then, when Blender gets used this much in the industry, then you can surely show me one of those professional artists. And please not just using Blender for unwrapping or other mini tasks. That`s where Blender indeed gets used here and there. Mainjobs like modeling or rendering is what is asked here

There were some i think brazilian guys who completely relied at Blender for a professional movie project. And yes, i also heard a rumour about a project at discovery channel. Those guys were celebrated like heroes. Because such guys are rare. Blender doesn`t play a role in the industry. None of the features are at a level where it really could compete with Max or Cine or other industry standards. And it is Open Source. Which is a big barrer too.

To repeat myself, it is NOT about using N-Gons or liking to have N-Gons in the mesh. It`s about the tools that are available, or not available because those tools would need N-Gon support. Tools that makes your life much easier. And its about becoming trapped by the N-Gon limit while modeling. There is simply no other modeling tool anymore that is limited to tris and quads. And even at the Blender front they try to change that with BMesh. For good reason.

But where you are right is that Uchiha shouldn`t worry about it really at the current point. Learning 3D is a very long process. He will notice at one point by himself if the current tool is good enough, or if he needs something more powerful.

 

I never said that its used in video game industry as much as 3dsmax is but it is used.And how the heck you can know what is industry standard if there is NO OFFICIAL reports ,every company has its standard modeling app.You look like some sort of open source hater.

Money is bigger barrier.

 

Please come down. This is no battle here. Just a discussion.

And just in case you have overread it, i am a Blender user. It`s part of my pipeline.That`s why i know its strong and weak sides at all. I just don`t wear pink glasses.

But there are forums like CGTalk. Places where you can meet the professionals, and have a look what tools they use. CGTalk has a Blender corner too by the way. So that`s also a good place to have a look and compare what is possible with what tools.

And then there are the companies who searches for graphics artists. It`s the knowlege in Max, Maya, Cinema, etc. that gets asked for when companies searches for an artist. Those are the software packages that gets used in the industry. With Blender knowledge you go nowhere in the industry.

And finally there are Blender specific forums. Where professionals that uses Blender gets celebrated like heroes. Unfortunately there is not this much to celebrate.

See, you just need to keep your eyes a bit open. It`s all there

Not really. Companies loves to rely at official support. Something that Open Source software never can offer. There is no official support. That so called official support of the big boys sometimes is more a joke than real support is another chapter then ...