This Week..

[overmarze]

Nice pic
Can anyone make some white sky as in the pic
Maybe RDSL can? and add it with the pack

[yj03ppv]

That's called Sky Burn and is something many cameras suffer from where the metering is from a darker area on the ground, but the sky is much brighter. Generally happens on cloudy days, but not always.

[g0fthick]

I think a lot of developers will only be interested if a plugin for GMAX was released.

GMax is a discontinued, unsupported and, to be honest, lacking piece of software. A proficient user of GMax would not struggle to upgrade to 3DS Max, although of course there's the expenditure to overcome.

Regardless of this there are a number of supported modelling packages that are much better than GMax.

[AdamsRadial]

g0fthick wrote

GMax is a discontinued, unsupported and, to be honest, lacking piece of software

Heh - You could also say "MSTS is a discontinued, unsupported and, to be honest, lacking piece of software" But plenty of us still love it. There's something to be said for old and trusted things. I still carry an Amstrad NC100 with me on trips because it's on or off instantly and runs for over 24 hours on 4 AA batteries, doesn't get viruses, and is very unlikely to be stolen, unlike a laptop.

Ultimately, you could end up say "Steam railways are a discontinued, unsupported..., and we should only be modelling maglevs." Let's not go there.

[g0fthick]

Ultimately, you could end up say "Steam railways are a discontinued, unsupported..., and we should only be modelling maglevs." Let's not go there.

That's not nice.

It's probably because I spend most of my free time staring at 3DS Max (or hitting my head against solid objects) and in comparison GMax is a much weaker product.

[AndiS]

I cannot claim to ever acquired really deep knowledge in Gmax, but most of the features I did not really master are on the feature list of Blender, too. Because of the fate of Gmax, I decided to put my effort on Blender for the future. It is part of our reality that "unfree" software is shelved whenever it seems to fit someone's financial interest and hundreds of thousands of users can stick their learning effort where ever the want.

[AdamsRadial]

g0fthick wrote

That's not nice.

I am (nearly always) tongue-in-cheek so far that it's almost poking out the back of my trousers

You're fortunate in that you have access to one of the better 3D-modeling packages, and that you've got the time and inclination to learn how to use it. I'm looking forward to seeing some of your models in the sim. If you fancy doing an 0330 Saddleback...

But there's quite a few people out there who've learned Gmax and like it and don't see why they should chuck it and go for the newer package, just like some of us aren't going to switch from XP to Vista until we're absolutely forced to. There's even someone on the groups who longs for WFW (pray for him

[pgmetcalf]

Ultimately, you could end up say "Steam railways are a discontinued, unsupported..., and we should only be modelling maglevs." Let's not go there.

That's not nice.

It's probably because I spend most of my free time staring at 3DS Max (or hitting my head against solid objects) and in comparison GMax is a much weaker product.

GMax is the evaluation version of 3DS Max and therefore some of the options and complexity is not available. It's still an excellent tool for game modelling though.

[superheatedsteam]

As I understand it gmax is 3D Studio R4 without the render engine. When it comes to mesh modelling this version is just as good as any of the latest MAX versions.

As I understand it, Gothick is running a student licence of 3D Studio MAX. Unfortunately he does not seem to empathise with those who live in the real world with moderate income, family, mortgage and are looking at forking out two months wages for a piece of software he paid a pittance for.

I also have a strong suspicion he has not used either Blender or 3D Canvas judging from his assertion that these are superior to gmax. That is not my finding, nor I suspect, any other gmax users who have had to ‘downgrade’ in order to create content for RS.

[AdamsRadial]

It's all coming down to choice. I think it's a good thing that there are some alternatives, even though they take a bit of fiddling to get them to output to RS. I personally prefer Sketchup for quick scenery items, and although the process is a bit laborious, the plugin will export a model as a DXF file and so I can then get 3DCanvas to texture it and export it. I know from other posts that it isn't the best tool for the job, but I don't have the time to learn all the features of 3DCanvas that I would need to know in order to create the buildings in it directly. Once day, probably after it is obsolete, I might get around to learning it.

[g0fthick]

As I understand it, Gothick is running a student licence of 3D Studio MAX. Unfortunately he does not seem to empathise with those who live in the real world with moderate income, family, mortgage and are looking at forking out two months wages for a piece of software he paid a pittance for.

