I am getting thsi program soon and was just wondering how hard it is to use. I have a friend who has it that says it is pretty confusing? Can anybody tell me how hard it is to use? Thanks
I found it fairly hard, but with the online tutorials, you should be fluent in the basics after less than a month of regular use. If you want me too, I could hook you up with two friends of mine who are both excellent artists with it. I’m also sure that they would be glad to show off their work.
I’d recommend getting a book about it. There are simply so many different features that it’s good to have somewhere to start. The sheer number of different things you can do simply boggles the mind, and is rather daunting to try to learn on your own. There are several places online that offer tutorials, for example www.3dcafe.com. I’ve used the program a bit (for example, to demonstrate what my fraternity house’s basement would look like if we built a stage down ther), and NURBS curves are still beyond me.
Hey. Mr. Cranky helped develop this software. He also teaches people to use it. In fact, I nearly had a heart attack (the good kind) when I saw this thread title. fans self It’s my first SDMB “Brush with fame,” I guess, whoopdedoo.
It’s my understanding that it is pretty time-consuming to learn, but then animation software of this calibre (any brand) is inevitably complex. You can find plenty of people on 3D message boards comparing the 3D animation programs, but they’ve all got pluses and minuses. I don’t know that any of them has been singled out as especially easy to learn or use in all aspects.
As others have said, there are resources to help you learn. Mr. Canky is rather keen on the “Inside 3D Studio Max” books. They’re not cheap, though. He’s sawing logs now or I’d ask him what else he recommends. Mayhap tomorrow.