[rescue] Wooohhhooo XP -> 0 to BSOD in 12min23sec

[Joshua D Boyd]

On Sat, Oct 27, 2001 at 10:07:56PM -0400, Kurt Huhn wrote:
> My favorite 3D software is Rhino - it couples a GUI with a command line
> interface.  Perfect harmony of precise data entry, and "close enough"
> dragging/pointing.  I just wish I didn't have to pay soooo much for it.

Rhino looked interesting.  However, I usually don't feel a need for
command lines with modellers (though I do like boxes where I can enter
exact positions and rotations).  Worse yet, I dislike NURBS.  My favorite
tools are raw polygons and subdivision surfaces.

A note of interest.  In Lightwave, back when NURBS were all the rage,
NewTek added MetaNURBS, which were just subdivision surfaces.  Now
Subdivision surfaces are hot.  I believe that Mirai and N-World always had
them, but I'm never been able to be hands on with those two programs.

Now, for animation, command lines are great.  Visual hiearchy editors
w/ a tree view are also great (both 3DS and Lightwave seem to lack this).

Doing quality animation ultimately relies on doing what looks right, and
tweaking things to be close enough, but there is too much volume of things
happening to be able to get by without solid procedural
tools.  Unfortunately, Lightwave seems to lack these completely.  So does
3DS max, except it's plugin architecture is so stinking flexible that
these tools are easily written as plugins.  Hypermatter and Character
Studio are great.  Character Studio was originally done by a couple who
spend years researching how to choreograph dance animation.

Softimage 3D also has a decent plugin architecture.  XSI is supposed to be
much better, but haven't been able to pull hands on time with it yet.

I'm told the king is Maya, but I've never been able to get hands on time
with that either.

-- 
Joshua D. Boyd