Free Modeling Program?

The Whole Team

L1: Registered
Nov 4, 2009
49
7
I was just wondering if there are any free (or cheap) modeling programs out there that people use? I'm thinking about figuring our how to model but all the programs seem VERY expensive. The only one I've found that might work is this thing called Blender.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 

Bockagon

L3: Member
Jul 15, 2009
147
72
blender is good if you can get past the interface. There's also gmax which is based off of 3ds max, I haven't tried that one though.
 

strangemodule

L5: Dapper Member
Sep 10, 2009
223
59
The interface is way more friendly in 2.5, but it's in alpha, so it will have some issues.
 

Terr

Cranky Coder
aa
Jul 31, 2009
1,590
410
Blender's could be improved, but the 3D modeling market is full of nutty follows-no-clear-OS-guideline GUIs...
 

SiniStarR

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Mar 31, 2009
585
116
It depends really. You could probably get a trial for maya or 3dmax (2 of the finest if i do say myself) and make everything and then export them into .obj and then download xsi for Source use.
 

YM

LVL100 YM
aa
Dec 5, 2007
7,135
6,056
But it has a interface from hell. :E

What are you on about, blender's interface is DEAD easy to use. I far prefer blenders interface to a lot of other programs. I already have my hand on the keyboard, why not press a hotkey instead of having to move my mouse over an icon then bring up a menu then click again? Its just extra work.

All you have to do is remember a few key buttons and you're away.
 

Terr

Cranky Coder
aa
Jul 31, 2009
1,590
410
I dabbled in XSI and Blender, and Blender has been a lot easier to use in terms of making what I see match what I want.
 
Sep 12, 2008
1,272
1,141
I'm using a Cinema4D trial at the moment, and with stunning results! It's incredibly easy to use.
 

Psy

The Imp Queen
aa
Apr 9, 2008
1,706
1,491
I'll have to admit, Blender's interface overwhelmed me when I first used it. Regardless, I'm a 3DS Max man.
 
Feb 14, 2008
1,051
931
I did Blender before a few years ago, and I've got back into it now. The interface doesn't confuse me at all, and there's only a few key hotkeys you have to remember.
 

aweaklingchild

L1: Registered
Sep 13, 2009
19
2
I'm using a Cinema4D trial at the moment, and with stunning results! It's incredibly easy to use.

Cinema 4D is a great package and definitely the easiest to learn. It's the bee's knees when it comes to motion graphics too. But really 3ds Max is where it's at, especially if you're looking to design for games. Maya, Lightwave, XSI, etc. are solid packages too but hard to pick up if you don't have a job that pays for legit training. Also Mudbox is a stellar 3D sculpting programs that can be used to do high and low-poly modeling and painting - ZBrush is great too but not noob friendly.

Here's a nice comparison of 3D packages: http://wiki.cgsociety.org/index.php/Comparison_of_3d_tools

If you're just testing the waters or don't want to cough up $3k+, Blender is great. If you don't believe me, just watch Big Buck Bunny. [ame="http://www.vimeo.com/1084537"]Big Buck Bunny[/ame]
 

StoneFrog

L6: Sharp Member
May 28, 2008
395
81
Blender is a great modelling program. Once you get over the interface, it's quite efficient to use. I, personally, have never set time aside for learning how to model, but I can still vouch for it because it culminated in the first (and most likely last) time in human history that I actually managed to export a Source-compatible mdl file! :D

Just be aware that Blender's exporters for Source are a bit flaky. Of the few compatible exporters available for the program, none of them support every feature of Source .SMD files. At least in the case of the exporter I've used, all geometry has to be merged into a single mesh. Every component of the model must also be linked to one, and only one, armature. Animation doesn't carry over either. As a result, you're stuck with static modelling if you use Blender. However, it's still a very rewarding program to use and you could always export your work to a 3DS Max-friendly format and request that others rig the animations.

If you have any questions regarding the program, consult this WikiBooks series (only time I ever use WikiBooks)!