Anyone Do 3-D Modeling/Animation?

[astrostu]

I'm looking to get into this a little bit ... in my copious amount of "free time." I'm looking into using Cinema 4D software, but I was wondering if that was a good choice (since I don't want to learn one thing and find out it can't really do what I want).

To give you an idea of what types of things I want to do, I would basically (at the moment) use it for astronomy simulations. Like what it may be like to fly through a dense planetary ring. Or showing a neutron star drawing material from its companion star.

I would also like to use it to start to bring some concepts/characters/scenes from a fantasy story I'm writing to the screen, per say. For example, creating and briefly animating something like these plants:

One of them was growing long, thick stems out of its pot. There were no leaves on it, just the oily stems that looked like tendrils and they moved ever so slightly, almost as if they were writhing in the air, waiting to capture anything that came too close.

...

A third among the few dozen in the tightly packed corner had strong stems, small leaves, and large flowers which, except for the color of the flowers, it looked something like a carnation. It was sprouting flowers of all colors, but all the colors were in each blossom: They were red near where they emerged from the stem, with orange stamens and yellow pistols; the flower gradated outward from red to green, then out to purple on the tips, and there appeared to be small drops of blue nectar that gathered down at the base of the bloom. It was beautiful to look at but defied categorization from his books.

Or this passage:

... and so Shawn extended his hand towards the Fire Goddess. She held out her staff until to top hovered just over his palm. A bubble of lava formed from the tip of the staff, but Shawn felt no heat. As the two men watched, the lava grew until it was about 3 inches around. It then appeared to harden and grow translucent as it developed facets. The object was becoming a large, nearly transparent ruby, and when it had finished forming, it fell from the staff into Shawn's hand.

Shawn held the gem up for a better look as Mike turned to see as well. The ruby was flawless except for something in its heart. As the two looked more closely at it, peering through the sides, they saw in the center a burning flame, flickering but emitting a steady light.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I used to know 3DsMax to an ok extent.

It's not that great, and i've done animation in there too, but I don't' rally remember how to do ti.

 

[(Ghastly) Krueger]

I understand that Ls3D does 3D animation. You may want to shoot a PM to him?

 

[skieur]

In the freeware on the web check out the ray tracers, fractal generators, and 3D modelers. The best software combines all 3, but they are usually commercial although there are often student versions. Lightwave and 3D Studio Max are the main high end pieces of software in this department.

skieur

 

[Jeff Canes]

i use Inventor but that is likely not what your want