hi, need to ask a question about 3ds max, i know this question might sound silly, anyway, so i wanna learn 3ds max and i also know that they offer free version (student version), now what i wanna ask is: can i download that student version from their official site even if i’m not a student but just wanna learn it ? or do i need to be at school in order to download it the student version from there ?, and if this is not possible then can i learn 3ds from video tutorials/tutorials ,without using the software ? sry for grammar ty
Hi Lucian
Based on the faq of student.autodesk.com you have to be a student in school, more infos: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=20307823&linkID=9240617
But in the registration you can choose homeschool as your school. I dont know if it covers selflearning becaus you wont get a degree for it but it might be worth a try. How to register: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=20307823&linkID=9240617
If you have a email address of a known school or maybe a simple .edu email direction you dont have to fill out much.
Well you could also write autodesk and state your case but that could be a bit dificult
sry for posting so late, k thanks a lot Oscar for this info
Good luck, Lucian. I actually WAS a student taking a summer class that used 3DSMax and never managed to get the student version of the software. That was a while back, though, so maybe they have improved their customer support in the meantime.
I think it would be very difficult to actually learn the software just by watching tutorials. You have to get your hands dirty, so to speak.
I agree with Orinoco and speak from experience. Watching tutorials isn’t enough. Doing any kind of graphics work on a computer, but especially 3D graphics, is too complex for that approach. The only way to get the information to stay in memory is to reinforce with practice.
You could always start with the 30-day trial. If you have enough free time on your hands, you might be able to get the basics down in that time.
If you want to try it that way, here’s a link to a nice set of tutorials.
I also recommend learning maya over 3ds max. Max is great, but the general direction (professionally) is more maya based. Autodesk is sending mixed signals as far as max is going. Additionally, if its just for learning, you might as well do what nearly everyone else does and find it floating around on the net. Just dont use it commercially. They benefit from you knowing how to use their software, and a general rule of thumb is you will also be better off experiencing more than one type of software anyhow.