Free 3D modelling software

General Discussion (off topic) Anything and everyt
#1

The (in my opinion) fantastic software Bryce, from DAZ, has been released (previous version, 5.5) for free! Strength: very easy to create a decent 3D scene. Weakness: very difficult to create a breath taking 3D scene like those made in e.g. 3DS Max or Maya. But I think it’s worth a try. Good for landscapes! Personally I’m more in to architecture: currently rendering some kind of modernistic villa with a closed yard and Mies van der Rohe’s “Barcelona” chairs, night time, snow is falling. ;D

Have fun:

http://www.daz3d.com/

/LA

EDIT: Scene is ready, see it below. Not really finished but a good start.

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#2

Looks great (:CLP)

Did you draw the elements (chairs etc) from scratch?

I just finished a 3D CAD course, so I know how tricky that can be (for me, anyway).

I can’t find any free version at the link you posted though ???

#3

Thanks :slight_smile:

No, the chairs are imported objects I found on the net, and the tree was an object that came with the software. The rest (including the lanterns) is made from scratch with basic geometric shapes. It’s quite a “dull” tool, I don’t even think it’s possible to create free shapes like a curve you could draw in Paint. The program is much better for landscapes!

I agree with you, 3D can be difficult. In CAD I hardly know how to make 2D drawings (will also take a CAD course later this year :)).

To get the version, DAZ refers to download.com: http://www.download.com/Bryce/3000-6677_4-10696717.html?tag=lst-0-2
Also, you need a serial number (still free) - which requires to register an account on DAZ’s website, try this link: http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/registration/-/?

/LA

#4

Looks cool, LA. Future dream home? ;D

Free shapes? Drawing? Any use for Inkscape?

LM

#5

Thank LM :slight_smile:
Well, I’m certainly dreaming of something special, mainly the 1920’s modernism but also with other influences :wink:

Inkscape, gotta check it out. Browsed their website quickly, couldn’t really find the exact feature I’m looking for - free drawing a 3D object and exporting to e.g. 3DS or OBJ. It might be an interesting program anyway!

/LA

#6

Honestly, I don’t know all its capabilities. I know it’s geared around vector graphics, and seems to have a high level of complexity. Too much for anything I need/want to do, LOL. Kinda like GIMP - over my “graphical” head! ;D

Budgeting, project management, forecasting - that sort of thing is more my cup of tea, and far more useful. For graphics, I really don’t need anything other than a decent image manipulator/editor (not even a good one, just a decent one).

1920s modernism, huh? Isn’t that kind of the Art Deco style (or at least that’s what I think it’s called in the US)?

LM

#7

I see, well I’ve always had the biggest respect for all (work) disciplins, as a good final production result (whether it’s houses, vehicles, vacuum cleaners…) wouldn’t be possible without the combination of all parts. :slight_smile:
A decent graphic editor, I suppose Paint.NET could fit you? Or even Google Picasa?

You’re on the right track, but Art déco (according to Wikipedia - I’m not personally familiar with every style) came up as a reaction to the very strict simplicity of the 1920’s European modernism. A reaction; in terms of more decoration (e.g. from the antique age) and individualism. Popular in the US for a couple of decades before the 1950’s! So to be completely honest, I would love a late modernism home, with some initial Art déco influences. ;D

Simplicity is the fine part of Bryce 5.5, as it’s very easy to create, modify and move around basic shapes like boxes, cylinders etc. Then there are excellent possibilities to put this in a beautiful landscape.

There are a lot of fantastic galleries at DAZ3D.com, for example:
http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/galleries/0/-/?page=artist&artist=147731&offset=0&sec=

/LA

#8

I’ve used Paint.net and it’s pretty good; I didn’t like all the connections it continually tried to create, that I couldn’t seem to turn off… I use XnView for quick/simple stuff, and for the ability to access a multitude of different file-types, to merge together into one PDF document, etc. Then for more detailed work with a picture or image file (layers, image manipulation, animated gifs, etc) I use PhotoPlus. Like I said, I don’t even need a “good” one, just “decent.” :slight_smile:

At least I was close, LOL. I thought I remembered art deco being from the 20s, and it seemed to be a US phenomenon and somehow supposedly modernistic. I’ve seen some examples that I was told fit the category, and they were somewhat like that, so I took a stab… ;D

Brinnen sure has some incredible (to me) stuff there! Is that using Bryce?

LM

#9

Oh yes, it’s Bryce :smiley:
Sometimes other programs too, like Paint Shop Pro, but mostly Bryce I think. It is mentioned for every picture. Well, if you can load them, that is. Seems to be some server problems at DAZ, currently.

