Comparison: Hexagon, Zbrush and Blender ...
boni_m_ab7b32f625
Posts: 113
Detailed texturing, both in mapping and mesh handling. How do you see each of these doing these ... Hexagon in particular.
I appreciate all of you input. Of course I need to add this is all geared towards both character and clothing creation for marketing.
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Hex is good for basic work.. It is easy to learn and even though it has flaws (crashes and so forth) it is still very popular with PA's for at least part of the work flow. Blender does loads and is free. It is also complex to learn and non intuitive for many people. Zbrush is awesome, expensive and difficult to learn but worth it if you do. I would say for many people who do characters they just use zbrush and a paint program of some sort. People who do clothes often do the base modeling in a traditional modeler and add the detailing in zbrush. I only know of one PA that uses blender at all.
Thank you. Do you know if Blender would have Zbrush skills in detailing,and matching up seams. Or is there another solution Frankly I can't afford Zbrush.
I'm not sure. I am one of those people who is baffled by blender. Nor can I afford zxbrush so I only know how amazing it is second hand.
You might look at substance live by Allegorithmic. It is well priced and you can pay a monthly fee till it is paid off.
In my experience, fixing seams is best done when the texture is on the 3d model, so almost any 3d program that allows you to view and paint or project on a 3d model will be good. That said, ZBrush works in a state called polypaint which must then be baked. It is a different workflow and ZB can be daunting.
I actually like Blender, but as with any 3d program, you have to try it yourself to see if it's a match made in heaven or hell. It has painting and projection capability and is, of course, free.
I can't speak to Hex, I'm afraid.
You could look at - Pilgway Studios is glad to announce 3D-Coat 4.5 !
They have a sale going till June 15, 2015 .
Thank you ... very much, you've given me a lot of information I can use. :)
My very best advice with all of this is try out the ones you think you might be able to afford and see if any have a UI that grabs you. No matter which one you pick your going to be doing tutorials and so forth for a while because they all have some level of complexity.
You could also try Blacksmith3d. It is very nice for texturing DAZ/Poser characters as it imports *duf and *.cr2 files natively (among other formats). You can paint on your models without ever thinking about texture seams and it supports texture painting for Diffuse, Transparency, Bump, Displacement, Specular and Glossy maps. It features a "quick render"-view, so you can test your maps without exporting. It is frequently on sale with ~40-50% off (not right now though) and you can use Rendo coupons, so you can get it pretty cheap if youre patient (I got the "Pro"-version for <100$, when it's on sale and you could get the "standard edition" for ~50$ I think.)</p>
While it excells in texturing (the "brush tiling" and cloning features are very advanced and useful), it also includes features for morphing , making it a nice all-in-one tool for character creation.
There is a free demo version available which includes al the features except for saving and exporting, so you could try it out and see if you like it.
I can not compare it to Hexagon or ZBrush (just like you, I would love to buy it, but can't afford it right now), because I dont own them.
I tried Texture Painting in Blender and while it works well for Textures up until 2048x2048 I experienced extreme lag when painting on 4096 maps, which made it pretty useless for me when I tried to texture DAZ/Poser characters.
I know Blacksmith is very popular with some character designers. More so at renderosity than here I think.
Yes, that's probably true. Might change now with native duf-import, but who knows. I just brought it up, because Zooks asked if there are other solutions and nobody mentioned Blacksmith3d
A lot to consider. Thank you very much. :)
I hope you find the right software for you :)
I would go with Hexagon first, and then Blender, like you I am a beginner, I found that Blender is hard to learn, but if you learn Hexagon first, Blender will make more sense.
I have been at Hexagon for 2 weeks and only now can I make simple things for Daz, learning to texture models in Hexagon and then retexture them in Daz is next.
Hiya.
Blender GUI and workflow, like others, is fairly baffeling to me as well. And the people in charge of writing the code (the "Blender Coders"), seem to be deathly alergic to anyting that even hints at a modern interface or workflow. In short, you have to be subserviant to the software... you can't readily, easily, or consistantly make the software work "your way". It's Blender's way or the highway, to put it simply.
