Best 3D tool?

Unity Engine
1

I have no experience in 3D modelling, but I would like to learn, so that I can make the game I have been dreaming about.

I have a MacBook Pro, and a really high end PC. I guess I want to know which would be better, 3Ds Max, or Maya. I have heard good things about both of them.

Thanks.

Keifer

2

Have you considered Cheetah?

It’s only $129 and it integrates beautifully with Unity.

3

If you’re working on the pc, I think Softimage XSI is the best deal in 3D. Check out the free Mod Tool with Crosswalk (that will allow you to export to Unity via FBX).

4

[my opinion]
if you want to get a job in the game industry + you’ve got lots of money + you want to run it on a PC => 3DS Max;
if you want to get a job anywhere in the 3D industry + you’ve got lots of money => Maya;
if you want an inexpensive app that works well with Unity + you want to run it on a Mac => Cheetah 3D
if you want tons of features + works well with Unity + runs on Mac or PC + its free - a UI that takes a little time to adapt to => Blender 2.45
[/my opinion]

5

Cheetah 8)

AC

6

Blender. It’s open source, mature and reliable, runs on every platform, complete feature set, gets better every day. So your cousin or friend can help create stuff for your game without buying expensive software or hardware. And you can open the same blender file on your Mac and Windows machine, or on a Linux box from Goodwill. Which is nice.

If you’re just learning, you’ve got no preconceptions to overcome, the Blender interface is no more difficult than any other, and once mastered it’s very elegant and efficient, IMO. But you’ve got to learn those keyboard shortcuts.

Cheetah is very capable with perhaps a softer learning curve (it’s easier to drive with the mouse), and the price is nice, and it works great with Unity. Mac only, though.

Kahuna’s opinion is correct, as usual, and I’d agree that XSI is probably the best deal for Windows users - the cheapest license is $500, as opposed to 2k for Maya and 3k for 3DS, last I checked.

7

Blender, of course.

8

Here’s a pretty good comparison:
http://www.tdt3d.com/articles_viewer.php?art_id=99

Sorry, no Cheetah included :frowning:

9

Don’t forget to look at Modo.
It’s pretty easy to learn, particularly if you have no 3d experience, it runs cross platform, and has a great community for support.