Modo

[rcallicotte]

I'm impressed by most of these artists (as in 99.9% of them). 

http://forums.luxology.com/discussion/topic.aspx?id=8222
http://forums.luxology.com/discussion/topic.aspx?id=11655

[Seth]

thanks !!!!! ^^
great renders in here ! Oo

[rcallicotte]

Seth, have you tried Modo or Silo or any 3D modeling program?  You're so creative, I would think you would have looked into this.

[Seth]

i tried Zbrush yesterday (not mine... too expensive)... i did this rendering in Yafray (i used it for the first time yesterday too) : http://www.rendus3d.com/showfull.php?photo=751

i did hear about Modo and Silo but i never tried... i wish to try all these soft to find one i like... you know... like when you tried TG2 and did something for the first time...
modeling, importing to TG2 and rendering... that could be reeeally fun ^^

damn these artists are so good...

[inkydigit]

very nice...so much inspiration!!!

[lightning]

modo is cool i have used it since 103 and it comes with a great set of start up tutorials and the rendering ngine is amazing

[rcallicotte]

Hey, see, Seth?  You are creative!

Silo and Modo both have a 30-day trial.  Try one at a time and see what you like.  Silo has some cool stuff as well, though it does not have an internal renderer.  ZBrush is awesome and there are ways to get it on-sale.  I am a member of DAZ and got ZBrush about 50% off.

[lightning]

you should try autodesk mudbox its awesome its way easier to use than zbrush so much more logical

[dandelO]

Modo's renderer is fantastically fast and realistic. The UI, on a learning basis for me, was fantastically slow. It's a very technical program, not a point-and-clicker by any means.
The GI accuracy and calculation speed, though, blows anything I've seen out of the water.

[Confusoid]

Take a look at 3D-Coat as well. The developer Andrew is awesome.   

http://www.3d-coat.com/

[rcallicotte]

One way to try a package is to get a small project and use the 30-day interim of free usage to create the package.  It will tell you about the package and yourself.

For example, Modo has $25 modeling packages that include everything you need and the 302 tutorials would be the way to go.  There's a car, one for furniture and a couple of other cool small projects (keep with the 302 tutorials, though, since their tailor-made).  I've found these tutorials very helpful and Andy (the person who put these particular models togther) very willing to help.

[Seth]

you should try autodesk mudbox its awesome its way easier to use than zbrush so much more logical

Why people in CGTalk use ZBrush if Autodesk is better ?

[lightning]

because mudbox is very new and not very well known
you can get the trial and more info here
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=10707763&siteID=123112
at $299 its also 200 bux cheaper than zbrush

[Moose]

Take a look at 3D-Coat as well. The developer Andrew is awesome.   

http://www.3d-coat.com/

Yes, I was really impressed with this from the thread on CGTalk - http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=59&t=667648 - Possibly a MB / ZB killer if Andrew maintains his current development pace.

I haven't tried the trial yet though - but it's on my list...

[rcallicotte]

Yep.  3D-Coat looks interesting and it's interesting to hear Moose's inside info.  Thanks Confusoid.

In some cases (maybe most?), it almost doesn't matter what software.  It's the talent - http://miketartworks.cgsociety.org/gallery/ [edit - But, the software does matter.  Some packages are just convoluted and give me all thumbs.]