What program would you use to make this 3d-animation?

[kristoffer1989]

I am nitrested in making som visuals for my music, synced up. What program would one use to make something like this?

http://vimeo.com/6735848

[8O]

At least part of it is made using Maya's particle simulation.

[auto-lock]

blender has particles and its free.

[leedsquietman]

+1 - although not the easiest to get into, powerful and free.

[dorsch]

that
reminds me of
the good old demoscene:

http://scene.org/
http://breakpoint.untergrund.net/
http://vimeo.com/10098589

regards
dorsch

[kristoffer1989]

but where to start? a program that i can render out easy stuff from.

[j.peeba]

3dsmax, Maya, Softimage (aka XSI) and Blender are all viable options, each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. That clip could've been done with any of those, or a handful of other programs not mentioned. There's no way to tell just by looking. They all can handle modeling, materials, lighting, particles and rendering. But none of them are particularly effortless to get into. If you're really really serious about it and are willing to pour a lot of time into it (usually measured in months or even years) you'll have something presentable down the line. There really isn't an easier way. But hey, the odds are that you'll have loads of fun learning it. I did and still do.

It might be a little bit less daunting to start with some more specialized program, that doesn't try to do everything, like Silo (modeling), Wings3d (modeling) or Modo (modeling, rendering). The best way to get started is to just pick a software package that looks like fun and start doing the tutorials. The principles of 3D graphics are not application specific so no matter which program you pick, most of what you're going to learn is useful with pretty much any 3D software.

If you have more questions, just ask. I do 3D graphics for video games for living (anyone here played Alan Wake?) so my expertise is not exactly about prerendered stuff but the fundamentals are the same.

Edit: Don't be disappointed that there's no definite answer. It is almost exactly like asking "which DAW would you use for creating this tune?"

[snakedogman]

obviously to make anything even closely resembling that video you posted will take years of training and experience and a lot of talent. I've worked with the guys from House of Secrets and afaik they do use Maya.
Though if you're a beginner and want something that's easy to learn but still powerful, I'd recommend Maxon's Cinema 4D

[kristoffer1989]

3dsmax, Maya, Softimage (aka XSI) and Blender are all viable options, each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. That clip could've been done with any of those, or a handful of other programs not mentioned. There's no way to tell just by looking. They all can handle modeling, materials, lighting, particles and rendering. But none of them are particularly effortless to get into. If you're really really serious about it and are willing to pour a lot of time into it (usually measured in months or even years) you'll have something presentable down the line. There really isn't an easier way. But hey, the odds are that you'll have loads of fun learning it. I did and still do.

It might be a little bit less daunting to start with some more specialized program, that doesn't try to do everything, like Silo (modeling), Wings3d (modeling) or Modo (modeling, rendering). The best way to get started is to just pick a software package that looks like fun and start doing the tutorials. The principles of 3D graphics are not application specific so no matter which program you pick, most of what you're going to learn is useful with pretty much any 3D software.

If you have more questions, just ask. I do 3D graphics for video games for living (anyone here played Alan Wake?) so my expertise is not exactly about prerendered stuff but the fundamentals are the same.

Edit: Don't be disappointed that there's no definite answer. It is almost exactly like asking "which DAW would you use for creating this tune?"

This is a great post. Thank you so much!

[Simmo]

videocopilot.net provides tutorials around how to do some of that stuff with Adobe After Effects. It does also provide a level of modelling but Maya or 3DSmax are the industry leaders here. For new starters, there are quite a few samples/templates you can download (some free some not) to practice with - much like audio sample packs.

As j.peeba rightly pointed out all of those tools have a steep learning curve and are quite daunting to new comers so the way I started was to run through video tutorials (youtube etc) and then attempt to replicate the tutorials myself, then once I'd done that I'd make small changes to sections of the process (such as vary the lighting etc) so experiment. After a couple of weeks you'll find you start making changes/improvements based on instinct and then you're on your way.

Also, there is a distinct split between modelling and animating. Most tools allow you to combine both for simplicity but the pro's tend to separate them (an example being Toy Story used 3dsmax for the mesh rendering and then Avid to animate) for the extra features available through a specialist tool. I'd start by using a template model and animate that then look to build your own model once you've learnt and worked through the animating process.


Hope that helps mate

[fx23]

easiest,fastest way:
afterFx+ particular 2.0

modular way:
3dsmax+ Thinking Particles 3.0

i work as a 3d cj freelance for five years now in particles/fx stuff, i would say
take your time, pick one of the mentionned monsters (3dsmax, maya,xsi, blender),
make your hand with tutorials, then when you're ok with interface/ligthing/materials/rendering, go
deeper in the particles system. Mind you it will take a bit of time to get such results.

Im actually trying to connect via midi/Osc sound to particles animations using Usine and Thinking particles in 3dsmax,
usine generating some envelope folowers per frequencies linked to particles forces/animations.
some endless nice possibilities, but quite complex to begin with..