Blender for Artist

Blender for Artist

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https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic332326.aspx

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By freerange - 9 Years Ago

coming from the VFX industry I have always found Blender very frustrating to use but loved it's speed, stability, and development. But because of UI, workflow, lack of Alembic for ages, and industry mostly shunning it, I like most stuck with Maya, Modo, and a little Houdini.

I have been re-evaluating software for my company and looking to ditch Maya when I subscription comes up and so was evaluating all the big 3D DCC packages when I came across Blender for Artists. It is a fork of stable Blender so it is up to date with stable releases but the UI and workflow are ohhh so much more artist friendly, especially if you are coming from standard tools. If it proves worthy on the pipeline side it might win me over from Houdini which also just had a fantastic new release but obviously a huge difference in price once you have to move off Indie licensing onto standard.

So for those of you that like Blender but not the UI and workflow, try this
https://www.bforartists.de

By animagic - 9 Years Ago

Houdini has a lot of interesting simulation capabilities that are hard to beat. How would that compare with Blender or BFA?

By Rampa - 9 Years Ago

You may find "Sensei Format" to be more pleasing as well. https://blendersensei.com/store/#senseiformat

Blender for artists will probably be lagging behind Blender proper quite a bit. Blender is getting close to releasing 2.8 with real-time PBR display, and other significant improvements.

Material/textures are my least favorite part of Blender.

By vidi - 9 Years Ago

It is a fork of stable Blender so it is up to date with stable releases but the UI and workflow are ohhh so much more artist friendly, especially if you are coming from standard tools

Yes Blender for artist is quite easy to use incompare to the orginal version

it is absolutly sufficient for create CC and iClone stuff .

I use it too, if i want show somthing how it work in blender . The function are exactly the same , but die GUI is userfriendly

By Bellatrix - 9 Years Ago

Good to know such an option exists. Bump this thread up.

By Kelleytoons - 9 Years Ago

Rampa (7/1/2017)

I finally bit the bullet and started the Sensei course for Blender, and I do have to say that after a few days I actually think it might be usable (and this from someone who has HATED Blender and couldn't even get past the opening of it up.

Sensei has a lot going for it, not the least the deep and rich tutorials (over 100 of them) covering just about anything you'd ever want to do with it. The author also has a commitment to keeping current with Blender (and has demonstrated this for quite some time) so no problem worrying if you will miss out on any improvements.

While I'm not completely through with the tutorials I can honestly say that if you haven't tried Sensei (and spend a few hours watching the basics) you haven't given Blender a decent shot.

By animagic - 9 Years Ago

Kelley, that sounds encouraging. I may try Sensei as well. In my case it's not so much hate as incompatibility...:unsure:

By Kelleytoons - 9 Years Ago

Incompatibility? You mean seriously, like in an issue with your computer? Or just you're "incompatible with 3D modeling programs" in general?

If computer I'd suspect you can get Blender to run on almost anything (I think it even works on Linux). But if the latter, I do understand. I worked in the industry for decades (even betaed for 3D Studio, nee' Max, back when it was a DOS program) so I have a lot of familiarity with it. But modeling was never my strong suit -- I like texturing, repurposing other folks models, and all the other aspects of 3D that don't require actual artistic talent.

But, yet, give Blender Sensei a try. It's made Blender work for me when I had tried it many times in the past and came up empty. You can also make the screen MUCH bigger (a huge factor in my failing eyesights) and while I'm still not *real* comfortable with all the reliance on a middle mouse button, I'm slowly getting used to it. I can see that I might actual do some modeling now (not much because that's a rabbit hole I'm definitely NOT going to drop down again). You can't beat the price, most definitely.

And watch those tutorials on that site -- frankly, I don't know how that guy has time to make a living, given all he's done for Sensei (but I assume folks buy his products to support him).

By animagic - 9 Years Ago

No, my system can run almost anything, so that's not the issue.

Strangely enough (or not), I liked 3DStudio Max; I learned computer animation using version 2.5, which I purchased as a student so I could use it home (instead of fighting for lab time). I bought a Dell workstation to go with it. Somehow the way it was set up was all very logical to me. So hats off to one off the early developers! I didn't keep up because the course was only for a semester and after that I was no longer a student and I couldn't afford it.

