if you can render them out then why not? but i don't think Gmax can render, no?
Im not exactly sure lol, like I said I haven't used it that mutch.....Do you know of any good...Free...programs like that that can render?
Download the tutorial list through a link here (http://www.elysiun.com/forum/viewtopic.php3380). The downside is that some of these are outdated (the interface had a major change last year) but they are mostly still applicable. The new features aren't
terribly tough to differentiate.
An incomplete online document compiled by Blender users is here (http://download.blender.org/documentation/html/), it's.. it's ok.
There's a Knowledge Base (http://www.elysiun.com/support/browse.php) where most easy questions are answered, and some more involved questions.
The book for Blender 2.0 (before the users bought the source) is available for
free in HTML form at this website (http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Blender_Manual.92.0.html) where you can also purchase the newest manual for 2.3. I wouldn't recommend buying the 2.3 manual just yet, because it was released last week and the printing contained images that were overexposed and sometimes practically unusable. Wait for the next printing before buying it. The Publisher manual is useful, since it involves most of the same features available in version 2.3, but again, the interface difference must be recognized. I didn't have many problems figuring it out.
Elysiun (http://www.elysiun.com) is the unofficial Blender user forum where you can get help (like here). The forum at Blender.org is for developers only. Although you can read it, don't post there unless you're a legitimate programmer.
There's another good free 3d application called Wings3d (http://www.wings3d.com). I'm not a user, so I don't know much about it, but there is a dedicated forum for it at CGTalk (http://www.cgtalk.com). I believe it is only for modelling, and it doesn't contain a renderer. I know that it does support external renderers though, and Yafray (an opensource raytracer that was developed for Blender) is compatible with it if a plugin is installed. I believe POVRay (another free raytracer) can also be used. Therefore, it is usable for the total process. You can also export the model from Wings to Blender and render it there.
Any future questions about it, add me to your messenger lists or PM me. There are Blender IRC channels on freenode, listed here (http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Chat.158.0.html). If the Knowledge base, tutorials, manual, and chats fail you, then you can always post at elYsiun (http://www.elysiun.com), but it's always best to try to find the answer yourself before asking there. People will answer, but it's tiresome sometimes.
QuoteHow hard is the learning curve on blender? I would like to mess with it, but I don't have time to spend a year on it....
The learning curve is hard not because it's a hard program to use, but because the interface isn't intuitive. If you can memorize the shortcut keys and hover over all of the buttons to see what they do, then you'll figure it out quickly enough. Most modelling functions are performed with your left hand in typing position and your right hand on the mouse. Scale with s, move with g, rotate with r, make a face with f, extrude an edge with e, and so on.. For the mouse, left-click moves the 3d cursor, middle-click rotates around in 3d view, left-click is a selector. Middle-click plus ctrl and Middle-click plus shift will zoom and move horizontally and vertically. The rest of the program is easy (if you understand how 3d programs in general work, that is) IMHO.
After writing this out, and editing several times, I wonder if I should make a tutorial to help the curious make rooms in 3d. How many people would be interested in that? Blender has toon shaders that would allow people to do awesome cartoon lighting.
Cool, thanks for the reply. I've been playing with the tut's and haven't made much yet...
And I'm all for any tutorials you wanna make...