What is your favorite 3d software

[im.thatoneguy]

Everything in Houdini is really procedural (like max taken to an extreme) which is conducive to procedurally driven problems like creating a city, particle systems, physics etc. Everything play really nicely with one another. A physics sim that affects a cloth sim which affects a fluid sim which affects the animation of a blade of grass. That kind of thing.

Think particle flow wrapped inside of cloth wrapped inside of reactor wrapped inside of reaction manager.

It's not very approachable--although I hear from my animator friends that its tools are excellent for character animation as well.

[serjl]

thanks im.thatoneguy, so clear!

[alkali]

You can't rely on Houdini to be your island of a 3D package... it just does too many things far too inefficiently. It definitely has its strengths (as mentioned, primarily creating procedural effects elements), but anything to do with modeling or mesh manipulation (or just anything simple, for that matter) will make you want to kill yourself, especially coming from 3ds max.

[serjl]

ah..that's a big issue because i have to modelling...so houdiny is realy powerfull "just" with dynamics and physics... to modelling it is better xsi, but to rendering on houdiny i have renderman, isn't it? (xsi -> mentalray vray....)

[mclawest]

ah..that's a big issue because i have to modelling...so houdiny is realy powerfull "just" with dynamics and physics... to modelling it is better xsi, but to rendering on houdiny i have renderman, isn't it? (xsi -> mentalray vray....)

mental ray, 3delight

[Kyo]

I still have been waiting for Lightwave Core ..



What is Lightwave Core ?


LightWave CORE™ is an object oriented framework, written in C++.
LightWave CORE™ is designed to leverage the modern computing landscape and beyond. It works great in 32-bit, and is a monster in 64-bit. It is fully multi-threaded, multi-processor and GPU aware.

LightWave CORE™ is multi-platform. LightWave CORE™ operates under all modern Windows flavors, from XP to 7, from 32 to 64. LightWave CORE™ is also a Macintosh COCOA application, and last, but certainly not least, Linux.

LightWave CORE™ is unified. All functionality is under one roof; that said, users will be able to choose, at any time, if they want to Model in a separate context, or within the unified environment.

LightWave CORE™ is the best of what LightWave is known for: ease of use, fantastic rendering quality and speed, and a great modeling environment.

LightWave CORE™ has a unified dynamics environment, which allows dynamics, physics, cloth, hair and other solvers to interact transparently with each other.

LightWave CORE™ is built upon the concept of FULL ACCESS. The LightWave CORE™ SDK that third parties will use is actually the same SDK that we use to build LightWave CORE™ .

LightWave CORE™ is flexible, and extensible. Any component created via the LightWave CORE™ SDK can install and become available to any other portion of the application.

LightWave CORE™ leverages industry standards wherever possible. The SDK and framework are built with C++ and the UI toolkit is built using the industry standard Qt Toolkit from TrollTech/Nokia. We have chosen Python as the LightWave CORE™ language, but other languages can be added via SWIG bindings. The LightWave CORE™ scene file format is based upon COLLADA.

LightWave CORE™ , by design, will maintain the same tool methods you love in LightWave. We have tremendous flexibility in workflow design, and it is possible for us to support a variety of different workflows as a user preference. While LightWave CORE™ will offer more than LightWave as we move forward, you will still feel at home.

Watch Video - More Information

[martindisenio]

SOFTIMAGE|XSI is the most artist focused tool.

[im.thatoneguy]

If you don't want to customize your interface.

[teatime]

Houdini for me!

Started on Maya, the XSI (for the compositor), then wasted a lot of time with Blender (it's just not vfx!), back to XSI, and then Houdini.

[krizard]

thats simple.....Sidefx houdini

[Spaceboy]

We use Cinema 4D where I work (we model in silo, though). I love how quick and easy it is to use, especially the mograph and hair.

I know it's not the favorite, but I'm surprised that there isn't a cinema 4D forum on here, especially since it beat lightwave in the poll up top.

[Sabareeshfx]

My favorite is Maya and Houdini

[jokerxel]

So far Maya for everything. I will eventually get to teaching myself Houdini so i could blow things up. On a side note, has anybody ever interned for SideFX in Santa Monica? or attended any of their LA classroom training??

---------------- Now playing: Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler via FoxyTunes

[Kristopher_Lee]

Silo is my favorite for 3d modeling. After testing the demo, I had to buy it.

[RobPhoboS]

I can't see why soo many people actually LIKE Maya (just because you work with it, doesn't mean you have to love it eh)... it's obviously hugely function, and vastly supported BUT my god is it ugly
Software should be pleasing to the eye at least (like soo many other things in life ).
It's why I prefer Softimage, functionality of Maya but in a better looking package with some incredible out of the box tools to boot.

Yet to test out Houdini, I know it's possibly the top gunner now.