Originally I had planned to download the 30 day trial copy of Zbrush to see how I like it and give it a go before committing to purchase. Then I would purchase it and learn it and then after a period of time I would move on to the next application on the list, which I had set at being Lightwave.
As I continue to read about and learn about the different software programs and what they can do and how people are using them and the ease of adding a particular product to a pipeline, I find myself re-evaluating my original plan. Such has turned out to be the case with Lightwave. And it was helped along by the discovery of access to an extended trial period for Lightwave.
I had thought of Zbrush for modeling and figured that a good place to start. Got to have a model to put into a scene. From reading about it and watching tutorials I’ve a suspicion that it may not be as effective for full scene creation and walk through. One of the things I read pointed out that Lightwave, in addition to being great for layout and effects, does modeling as well. And supposedly it is easy to pick up and, the tools for modeling are as robust as for Layout. Hmm. Maybe I want to rethink my options.
If I’m going to spend x amount on a program that has a single focus, is it going to be worth it if I can spend more and get a program that does that and more? It may be, but it’s my money and a hefty amount of it so I’d like to be certain, or at least comfortable with my decision.
It turns out that a copy of 3DArtist Magazine, that I picked up a few months ago, included a special 90 day trial for Lightwave. What if I could evaluate the modeling experience in both programs, concurrently? Fortunately the 90 day trial period starts from when you register the product, not from when the magazine was published so I was able to download it, install it and run it. Next up was documentation. I know there are video tutorials and they are good. I wanted something more basic. What tools are available and where are they sort of thing. Hey, I’ve already done/tried the ‘just open the program and start using it’ approach. I’ve got a concussion from beating my head against the metaphorical wall. I’m doing it differently this time.
I’m a little more than a third of the way through the manual on Modeler. There are also manuals for Layout and Surface and Rendering. So far I’ve found some cool tools, a couple I’ve tried and some I can’t wait to try.
I am still planning on trying Zbrush. However, instead of getting the trial at the end of this week I may wait one more week so that 30 days overlaps more of my upcoming time off from work.
I’m glad I’ve taken this slight detour. It’s helped me stay focused on my plan and helped keep me enthusiastic about it. When it comes time for me to commit the cash, I think it’s going to be a tough choice for where it goes first.