2d /3d animation packages available??

[Tonksi]

Anyone got any progs that do 2d/3d computer animation apart from paintshop pro...or can u recommend any?

[fugjostle]

I reckon tigger is the man with da plan but I can highly recommend SoftImage (pronouced Soft Imarge ) or 3D Studio Max. Top notch programs but you'll need to buy a book to use them

Expensive programs but they are always knocking about on the warez circuit.

---
Fug

[Tigger]

LOL! Fireworks does the biz when it comes to 2d animation, or Toon Boom Studio v.2 if your serious about it.

3DSMAX is a fukkin nightmare to use and I've been working on it for over a year now and I still barely know what I'm doing with it! Swift 3D v.2 is excellent for simple 3d moddeling and animation which outputs to flash, poser is the biz for 3d characters but you need decent resources. And Cinema 4d is probably the most usable of rendered 3d animation packages.

What is it your after doing?

[sirius]

Dunno really, but if your just in for a dabble or just sussing out what its all about (like I want to but never get time to get into!) then I recommend a look at :


www.computerarts.co.uk for some info, and check:

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/downloads/3d/apps.asp for the *free* legal stuff to dl. I think there are some 3d animators in there......never tried any though.

Bye

Sirius

[fugjostle]

If you want to get into computer animation then you must start to learn SoftImage... its the defacto standard in the gaming industry.

---
Fug

[Tigger]

Maya's not to bad either - anyone here tried 3d modelling? It's a hell of a lot harder than 2d drawing.

If you want a 'moderately' easy way to get into it buy yourself one of those airfix glue together kits and try modelling all the pieces as you assemble the model. I had a go at doing 'Wing 0' from the Gundam Wing cartoon and it didn't come out too bad cos I took my time designing each component in 3DS Max 4 and then assembled them all together. Took well over a month to do though - forunately my old company didn't mind me doing it!

[sirius]

I do a lot of 3d Solid modelling in my spare time (sad, but true). I am an engineering draughtsman who currently draws in 2d, but due to wanting to persuade my company to move with the times and wanting to be kept employable, I am learning this stuff in my own time.

Thanks to the wonders of the web, I am using a particular popular SERIES of stuff ().

I have dabbled in 3d in the likes of lightwave and 3dmax and its a nightmare to me. 3d solid modelling (parametric) is great, accurate and precise to boot.

However the only animation on these is kinematics of parts......which have u tried tigger? Rhino2??. 3dmax is a MASSIVE program to learn innit? Good though.......in the right hands.

Sirius.