Wings vs. Blender for architectural poly modeling

[JPGargoyle]

Hi!

If you want to model machinery, having total control on dimensions and using basically geometric shapes to construct your objects I would give a try at PovRay (http://www.povray.org).
It's a freeware ray-tracer, but it doesn't have a modeller; all is defined using its SDL (scene description language) wich has the advantage of giving you total control over the objects you create, and that allows you to automate the creation of large numbers of similar objects like a programming language, but than can be a little hard to learn and use, since there isn't a "visual" way of creating the objects, and if you never used a programming language.
But if you have the will and time to learn it and study it and go through the tutorials and reference, I think it can be of some help.

Some images created with PovRay:
Doll House (http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2002-02-28/dhouse39.jpg)
The Chess Game (http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2001-04-30/gt_chess.jpg)
First Strike at Pearl (http://oz.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/1998-12-31/strike.jpg)
The Wet Bird (http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2000-04-30/gt_city.jpg)
Drunk Patrol (http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2000-04-30/drunkpat.jpg)

I hope this can help :)


Best regards.

P.S.: PovRay also supports radiosity (but still in an experimental phase)
If you want a just a modeling solution with a very good degree of precision and control, rendering things in other apps (and spending some money :P) I would go for Rhinoceros (http://www.rhino3d.com/)

[KayosIII]

If I was to characterise Blender for modelling I would say low level.... Typically Nurbs is the best toolset for doing this type of work - Rhino is well liked for these sorts of tasks... (I use Realsoft3d)

Wings can be stretched to do this kind of work but like you said it is not one of its strengths.. You can put in numerical entries in by pressing TAB in any operation if that helps.

[SheepFactory]

wow those povray renders , especially wet bird are very very nice!

[emack]

Originally posted by KayosIII
If I was to characterise Blender for modelling I would say low level.... Typically Nurbs is the best toolset for doing this type of work - Rhino is well liked for these sorts of tasks... (I use Realsoft3d)


What do you mean by low level? If it had good basic poly modeling tools (extrude a 2D section, bevel edges, increase local mesh density, extrude polygons, split polygons, perhaps booleans) and the ability to selectively hide parts of the model to allow access to the other parts I think I could make it work.

I've been trying a nurbs modeler (the stock modeler in ElectricImage.) The solids are great, but the problem is tesselating a mesh. The tesselator generates strangely shaped triangles which causes artifacting in the radiosity solver. I want something that gives me explicit manual control over how the polygons are knit together so I can go in and fix the problem directly. FormZ would be perfect, but my software budget hit its max after EI, Photoshop, and After Effects so I'm checking out the open source modelers like Wings and Blender. I've heard of K3D as well, but have no experience with it.

The Blender short Out Of Memory is quite impressive and was apparently modeled nearly completely within Blender, so perhaps that is a good indication of its capabilities.

[SheepFactory]

well if you dont need 100% precision you can use whatever you like. I model most of my hard surface stuff with wings.

[JPGargoyle]

Originally posted by Sheep Factory
I model most of my hard surface stuff with wings.

Want a "harder surface" than this one? ;)

Modeled in Wings and rendered with PovRay.

Wire:
http://jpgargoyle.f2o.org/3dstuff/wings3d/diamante/DiamWings.gif

Without Material:
http://jpgargoyle.f2o.org/3dstuff/povray/diamante/DiamNoText.jpg

Material Test 1:
http://jpgargoyle.f2o.org/3dstuff/povray/diamante/DiamTest01.jpg

Material Test 2:
http://jpgargoyle.f2o.org/3dstuff/povray/diamante/DiamTest02.jpg

Nothing fancy, but I hope you like it :D


Best regards.

[blindsleeper]

Originally posted by JPGargoyle
Hi!

If you want to model machinery, having total control on dimensions and using basically geometric shapes to construct your objects I would give a try at PovRay (http://www.povray.org).
It's a freeware ray-tracer, but it doesn't have a modeller; all is defined using its SDL (scene description language) wich has the advantage of giving you total control over the objects you create, and that allows you to automate the creation of large numbers of similar objects like a programming language, but than can be a little hard to learn and use, since there isn't a "visual" way of creating the objects, and if you never used a programming language.
But if you have the will and time to learn it and study it and go through the tutorials and reference, I think it can be of some help.

Some images created with PovRay:
Doll House (http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2002-02-28/dhouse39.jpg)
The Chess Game (http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2001-04-30/gt_chess.jpg)
First Strike at Pearl (http://oz.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/1998-12-31/strike.jpg)
The Wet Bird (http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2000-04-30/gt_city.jpg)
Drunk Patrol (http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2000-04-30/drunkpat.jpg)

I hope this can help :)


Best regards.

P.S.: PovRay also supports radiosity (but still in an experimental phase)
If you want a just a modeling solution with a very good degree of precision and control, rendering things in other apps (and spending some money :P) I would go for Rhinoceros (http://www.rhino3d.com/)

true Povray has no modeller, but it does have a sister program called Moray, decent little modeller, used to used it back in the day before i bought 3d studio
link is here:
Moray (http://www.stmuc.com/moray/index.html)

[nospline]

You have a very valid consideration re- input for calibration and measurements...

I sat back and gave this some thought... at first I wanted to defend Wings by throwing forth the suggestion that one should think of Wings as a 3D concept design modeler when it comes to using such for the design of architecture... yea, that's it I thought.... but alas... why would one model without having measurements to work with... concept or not, having precise measurements is a requirement for this type of design need...

ah man... now I wait before attempting further in this direction... thanks alot eh :D :D

naw, if it's just for a cool grafx or scene and you can accomodate via eyeballing things then wings is the logical choice for certain areas no doubt... but...

this is like suggesting one should pound in a 12 inch spike with a finishing hammer... I mean it will do the job but... in all reality there are far better programs for the job... heck there are cheapie buy them off the shelve home design apps which though are not going to give you the ability to design organic critters or what have ya, but... they will allow you to chunk out some archi... in no time flat... complete with materials and cost lists if ya want... just be sure what file formats they save to... bring things into your fav texture and render app and voila...

just a thought

[BgDM]

Well, I personally use Blender and I like it for this type of stuff. You just need to be patient with it.

Go to www.blender.org to download it and just give it a try.

Blender does have limitations on it's built in radiosity solver, but you can export to Yafray, (www.yafray.org), and get fantastic results. Just look at some of the images posted in the forum there and you will see what I mean.

BgDM

[archrendr]

If you are not concerned about highly accurate nurbs then look into Turbocad - v8 or 9. I use it all the time for architectural cad developed solid modeler (booleans are very excellent) and then finish up with Cinema4D as a renderer and for any left over nurbs or subdiv surfaces modeling. TCAD is relatively cheap and the older versions can be had for a song - even free for about version 6 or so.

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.