[Bass]

Hi everyone,

I want to get into 3D art, but been a Mac user, my choices are limited.  One thing I've noticed which is available to me is Maya Personal Learner edition.  Has anyone had any experience with this?  Its free, so is it too crippled?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I don't know myself, but perhaps Joel at Digital Amazons does, or could point you in the direction of someone who does.  I believe he works in the 3d industry and is also a Mac user, and does some great 3d work.

http://www.digital-amazons.com/

[David C. Matthews]

As far as whether it's crippled, I found this note at the website:

"The Maya Personal Learning Edition restricts users to non-commercial applications through the display of a watermark on images as well as through the use of a special non-commercial file format."

"Non-commercial file format" sounds like whatever you produce in Maya Personal won't be transferrable to other 3D apps like Lightwave or Carrara. Still, if you don't mind the watermark on your images, it might be a way to do some 3D stuff.

(Oh, and there's also a version that runs on Windows 2000/XP Professional.)

BTW, I wouldn't say that being a Mac user limits your 3D options. 3D Studio Max is the only major 3D software I've seen that doesn't come in a Mac version. What you're willing or able to pay for a 3D app – that might be a limit on your options.  😆

[Bass]

I don't know myself, but perhaps Joel at Digital Amazons does, or could point you in the direction of someone who does.  I believe he works in the 3d industry and is also a Mac user, and does some great 3d work.

http://www.digital-amazons.com/

Thanks for the link :D.  His artwork is great.

As far as whether it's crippled, I found this note at the website:

"The Maya Personal Learning Edition restricts users to non-commercial applications through the display of a watermark on images as well as through the use of a special non-commercial file format."

"Non-commercial file format" sounds like whatever you produce in Maya Personal won't be transferrable to other 3D apps like Lightwave or Carrara. Still, if you don't mind the watermark on your images, it might be a way to do some 3D stuff.

(Oh, and there's also a version that runs on Windows 2000/XP Professional.)

BTW, I wouldn't say that being a Mac user limits your 3D options. 3D Studio Max is the only major 3D software I've seen that doesn't come in a Mac version. What you're willing or able to pay for a 3D app – that might be a limit on your options.  😆

Sounds like its fine for me then.  I don't need to use any other 3D programs, and I'm sure a little work in Photoshop will take care of that watermark.  Unless its actually encripted into the file.

At times like this, I wish I had a desktop PC to compliment my notebook Mac.  But only because its easier to acquire PC software  :evil:.

[phenoms]

Bass, you may want to look into Blender 3D. It is an open-source (READ: FREE) program written in java which means it runs on any operating system. No watermarks. No clue as to its ability to import/export its stuff with other 3D apps. I doubt it has such restrictions though. http://www.blender3d.org/
Phenoms

My Deviant Art Page (old stuff):
phenoms.deviantart.com

My Booru Gallery (new stuff):
phenoms.booru.org

Also
www.thevalkyrie.com/picthumb/p/phenoms/index00.htm
www.thevalkyrie.com/picthumb/p/phenom_fett/index00.htm

[Anonymous]

Got to correct phenoms here… Blender is not written in Java, but it _is_ available for Windows, Linux/Unixes and MacOS X.

And like any program of such complexity its learning curve can be quite steep. Here are some links that may help:

Official Blender 2.3x manual in PDF Format: http://www.cgtalk.com and pay special attention to WIP (Work in progress) boards. There is so much to be learned from those.

Hope this helps.

Bye

Anterion

[Lingster]

If you just want to do character stuff, you can download DAZ Studio for free, and then use Poser models with it.  Its features are limited but it has a good rendering engine.  And if you didn't pick up on it the first time – FREE.  Also, much easier learning curve than Maya or the high end packages.

[Author]

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