What 3D program to use to create objects?

[Eric.Erpelding]

The on-line GLBasic manual contains the following:

The simplest way to create a 3D object within GLBasic is via loading a 3D file. You simply create it with a 3D program, export it in Quake '.md2' or 3D Studio '.3ds' format, and convert it to a compressed '.ddd' file with the 3DConvert tool.

I am completely new to using any 3D program to create objects.
What would be a good, easy to learn and use, program to use?
What do people here in the forum use?

It would be extra good if it is also freeware!

[Leon]

Well, Blender is free. It's hard to learn but that's something all programs for creating 3D models have in common, unfortunately.

[mentalthink]

The best free and professinal tool is blender... not is complex to use (if you come from another soft), but you can find a lot of training in youtube, only you need is apply time to learn.
You can use Ac3D more simple, and cost 70E (I'm not sure) but is fully compatible with GLbasic, I'm not sure but I think the plugin only works in Windows version.

Any tool 3d can export to 3DS or OBJ, practically the 100% of soft do this, can be used in GLbasic, with the converter tool.

The 3D quality no is Unity3D or another huge Editor, but you can do very interesting and cool things... some coleague in the forum have a very nice project similar to "Mario" in 3D (sorry I don't reminf the user nick).

[Eric.Erpelding]

Thank you Leon and mentalthink.
The choice seems to be Bender, which is free, but hard to use, and AC3D which is not free, but works well with GLBasic.
I was looking at POV-RAY (http://www.povray.org/) but it seems it has its own file format that is not easy to convert.
I might get AC3D. We shall see.

[mentalthink]

Hi Eric, you are confused, POV Ray is a render engine (for get the final image of a 3D Scene) , don't be fear with Blender is easy, perhaps is needed more time for learn it than AC3D, but worth it ,  blender can animate, and AC3D no...  and a lot of more things.

[Leon]

Blender is very powerful but if you are completely new to creating 3D models it won't feel very beginner friendly to you. Fortunately, there are a lot of tutorials.

[mentalthink]

Yes Leon, you have reason, the interface is a bit different from anothers... but if is the frist app 3d you tocuh, you don't feel a great difference... I think the important is looking what you want to do at the beggin, if you want modelling, then put the focus in the tools for modelling, basically any tool 3D do the same, but don't have render, animation, physics or complex materials.

Another good tool is SILO3d , very easy (In linux don't works fine), I like more than AC3D.

And another huge and easy is Cinema4D but is really very expensive.

Eric, take a look to this post.
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/25-free-3d-modelling-applications-you-should-not-miss/

Wings3d is another good solution, I don't like too much becuase the way for extruden and touch poligons differs from another tools, but is freen and is easy to use.

Sculptris is very good tool too, but you need a Wacom or a good Chinnese tablet for sculpt... after you have to do a method called Retopology, basically is draw poligons over the surface sculpted.

Cheers Leon and Eric. (And Welcome to the Forum , I not see you before).
 

[Eric.Erpelding]

Thank you mentalthink.
That list certainly gives a lot of applications to choose from.
I will look for the Blender tutorials and also try the AC3D demo.

[Eric.Erpelding]

And another huge and easy is Cinema4D but is really very expensive.

Yikes! I just checked the Cinema 4D web pages to see how much it costs.
http://www.maxonshop.com/us/ps/Products/1/s1/CAT243/
Cinema 4D Prime is $995 and Cinema 4D Studio is $3695.
AC3D now looks like a good deal at "only" $89.95.

Blender looks like it has more of a community of users.
There is even a Blender Conference, BCON16, that will take place in Amsterdam during October 28, 29, and 30 of this year (2016).
 

[mentalthink]

Thanks Eric.

Yes blender have a huge community, really is like use 3ds max, Maya or another expensive 3dSuite, a lot of poffesional use it in Freelance works.

AC3D is nice, and you can do very cool things (really is more important who or how drives the car than the car),
for the price take a look to Silo3D, have  a very cool option like sculpt, and is really powerfull modeler, more than AC3D , really the trick is choose the soft you feel comfortable and you like it.

If you need help with something in 3D comment us, in the forum we are a few guys using 3D, Erico(use Lightwave) and another user (I don't remind the nick, but do very nice things in Blender) , and me...
 

[bigsofty]

I use Fragmotion, it's a bit quirky but it's very game asset orientated and it's easy to produce models that import well into GLBasic.

[mentalthink]

Yes bigsofty, I used a couple of times, but for me the UI is really extrange... I see some videos with "Sonic Model of Sega" and really is powerfull and cheaper, but in my opinion is really extrange work with it...

Always is the same m anyone like a soft or another... How I said I think is more important who uses the soft than the soft itself.

[erico]

Blender is hard to learn, but it is super powerful.
I use Lightwave. It is not free and is one of the packages I have extended experience, so it is faster for me. Blender is always my sidekick.

Today there are many online free modeling tools that approach modeling in different ways.
Some tools are more specific to a certain type of model.

If you are looking into modeling arrows and such (according to you question on another post), you may do better using an online tool or even model it straight inside glbasic.

Here some starting places for you:

https://www.tinkercad.com/
Seems pretty good to me, it is online and requires only a sign up. Check if it exports .obj, otherwise you may want to use blender to convert the final object.

http://www.sketchup.com/
Seems easy to model stuff.

http://www.3dtin.com/
An online one, very primitive but can get to good results.

https://labs.sketchfab.com/sculptfab/
This is similar to sculptris, it is great to do organic stuff.

http://crocotile3d.com/
I´m very interested in this one, looks really nice, it is cheap. I´m sure people here at the boards could do a tool like this in GLB pretty quickly!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ascon.subdivformer&hl=en
This one is for android and is a subdivision modeling tool, it works nicely but you have to do final divisions on the likes of blender.
I already tested some stuff with this and it works fine.

There are many others but keep in mind it is important that your tool exports OBJ files so you can import on the DDD converting tool.
You might want to have blender around in case one tool does not export obj but a format that loads on blender and from there you export the obj.
It is all a bit tricky to people not used to working with 3d. The best tool is the one that works for you.

Cheers.

[Eric.Erpelding]

Thank you erico for your list of tools and comments.
tinkercad and 3dtin seem to be most interesting to me as they are easy to use and also let you start making geometric shapes right away.
sketchup is commercial and is very expensive at $695.
sketchfab does indeed make organic shapes. one starts with a blob or sphere and then makes changes to it.
corcotile3d looks interesting and the registration fee is only $10.
subdivformer is a tool for android devices.
Thus, I will look more into tinkercad and 3dtin.
Your suggestion that I build vector arrows directly inside glbasic is what I trying right now. The advantage is that no .ddd files would be required, everything being contained in the code.
There are so many tools available it is hard to decide which to use!

[erico]

...
There are so many tools available it is hard to decide which to use!

lightwave! always!