3D modelling and the programs you can use.

(written according to the knowledge of the writer)

As the owner of several great 3D games and utilities (Shipsim, Guildwars, Google Earth etc.)

I always had an urge to create ojects for games and programs that I like, with a silent dream to be able to use some of my own objects in my own games (like mods personal use and own risk). This became a weird QUEST to find the school and knowledge to be able to build in 3D. I think I succeeded in that, but at the end of this story, you get the answer we were all waiting for…

The Ship Simulator Forum triggered my “I want to build in 3D” wish!

On the Ship Simulator Forum was a post “Ship Modellers wanted!”

On how to build an actual ship was no good reply. A good cook never shares the ingredients that attract customers. That may also be the reason why VSTEP and Ship Simulator tell you not much; The effect could be that all Ship Simulator owners unite, and build their own Ship Simulator game! That would be bad for the extra income for VSTEP!

That may be the reason why adspirant modellers are directed to a program they can not afford, but do we really need Autodesk to build a hull?

The answer is, no we don’t have to.

Ship Modellers wanted!

This request triggered it all, what is needed to build a ship, and how do I offer my model?

So plain: Find a 3d editor, and make sure you can write 3ds files!

It took until now to find the better answers that can help other people to get to build something for their own in virtual 3D.

So for global interaction it is important that you are able to write files in 3ds format. That is the only important fact, because it can be comaped with building cars, you can build a car anywhere on Earth, but you can only drive on land. You can build ships in many programs, it can only sail in a simulator or game.

So if you search for a 3D editor, you want to have a program that can read and write 3ds.

3D Editors that I know and worked with.

I started with a program Delftship, a trial version that can not save, but it is a so called “solid” that work as a stand alone and work with its own extention that is hard to expert to other programs Note: This is 2007!, and I still have the software on a disk J

Above: Screenshot from Delftship. In the windows taskbar next to the VLC player Vstep, the initiator for this you read. Next to it the internet explorer button to Autocad in Wikipedia, and next to that Delftship, and the first ship I made; This ship will come back in this scripture, I know it personal, and since Ship Simulator 2006, I had a wish to rebuild this little ship. More to read about it (in Dutch) www.robenrinie.nl/vergetenschip.htm .

Carrara

DAZ3D has several 3D editors, of what Carrara is the top model. The latest version (Carrara 8) is however build for 64bit machines with a 64 bit platform. This makes it for most people impossible to use it, however the price of the program itself affordable is; the empty full program cost near $60, and you can do almost anything with it, but you miss the extra’s that the more expensive versions of Carrara cost. There is however a flaw; Carrara 7 Pro was sold by DAZ, and the version was no longer supported. The software “disappeared silently” form the stores and the internet, and is now probably part of a big commercial program, or it is sold because it came to close (or was even better) than Max3D! There was a time that there was a Max3D, and no one ever heared of Autodesk before. To make a long story short, I bought an old Carrara 7 Pro serial from the internet, and it can do the same as Autodesk. There are still copies of Carrara 5 and 6 available in stores on and offline, but they cost in a full version almost up to €300. The program can write 3ds files import and export them.

Above: Screenshot of Carrara 7 Pro. Advantage of this program it can also work in metric standard from meter up to millimetres. This make the program very accurate. The layout is as most 3d editors. It can however write less extensions than AC3D.

AC3D

Inivis comes with AC3D, a program I bought in 2008. It is still the program I use to construct fast without measurements, compare it with sketching, I save the sketch in 3ds, and import it in a more stable program. AC3D is a good program, but since it is programmed with broke figures, it easily make mistakes while importing a saved file. So once you made a small part you can save it without a problem, but in a project like my project Pico (Pico is the name of the ship on official document concerning the max load of the ship) do not last in the AC3D environment. If you open a full project, most of the time the vertices are open and the ship is leak. For fast modelling it still is my favourite, I know the program by now. Bought begin 2008, but it took till the end of 2008 to run it; you need a good graphic card, enough ram and processor speed, which I did not have in the beginning, so it took ours to build something small, far from ideal. At this moment I use it as sketch and help program next to Carrara 7.

Above AC3D v6.something I is a layout that I can work with. I understand all functions and they are on a common place. I also work with it for 2 years an became very familiar with it.

Autodesk 3D max

In my opinion the same as the above programs. A program like Autodesk en Carrera can render your creations to a picture or movie. This is however graphic and processor demanding operation that can take long if you have an average home computer.

I run 3D Max 9, but it does not run good; 3D Max is a real 32 bits program, and most computers with 32 bit platform work in fact with 16 bit programs. This makes that most 3D Max programs will not run as expected on home computers. Carrara and AC3D both are made to work with a 16 bit operating system. So these programs are preferable if you work from a home computer. Reason why it work with me, is that I have Vista, and that can emulate 32 bit programs better than XP, and platforms weaker than XP can not even run this program. They can also not play Ship Simulator. This makes Ship Simulator a perfect chance to see what your computer can or can not; If you can run Ship Simulator 2006, you will be able to use an 3D editor!

Above Autodesk 3D Max 9, the layout is in fact the same as the average good 3D editor, with all most used functions under a mousclick in the program bars. Compared to the other programs it can not do much more than Carrara or AC3D. So if you make 3D objects for any use, Autodesk is no pre.

Blender and others do not run with vista. So no information on that ones at hand But they all work the same way.

There is a whole list of 3D editors, but some are just for Mac, others are outdated or not able to write 3ds files. I see no reason mentioning them here.

The rest is up to you, as a 3D creator you chose what suit and fits your needs. Like choose a car. And that final decision is made by you. But if you make the right decision you kan make anything in 3d and save it as 3ds file! But what then?

The Sailing Secret

I will tell you the secret. People that make 3D programs, may use any editor they like, that is no big deal, as long as they write 3ds files it is ok.

The thing you need, that cost all the money is one of the versions of QUEST 3D, the cheapest is €1250,00 and you need this to give actual force to your models. Hydrodynamics and all other forces involved in shipping in general can be generated by this program. This program would make it possible to make my own mod and sail my little Pico project in my own Ship Simulator games.

I said in 2007 I will find a way, I tell you now again (2010) I’ll find a way.

Rob Cassteele Koedijk