LA

#10

I do not intend to “image-drop”, but I’m just so amazed of what you can do with a piece of free software, so here is my latest scene. The grass and the wagon are imported objects, the rest is all Bryce. Oh, and some extra sharpness and the sun rays was added in the GIMP!

-LA

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#11

No, please keep posting those images, they’re fantastic!

#12

In the past I had downloaded the Free Bryce 5.0 when they were selling Bryce 5.5 (i guess they offer each previous version at the time for free to try and get people to buy the latest). I found it a bit difficult to use, but I’m going to give this new version a try.

Justin

#13

Ok well I have finished with my first attempt, I know it isn’t great, but this is my first try so if you have any tips on how I can do better then please share them with me :).

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#14

qwerty, thank you very much :slight_smile:

justin1278, nice to see that you’re into this as well now! :slight_smile:
I wouldn’t say that the 5.5 version is easier than the earlier ones, as I tried a demo of Bryce 2 back in the late 1990’s (it may have been 1998 or so). It was almost identical to this one, at least the interface. Now of course, new functions have been added, and better rendering. If you’ve already tried 5.0 I guess you have a clue how it works.

There are tons of great tutorials on the net, but I would gladly give you tips! I just don’t know where to start, there are so many kinds of things you can do. Three things I used for the latest picture:

The Sky Lab. You find it by clicking the text “Sky & Fog”, then the little cloud with a ring - just to the right. You can also just press Ctrl+K.

The Terrain Editor. You’ve probably seen it, just select a terrain you’ve created, and click the little “E”. Here you can do anything to create altitudes! I used a feature to improve the resolution; on the narrow and high dock in the upper left corner, there’s a square/grid. Chose something better than 512, I had 2048.

The Materials Lab. It’s a great feature to change the scale of the materials you put on your object. This is made from the box in the upper right corner; you’ll probably see three thumbnails of textures, and maybe the text “World Space”. From here you can change the material in many ways.

Let me know if you need some sceen posts to find these things, or other tips!

Btw, here are some great plants, grass (which I had in my scene) and stuff!
http://3dplants.0catch.com/index.html

/LA

EDIT: I was curious to compress the br5 file (the scene) with 7-Zip’s 7Z format. It went from 54 MB to 5.9 MB!!!

#15

Thanks Leoni,

Do you know anywhere where I can get free design props and objects? I don’t want to spend money just yet.

Also what is DAZ Studio for?

#16

Sure, I also go with the free objects only. There are at least some decent objects available, but (unfortunately) you can see some truly amazing objects that costs a few $$. One site that I found yesterday, with - in my opinion - excellent free material, is http://artist-3d.com/. For tons of links to other sites with free objects, I would recommend http://www.3dlinks.com/. Remember to look for the right file formats, it is often .3DS which is good, but Bryce cannot import .MAX. You can also import .LWO and .DXF.

DAZ Studio - I don’t have a clue! I’ve never used it, but I doubt that it adds anything essential that Bryce can’t do. To get a clue, check out its website at daz3d.com.

Good luck with the object hunt! :slight_smile:

/LA

EDIT: One more important tip, especially if you work with imported objects - they may sometimes be roughly shaped. If so, when the object is selected, click the little “E” and make it smoother. You’ll see this “E” if the object is a single mesh, but if it is a group, you’ll have to click “U” to ungroup it first. Also, to give separate meshes different materials, you’ll have to use the ungroup tool. Again, if you have any problems, let me know - I’ll post some screen shots! :slight_smile:

#17

Thanks for the help Leoni :slight_smile: I just made a new picture today (2 actually) here is one, I think it’s a bit better then the last one, this one is in space.

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#18

Hey, well done! :slight_smile:
That Earth was very good. Is it a pre made material? I’m tempted to do something similar :wink:

LA

#19

Yes it was a pre-made material, all of it was, but I changed some settings on it to make it look a little different.

#20

Hey guys and gals, welcome to another exhibition! 8)

Some funny facts:

Approx. time to create: 30-35 hours
Render time: 3 hours
Number of objects: 2740 (792 of them are the cars and the ship)
Number of polygons: 207.697.014
Size of 3D-file (.br5): 814 MB (the bloody thing takes 10 minutes to save!)
Peak RAM usage: 1 GB - see screenshot (my poor machine only has 1.2 GB RAM!)

The gates, the cars, the ship and all vegetation was imported. The rest was made from scratch (which was painful enough). The image was slightly improved with the GIMP.

/LA

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