Low-end 3D software for Mac
January 7, 2011 1:00 PM
Is Carrara 8 pretty good 3D software for a sub-$200 budget?
I'm a hobbyist with 3D, although I have used it for a couple of professional illustration projects. I've primarily used Blender up to this point, but Carrara seems to have a lot of features that make it a good all-in-one commercial package with a decent library of pre-made models.
Has anyone here used the software? There's no trial version that I can find, and I can't seem to find any decent reviews online.
My interest in 3D is very general and not particularly focused. I'd appreciate any opinions.
I'm a hobbyist with 3D, although I have used it for a couple of professional illustration projects. I've primarily used Blender up to this point, but Carrara seems to have a lot of features that make it a good all-in-one commercial package with a decent library of pre-made models.
Has anyone here used the software? There's no trial version that I can find, and I can't seem to find any decent reviews online.
My interest in 3D is very general and not particularly focused. I'd appreciate any opinions.
The OP has apparently been using Blender, joshhepworth...
They also didn't specify their platform - OP, if you're on a Mac, I would definitely suggest Cheetah3D, which is a full-featured program with a great user interface. I've used Carrara, and it's quite decent, but you need to realize that learning just about any 3D application is going to take some time and effort.
posted by dbiedny at 2:46 PM on January 7, 2011
They also didn't specify their platform - OP, if you're on a Mac, I would definitely suggest Cheetah3D, which is a full-featured program with a great user interface. I've used Carrara, and it's quite decent, but you need to realize that learning just about any 3D application is going to take some time and effort.
posted by dbiedny at 2:46 PM on January 7, 2011
Ah, I just saw that you are indeed on a Mac... try downloading Cheetah3D, you can do everything but save your projects with the demo version. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
posted by dbiedny at 2:49 PM on January 7, 2011
posted by dbiedny at 2:49 PM on January 7, 2011
Here's the type of stuff I've been doing with Blender and Art of Illusion: Flickr set
Thanks for the link to Cheetah 3D. Cheetah 3D doesn't seem as well-rounded (modeling getting a bit more attention, from what I can tell) and doesn't seem to come with as many preset-type things. That's one huge thing I miss in open source software. I'll give it a try, though, because I'm wondering how it can cost as much as Carrara when it lacks a plant editor, terrain features, etc.
posted by circular at 3:14 PM on January 7, 2011
Thanks for the link to Cheetah 3D. Cheetah 3D doesn't seem as well-rounded (modeling getting a bit more attention, from what I can tell) and doesn't seem to come with as many preset-type things. That's one huge thing I miss in open source software. I'll give it a try, though, because I'm wondering how it can cost as much as Carrara when it lacks a plant editor, terrain features, etc.
posted by circular at 3:14 PM on January 7, 2011
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posted by joshhepworth at 2:43 PM on January 7, 2011