Fantasies Attic

Programs and more Programs => Modelization programs => Topic started by: Chiron on September 27, 2017, 03:41:44 AM

Title: Down to the vertices: AC3D, a 3D jeep
Post by: Chiron on September 27, 2017, 03:41:44 AM
I run into AC3D over a decade back. My only 3D experience then was with Bryce, and I was quite impressed by the fascinating results one could achieve with it by just playing around with a few basic shapes: a sphere here, a cylinder there, place a water plane, subtract a cube, merge with a cone, add a few textures et voila, a castle. Or a space ship. Or the Taj Mahal. Or... the limit seemed to be the sky.
But after a very short while of unbridled enthusiasm I had to realize that those basic meshes had their limits and if I wanted to grow out of the beginner phase I definitely needed something more to contrive my own meshes exactly the way I wanted them.
So I started looking around, but it wasn't easy. No, too cumbersome. No, way too expensive. No, it speaks this weird lingo made of unknown acronyms. No, it will take a year just to learn the ropes...
But after a long frustrating search I landed on https://www.inivis.com/ where I met AC3D. I tested it (for free), I liked it, I bought it at a reasonable price - and I'm still using it.

Have no illusions, perfection lies elsewhere: to begin with, it is a jeep and not a Rolls-Royce. But it provides you with full control over your 3D meshes (down to the single vertex) and it's really great with UV mapping. It reads and writes a few dozens of formats, its basics are quick and easy to learn, it has no pointless frills, there is a lot of interesting python-written plug-ins, it is widely customizable and still tolerably priced.

Unfortunately though it seems to be pretty static: in the last 12 years plenty of new versions were released but none of them introduced any really exciting new feature, just marginal trimmings. And their forum, once interesting, is now something I check twice a year in the hope of finding out that things there begin stirring again.




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Title: Re: Down to the vertices: AC3D, a 3D jeep
Post by: Chiron on October 01, 2017, 03:36:01 PM
Hmmm... sh*t of a job writing a tut once you already know the ropes: a tut should be done while learning, crowded more with questions and profanity than with answers to funny problems no one gives a damn for. How many times did you have to write "HELLO WORLD" before coming in sight of the real juice?
Yeah, I could try all the same but what is in for me? I'd expect at least the satisfaction of knowing that someone is using it and cursing my name and ancestry every second line (LOL)
You know what? Go download the free version (lasts 15 days or so) and peek into the enclosed (not really great) manual - this way either you have the fun you're looking for or you get to like the program - and then I might consider writing the tut. Fair enough?

Don't ever think you're the only compulsive downloader: I too downloaded everything that came for free and looked even remotely palatable. This way I run into anim8or, blender, hexagon, and a whole pile of other 3D crap that landed into the bin after a few days: nice forums, encouraging people, no manual, cryptic lingoes, video tuts spoken lightning-fast saving 50% of the syllables, arcane icons supposed to make the thing straightforward but only once you know what the hell they mean, no clue about what goes on under the hood.
So AC3D isn't actually the best, IMO it's the least bad of the merry band. And once you bump your skull for a few days against its whims you start even using it predictably - in such a gloomy scenario that's quite something, right?:winks:
Title: Re: Down to the vertices: AC3D, a 3D jeep
Post by: Chiron on October 03, 2017, 04:36:30 AM
Hmmm, blender... I've spent 2 weeks of my life trying to make heads or tails of it but nothing doing, alien universe.
Got any good written tut? It would be highly appreciated!
:ty: