Looking to start a small business-Advice Needed

Chromogen

Hello all I am looking to start a new business and have been looking at the different 3D software packages. I would want to get mostly into advertising stills and visualization projects. Lightfarm Studios is a decent example of the type of work I would like to take on http://www.lightfarmstudios.com/retouching.

I am currently stuck with which 3D software package would be right for a small group of one to three people. At first I was looking at Autodesk 3dsMax/Maya with Vray but the entry price for that software is pretty high. The Foundry's Creation Package is looking really appealing since I get not only Modo, but also Mari and Hieroplayer. Of course there is always Blender, but I don't have much experience with it and I dont know if I will be limited in certain ways. If anyone has input regarding this issue it would be much appreciated.

[Deleted User]

Houdini Indie? $100K income limit, no resolution render limit for stills, 1080p limit for animations. $200 for a year. Very good renderer called Mantra + unlimited Mantra Tokens.

http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=244&Itemid=399

Chromogen

I personally haven't even considered Houdini, I might have to check it out.

kanga

For ad motion graphics C4D seems to be the go to software. I am not sure what prices are these days but I think you can buy it by the modules you need.

Fomori

I think for that kind of work, a high quality industry standard renderer is the way to go. So I would consider V-ray. Luckily you can use it with all kinds of modelling/animation apps.

If you want future proof expandability (lets say you move more into character animation based projects and need to hire animators) then you really need Max or Maya. But for purely modelling, cheapest options are Blender(with V-ray standalone?) or Modo (with V-ray but also has a great renderer).

Chromogen

kanga wrote: »

For ad motion graphics C4D seems to be the go to software. I am not sure what prices are these days but I think you can buy it by the modules you need.

Cinema 4D really seems like a good program to use, but it is priced way out of my budget.

Fomori wrote: »

I think for that kind of work, a high quality industry standard renderer is the way to go. So I would consider V-ray. Luckily you can use it with all kinds of modelling/animation apps.

If you want future proof expandability (lets say you move more into character animation based projects and need to hire animators) then you really need Max or Maya. But for purely modelling, cheapest options are Blender(with V-ray standalone?) or Modo (with V-ray but also has a great renderer).

I think I am going for Modo since the Student Creation Collection is only a $545 commercial upgrade and I not only get Modo, but also Mari and Hieroplayer I did some research and the renderer and it should suit my needs for now, and Vray is currently in Beta if I need somthing with a little more umph in the future. I will be going from 3Ds Max to Modo so now its just a matter of saying bye to my modifer stack

Fomori

Good choice. I am also in the process of transitioning from Max to Modo.

Chromogen

One last thing sorry. Does anyone have thoughts about using Zbrush as my main modeling tool. It now can come with Keyshot and with the latest update Zmodeler I could do organic and hard surface models. The only thing I would be missing is a particle system. Does that sound right or is there something I am not considering.

Fomori

Yeah there's lots you're not considering. Off the top of my head:
You always will need full polygon editing capabilities. This is especially true if you are doing precise modelling of existing products. All the instancing/array controls and tools you will need. General scene management. It can be way more efficient to deal with scenes/rendering that don't rely on dense meshes (in other words you will want to use meshsmooth/turbosmooth.

Also I'm pretty sure that the bundled Zbrush Keyshot has a limited output resolution? What if a client wants to do a full page print advert, a poster, or even a billboard!

Saying all that it might be enough to get you started, it depends on what jobs you get!

cryrid

Also I'm pretty sure that the bundled Zbrush Keyshot has a limited output resolution? What if a client wants to do a full page print advert, a poster, or even a billboard!

(The special version has no limitations on render size)

Fomori

cryrid wrote: »

(The special version has no limitations on render size)

That's good. Keyshot HD's resolution is limited and costs more!

Mant1k0re

Chromogen wrote: »

now its just a matter of saying bye to my modifer stack

And splines too right? Not wanting to turn this thread into a max vs modo one but I'm also looking at Modo with interest these days with the teasing of 901 that comes bundled with meshfusion.

The mod stack I can live without, but max spline modeling - this I don't think I can say goodbye to. I read many times that this is Modo's great weakness, I was wondering if it's still the case.

Chimp

I'd say be careful -- if you're not sure what packages are available, then I'd question whether you are ready to start a business. Reason I say this is that starting a business is a constant cost, and it's also a permanent reputation. Do it as a hobbyist, then an amateur, then a professional imo. Find out whether you actually like it too - it can be difficult doing great work just as an amateur, taking on the stress of pro work when you are still learning is hellish, I jumped in the deep end myself. I will say its a fast way to learn, but only if you're surrounded by experienced people - and in your case I'm not sure that you are.

In any case, best of luck

VelvetElvis

Max + Corona renderer. With Max going monthly sub and Corona at a far more reasonable price than Vray, you can get started pretty cheaply. At least compared to a few years ago. Plus the Vray to Corona converter script gets you almost 95% there with just a simple convert.

Vray used to be the way to go, but it has some serious weaknesses with their new 3.0 pricing scheme.

The biggest reason to go with a heavy industry standard like Max (esp if you are going for visualization projects) is that there is literally a metric asston of pre-made models out there. You won't always have time to custom model all the props/furniture and being able to purchase a few collections is a great time saver.

Fomori

VelvetElvis wrote: »

The biggest reason to go with a heavy industry standard like Max (esp if you are going for visualization projects) is that there is literally a metric asston of pre-made models out there.

Surely this isn't Max dependant? Most models you can purchase in .obj or .fbx format.

battlecow

A few good gigs and vray will pay for itself, it's an industry standard and there is a reason why , you will need some plugins like multiscatter and they work with vray most of the time.
Max is also a must since most plugins used in the business are for max (plugins for wooden floor paterns for exemple).
You will have to be fast and competitive , it is not rare to get less then a week to finish a project and you will have to make iterations very quickly, you just cant spend your time fiding workarounds for stuff that already exists in max or vray.

A lot of the good models you find online are in .max format with vray texture setups.


If you try to save a few hundred bucks now you will pay for it in the long run.
Max and Vray provide almost everything you need out of the box (vray proxies and vray fur and the max tools are tailored for the kind of work you want to do)

You'll also need photoshop and illustrator I bet. Quixel is also great, it's speeds up work not only for game devs.

You have to have proper tools can't be cheap on that.
I've used my Maya for archviz and it was a pain in the ass, you can get good results too but it is so much easier/faster in max and the time I lost struggling in maya I could have spent on another project.