Having a conversation online the other day that went something like ->
Me - "So what do you think of X?"
Them - "Nice bu they use ZBrush and it costs $800+"
So I went to a webiste that I know called something like "Alternatives to" (I'll dig out a link if anyone's interested) and found some interesting tools. Here is a list of the ones I thought were the most intriguing. Caveat, as these are modern tools they probably produce
waaaaay too many polygons. They are all free but in some cases this may be down to the fact that particular tool is still in alpha (ie, not everything works and there may well be bugs) or in one case fully working beta. One last thing before I list them, the output from them all can be imported into blender.
1.
Make Human - this produces models of humans just by means of sliders and other simple visual controls. This is currently in alpha 7. Here is a
link to a review for an earlier version. To be honest this is fun to play with even if it later proves to have no use for nwn models. Oh and the output from this can be imported easily into blender as the macros to do so are part of the latest version of blender (ie ignore the instructions on the mh website as the macros in blender are actually newer).
2.
Sculptris - this could be considered as the beginners version of zbrush. It allows you to create models by sculpting a predifined shape. You can output in obj format which is one of the formats that blender knows. This is in alpha 6. The only downside is that you need to register to get it. The slightly better news is that they only want sufficient detail to send you personalised emails.
3.
Meshmixer 8 by Autodesk - This allows you to create models by placing sub-parts together. Outputs in obj format. If you want to create something wierd with minimal effort give this a try. This can be fun to try even if you don't want the output. I created an al-mi-raj (rabbit/hare with a horn on its forehead) in under 30 seconds and have no 3d modelling talent.
4.
Crackart - I have not had time to fully look this over yet but from what I can see it is a model painting tool with some 3d modelling capability thrown in for good measure. Outputs in 3 formats - .3ds, .scene and .obj.
5.
CB Model Pro - I confess that I have not downloaded this as it also needs registration. This is an alternative model sculpting program. This is (If I remember correctly) in working beta.
Hope these are of use to someone.
TR
