If you just concentrate on one area, you find that there are many tricks to this that, once mastered (well at least try to get to an intermediate level anyways), you find that you can do this in your sleep with one hand behind you. Problem is, you can’t show off this to other folks if you already look like a wizard with computers, as folks can always show off back with their bank balance, and yearly salaries in excess of umpteen figures.
Thanks for the replies, everyone.
I think the consensus is that it’s simply easier for some, but always harder when switching from other software. The keyboard shortcuts are really important, (and it’s almost always the way I do things.) In my opinion, for the person completely new to 3D, Blender is the best choice. The community is especially very open and generous, usually not charging anything at all for helpful packages of tutorials and stuff.:yes:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone complain about any 3D software being harder than
MS Paint. Anywhere. Oh wait, maybe you’re just exaggerating. yeah, that must be
it.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the “in group” actually had a helpful attitude rather than
a sarcastic one? Then slapping yourselves on the back for being a great
community would actually mean something.
Don’t imagine that newbies don’t have the ability to make fun of you right back.
I personally found blender fairly easy to get into. I looked at gmax (i know, i know), but the need for a license key cut me off. Then i saw blender on the same file hosting site (i don’t pay for usage there), and it was great. What there needs to be is a big list of keyboard shortcuts, divided into categories, and it needs to be very clear. I can’t remember the amount of times i’ve looked up the keyboard shortcut for the knife tool. Some keyboard shortcuts are just to long.
Mouse Gestures? What mouse gestures? I’ve never used it i think. (unless you mean when you have a vertice selected and it just suddenly moves.
I come from 3ds max and agree that blender’s material system is ugly as heck. It is very difficult to learn I’d say. However I think it has a wrongful connotation of being “different than all the other apps”. I don’t think blender is any more different from the rest than say lightwave is to 3dsmax. I think it used to be back in the day (apparently it used to not even have gizmos or edge and face modes?), and the pros gave it a go and thought it was just too strange and never gave it another try, since then always thinking blender is incredibly different from mainstream apps. But with every release it has become closer and closer to the mainstream apps imo.
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Reference/Hotkeys/Map
So easy to find off the blender website but also extremely useful. I suggest people print it off and keep it on their desk