It intrigues me how real these images look. I know nothing about 3D art but the more I keep seeing it on DA the more I want to get my own software package and have a go. What is the most basic, but still good, package that you would recommend? I'd quite like the idea of doing 3D interiors too so I'd need something that covers a bit of everything...like I said, I know zilch about 3D so wouldn't know where to start...

--
My stock account - ~MirandaRose-Stock
My OOAK doll and Miniatures account - ~Forestina

Enter my contest! ***TIME***. See my journal for details! Closing date December 31st!

I think the best 3D package for beginners is Bryce 3D, from DAZ software. It's about $99, and the GUI is very interactive and it's relatively simple yet powerful. If you look at my gallery almost all my older works were done in Bryce, or with Bryce and Photoshop. You'll need a decent knowledge of 2D apps like Photoshop to get much done in 3D as well...

I'm glad you like my latest images, even if they're just sketches!

--
Commodore 64 @ 1MHz
64KB RAM
1541 Floppy Drive

"I am the Storm."

Thanks for the advice! I'll have to check out Bryce.

--
My stock account - ~MirandaRose-Stock
My OOAK doll and Miniatures account - ~Forestina

Enter my contest! ***TIME***. See my journal for details! Closing date December 31st!

Of course I can't but agree with you

--
<sub>"You know, Alan, Bev is the woman of my dreams."
"Why?"
"She's an angel in bed and a whore in the kitchen."
"I thought it was the other way around."
"Not yesterday night."

[Danny Crane and Alan Shore, in "Boston Legal"]</sub>

Great terrains and materials.

Now, because I'm having a bit of problem myself... how much RAM do you have on your system?

I'm currently using a 64bit Vista with 4 GB.

--
<sub>"You know, Alan, Bev is the woman of my dreams."
"Why?"
"She's an angel in bed and a whore in the kitchen."
"I thought it was the other way around."
"Not yesterday night."

[Danny Crane and Alan Shore, in "Boston Legal"]</sub>

I'm running 6GB at home. Vue is still considerably less stable than Bryce or even Maya for that matter, but after a few crashes per scene you'll get a feel for why it crashes, or what makes the scene die...

Having 64-bit Vista with 4GB of RAM isn't going to help you though, my friend. A 64-bit OS is designed specifically to go past the 4GB barrier of a 32-bit OS. You'd do just as well with 32-bit Windows and Vue, but RAM is really cheap these days. Take it to 6GB or 8GB and you'll notice a vast difference in Vue's performance.

Good luck either way, feel free to ask questions or critique my work, your opinion means a lot to me! If you need any help with Vue, send me a message?

--
Commodore 64 @ 1MHz
64KB RAM
1541 Floppy Drive

"I am the Storm."

I absolutely think you're right.

XSI doesn't need to much RAM, so until now I've been more than satisfied with it. But, nonetheless, buying another 4 Gigs doesn't seem a bad idea

--
<sub>"You know, Alan, Bev is the woman of my dreams."
"Why?"
"She's an angel in bed and a whore in the kitchen."
"I thought it was the other way around."
"Not yesterday night."

[Danny Crane and Alan Shore, in "Boston Legal"]</sub>

Aye, Softimage is very efficient compared to the others. Maya of course is a RAM hog, but at least if Maya crashes, you'll have a full report on why and how. Vue gives us no such help; it's mostly trial and error, especially with Ecosystems.

But the results can be amazing, with patience and time!

--
Commodore 64 @ 1MHz
64KB RAM
1541 Floppy Drive

"I am the Storm."

XSI has a wonderful crash-recovery system. It's very rare to lose something after one crash. I will definitely double my RAM.

--
<sub>"You know, Alan, Bev is the woman of my dreams."
"Why?"
"She's an angel in bed and a whore in the kitchen."
"I thought it was the other way around."
"Not yesterday night."

[Danny Crane and Alan Shore, in "Boston Legal"]</sub>