Expensive $$

[Cygnuz-Y]

WOW!!! How can you have TWO 2400+ AMD proccessors, does that kind of MOBO exits (aside from servers)....?

That program sounds cool, you think i can try it with my current system?

[scott_hedrick]

Originally posted by Cygnuz-Y@1 August 2003 - 02:39
WOW!!! How can you have TWO 2400+ AMD proccessors, does that kind of MOBO exits (aside from servers)....?

That program sounds cool, you think i can tyy it with my current system?

I have a Tyan Tiger MOBO, which supports two AMD Socket A CPUs, Athlon/Thunderbird/MP/XP and supports 4GB of RAM.

I can't say whether you should try it out without some information about the specs of your machine. For typical use, make sure you have at least 256MB, preferably 512MB.

If you are using any of the special effects, or rendering with raytracing, make sure you have at least 1GB of RAM.

Having a very fast CPU is not very important until you are rendering a lot.

However, even if your system doesn't meet these specs, you will be able to run it in a slightly jerky way, you won't get very fast screen updates etc. and rendering will take a long time. So perhaps you should just try it and see

Scott

[chris9902]

that program looks amazing but i do like 3DS max alot.

i can't use it but i like it

i would love to be able to model 3D stuff but all i can do is the tutorials

[scott_hedrick]

3dsmax is a nice program and all, but it seriously gets in my way, from modeling to rendering.

The interface is annoying enough, but having all those collapsible panels REALLY irks me. I often expand the sidebar to three columns at the expense of screen space just to get at the tools more easily.

The hotkeys are impossible to use correctly with one hand on the mouse and one of the keyboard, and after customising them, I find that some don't work, despite appearing correct in max.

The modeling tools are very poor compared to any other package out there, especially Maya and Houdini. Where are all the good NURBS modeling tools, and what about the SUBDs, and what about ... just about all you can do is model patches and set the NURMS tessellation up, and expect a damn slow workflow.

The rigging tools are wholly inadequate, unless you happen to be using, biped rigs... but try rigging a character with 5 limbs and a tail to run, with one of the legs deforming like a hind leg on a quadruped. The inverse kinematics solvers are also painfully slow. Trying to switch from inverse to forward kinematics for direct control of fingers screwed up my entire animation.

Animating is quite easy after that, but the tools should be able to playback a 22 minute animation in my scene without jerking, especially in wireframe mode.

Max lacks any kind of integrated dynamics system... and the reactor plugin is woefully inadeqaate for anythng but simple rigid body dynamics. This is in contrast to Maya, and Houdini both of which support tremendous fluid dynamics, rigid/soft body dynamics, and forces, particles, etc. etc.

Rendering is a pleasure with 3dsmax, but the interface makes this less of one. The default renderer provided is one of the fastest around, and supports a huge variety of effects and styles using the provided materials "out of the box". And render plug-ins are abundant if you know what you want.

All in all, Max is fine if you can tolerate the interface, and the lack of modelling tools (except poly)... but you will inevitably hit a brick wall when you try to do some real effects, for instance try create a flame, a body of water, an ocean, a real gas cloud, an realistic organic model of a human, a realistic muscle deformation, or other natural phenomenon. Even something as simple as having particle systems collide with not planar objects can be difficult.

If you do try another program, try Maya or Houdini.

Scott

[LeUaNt|cS]

Originally posted by scott_hedrick@1 August 2003 - 00:52
Houdini Master: $17,000 USD

I can't say for sure that this is the MOST expensive I have downloaded, but its among the most expensive at least.

Scott

Same as me, I saw a link for it once on a warez forum and since it had a price tag that you could buy a comp with I gave it a try.

[scott_hedrick]

What kind of computer costs $17,000 ? O_o

My first car cost less than that!

Scott