now you can user the new Blender rendering of the new 2.5 version (you are not obliged to use the whole prog :)
it win a 10 factor speedy!
http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-250/ray-tracing-optimization/
http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-250/volume-rendering/
http://www.blender.org/development/release-logs/blender-250/other-rendering-features/
etc...

And with the nodes system you have infinite possibilities of rendering! (old interface here not the 2.5! )

Hi Pilou, the problem with Blender is that it does not really fit the "easy to use" part that was being asked for in this case...

For example right off the bat just trying to open a file can be difficult in Blender with its very unusual file open dialog that does not at all resemble the standard dialog used in nearly every other Windows application.

I've heard that there has been some renovation in the UI for the newest Blender release though - do you know if they use a standard File open dialog now?

Blender is certainly still a possibility just as it was a possibility 2 years ago as well, but I'm not really very sure if all that much has changed.

- Michael

You have quasi a classical files system, it's now very more easy ;)
(some words are French for me of course ;) Bureau = Desktop

Hi Pilou, I decided to check it out to answer my own question - and the answer seems to be that no the new Blender still has one of the world's strangest file open dialogs rather than using the standard one...

It does seem a bit better than the previous version, but still is very strange, for example when you open it up initially keyboard focus does not seem to be set anywhere so you can't just type in the name immediately like you can with the standard dialog, really basic stuff like that.

It is certainly possible to learn how to use it, and it is very powerful, but it is probably the very best example of the opposite of easy to use that is out there.

- Michael

Hi Pilou,

> it's now very more easy

Well, at least they did make it easier to get to some standard places like "My Documents" or "Desktop"... That is a step in the right direction since if I remember right that was just missing in the previous version.

But it's still pretty horrible, just typing in a file name is difficult. There are 2 fields to type in rather than just one field like the standard file dialog has...

It's really frustrating when the very most basic thing of opening up a file already feels strange and difficult to use instead of easy to use.

And that's just the start of the weirdness, there are a ton more than come after that, like "why is there this extra box in my model after I open it?" , "why does left clicking place this target thing instead of selecting objects like other applications", etc...

Of course you can learn to adapt to how it works, it's just that it is so different that it is not easy to just immediately jump in and use. You have to dedicate some time to learning it.

- Michael

Hi argo,

How much money do you wish to spend each year on software?
I ask this because,now and then i see people complaining about software being to expensive.

I am just curious(no offence).

@Michael: I am agree with you :)
(but for files now you can survive :)

For the rest hum hum you must some learning ;)

For my part from Moi the only way seems ( because Blender Format 3DS, OBJ, FBX seems don't work (Alpha 2.5 version I suppose) :(
Moi --> SKP --> free Google Sketchup Textured ---> KMZ (rename .kmz in .zip then Unzipp) = DAE !
then import DAE inside Blender :)
F12 = Render (If you have put the camera at the good place :)

But after I must learn Blender and it's some painful for me :D
(not yet found how open the render view on the same screen of Default views !
Nothing is instinctive !

For me, this has always been the problem with Blender. Underneath all that weirdness is a very powerful program. I know there is a lot of power there because I have seen all the wonderful things that talented people have done with it. Unfortunately life is too short and I just don't have the time to fight with it. I have picked up lots of useful MoI tips on the forum (thanks guys) but don't feel I actually needed to learn MoI to use it because almost everything was intuitively obvious.

The Blender devs are between a rock and a hard place really. I suspect much of the current user base won't like the changes. Seems to me that the only way they can move forward is to provide classic and custom GUI's.

< Unfortunately life is too short
That is the main problem! ;)

Hi argo I personally use Maxwell Render and Vray But since you like kerkythea Ill recommend you take a look at Thea render http://www.thearender.com/cms/.... (Kerkythea & Thea come from the same developer, Thea is a brand new render application with many significant differences and advantages compared to kerkythea....

Why one should consider Thea? It is first of all, a multiple render engine which makes easy and convenient rendering in both biased and unbiased modes. But even more, the studio, integration and the all-in-one logic is another reason, also the Pricing Policy is big plus... (hopefully Ill also be replacing Maxwell + Vray with Thea)


Pricing comparison.