Hexagon is awesome...when it's not crashing. And some of Hex'es crashes are... "epic". As in, I've heard tales of someone working on a model, saving multiple versions, having a crash, and having that crash more or less 'retroactively' mess up ALL the models with that name. It may have been a case of the model having some particular operation done that introduced a "time bomb" type crash; where, eventually, the model WILL crash and corrupt...and if this "time bomb" is in an early version, then ALL the version will crash and corrupt at some point. Thankfully I've never had it be this extensive. However, I do find crashes...perplexing....in Hexagon. There is no rhyme or reason to them, and they can come out of left field. I have had "time bomb" crashing...but luckily only on the latest version of whatever model I was working on. I just had to go back to an earlier one and hope I don't reintroduce that "time bomb" again. But, honestly, for the few bucks that Hexagon will cost you...it's easily worth a shot.
ZBrush. One word: 3d'gasm. I have owned ZBrush since the very onset of v3 (around 2007 or 2008). Initially it took a lot of "play for a half hour, then stop" method of learning. Too much to take in in one go. Small chunks and not worrying about producing anything of value (e.g., just "messing around with buttons and stuff") was definitly the way to go at that time. Now, however, the HUGE amount of quality training, tutorials, video's, help files, etc for ZBrush would make learning it about on par with any other serious software. The company, Pixologic, is, simply put, the best company I've evern had the pleasure of dealing with. They are down to earth guys, and they treat their customers like actual people. They don't assume that a customer is "ripping them off" when said customer has a crash, reformat, crash, reformat, crash, new HD, reformat windows, reinstal problem (...I don't want to talk about it...lets just say I had a pretty bad two-month stint with my computer a couple years ago). They gave me a free 5 licenses just to cover me so if it happened again I'd be set. That's right...*5* free licenses for my own use, so I didn't have to keep requesting license activation and all that. Oh, and so far, since 2007, we (all ZBrush users) have never had to pay for an upgrade! That's right. *8* freaking years up free software updates. And we're not talking little bug fixes... some of the updates were full-on HUGE rewrites (like when they switched from 32-bit to 64-bit, for example). All free. I know you said you can't afford ZBrush. But honestly, if I broke down how much per year I've paid for ZBrush, it's come to somewhere around $65. ZBrush is worth it's weight in gold as far as I'm concerned. You will NOT be dissapointed... I also believe they have a free month-long month-and-a-half (45 day) demo you can DL. Here: http://pixologic.com/zbrush/trial/ So, get an old mayonaise jar and put "ZBrush Fund" in pen on the top. Start dropping in change and a few bucks every paycheck. When you have enough money... go buy ZBrush. :)
^_^
Paul L. Ming
I'm pretty much a noob to 3D , but i really didn't find Blender that difficult. I'll agree that the interface is crap though. I think that they assume that one would have some experience in modeling beforehnd. Hex is a bit more user friendly i've found , and crashing aside can be pretty useful. Z- brush is a bit ot of my price range, but there's no rush since i'm still learning and wont be ready to actually use it for a while anyway.
Personally, I prefer Blender; but the ease of getting items in and out of Daz using the bridge make Hexagon great.
Blender, if you spend a little time learning the many, many keyboard short-cuts, is very powerful and efficient. There is a lot to learn, but the same can be said for any 3D modelling package.
Hiya!
The "I'm pretty much a noob to 3D..." is probably why you didn't find Blender difficult. You had no experience, so you had no previous knowledge of "standardized" keys, terms and workflow. I always describe Blender as something like A program, with the GUI designed by a Sweed, programmed by an Italian, with modeling tools written by a Ugoslovian, packaged by a Japanese, and translated into english by a Russian. ;) In short, it's like the "right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing" as far as standardization goes.
I've heard the same thing you stated from a lot of "3D newbs". They don't know the typical hotkeys for regular opperations (like using W, E, R or X, C, V for Move/Translate, Rotate, Scale), or even standard Windows shortcuts (for Windows users, eaily the most populous OS on the planet as far as 'users' go)... Ctrl-A is "Select All" in virtuallly every windows product I've ever owned, but not in Blender. Ctrl-X and Ctrl-V for Copy and Paste? Nope. Not in Blender. The actual 3D workflow is also a major hurdle for experienced users who are used to being able to use a hotkey to select edges, vertecies, faces, objects, or to switch to Translate, Rotate or Scale with the press of a button. Blender has hotkeys for edges being...er... wait. I don't think there even is one. I think you have to actually click the little "Edge" button on the bottom or bring up the 'right click floating menu' and slect Edges (is that even standard?) As you can see, I still can't remember even the most basic of things about Blender... and I've been trying to learn it off and on since the NeoGeo and NAN days. (don't feel bad if you don't know what I'm talking about...it was back in/around 2000 or so).
Anyway, if you 've never really "gotten into 3D", then definitly learn blender first if you don't want to spend money and you don't mind a program that is hapazardly developed. Not badly developed...the Blender Foundation is freaking awesome... but it isn't developed with the same "customer feedback" type of devlopment. Blender does what it thinks is best for Blender...if you don't like it, too bad.
One day I'll get Blender configured to work my way (or mostly my way) and I'll be lovin' it to pieces! That day hasn't quite gotten here...getting a LOT closer, but not quite here yet.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
Hello Zooks.
When I first used Hexagon it was because Zbrush lacked some basic 3d modeling tools, thats way back in the times of Zbrush 1.5b, alot has changed since.
Hexagon has most essential modeling tools to create most things, iv created complete figures in Hexagon, so its capable. Hexagon is not too strong on its Uv Mapping, painting, but can sculpt basic forms which is essential for getting the basic shapes for organic objects. (See my video comparison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC7kKWR6Nws)
Learning path:
Hexagon is considerably easier to learn than Zbrush, iv just had the advantage of growing with Zbrush from its early days, for the new user it would seem a huge task if it wasnt for the fact that so many good tutorials are available, and Pixologic has produce excellent learning aids from their site. Hexagon is still a more straight forward modeler than the modeling tools found in Zbrush 4r7, so although its advanced in that department, id stick to using both together.
Organic/Hard surface
Where Zbrush really shines is in character modeling, or any organic forms, and its ability to create a compete character from scratch including the Uvs, and texture maps, but it does not mean that all is perfect in Zbrush either. Its modeling tools are handy to do edits, but I wouldn't at the this stage in my understanding and use of Zmodeler replace a traditional modeling package like Hexagon. Hexagon paints directly onto maps only, where as Zbrush has the ability to project directly onto maps via Zapplink which works with the likes of Photoshop 2D painting, as well as Polypainting, painting directly on the model in 3D. Hexagon can modeling organic or Hard surface, so if cars, bikes e.c.t is your thing id rather use Hexagon.
Painting:
Where Hexagon stops on its basic painting tools, Zbrush moves way ahead with the large combination of brushes, alphas, and settings to refine the brushes. Without going into detail Zbrush painting tools are very good, and are way ahead of what your find in Hexagon. Although Zbrush can produce all texture maps, we still dont have the slots to place, and view Specular, Reflection, SSS amount and other maps to visibly see direct results within Zbrush, but neither can Hexagon. You also have a unique set of tools to project photo textures onto your model, this cant be done in Hexagon. With Hexagon alone, you will need a basic 2D photo editing package to compliment it.
Sculpting:
Hexagon as I have already mentioned can do basic sculpting, which works fine, and get sthe basic forms in place, but of course Zbrush is miles ahead as it is to any other 3D all rounder modeling application, not even Maya or 3DS Max at their price point can compare in this area, this is where Zbrush shines in both high resolution sculpting, and speed.
Uv Mapping:
Hexagon can Uv map, but there are workflow issues, but it can be done. Zbrush can also do Uv Mapping, both automatically for quick use, or a more refined method for cleaner Uvs, however these are not as good as found in another applications like Modo, and certainly does not compare to Polygonal Design Unfold3D which is what I use.
Rendering:
Zbrush has its own native renderer which can produce some very nice results, and has a plugin which works with your own license or a special version of Keyshot which is way cheaper for the Zbrush version. Keyshot is a stunning renderer, it gives the best renders iv seen in such little time, and gives most other expensive render engines a close call, but it lacks features for compositing in the HD version, and the ability to work with other applications for Animation. Hexagon has no render engine, so this needs to be taken into account.
Price:
Hexagon is sold at only $19.95 at this current time, where as Zbrush is $795, a huge difference in pricing, but there is huge difference in features. Really they can not be compared fairly, but for the purpose of this thread I have done my best. When I purchased Zbrush a used copy, it cost me so little, and every update has been free since, however if I had to purchase Zbrush at its current price, and had the funds, Id purchase it without doubt.
Alternitives:
Dont limit yourself to just the ones you mentioned, Silo is not seen much attention, but is another good modeler, I tried Blender but havent the time to get upto speed with it, but its a very good choice for anyone getting into 3D who has the time to learn it, and has not come from the ways of other applications. Blender has grown, and is getting some great training, and its free. Modo is not cheap, but its very powerfull, and has been getting some huge updates to its package, one day it willl compete with Maya, or Max, but has some way in some areas.
Hope that helps Danny aka Tez.
I use Hexagon and ZBrush. ZBrush is mind boggling in what it can do and I've only use a few of it's features. The ability to create insert brushes, for example, and just drag features like twisted ropes around a shape and watch it stretch and cling to the surface is totally addictive. The way you can combine objects without the problems caused by boolean operations is also a great feature. As ZBrush said in some of their publicity "it's like Boolean, but it isn't".
However I still return to Hexagon for basic stuff that I can do so quickly. I also love Hexagon's interface and the way it's so easy to move around and I wish the way you can spin an object from the cursor keys was standard across 3D applications. I've also lost track of the number of times that I try and Zoom from the mouse button in ZBrush having swapped from Hexagon.
ZBrush's Decimate Plugin is superb in reducing the poly count of models without loosing detail and I often import models from ZBrush into Hexagon using this feature to prevent ZBrush's normal very high poly count bringing Hexagon to a standstill.
It's a tribute to Hexagon though that such an old and now extremely cheep application is even compared to ZBrush.
Blacksmith3d does work with Genesis 3 I took base model into it and it works. If someone would make a Easy interface for Blender everyone would use it.
Blender is not an app you can sit in front of a guess how it works, it's simply not possible to do that. You need to use the resources available on the web to make sense of it, and it's not the developers are oblivious to any perceived GUI design flaw, they present a specific set of tools for a specific reason, the interface is actually very thoughtfully laid out but when your unfamiliar with it it can appear daunting because you have no reference point as to the flexibility that is demanded because of Blenders versatility.
If you just want model Hex is great, if you just want to sculpt ZBrush is great, if you want to do both and considerably more Blender is great and free and has more available training resources than Hex and Zbrush combined.
I am that PA who uses Blender. ;) I also use Zbrush. One is not a good substitute for the other. I use Blender for base meshing, UV, and material assignment; I use Zbrush for sculpting displacement, some 3D painting, and mesh cleanup via its remesher feature.
The things that I use Blender for, you can generally use Hexagon for, and many do; the things I use Zbrush for are very hard to replace in any other program. Blender has these features, but they are much more poorly optimized and hard to use; Zbrush and Blender both require you to do research to learn how to use them (you can't flail around and figure it out, you will ruin your project).
I also own and use 3D Coat, and I use it for painting diffuse maps almost constantly; it's much easier to use than Zbrush (much cheaper as well) but I've never learned to use its sculpting features. It also has a great UV editor. I quit on Blacksmith 3D because to me it was harder to use than 3D Coat, but a lot of people do use and like it.
Can I use Blender and Hexagon alone to make my own prop or character for Daz? I couldn't afford any other 3D modeler at this time especially Zbrush.
Responding for Blender: Prop yes. It's great for modeling, UV, and limited normal maps/texturing from brushes once you're familiar with it. Character, eh. You can certainly sculpt character morphs in Blender very easily (and I usually do). You would have to start from a merchant resource and do it all in a 2D program for the skin. I would not recommend trying to composite from photos in Blender. It is technically possible but it is a big headache.
I know it's an ancient thread, but I just have to comment on a few things... :)
First, as far as products for DS or Poser go, you don't need anything else but Hexagon or, if you want to spend a good amount of time watching tutorials (to get past the still-horrid-disaster-that-masquerades-as-a-UI) Blender. (PS - Not including texture packages and other companion apps that may be necessary for such products.)
Hexagon is an extremely "powerful" 3D modeler for the price. I has a great many features that integrate extremely well with its workflow/interface, etc. That being said, it's old and, though it was certainly, most positively, ahead of its time, it's no longer maintained. (Other than for new bridges for DS, as DAZ needs them, that is.) I think something does need to be said, though - There isn't a 3D modeled product made for DS or Poser that couldn't have been duplicated/made in Hexagon. (Or, ZBrush, or even any other basic modeler with sub-d for that matter.) You will need additional apps to help make for areas that Hexagon doesn't excel in or offer, though. But, that's not an issue - GIMP and UVMapper are free. (Roadkill, Dogwaffle, etc.. there all over.)
On ZBrush - I don't see why this comes up so frequently in discussions about DS/Poser. Using ZBrush to create "custom character" morphs for DS/Poser is like using a shotgun to pull teeth. Sure, you can do it, but why? I remember when people used to say, and still do, "This character created using ZBrush! Hur dur hur dur..." Big deal, means nothing. Now, creating good normal maps using ZBrush IS a good use of the very expensive package. However... those people who brag about creating custom characters in ZBrush don't usually release normal maps and when they release bump/displacement maps, they're usually just "magic'ed" by adjusting some sliders in Photoshop. Yay? In fact, and I don't buy custom characters because I can easily make my own in Hexagon, I have never seen a proper normal map released with a custom character since I've been around the community. I have also only seen a few decent bump or displacement maps, none of which needed ZBrush to be constructed. (On the matter of normal maps, XNormal is still free and awesome and, with Hex's sub-D and sculpting tools, good normal maps are possible when using it.)
For those wondering about the OP's question - Hexagon is definitely where I would send anyone interested in learning how to model 3D objects. It's got one of the best interfaces there is, considering what you can do with it, and the best all-around "manipulator" there is, fully capable of doing all the basic 3D functions with geometry right there on the tool. (Rotate/Scale and move, of course.) Hexagon is also not a hotkey application, like most other 3D modelers - You don't have to learn a thirty page list of unpublished hotkeys in order to quickly model something in Hexagon. And, Hexagon has good subdivision features and, as long as the model isn't too asymmetrical and the creator has appropriately mapped out groups/materials, its UV functions are excellent.. for its day. (It's a bit clunky and has some idiosyncracies that other apps easily overcome, but it doesn't suck. There are also plenty of free UV mappers out there for a companion app to add to the workflow. UVMapper is good for quick maps or resizing/organiztion Hex's maps, Roadkill is free, etc..)
Hex's "texturing tools" are limited. They could have been powerful, ahead of their time, but they're limited to single resolutions and a very clunky texture managment system that doesn't allow you much in the way of loading textures on demand and the like. You have a library and the textures are there, but if you want new ones, you have to manually add them outside the app, then restart. And, there's no dynamic resolutions - They're hardcoded as they are. There are also issues with certain vidcards and how they use OpenGL, so active texture display in the work area is ifffy. It is decent for doing some very basic painting so you can get something down on a map to be refined in a 2D app. But, that's about it.
My recommendations for the OP (Or people interested in the same question) - Buy Hexagon. It's cheap as dirt. Learn how to model in it. No other 3D modeler out there will be as powerful and as easy for you to use as Hexagon. (That includes old standbyes like Milkshape or Wings3D.) Once you buy it, starting looking at some basic 3D tutorials. I don't know if any of the links still work, but there are several excellent resources listed. Try them and search youtube, as well. Learn the basics, I can't stress that enough. In order to learn the basics, you need a tool that will expose you to all the basic 3D operations quickly and painlessless. Hexagon will do that for you without a lot of work required on your part just to learn the program, unlike Blender and others. Once you master Hexagon and basic 3D modeling, you can "move up", so to speak, to learning how to use Blender. But, you'll be coming back to Hexagon frequently, because it's such a quick modeler and its so very easy to create all of your basic items.
On Hexagon's "Sculpting" tools - Hexagon's sculpting tools are very powerful. However, Hexagon can have issues with symmetry, at times. But, any sculpting that anyone wants to do is first limited by the mesh they're working with. If they're sculpting morphs for an existing mesh, no number of powerful sculpting tools are going to make much of a difference with low-poly objects and extreme detail and amazing likenesses/realism isn't going to achieved unless one also creates custom bump/displacement/normal maps, yada yada yada. For things like that Zbrush shines and is probably the premier product for those sorts of things, since it is capable of simulating bajillions of verts at a time within its display, which makes creating those wonderful normal maps such a breeze. Hexagon's sculpting tools, and others, are all anyone really needs to create the geometry for the products seen here. (IIRC, wasn't V4/etc constructed in Hexagon? I know most of the early products were.)
Lastly - Never, ever, subsitute $$ for talent and experience. Buying a $1000 program or a $5000 program will not get you products that look like they were created in such a program without you, the user, learning how to use it effectively and having the talen to create such products, first. FIRST. Learn on the cheap stuff so you know exactly what the expensive stuff will do for you and will help you do for yourself.
I repeat this in almost every thread that discusses "which software should I use"? What you will get from everyone is opinions based on that user's experience. This is great, however, keep in mind, just as some like cherry vanilla and others prefer rocky road, the way you found your preference was to try it for yourself. I had tons of trouble learning Blender and ZBrush and had many very good and trusted friends who had recommended one or the other to me. Others recommended Modo or Hexagon or Silo. There were times that a restraining order against hammers needed to be issued so that I wouldn't destroy my computer out of frustration. There is not one program I picked up that was easy for me. HOWEVER, 1) I didn't know much about 3D at the time at all, 2) I chose to persevere with Blender, ZBrush and Modo and, though I struggled mightily with each, I learned them. I learned them because I was determined, learned more about 3D in general, and found better tutorials and people willing to answer my noob questions. Now that I have learned how to model better, I can work in any of these programs and I can watch video tutorials that are made for programs I've never touched and I understand them much better and what I need to do within my program of choice to achieve what I was shown in a tutorial that wasn't made for my program.
The big BUT is, as far as programs go, take every recommendation you are given and listen to what they have to say, but know that your mileage may vary. You are not them. You may pick up the program in no time at all or struggle for years. It's based on your knowledge, your ability to understand, your ability to let go of notions you may have. Give any program a chance. I do agree that you can cut your teeth on free to very inexpensive programs and you might decide you never need to try anything else because it gets the job done and, more importantly, YOU can work with it.
I will say that there are some pretty nifty tools in some of the more expensive stuff that can make life easy. IMO, ZBrush and Modo are much easier (in that order for me) to create morphs than any other program. Part of that is that I know these programs inside out and it has become really easy. Remember that earlier I had said these programs were making me go in search of hammers. But only YOU can decide what's worth the effort or money. Thankfully, most programs have demos. Most are for short periods, so if you decide to try one out, be prepared to roll up your sleeves to see if it's something worth it in the time alotted.
Lastly, you may never attain the understanding to produce the level of work some can. If you can be happy with what you've made and know it' the best you can do, at that time, and it gives you joy, you have achieved a goal some never do or even try to, so be proud of what you do.
/agreed
The most important part of learning anything is to know the basic principles and then have experience in applying them. Then, once you can apply basic principles fairly well, you can build on that knowledge and move on to more advanced topics.
