[OT] 3d graphics software

[Kichwas]

Are you talking of taking a terrain map and having it render out a 3D image?


Both Vue and Bryce can take a 2D drawing (even a scanned in one) and map it to terrain elevations.

The way any 3D app does this is by making the darker portions low and the lighter portions high.

Vue and Bryce are both in the $200-300 range commercially. Though there are cheaper ways to get them (I bought Vue on a student discount).

Vue has the added advantage in version 4 of being tailored to work well with Poser. Which means it becomes great for taking in figures and creating scenes.

It's also got a great tree grower built in and a rendering engine that gives results similiar to some of the apps in the thousands of dollars range...

Vue: http://www.e-onsoftware.com/
Bryce: Long URL
Poser: http://www.curiouslabs.com/

 

[Aeolius]

Bryce also works seamlessly with Poser. At one point, they were being developed by the same company. Simply create a Poser model, export it, then import it into Bryce.

Also, for fantasy-related Poser models, visit www.daz3d.com.

 

[Frostmarrow]

I'm mostly interested in a program that can turn a 2d floorplan into a 3d representation of the same. There is no need for true 3d, I just need an isometric view. If I could change stuff afterwards I would appreciate that as a bonus.

I talked to a friend "Rigur" above and he mentioned on the phone that what I'm looking for is probably some kind of interior design industry software. I'll keep on looking.

Oh, where is my manners? This is not how my mother raised me. Of course I must thank all of you guys for the suggestions. I will take a look at both 3D Studio Max and Maya, even if they are priced out of my range.

 

[Aeolius]

Here is the result of a quick 5 minutes worth of work (play?) with Poser 4, Bryce 5, and CorelDRAW10:

http://www.lobi.com/bryceposer

 

[Gizzard]

Headed in a totally different direction, several 3D shooter games have freeware level editors available. They are designed to be fast, direct and simple to use (and occassionally they achieve those goals!). If you have one of these games sitting around on your hard-drive, this can be a low-cost, low-learning curve effort.

Tools like Max and especially Maya have a steep learning curve and are very expensive. In the video game industry these tools are a necessary part of the profession. Even so, usually an art team will have one Max/Maya guru and the rest of the artists will depend on him to answer questions about more complex tasks. My point being that the learning curve is so steep that many professionals do not fully understand these tools.

I'd suspect that some of the freeware or low-cost 3D programs recommended in this thread could also be good choices. You dont need to do complex, professional quality object creation. So "more" isnt necessarily "better" for you.