# Standard License
Thea Render- Price 390 € (including 2 RenderNode Licenses.)
Maxwell Render- 995 €

# RenderNode Price
Thea Render - 95 € (for 2 slave licenses)
Maxwell Render - 390 € (for 1 slave licenses)

Seems writen in the tittle "free Render" ;)
so http://www.luxrender.net
http://www.yafaray.org/
http://www.nvidia.fr/page/gelato.html

I'm sorry I also read this part <<<Can anyone recommend an easy to use renderer (cheap!)?

So the more easy is podium http://www.suplugins.com (only 2 cursors) and cheap (179$) or free in 500*500 without logo or watermark but it's a plugin of the free Google Sketchup ;)
No problem as Moi has the Skp native format :)

A little less easy is TwillightRender and super cheap (99 $) http://www.twilightrender.com/ or free in
* 800 x 600 pixel maximum resolution
* Rendered image watermarks
* Images only savable as JPG
* XML export is disabled

LightUp 149 $ http://www.light-up.co.uk/ Real time render after one computation of the scene
Interest of this 3 programs is that you control all objects inside Google Sketchup the more easy modeler!
http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/
And you have the biggest free objects library at http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/

And you have an another solution and free ;)

A new world of simulations in real time: export on any supports, computers, Web, console etc...
http://unity3d.com/ (free as Indy name section)

Have happy rendering!

Here Podium in free version 500*500 with a Moi Object : you see the interface with the 2 cursors
Small is beautiful ;)

Twilight & Podium are based on the Kerkythea engine, The people behind Twilight & Podium they've licensed the Kerkythea SDK...in other words you should be able to get the same results with Kerkythea for FREE, if you don't mind the GUI...also note that Kerkythea it may not develop much since the developer is putting his effort to the new engine (Thea Render).

Yes simplicity of UI and presets are the difference ;)

Also an interseting app. is 3D PaintBrush (99,- € online from Germany)

http://www.3dpaintbrush.com/

•Import models from SketchUp, Rhino, 3DS, Autocad, STEP, IGES & OBJ files
•Capture 3D models from any graphics application running on your computer
•Drag and Drop Materials, Lights, Backgrounds and Animations
•Import images and apply them as textures and backgrounds
•Manipulate material properties like Diffuse and Specular color, transparency and shininess in real time
•Visualize and position lights in the scene as well as modify light properties like colour and direction. Modifications are reflected in the Graphics Area in real time
•Animate camera, material and position of components to create key frame animations
•Use Ray Tracing for exporting photo-realistic images from your 3D scene
•Export to 3D PDF
•Export to EXE (Executable format)
•Export to popular image formats like BMP, JPG, PNG, TIFF & GIF
•Export to 3DS, XAML, OBJ & SVG
•Export animations to Shockwave Flash (*.SWF) and Microsoft AVI (*.AVI)

It`s a product of Geometric...

Wow, you ask a question before going to bed and get lots of great answers - thank you!

@ Pilow, @Michael @et all - I have looked at Blender (like everybody!) before "finding" MOI. Its certainly a fantastically powerful program with a fast-UI for the experienced user. Huge learning-curve and I imagine requires practice to keep the key-strokes in organic memory. Still, as many of the free renderers use it to set materials etc, I have run through a few tutorials and could see it being useful if I followed a process-list for the odd rendering. My personal summary: so powerful, so non-intuitive! (please don't flame me).

- Kind of reminds me of WordPerfect Vs. Word 20 odd years ago.

@Paolo - No offence taken at all! Answer is "very little" $E ;-) .
This is purely a hobby for me with no financial gain (actually the opposite), and with 20 mouths to feed in a recession....

@neo - thanks I'll look at Thea, looks interesting. The developer/s working on Thea (with its potential for income), instead of working on KT would explain the tumble-weeds blowing thru the KT website. Perfectly understandable really.

@Ralf-S - another interesting program requiring investigation, thanks as well.

Looks like I need to spend some more "quality time" with the PC tonight!

Thank you all, any more?

Regards - Brendan (argo)

Hi Brendan, so also same as 2 years ago one inexpensive commercial choice is Carrara - there is a stripped down version called Carrara 7 Express (http://www.daz3d.com/i/software/carrara?_m=d) which costs $90.

- Michael

Hi Brendan,

There's a free version of truespace 7.6 available, although I don't' know about the render quality or ease of use...

Good luck with your research.

Marc

Some more options to investigate - thanks Guys.