I tried Animation Master, Truespace (RIP), and then Poser, which was the first program after Max I could do something with. I'm not interested in making all content from scratch and Poser came with content and I bought some as well. But iClone was really a good fit and started me getting serious into animation.

Blender in the beginning was very inaccessible and you really needed to know the keyboard shortcuts to get anywhere. I'm sure things have improved, and I do actually have a few Blender courses from Udemy I hope to have time for this summer.

By vidi - 9 Years Ago

I have of course compare both , and my winner is > bforartist

Only a easy example . If you start as noob , you have no idea what to do in Blender .

but in bforartist is all presneted and self explainend.

e,g. You see a menue that is called "create", and you see what you can do there , or a look on the helpfull icons obove and hover with the mouse, you will instantly know how you can create a sphere .

That make happy, not so if you need googeling for every task

In sensei you need to search for... what ... Where ? Ah maybe "add" , ok and then ? if yo are a noob you have l still no idea and are lost

Another such example, if you want sculpt in bforartist, the contex menue pop up with all setting , but in sensei need you to know for what you looking for , because it keeps hidden.

But all people are different so it is only my opinion .

Actually bforartist is Blender, but without hidden menues and shortcuts.

Also It is easy for me to follow tutorials that are made for Blender .

Because I have Maya , I use it only if I want to show people, how to do in Blender too. With bforartist It was quite easy for me to immerse into Blenders workaround, because it simliar with another aplication now.

Maybe, if I would earlier knew bforartist , I would today,be a Blender User too

But I find in Maya is rigging the CC Cloth and weightmapping much nicer, faster and easier to do. Therefore I lwill keep my subscription.

By Rampa - 9 Years Ago

The Blender For Artists is based on the current Blender release! :)

That was my only concern, as Blender 2.78 is required for proper FBX support.

By Kelleytoons - 9 Years Ago

And just for a dissenting option, I looked at Blender for Artist and it's not nearly as nice to me as Sensei.

I think the bottom line is if you are comfortable with a 3D program you'd want Sensei, as it makes Blender a lot more like other 3D programs (plus a LOT more efficient). Perhaps those folks who are not comfortable with 3D would prefer Artist.

By vidi - 9 Years Ago

For me it is important how quickly I master the UI. Because it is only important for me to be creative. For me, software is just a tool and not a sport

In Bforartist are all important functions Visible and achievable, I can't believe that can be wrong.

By Kelleytoons - 9 Years Ago

I agree with you -- but I was able to quickly master it using Sensei and not the BArtist one. Again, I think it's what you are used to -- if you have used other 3D programs you will like Sensei better, because it makes more sense. For anyone not familiar with 3D it might well be better to use Artist.

Good things we have choices.

By vidi - 9 Years Ago

if you have used other 3D programs
But Just from this reason, I prefer bforartist, too.

eg. I can not find the matcups in sensei, I need extra googeling, not so in bforartist.

By Kelleytoons - 9 Years Ago

We'll agree to disagree <g>.

By vidi - 9 Years Ago

But still interest where are the matcups hidden ?

Strange, I can't find them .:doze:

By Kelleytoons - 9 Years Ago

Since I have no idea what you mean by that I really can't help you (matcups is, what?)

By vidi - 9 Years Ago

Sorry, I mean matcap , you might have guessed ?

But I found it now, with some intensive searching and clicking through the menus. :rolleyes:

By Kelleytoons - 9 Years Ago

Well, I'm glad you found it, but I still am not sure what you mean (all of my 3D professional work was nearly 15 years ago -- the terminology may have changed quite a bit since then).

I'm guessing it has something to do with materials, but truly never heard that term before (and I worked in the industry for a couple of decades).

By vidi - 9 Years Ago

Maybe you have worked in 3D technical area ?

For a 3D artist is Matcap a special Material for 3D sculpting. It is usually used to simulate "real" clay.

By Kelleytoons - 9 Years Ago

No, I worked in all aspects of 3D, but we never had anything like that. Is it something like metaballs?

Again, my industry experience was 15 or so years ago -- a whole lot has changed and while I'm *trying* to get up to speed it's a long process for this retiree (heck, we didn't have PBR, or IBL, or mocap or anything folks just take for granted, and yet we were able to do quite a bit -- working "around" the tool limitations).

By vidi - 9 Years Ago

Is it something like metaballs?

No it is a Shader
matcap it the short name of material captures