The company I work with is going to take on a big project wich includes quite a bit of design and I’ve been asked to check out a commercial package wich they want to buy…
MAX / MAYA are no options because of several reasons like price and learning curve… Other options have been Rhino and cinema 4D…
Anybody have some opinions on / experiences with Cinema 4D R9… I’ve checked it out and seems like a great choice… from the point of possibilities and low learning curve…
md01
C4D is a great package for the price. It offers plenty of useful modeling and animation tools as well as some nice effects. C4D also handles other 3D software formats very well with both import and export. There are several optional plug-in packs that are impressive, but they cost more money so you should budget for them if you will be needing them.
XSI looks to be a serious contender at $495. Reading all kinds o good stuff about it.
TorQ
i’d say go with cinema 4d
I have the version that shipped with 3DWold magazine at the time and it is rock solid stable
buy the starter version if you have doubts and expand whenn needed
greets
Yeah … I’ve checked www.maxon.net and I must say that cinema has lots and lots of potential… I am very surprised… I think it’s worth a try …
Thanks for your comments …and ofcourse more are welcome…
md01
I used C4D couple of years ago on a 4 weeks course, and at that time I wasn’t impressed how it moved and viewed things…
moving view and objects used the same ways and it made me feel it was quite cumbersome…I dont know how it works today, but the tools for it didn’t give me any positive feedback.
Ztonzy … you have a point … I downloaded the demo versino of R9 and I am having a difficult time with viewport activities… maybe it’s because I am used to blender… Maybe I just need to get used to it …
I tend to be somone who is very ‘active’ in the viewports, meaning that I swtich , pan, rotate all the time and I’m not getting into that yet in c4d…
The way the thigns look can be changed in the prefs b.t.w. and it’s needed…
md01
well, this was the time (january 2000) when just heard of Blender, poked it was when 1.8…but I never used it by then…and I was familiar with MAX/VIZ and some tool called MultiGen Creator, but anyway, the view/move in C4D is doorky to me 
The more I get into c4d the more I realise how good blender actually is and that the only fault I can really find in it is that it’s still not really compatible with other packages…
Eventhough the import export functions are available now… they still don’t work … I tried very hard… I think that those things should really be a on the top of the list of the developers…
md01
For anybody interested … I just can’t believe what a simple program C4D is … I don’t think I’ve encountered a 3D app wich is so childish as this … I feel as if I am playing with a toy … I don’t even know anymore if it’s a curse or a blessing…
md01
I use Cinema4D r8 in school to make architectual viz for my CAD houses
I am used to its UI now, but I agree that it is “childish” compared to Blenders’
for the price, it’s better to take xsi foundation…and u get mentalray too
the main question is, what features do you exactly need? i won’t give you any suggestions, but over the last year i realized what broad range of work blender is capable of. unless there’s no need highly parametrized animation, lot’s of special effects and special shaders, hair or cloth, you won’t need any of the big boys out there.
it’s a good idea to make a checklist with all features required and simply see which software comes closest. a package at a higher price might save a lot of work, and 3D artists ain’t exactly cheap 
, so it might eventually pay off. of course training time must be calculated, and here things get complicated. an experienced user with other 3D software will probably make it in 2 weeks, while the ultimate beginner might need… some months.
just thoughts
Solmax…
Yes alot of these things I have taken into account… Some of the reasons for purchasing a commercial app is not only the fact that blender still doesn’t import / export as it should (even if the features are there…they still just don’t work right…) but also teamwork between different people.
Some ppl use f.i. max and it’s very important for some files to be imported correctly…
Also ciname is so incredibly easy to use… I’ve gone through the R9 demo in 2 days and there’s not much to learn anymore… I just can’t believe how simple that app is …
Since this is a project without alot of certainty of following project the price is a major factor (hence one of the reasons for going for C4D and not MAX…)>…
Anyway …thanks all for you replies…
md01
Cinema 4D is simple, because it is sensible. Unlike Max, there are no piles of features buried under piles of other features (most of them not used much). Unlike Truespace (and Blender, for that matter), there is no quirky GUI to cause premature baldness. Unlike Lightwave, the workflow is easy to understand and follow.
All the most used features are accessible at the click of a button. Parameters for functions are all grouped into sensible locations. Modelling is really a no-brainer, but packed with features, and flexible enough to accomodate industrial visualisation or flare of artistic inspiration. Shaders are easy to create, and one of the most powerful in existance.
If you’re doing product visualisation or broadcast-quality animations, C4D is a highly commendable package.
PS: As much as I like C4D, I agree that the viewport controls suck. One of the very few complaints that I have about the program. Another complaint I have is using the object tree… I find it very un-intuitive to use, for reason I cannot pinpoint.