3-D BLENDER

[dalelpaq]

I am using AE CS3 but have plans to upgrade to CS4 in the very near future. At least with CS3, one function that is painfully missing is the ability to create genuine 3-D text. Perhaps between PS CS4 and AE CS4 this is now possible.

That said, there is a way to do it in CS3 - but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I have long had Blender on my PC but had never used it. Blender is a full function 3-D animation program that is open sourced and absolutely free. Although reputed to be very powerful, it is also reputed to have an incomprehensible UI and an extraordinarily steep learning curve. But, it can do remarkable things with 3-D text.

The question is (or was), is Blender worth the time and effort needed to learn it?

Recently, I discovered a series of Blender video tutorials on Creative Cow by Paolo Ciccone. In a matter of just a few weeks, his tutorials together with Gumster's "Blender for Dummies," I have learned not only how to make 3-D text, but how to model sophisticated 3-D spaceships and mid-evil castles. When I say a few weeks - that's not 24/7, that's a couple of hours a day!

So, what am I trying to say? If you have any interest in 3-D modeling (yes, and animation with AE camera data output), and don't feel like putting out the many hundreds of dollars needed for more recognizable 3-D programs like Maya, download Blender and check out Paolo's tutorials. I think you'll be amazed at how logical the UI actually is (it's like anything else doing with computers, the more you learn the easier it is to learn more!), how powerful the program is, and how easy it is to do at least some pretty fancy stuff to support your AE work. Dale

[momoffduty]

Thanks Dale for the review on Blender. I watched an AE tut that made a faux 3d text by using layers and tried it out. Wasn't happy with the results. Thanks for the Blender tuts tips.

[tiny]

Thanks for the tip. CS4 still has no true 3D text creation ability. There are a lot of tutorials out there for AE that require a 3D modeling program to complete the tutorial. I've always wanted to learn how to use one of those 3D programs, but like you said, the free program comes off as incomprehensible. Your story gives me hope though, so maybe when I have free time I will give the blender tutorials a try. Thanks!

[Chuck Engels]

The tutorials on Blender at Lynda.com are excellent as well. They really help give you a jump start on a program that is very intimidating to start with.

[Bob]

Yes, the basics are pretty straight forward and those Creative Cow tutorials will definitely help get you going. Especially if you are just going to be using it to create 3D text with basic shading and lighting. If you are at all curious, you should watch the tutorials and give it a try. (You know you want to. ) The Cow tutorials only lightly scratch the surface. It gets a lot more complicated when you start going beyond the basics.

I'm curious to see what CS5 brings to the table. The last two versions have added a substantial amount of 3D support. I expect that we will see more 3D capability in this new release. And, that's true of After Effects as well as Photoshop. April 12 is right around the corner.

[dalelpaq]

I agree about CS5. I promised myself I'd upgrade to 4 as soon as my tax returns were back. Thank you IRS for taking your time. I'm not sure what Adobe would do for me if I purchased 4 only to have 5 pop out so soon after.

Right now. looks like I'll be adding another internal drive, loading Win 7 64 bits, and install another 4 G RAM (that's the best I can do with this PC. Then, I guess, CS5.

As for Blender, it does get more complicated as you go a little deeper. I'm wondering if anyone has fooled around with Maya or its likes - other that perhaps a more conventional UI, is it really easier?

Dale