Oh yep, those lucky students with all their debts hanging around their necks, unable to manage a job due to their course work requirements. How dare they get all these bloody expensive programs at discounted prices!

Quick breakdown;

3DS Max 9 (2 year license): £73.95
Photoshop CS3: £140
ZBrush 3.1: £194.95

Instructional books and DVDs on top, we've got it far from easy on our limited budget.

I also have a strong suspicion he has not used either Blender or 3D Canvas judging from his assertion that these are superior to gmax. That is not my finding, nor I suspect, any other gmax users who have had to ‘downgrade’ in order to create content for RS.

I've used Blender alongside XSI, Gmax and Maya. I've seen fantastic work come from 3DCanvas, just look at Kev or Sly's work for example. The final model is the product of the author, not the program.

[Sly401]

Just a point on learning 3D Canvas

The first time I opened any version of 3Dcanvas was january 2nd 2008, first loco released (yep its rough) march 2nd 2008.. about 8 weeks

It is easy to use and learn... l

And no, I did not have any previous modelling experience with other stuff (I did look at Gmax a few years ago and gave up)

I believe anyone is capable of making content of varying degrees of sophistication
Try the free version of canvas and make some models.. then if you wanna export its time to by the program.. but learn for free


Sly

[superheatedsteam]

Oh yep, those lucky students with all their debts hanging around their necks, unable to manage a job due to their course work requirements. How dare they get all these bloody expensive programs at discounted prices!

Dry your eyes princess. I don’t have an issue with students getting licences for expensive software at a heavily discounted price. What I have an issue with is students who post on forums who give the impression that purchasing a £2000 piece of software for low/middle income earners is a piddling affair.

I am quite aware of what a student debt is thank you. I also know that once one has acquired a tertiary qualification the expected average income and job prospects over ones working live is considerably better than those without.

I've used Blender alongside XSI, Gmax and Maya. I've seen fantastic work come from 3DCanvas, just look at Kev or Sly's work for example. The final model is the product of the author, not the program.

Maybe I was not clear enough in getting my point across. I am not disputing the end result that any of the 3D modelling tools in question can produce. When it comes to mesh modelling a box is a box is a box in any 3D application and the RS Asset Editor can not tell from which modelling program the IGS file was created. What I am referring to is the user interface and workflows within the different applications. A modern motor car and a 1965 Skoda are both motor vehicles that get you from A to B. Having become accustomed to driving a vehicle that has all the controls conveniently placed for easy and efficient operation you would be hard pressed to find anyone who wants to go back to the Skoda with a floppy gearbox lever and wind up windows.

I have Blender and 3D Canvas. I have used both and compared to gmax/3D Studio it is (in my opinion) a backward step. I also have and use Poser, Bryce and Carrara so I’m not a complete 3D nance.

I am still using gmax for mesh modelling/texturing and only using 3D Canvas as a porting tool. If 3D Canvas or Blender made my 3D modelling life easier than gmax then I would gladly jump ship, unfortunately they don’t.

[g0fthick]

Dry your eyes princess. I don’t have an issue with students getting licences for expensive software at a heavily discounted price. What I have an issue with is students who post on forums who give the impression that purchasing a £2000 piece of software for low/middle income earners is a piddling affair.

Since I'm used to most people simply pirating this software it's understandable that it's not a big deal in my eyes. I commend anyone who does purchase this software legally, but it's not a common affair outside of companies.

Maybe I was not clear enough in getting my point across. I am not disputing the end result that any of the 3D modelling tools in question can produce. When it comes to mesh modelling a box is a box is a box in any 3D application and the RS Asset Editor can not tell from which modelling program the IGS file was created. What I am referring to is the user interface and workflows within the different applications. A modern motor car and a 1965 Skoda are both motor vehicles that get you from A to B. Having become accustomed to driving a vehicle that has all the controls conveniently placed for easy and efficient operation you would be hard pressed to find anyone who wants to go back to the Skoda with a floppy gearbox lever and wind up windows.

Every 3D program is going to have a different UI, but the majority don't differ greatly. I've jumped between a few programs and whilst a completely different UI is daunting and a bit of a shock at first, after a few weeks you work out where everything is and you can continue from there. One of the criticisms of 3ds max/gmax is that the UI is too complex, I wouldn't agree but if you can master what is considered to be one of the more complex UI systems on the market then I can't imagine "stepping back" would cause you too much grief.

[777fred]

Any updates please?