Alternative modelling package

Awesome! Thank you.

And for hard surface in zbrush check out the eat3d hard surface tutorials.

http://eat3d.com/zbrush_hardsurface
http://eat3d.com/zbrush_hardsurface2

cinema 4d and moi all i need, the tools might be ageing but really you can model anything you like if you need too

These look amazing. I'm hooked. Zbrush here I come.....

I agree wholeheartedly. Decimation Master works amazingly well and I can generally get even very detailed models down to the 50k-100k poly level. At that point it doesn't slow down my workflow (as long as it's a hero object and not dozens or more). But it does become an issue if you have to deform the object and that's where some combination of retopo, normal maps, and displacement usually comes in.

Even then, more often than not I start out with a rough model I've created in C4D -- especially if it involves hard surface modeling.

Cinema 4D is very good at procedural modeling actually, but it has some lacks at subdivision modeling, too much clicks, selections for modeling process. ( Ex: To cut an edge in the middle you have to activate snapping tool and choose midpoint snapping, instead of just holding shift and click like other apps.) But there are plenty of good plug-ins (mostly free) makes your job a lot easier.

Or ring select (edge select) + edge cut.
Many different ways to do the same thing in c4d i guess.

Imo c4d actually does pretty well in keeping the clicks needed to a minimum... especially compared to modo.

The only thing holding Cinema's modeler back, IMHO, is the poor bevel tool and the lack of Boolean fillets. If those two things were fixed it would eliminate about 75% of the occasions where I have to resort to Rhino.

Agreed, I think also some enhancements to the selection tools, like selecting alternate or pattern points/polys/edges/loops, more flexible loop selections and now that would be a nice upgrade. Related to modelling - licensing Pixar Sub-Ds would be great for efficiency too, I'm hoping one day that'll go open source...

cheers
brasc

C4Ds modeling is way better than people say. Nevertheless I use Blender for poly modeling as I like the workflow better, 3D Coat for sculpting and retopo and MOI for Nurbs. Zbrush and Rhino, too sometimes.

@Brasco

As far as I know OpenSubdiv is already open source

http://graphics.pixar.com/opensubdiv/overview.html

I submitted the link with a feature request to Maxon a little while ago – it would be good if others could do the same

Regarding modelling: perhaps it's because I haven't modelled in anything else for such a long time but I really enjoy modelling in Cinema. Sure, it would be great to have a better bevel tool, filleted booleans, more robust symmetry options, better soft selections, improved selection tools etc. But I rarely find that I come up against a modelling problem that has no solution either with Cinema's tools or one of the many available (and mostly free) scripts/plugins that are out there.

I see plenty of examples of talented C4D users producing stunning work with the software – perhaps they're more focussed on what Cinema can do rather than what it can't…

Hi, whilst very awesome (also requested a little while ago ), I didn't think that was the same as Pixar Subdivision Surface in Modo, which keeps the mesh very efficient only ever adding divisions where necessary unlike an HN where we can get unnecessarily dense meshes. If that is somewhere in that OpenSubdiv code, that'd kill two birds with one stone

cheers
brasc

My opinion is that since R13 and now R14 c4d has become a very solid modeller. ther is things missing (proper bevel, better selectiontools, better symmetry) but the groundwork for a great modelling tool is there and the missing gaps can be closed by using plugins. what i love about modelling in c4d is that you can choose and combine procedual modelling with polygonal modeling in a very flexible way. polygonal modeling does only requiere a minimum of clicks. shortcuts are your friend.
procedual modeling is just awesome in so many cases. you make a mesh based on a spline. than you clone that mesh..after that you deform the hole thing and make some final touches with the correction deformer or camera deformer...also you can use the collision deformer great for modeling. there is so much possible and in a flexible way.
since r13 i use c4d for modeling exclusivly (with some zbrush excurses)

edit: right i want these pixarsubdivs. thes are missing in c4d

agree with you. I've never seen such a good procedural modeling in any other software. But i want to add your list the knife tool.

Lastly i modeled a very high detailed laptop. C4D made a pretty good job. Only i had trouble was loop cut and vertex sliding.

Neil, the interface seems cluttered but it's all fully customizable trays with tools in them. Once you learn what you need and what you don't you can dump the other stuff clearing up the UI. It's all gonna work out once you get over the intimidation of seeing all those tools everywhere, everyone does.