# 3D Software for Mac OS X???



## ian27 (Mar 12, 2005)

Hey guys,

Can somebody tell me the name of some good 3D animation software for Mac OS X? I'm talking about things that can be used to produce CD presentations and possibly used on the web. I have recently been messing around with After Effects to incorporate video but would also like to have a go at 3D vector stuff... I guess it would be vector anyway?!?

Any advice or experiences would be very much appreciated. 

Ian


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## Qion (Mar 12, 2005)

Well, I'm not a genius in the field of 3D, but Maya is a great choice. I currently have Maya 5.0 PLE(personal learning edition) because I was interested in what it could do. They are now at version 6.5. Check out: 

http://www.alias.com/eng/products-services/maya/index.shtml


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## ian27 (Mar 12, 2005)

Oh yeah, Maya looks wicked! It is also a nice price too!  

Have you had any success with it? Have you managed to put any good demonstrations together? I am really interested to know.

Thank you.

Ian


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## mdnky (Mar 12, 2005)

_Moved from Web Dev to DTP_


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## texanpenguin (Mar 14, 2005)

Maya is THE big 3D program on the platform.

Alias|Wavefront have galleries on their site.

I haven't done anything of merit with it (I just use it as a replacement for Rhino, which I used on PC for when I needed simple 3D effects)


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## mseydel (Mar 15, 2005)

hmm...I've been shopping around for a good 3D app for modeling and rendering, no animation, and I'm leaning towards Cinema 4D or Strata CX for their integration with 2D tools. I used to do some 3D work some years ago, and I never really warmed to Lightwave on the PC side, but Maya I've never tried. What differentiates it from Lightwave? And isn't it overpowered for what I need it for?(Which is pretty much exclusively custom scene building, where I'll build all models and textures from scratch for use in commercial print; compositing with photography and edits to be completed in Photoshop.)


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## Robn Kester (Mar 15, 2005)

People are always quick to say "Maya". Which is fine, but Maya is not consumer level priced nor consumer level usably-friendly.

What kind of budget do you have? Are you a student of any kind who qualifies for an academic discount? Are you a pro who is willing to invest the money or a dabbler who needs something simple?

There are quite a few good choices if you are willing to take the time to check them out. But ultimately your budget and needs will determine what works best for you.

Here are some choices across the budget and power scale... (and dontforget mentioned above items like Lightwave, Strata and Cinema 4D. If I am not mistaken, an older version of Strata 3D was offered free on a MacAddict CD years ago?)

New:

highend...

AliasWavefront's Maya Complete 6.5, $2000 USD
(student price, $300-400 USD)

AliasWavefront's Maya Ultimate 6.5, $6000 USD
(no student version)

medium:

Eovia's Amapi Designer, $500 USD
(student version, $90 USD)

Eovia's Amapi Pro, $800 USD
(student version, $150 USD)

Eovia's Carrara Pro, $550 USD
(student version, $150 USD)

low end:

Daz3D's Bryce 5.0, $80 USD
(student version, $60 USD)

Free or cheap:

Blender3D, $free.
But it's confusing and I think difficult to use. However it offers everything you could need if you are willing to spend the hours and hours it takes to learn it.

Then there are lots of older versions of powerful programs that are cheap to buy (but not necessarily OS X native or upgradable)... such as Ray Dream Designer, InfiniD, and older versions of above mentioned software.

Then there is also:

Swift 3D
Amorphium
Poser
etc

I'm a fan of Bryce for simpler stuff, I use it often and have done so since it's days as New Worlds Explorer. I never really had a use for any of the higher end powerful programs, as Bryce accomplished what I needed each time. I've only recently DLed and started using Maya Personal Learning Edition (which is quite nice and since its free, its a great way to learn).

Anyhoo I hope that something I mentioned helps you along your path to 3D.


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## RonnieS (Apr 9, 2005)

I'm a Strata user myself. It's an inexpensive package that's pretty easy to use and has an incredibly helpful and inspiring user community. Fast rendering and low learning curve.

Strata:
http://www.strata.com
User community:
http://www.stratacafe.com


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## mseydel (Apr 9, 2005)

I decided to go with Strata CX myself; just placed the order through my work the other day. I'd been testing Cinema 4D, Amapi Pro, Carrara, and a few others, and I just found Strata easier to work in. 
The interface is easy to understand, and is similar to the Adobe CS line. I also like how you can have live linking to Photoshop or illustrator files: this way I can edit part of a texture that I mapped from a Phoshop file, and have it update naturally in the strata model. That's nice. The modeler is a bit buggy, though, and I'm wondering if they've somehow hamstrung the 
demo...the renderering options are very nice, better than I would have expected. Does anyone know if you can use Silo models in Strata?


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