are/should be the requirements for/features of a good graphics (ship creation) program?

Ace

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"War not determine who right...War determine who left"

(This message has been edited by CaptAceHarddrive (edited 05-24-2002).)

The graphics program must be easy to use, easy to save and convert, have advanced rendering options and the ability to 'save as animation' , must have texture feature, and mustn't crash every 45 minutes (DAMN STRATA!!!!). I personally use Strata. i can't touch pov-ray, it just confuses me, but I use Strata 3D base 3.5, and Strata 3D 3.0.2 as they both have strong points and weak points.

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"Foolish is he who plays twister on the stairs"
(url="http://"mailto:saaciplank@hotmail.com")mailto:saaciplank@hotmail.com(/url)saaciplank@hotmail.com

It should have a high bit render program, able to UV map textures, the ability to material individual polygons can be helpful, ease of use (or rather, you have to be comfortable using it). There are also things like: cost, availability, and legality to consider. For instance, you can get a copy of Maya online for free, but (a) it's hard for beginners to use, ( downloading Maya is ILLEGAL no matter how cheap you got it. I personally use POVRay because I feel very comfortable using it, it's free, it renders animations, very stable, and it works on any computer I copy it to. At school, I'm learning SoftImage, but I don't use it at home because (a) it's not out for Mac, (b)It's expensive, and I'm still not entirely comfortable using it.

Matrix

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"Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool."

Quote

Originally posted by what_is_the_matrix:
**It should have a high bit render program, able to UV map textures, the ability to material individual polygons can be helpful, ease of use (or rather, you have to be comfortable using it). There are also things like: cost, availability, and legality to consider. For instance, you can get a copy of Maya online for free, but (a) it's hard for beginners to use, ( downloading Maya is ILLEGAL no matter how cheap you got it. I personally use POVRay because I feel very comfortable using it, it's free, it renders animations, very stable, and it works on any computer I copy it to. At school, I'm learning SoftImage, but I don't use it at home because (a) it's not out for Mac, (b)It's expensive, and I'm still not entirely comfortable using it.

Matrix

**

I've got a personal check-list of what I think of as minimum functions for a 3D software. It is amazing how many of the low-cost (Lite versions, free versions, etc.) omit some of these;

Booleans (preferably true booleans, not run-time booleans)
UV mapping
Import/export in at least one standard format (DXF, OBJ, RDS, even 3DMF)
Picture textures -- preferably, for transmap and specularity map as well.

My modeller wish-list includes;

Splines (minimum); better yet NURBS or patches.
Auto-bevel tool.
Background image in modelling window for rotoscoping.

Most important, though, is that it be comfortable. My comfort zone requires plentiful shortcuts and hotkeys, and lots of stability. Nothing puts me off my creative stride more than rebooting an ap that has just crashed.

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"I know the stranger's name."
Turandot

Quote

Originally posted by Commander Arashi:
**I've got a personal check-list of what I think of as minimum functions for a 3D software. It is amazing how many of the low-cost (Lite versions, free versions, etc.) omit some of these;

Booleans (preferably true booleans, not run-time booleans)
UV mapping
Import/export in at least one standard format (DXF, OBJ, RDS, even 3DMF)
Picture textures -- preferably, for transmap and specularity map as well.

My modeller wish-list includes;

Splines (minimum); better yet NURBS or patches.
Auto-bevel tool.
Background image in modelling window for rotoscoping.

Most important, though, is that it be comfortable. My comfort zone requires plentiful shortcuts and hotkeys, and lots of stability. Nothing puts me off my creative stride more than rebooting an ap that has just crashed.

**

Booleans suck. Stay away from them.

Matrix

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"Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool."