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Recommendations for a 3D application to use for GUI design
I've reached some of the limitations of Photoshop and Knobman when it comes to GUI design, so I'm looking for a Mac desktop 3D application to fill some of the holes. I've virtually no experience with these types of applications, so I'll be starting from very much the beginner level. I know of Maya and Blender, but have never used either. Hoping for some suggestions of other applications to check out. Thanks!
Comments
Blender is free but can be obtuse to use. My fav 3D program is Carrara, a great all rounder that can be had at a very reasonable price and contains good modelling and rendering.
I only use Rhino3D, for maaany years
Thanks @PhilW and @Goozoon I'll definitely check these out. Is it naive to think that one 3D application may be better suited for things like GUI design over another one? Rather, are there specific features one needs to look for in a 3D application for doing things like interface design, knobs, shading, shadows, etc? The types of things I am trying to achieve are similar to the GUI designs found in the latest update to Arturia's V Collection, and the GUI of Moog's Model 15 here on iOS.
For that kind of work all of the available 3D applications will be just fine. I make my living with 3D and am very experienced in lighting and shading.
On the Mac you can use Maya, Cinema 4D, Blender, Lightwave, or Modo. I would recommend Modo as its comparatively cheap, easy to use, and has the best integrated renderer (full disclosure, I am primarily a Modo user). To get the best out of Maya or Cinema 4D you generally need to use a third party renderer as well.
Maya is really strong in animation, FX, and film pipelines. Cinema 4D is dominant in motion graphics. Modo excels for things such as product shots and advertising. The main strengths of Modo are the speed with which you can work, it's a very fast modeller and also has a very well integrated preview renderer.
Ultimately you will probably hear a range of recommendations, so do some research, watch some videos and download trial versions. Everyone has different preferences, just like with music software.
I have some experience with 3D design & modeling software, nothing that impressive but experience nonetheless: Blender has a holy terror of a learning curve, which even for free makes it too much to handle for the casual user; too many others you have to pay good money for.
If you want to build 3D models get yourself Wings3D. It's free and is pretty damned easy to use and has a host of features I've never gotten near. It'll export numerous 3D formats for other 3D progs.
One of those other 3D progs I use with Wings3D is Electric Rain's Swift3D. You can build models in it, but Wings is much more user-friendly for building, so Swift is best for texture-mapping and animating. Now, it's not high-end and costs a little, but certainly not a lot.
And keep in mind that there are tons and tons of free 3D models all over cyberspace in various file formats that could keep you from doing work you don't need to.
Thanks @richardyot I had not heard of Modo before, will definitely check it out. Do you have a website for your 3D work? Would love to check it out if so.
Thanks @Brain And yeah, was looking at Blender earlier, you aren't kidding about the learning curve! I'll give Wings3D a look.
Honestly dont think moog15 is 3d modeled at all
Wings or Cheetah3d (if they still make it) for little $. But I can second Modo. It's the bomb.
Sure. My personal work is here:
http://itchy-animation.co.uk/
And I've done some training for The Foundry (the makers of Modo):
https://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/modo/training-videos/rendering-interiors/
https://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/modo/training-videos/studio-shots/
And I also have lots of Modo training on Vimeo and Youtube:
https://vimeo.com/richardyot/vod_pages
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXLyDQ1uDEq90jP30xDrNxg
Wings 3D is a great way to get started. Once you get comfortable with that then modelling in Modo will be quite easy.
I used 3D Studio Max for 15 years prior to switching to Modo. I don't miss the old days
For people working in complex pipelines Maya is king, but for individuals working freelance or on their own Modo is a much better choice (IMO of course) because it's much simpler to use. It also has a great and very helpful community:
http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/discussion/
No? What do you reckon was used to create the GUI? I've never seen, or been able to get results like that from knobman / Photoshop, but that may just be me.
Holy smokes, man. Your portfolio is unreal! 3D skills aside, those characters are all magic. Is it safe to assume that all of those images were created in Modo? I honestly can't tell if they are physical objects or computer generated. Very impressive work, regardless of the medium. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the resource links. I will definitely be exploring all of this.
