Software...

[Cobra]

Really want to try and learn some 3d modeling, and exams are over on Friday...so i should have a lot of free time knowing British weather...

What program would you guys recomend for aircraft design?? Money really isnt an object..(to an extent, not spending thousands lol)...

[gryshnak]

FSDSv3 from Abacus is quite user friendly, although the Boolean function is limited which becomes very annoying at times.  Exporting your design to FS9 is as simple as clicking a couple of buttons.

You already have Gmax (it's sitting quietly on one of the FS9 CDs), it's less user friendly - especially for beginners.  It's also much more powerful and will do just about anything you want.  Getting your finished design into FS9 requires more work than FSDS.

I suggest installing Gmax and working your way through the tutorials.  Whichever package you finally decide to use, it'll be useful experience.

Gryshnak

[NCGent]

Flight Simulator Design Studio, FSDS.
Very user friendly and loads of fun. Its like a drug, be careful.....lol

[Cobra]

hmmmmm I think im kinda swinging towards gmax, seeing as its free and more powerful...

if i did start on FSDS would it make going onto gmax later on significantly easier, or are they very different??

[Travis]

Well, from what I've heard, FSDS sounds like a leisurely swim in the local pool, and Gmax is the 100m butterfly.  With sharks.  At night.  In Antarctica.

LOL, not quite that bad, but Gmax is a big jump from a standing start.  I remember first learning how to use it, I had no clue what I was doing.  I slowly got a little better over time, but it isn't a quick process.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my designs, so I haven't released anything yet, and I've been working with Gmax and FS since early 2003.  But that's not really normal, as far as I can tell.  After all, I've helped others through their Gmax initiation on these forums, from begining to final release.

[Felix/FFDS]

[quote], and I've been working with Gmax and FS since early 2003.

[Katahu]

...but I've seen others take to gmax like a duck to water!

Sometimes the ones who do learn that fast with Gmax are usually the ones who already know 3D Studio Max [the big brother of Gmax].

[bzhyoyo]

I have started with Gmax and had no real problems with it : it is indeed a slow process and there is a learning curve, but I didn't find it as steep as some people. The trick is really to follow the method : do the Gmax tuts before even thinking about modeling an aircraft. "Practise" regularly, especially at the beginning, to learn the tool. Customize the shortcuts to the different tools (or learn them) to be more efficient.

My first models were bridges for OFF, and I'm now modeling an aircraft (some WIP here soon) : I've been modeling for a year and an half now. So I'm quite slow (a perfectionist too).
http://off.oldbrowndog.net/images/0205/bridge%20WIP.jpg

http://off.oldbrowndog.net/images/0205/Clipboard002.jpg




From my reading of forums, I get the impression that it was harder to get into Gmax for people who had an experience with another software. Old habits die hard... But if you start directly with Gmax, you'll get better results eventually at the end - the better designers out there, for cfs at least, use Gmax.

[Greg Ebnit EApilot]

(AN ODE TO GMAX)     OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH GMAX! How I sometimes want to hug and kiss it. And other times want to smash, berate, and delete it. Gmax how I love and loathe thee. The crashes the errors the reinstalls. Gmax you are the whomb of my aircraft design. Oh Gmax my designing creating temptress. It must be love for you have taken my heartdrive. By Greg Ebnit

[Brett_Henderson]

Here's the trade-off I've found, having used both, quite a bit:

GMAX makes certain, complex modeling tasks (I really like the uniform-scale and soft-select) "easier" (quicker is more like it). The time it takes to accomplish something in FSDS is about the same as what it takes to set up, strategize and test in GMAX.

If I had to make many models quickly; or had to be prepared for an unknown modeling challenge, I'd use GMAX. Making unique models for FS, one at a time,  I'd choose FSDS.