Hello, I know these threads are chocked full of smart people and I'm sure some of you have dabbled in 3D. I'd venture to bet that at least a few of you might be actual professionals in various fields utilizing some form of computerized 3d modeling from the looks of some of the project worklogs. I am looking at a 3d animation course at my college. I called the professor to ask which programs they use in the classroom and that I might need to buy. He said the only program used in the class is Cinema 4D. I've googled Cinema 4D, found that it is made by maxon (maxon.net) and google shopping told me the program would be ~$180. My question, from personal experience can any of you tell me if this program is worthwhile?
I use it, it's good. Your prof doesn't really know what he's talking about though as Cinema 4D is not exclusively used, it's a major player in broadcast animation, but not in film and games aside from it's matte painting tools and bodypaint. In addition the only version really worth getting is the expensive versions as the core cinema 4d program offers few of the features that it's liked for (Mograph, Modynamics)
Sorry, I meant, "exclusively used in the class" or "we won't be exploring other programs in this class" - What do you like about it? And do you mind saying if you have experience in other programs too and how it compares to them? Thanks for your reply.
I like it's ease of use, it certainly got a shallower learning curve to begin with than most packages(I've used MAX, Modo and Lightwave). In addition it's built in render engine(not the core version, the Advanced render 3 version) is very power yet nice to use, certainly more so than I found with Mental Ray. As I mentioned, the physics and dynamics sytem is good, although it won't match programs like MAX and Maya for sheer power. I don't like the lack of modelling tools, compared to programs like Modo and LW it feels very threadbare in that department. Animation is pretty similar to most other programs.
Thanks again. I think I will go ahead and take the class. I've been a 2d animator for too long. If anybody else has opinions on this feel free to chime in.
Think about job oppertunities a bit. I got qualified as a 3d artist, doing maps for games etc and qualified just as the recession hit, all the studios in my area closed in a short time and I am kinda stuck here. Done a bit of freelance but I have fallen out of the trend quite badly as I haven't had the time to dedicate. Either be willing to move, or have something in your area you can try and go into. The first job is always the hardest but it gets easier. Another thing I would say, 3d modelling is as much about being an engineer/architect as it is an artist for a lot of programs/skill-sets, especially when staring at wireframe models for hours at an end. With exception of Zbrush. There are a lot of avenues, so have a think about what you look then look into how they are done. Good place to look is here: http://www.cgsociety.org. Check our their choice gallery, lots of inspiration. Best of luck, hope you go down this route as it is a lot of work, but very rewarding.
That is, of course, a good point. I have a good feeling about the economy bouncing back by the time I'm finally out of school though In all seriousness though, don't give up hope. Mainly, career-wise, I am interested in web programming and design. Sometimes a client/me asks me to do something that is simply impossible in 2D and I wish I had some 3d modeling knowledge. Up until the very end of high school I really wanted to work for Pixar but I think the odds of successfully achieving such a dream made it virtually impossible for me to embrace.
Nothing is impossible. You just have to keep trying. My issue is that I have always had too much on my plate. If I had focused on one area, I may have gone far but I just couldn't stop wanting to try everything. 3d modelling, as with any other activity needs to have time deciated to it, and a serious amount of time at that. Have you thought about getting a free 3d program, such as blender/sketchup and just following some tutorials night after night? See how you get on and see if you have the enthusism after 1/2/3 weeks of staring at the screen every night. Once you have the basic principles sorted, creating polys/nurbs and manipulating them what I found that helped was speed modelling. It prevented me spending too much time on something that wasn't very good and really helped my with the basics. Just pick something, say a mouse and see how much you can get done in an hour and a half and then stop. If you want to try something really random every time and model just from your imagination, someone I went to uni with has the following on his site: http://www.ldaustinart.com/paul/index.php?cat=speedpaint Can give some interesting results
Thanks for the advice and encouragement to join the 3d class. I have started, one week in, and I am animating and modeling things I would have thought it would take me most of the semester to learn. Cinema 4D is awesome. Oh, and Sandybridge is awesome for this. I found a reason to overclock though, rendering! Still though, I can't stand using the macs at school compared to my beast of a machine at home. I walk into class with my own keyboard, mouse, and bottle of monitor cleaner (since everybody apparently has to touch the screen). By the end of the semester I might just stay home.
^ What he said [including the bit about graduating to find all the studios nearby were shut or about to] Over the course of my education i Learned/had to use Lightwave, 3D Studio Max [my preference], Maya and Softimage, i've also dabbled with Blender [personally can't stand it], Modo, ZBrush and Mudbox in my spare time so the only thing i would add is be flexible, be prepared to work with other programs, once you've figured where all the tools are the principle is the same. and post some of you stuff somewhere so people can laugh at you give you feedback on it
Hey guys, I just thought I'd poke my nose back in this thread and let those contributors know how the class went. I completed the following two projects for this 8 week class. This is my first time with C4D but I'd love to hear opinions & critique. BTW, thanks to everyone who recommended I take the course, it was a lot of fun. First project is a 3D model of a real-life object. Mine was a water bottle. And our second project was to recreate a well known logo animation. I chose 20th Century Fox. I took the sky from the 2011 version but everything else is modeled after the older 1994 version of the logo.