Looking at a close up of the Model 15 UI I would agree that it's most likely all done in Photoshop rather than in 3D. It's nice and slick, but doesn't quite have the realism of a 3D render. A skilled Photoshop artist should be able to do this relatively easily.
(Edit): There's also inconsistencies in the lighting, the highlights on the leather are coming from a different angle to those on the screws
Thanks - yes all the work on my site is 3D. I once submitted this one to a digital art showcase, and they rejected it because it "wasn't digital"
Wow, thanks for that close up. So much detail. Amazing. The way the EXP is slightly shadowed. The screws are all at different angles. And the two different sizes. And and and.
Seems like gradient alpha channels + custom lighting to me, most likely done in Photoshop
Fascinating work. Are you aware of any respectable 3D tools available for iPad yet? Or is this still a desktop kind of thing?
To be honest I haven't really looked into it, but I haven't heard of any on the 3D forums I frequent. I tend to have a fairly strict compartmentalisation in my life: 3D and work on the desktop, and music and leisure on the iPad. I don't do any graphical stuff on the iPad at all, because it would drive me mad (although once I get an iPad that is compatible with Apple Pencil that might change), and I do music on the iPad to get away from the computer
I'm guessing this is a common thread for most of us here.
Luxology were the makers of Modo, and these guy are former NewTek guys, dont you remember?
Yes of course I know that
I'm friends with Brad Peebler (in actual real life not just the internet), and I know Stuart Ferguson and Allen Hastings as well.
Haha....wasn't original they say. That's amusing. Very cool piece, that one.
Yeah, I can see that now in the closeup. But, the knobs, how do you think those were created? Photoshop as well and then image sequences for the animations? I've been having a ton of issues with knobman; getting smooth light gradations, crisp edges with minimal to no aliasing is proving difficult. I've been playing with various amounts of diffusion and specular, but it's just not cutting it.
Also, checked a few of your YouTube videos out, and I'm blown away by Modo and what you're able to achieve with it. I'm gonna have to sell a couple kidneys to jump in, but I think it'll be well worth it!
http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorial/Learn-To-Make-Photo-Realistic-Volume-knob-in-Photoshop/78714
http://www.photoshoplady.com/tutorial/create-a-detailed-audio-rotary-knob-control/8611
Photoshop Lady! I wonder what she's doing RIGHT now. Thanks for the links @Goozoon I have run through a couple of these, Illustrator experiments as well. And while the results do look nice, they lack a certain something that puts them just shy of what I am trying to achieve. I think part of it is the lighting, but there is something else as well, just can't articulate what it is.
@brice I think it's just attention to detail (and experience). Those knobs wouldn't be hard to create in Photoshop, it's just a case of creating believable highlights and paying attention to the small details such as the bevelled edges. FWIW those kind of things are just as hard and elusive in 3D as they are in 2D, because the key thing is to notice and reproduce subtle details.
Fair point. It's entirely possible I am overthinking it. I think shadowing and lighting are the two areas that have me hung up. Below are a couple of comps I built in Photoshop after giving up on Mr. Knobman. I think diving a little deeper into the very subtle details you speak of might get me closer to where I am wanting these things to be.
Thanks for your insights on this!
Looking at your examples I would also suggest dialing down on the contrast. If you look at the Moog knobs the contrast is relatively low, even in the metallic areas. The highlights on the plastic pots are wide but low in contrast as well.
Some subtle gradations across wide surfaces can also help to lend a sense of form - the Moog panels are very slightly brighter at the top than at the bottom.
@richardyot
Thanks - yes all the work on my site is 3D. I once submitted this one to a digital art showcase, and they rejected it because it "wasn't digital"
Sounds to me like someone didn't know their arse from a hole in the ground & had no business judging what was acceptable.
Love this thread. Learning a lot. I think you're examples look great @brice. Can definitely see the contrast suggestion but never would have noticed it myself... love this thread! I'd hazard to add that the Moog knobs are just more handsome—not the rendering, the knobs they're replicating.
I just noticed that even the screws on the Moog have individualized dings. And the thin 'metal' notch-outs on the edges of the panels aren't the same. Looking over other parts of the UI, I'm blown away by all of tiny details and inserted imperfections there are to make it all feel 'real'. Then, the iOS app parts of the UI are super modern, flat, crisp and clean in contrast.