But, in order to be able to apply knowledge, you have to have tools you can use. I never recommend anyone go out and spend fifty-eleven dollars on a tool that they have no idea of its capabilities, what it actually does, what it doesn't do, etc... And, they can't know those things, truly, unless they can read the description for the product in a knowledgeable way. So, I always suggest Cheap/Free first, over anything else, when it comes to 3D. Unfortunately, Blender, while the most powerful free app out there, isn't user-friendly. At least, not as much as Hexagon is or even Wings3D or cheaper products like Milkshape. Though, Blender would outperform most of those apps in every way, for experienced users. (I always forget Anim8tor for some reason, too. And, it seems Sculptris is free.)
My first 3D program was Autocad, a copy a friend of mine let me have. Then, a pay-version of Sculptris. Then, I got ahold of XSI (Which was still free and available through Turbosquid, last I checked.) I got a friend's student copy of 3DSMax, got tired of UI dodgeball, and picked up Hexagon. Up until Hexagon, I never had easy access to all the tools necessary to actually "learn" 3D. I could "do it" before, but I didn't "know it." For me, it was Hexagon's ease-of-use in producing quality, useable, products that won me over. Now, I can pick up any 3D application and know what it does, if not how to actually do it with the program.
I'm probably moving on to Blender. The community support and the huge assortment of scripts and externally developed tools are winning me over, even though the UI is still obviously "designed by committee." With all the new leasing options being the standard for every other 3D package, my choice market is narrowed down to a few that don't require dongles or monthly licensing fees. I don't want to become Blender-wise because it's free - I want it because it doesn't require me to marry anyone forever.
I agree - You have to go with what works for you. Some people may be so enthusiastic that they can get through the learning curve for any package and don't mind paying for it, if required. But, most don't know what they're really getting into and I hate seeing someone feel as if they're forced to buy an expensive 3D app just to make a few objects to rig in DS/Poser. (I think there's even rigging scripts for Poser now available in Blender, or some basic rigging, without having to resort to FBX or another format.)
(PS - I have a sore spot for ZBrush "content creators" who harp on ZBrush being used in their products, but there's no indication that ZBrush actually helped them to create a quality product... :) So, I get a bit critical of it in this milieu, since "a good eye" and "a steady hand" is all that's usually needed to create a product, as well as some basic knowledge, of course. :) )
Sorry to answer to this old thread, but I'd like interested to share some words with you Morkonan ;)
Also, to the OP, by the way, I created in Hexagon a 3D model (I'm a pure beginner), and in even not 3 days, I ended with that : http://www.sharecg.com/v/85978/browse/21/DAZ-Studio/ChrisKBS-MoonBlade-prop-weapon
I know that I need better texture painter (I just created the "texture" jpg file in PDHowler, and then applied through within Hexagon.
No more, no less.
The color is not very great when rendered with nVidia Iray DAZ Studio 4.9+ renderer engine.
But hey, it's a good start I think. 3 days ago my 3D object, I didn't even tried anytime to model a 3D stuff, so.. from now, I need more experience, and perhaps after, I will able to make all those ideas I have in my head from many years ago !
I think you did a fine job with that first model. Learning to 3D model is a different way of thinking than we're used to and the tools for 3D modeling are unlike those in most any other application so it takes time. The good news is that the concepts, once learned, apply to almost any 3D modeling tool. And for my nickel, Hexagon is a great tool to learn those concepts on because it has a very streamlined and intuitive interface. And as you showed, they can be learned quickly in Hexagon. Learning modeling on blender, by comparison, is I think much more difficult because the UI is so clumsy that you are spending more time learning it than you are learning what the tools actually do.
If you find the tool limiting after you've mastered the basic techniques, you are well prepared to go into something like Blender and fight your way through doing the things you already know how to do but now want to do them in blender. or Modo or silo or whatever. And maybe, just maybe, you'll decide that for your needs Hexagon is just right and you'll stick with it. That's sort of where I am, though I would like it to be more stable and have better UV mapping capabilities.
Happy modeling!