I wasn’t very clear, but in advocating use of 3D Warehouse in producing an online graphic sci-fi story, that’s what I had in mind.

In other words, if I were creating a Lunar ice mining facility, or an Earth-Moon L2 station, or a main belt asteroid mining outpost, I would sketchup the macro structure myself, but wouldn’t create every airlock hatch, heat exchanger, shock absorber, and mechanical arm from scratch.

I’m modeling this old hotel in western Pennsylvania, and all the windows, frames, mullions, cornices, dentils and ornamental details are scratch drawn.

But, I found an articulated double french door w/side lites, on 3DWH, which I hacked down to a single, closely matching the original. I will also use 3DWH models for all the 6-panel interior doors, door frames, and other more or less standard architectural details.

The catch is that it’s still the same software. AutoCAD 12(!) with Accurender 2. I bought the rendering software back when I could only afford something that cost a couple of hundred dollars. Years later, I was in a rut, and I don’t have much experience with the newer, more complex software, even though I own a copy. One of my jobs for a long time was turning out presentation product rapidly for proposal deadlines, and it was always easier to use something I was good with.

I am frigging fast with those stone knives and bearskins.

Here’s one list of free 3D software, but don’t overlook the deals students can get on the real good stuff.

You can get much lower prices on professional packages like 3DS Max as a student. Many companies also offer free versions, with the catch that it puts watermarks on the end result (for training purposes, this isn’t a problem).

Check out this site at AutoDesk.

Watermarked pictures might not look good on your facebook page, but these packages run a few thousand dollars for the professional versions, and being able to use them is not going to suck on your resume later on.

I don’t have an educational price for the non-watermarked versions, but it’s probably a few hundred dollars. Better than a few thousand.

My daughter picked up an Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium package, legitimately, for about 90 bucks. Street price is something like $1,900.

On that note, do you know of any free or cheap 3d design programs?

This is the kind of thing I do in Accurender, which is a very old and obsolete system.

I have yet to learn 3DS Max which would generate better stuff. This still looks “rendered,” not real enough.

A secret is light placement, including primary lighting that matches the background and secondary lights to make “reflections” when the background is just a picture and not part of the model.

Modeling is a bitch sometimes. I used AutoCAD and a third-party solids editor. Also obsolete.

Stone knives and bearskins. When you learn, use the new stuff.