Advice needed on 3d design software

[Kheitain]

I'm an automotive enthusiast looking to start using some CAD software to help me design new bodykits, bumpers and various brackets and the like. I was curious if anyone here on the board might be able to lend some advice on affordable software that can do what I need. I don't need it to be animated, just detailed 3d models.

I also saw something in a magazine about being able to take a series of photos that the program then creates a 3d model that you can build off of or modify. I know companies like ARB do this but I am not particularily computer savvy so I don't really know where to start looking short of the university I'm hoping to attend in 2 years time.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Dave]

If you're looking for cheap (free) 3D modelers, I'd point you to Google SketchUp or Blender. I don't know if these meet your needs or not.

When I was studying engineering, we were introduced to NX, which was pretty good at 3D parts, but felt buggy, and AutoCAD, which felt more stable but was (I'm told) much more suited to 2D drawings than 3D stuff. You may be able to get student discounts, but my understanding was that these two software programs normally cost a pretty penny.

[Norade]

Yeah, AutoCAD and 3dsMax are both rather pricey.. Might be why my high school pirated their copies. xD

[Seggybop]

Alias Studio from Autodesk is standard for the automotive industry. If you're a student, you can get it free from Autodesk's site for a year and a half (and by the time it runs out, a new version's out with a new timer).

They've got a similar program for their other software like 3ds max and Maya, but if you're trying for car design Alias is what you're looking for.

[Kanastrous]

Rhino is one of your best bets in terms of price, performance, and wideness-of-use. It's used in virtually every field of design, and was one of our primary tools - for example - on Avatar.

It's a spline-based modeling system and is much more suited to your purpose than AutoCad, Vectorworks, Lightwave, Modo, Blender, 3DS Max or FormZ.

Now, if'n you want to get into Maya, well, that's more towards the high end, and priced accordingly.

[salm]

Rhino is one of your best bets in terms of price, performance, and wideness-of-use. It's used in virtually every field of design, and was one of our primary tools - for example - on Avatar.

It's a spline-based modeling system and is much more suited to your purpose than AutoCad, Vectorworks, Lightwave, Modo, Blender, 3DS Max or FormZ.

Now, if'n you want to get into Maya, well, that's more towards the high end, and priced accordingly.

Nah, Maya is in the same league as 3ds Max and Softimage (and in the same price range). You can´t compare it to Rhino because Maya is mainly for polygonal based modelling as opposed to Rhinos NURBS based modelling. If you want to modell accurate you go with Rhino or something like that. If you want stuff to look pretty and perhaps animated you go with Maya, Max or Softimage. Or you could model in Rhino and export it to one of these three for lighting, shading and rendering but often it´s a pain in the ass to get NURBS data to work properly in polybased programs.

I think CATIA is the software that´s used mainly in Car Design. At least that´s what a friend says who works with it for Daimler.

Personally i think some freeware programm like Blender or Wings3D is probably the best piece of software for someone who is a hobbyist. No need to waste thousands of Euros if you can get software that can do pretty much everything a prfessional package can do.

I´m interested what you used Rhino for in Avatar. I guess only for modelling, since you can´t animate with it and it´s rendering capabilities are crap. You probably used an inhouse renderer anyways?

[Norade]

Rhino is one of your best bets in terms of price, performance, and wideness-of-use. It's used in virtually every field of design, and was one of our primary tools - for example - on Avatar.

It's a spline-based modeling system and is much more suited to your purpose than AutoCad, Vectorworks, Lightwave, Modo, Blender, 3DS Max or FormZ.

Now, if'n you want to get into Maya, well, that's more towards the high end, and priced accordingly.

Nah, Maya is in the same league as 3ds Max and Softimage (and in the same price range). You can´t compare it to Rhino because Maya is mainly for polygonal based modelling as opposed to Rhinos NURBS based modelling. If you want to modell accurate you go with Rhino or something like that. If you want stuff to look pretty and perhaps animated you go with Maya, Max or Softimage. Or you could model in Rhino and export it to one of these three for lighting, shading and rendering but often it´s a pain in the ass to get NURBS data to work properly in polybased programs.

I think CATIA is the software that´s used mainly in Car Design. At least that´s what a friend says who works with it for Daimler.

Personally i think some freeware programm like Blender or Wings3D is probably the best piece of software for someone who is a hobbyist. No need to waste thousands of Euros if you can get software that can do pretty much everything a prfessional package can do.

I´m interested what you used Rhino for in Avatar. I guess only for modelling, since you can´t animate with it and it´s rendering capabilities are crap. You probably used an inhouse renderer anyways?

I've worked with Max a little in high school and it can do NURBS, but having not used any other programs I couldn't say how well it does them compared to other programs.

[salm]

I've worked with Max a little in high school and it can do NURBS, but having not used any other programs I couldn't say how well it does them compared to other programs.

Yeah, it can but using NURBS in Max is like attacking an aircraft carrier with a spork.

[Norade]

I've worked with Max a little in high school and it can do NURBS, but having not used any other programs I couldn't say how well it does them compared to other programs.

Yeah, it can but using NURBS in Max is like attacking an aircraft carrier with a spork.

Like I said, I've only been, minimally*, trained in the use of 3dsMax and not even a very current version of it.

*By my third year I could teach the class better than the teacher could and in one case actually did when he asked me if I thought I could do a better job teaching than he could.

[Kanastrous]

I´m interested what you used Rhino for in Avatar. I guess only for modelling,

Yes. Since the OP is looking for a modeler, I wonder if there's some specific reason you think I'd be suggesting something else...there are also these apps called Flamingo, Penguin, and Bongo, which I'm guessing you don't use and are therefore not familiar, to you...

You probably used an inhouse renderer anyways?

Yes, for preliminary and to-screen rendering. See above for the rendering tools used during the design and development process (*some* of the rendering tools - we had people working with everything from FormZ to Maya to Lightwave to AutoCad to PencilPush, on that show).

Maya has spline-based modeling tools, called NURBS, which I should think you would have heard of...particularly considering what the 'S' in NURBS stands for...