I recommended Carrara also especially considering it can be had (v5) for free in 3D World magazine #100...

-Will

Houdini is great with animations, the crackling and glass shattering effects are stunning.

Marc

How many times do people have to recommend Houdini?

It seems pretty useless to buy something you'll eventually discard because it is
so darn difficult to use. I mean how long have it been offered for this low price?
Couple of months now? Where are the samples of work of those who bought it?

Get Carrara 5 Pro for free.

I agree Blenddoodler.

I downloaded the demo and found it more complicated than Blender and that is saying something.

Stick with Moi it is so user frendly.

Malc.

Thank goodness there are so many 3D applications to choose from. MoI itself is an excellent example of NURBS modeling that many people prefer over Rhino, FormZ, or some other application.

Yes Houdini is pricey, it's a professional tool with a price to match. Yes it is complicated, but that's where the free training comes in.

Will it be for everyone? No. But I do hope anyone who's interested will check it out.

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/sv_houdini.php

You cannot serioulsy compare Carrara to Houdini.
That"s orange to apples.

Cararra is an entry level application.
Houdini is probably the most complete simulation and animation package out there, and it is used on many
of the more complex cinematographic and VFX shots out there.
It is also complex and is takes no doubt a long time to understand.
It is fully procedural by the way, completely node based.


If you want a 3d package that is very easy to learn and intuitive, get Cinema4d, which is still my favorite general app.
The Studio version is a very complete package, and you also have access to a lot of render engines (Final Render, Vray, Maxwell, Inidigo etc....)

Again read my comment below.
This is a ridiculous comparaison, of course there is a price difference between houdini and carrara....
Granted Houdini is definitely not what you are looking for if you only want to render still produced in Moi,
there are much more appropriate solutions for this.

No, I don't want Houdini just to produce STILL renders. Carrara is usually MORE than enough. There are lots of samples out there to prove this.

YES, they're apples and oranges when it comes to EASE OF USE. People who bought Houdini usually end up producing NOTHING.

Besides, Houdini is never known for its modeling feature. If you already have a good modeler like MOI, you don't need complicated-to-use renderers like Houdini to produce professional-looking stills.

If you're so upbeat about recommending Houdini, then please post your renders here. Show us your work. Until then it's all talk.

I repeat, it's no use buying Houdini when you're just going to trash it later because it's so darn difficult to use.

Frankly it's silly to compare Carrara to Houdini - why would any of us here do that?

MOI is an >inexpensive<, powerful NURBS modeling package. So with the thought of inexpensive being a factor, Carrara 5 Pro is considered a very nice and powerful package >for the price< (free if you go after it hard enough) - THAT'S WHY it was recommended by a few of us here.

If monies are to be spent then I'd recommend Cinema 4D or XSI - why waste your time futz'n with a Learning Edition or Bud Lite or whatever when there are low priced full packages that can get the job done?

I (finally) downloaded and played with Kerkythea - I was surprised at what I saw I must say - that's a nice companion for MOI as well for stills.


If you enjoy using Houdini, fine, any comparisions being made are by you.

I think all of us here have a grasp on the professionalism of all the differing 3D applications that are available, and based on budget, know what to buy and when.

I personally just don't see Houdini as being viable based on what else is available, especially when it come time for training and support forums...

-Will

frankly this thread is on a tangeant.The original poster wrote to give a heads up about Houdini.
I am not sure why Carrara had to come up. I was only stating that the comparaison makes little sense.

Again, you cannot compare both applications. Most likely, someone who use moi to model for a hobby, and is looking at a general 3d app should look at carrara, blender, or similar.
I am quite certain it is easier to learn than houdini.

Ease of use is not houdini's strong point.
It is a complex tool, and it is used a lot
by studios for particle shots etc... where you need good control over various parameters.
It is more of a studio tool, than a tool for a hobbyist or single-artist.
Having said that I do not use it professionally. We don't do VXF.

But if you need to see examples of movies or other production that used Houdini, there are plenty on the web. The list of studios that use it for certain work (Framestore, the Mill) is also quite exhaustive.
As far as I know there is very little professional use of Carrara, at least beyond simple stills.

This is not to put the app down, I am sure it has its advantages. Again though they are quite different apps.

Blenddoodler,
I am not recommending Houdini. To whom? I also have nothing to prove. Not on a forum.

As has been said previously, some thinking have gone astray here.

If you want to investigate the development of 3D application and principles, beyond the initial modelling of MoI, there is no doubt that, value for money, Carrara (6Pro especially) is the most comprehensive all round 3D app about.

This is not saying it is the best 3D app.

I repeat, the most comprehensive, all round , 3D app--value for money.

AND, it likes working with MoI file type exports!