Advantages of Modeling in Free Wings3D over Milkshape
Important and Personal Note TO READ:The only real advantages of a 3D software solely depends on it's user,his talent,background and how much he is willing to put in to perfects his art over the 'lukewarm enthusiasts' '
This is informationnal only and is NOT meant to prove Wings3D to be Easier but Technically Better and much more Featured(for the ease of use Ms3D wins hands high no doubts,so if you're a beginner/lowpolygon only modeler reading this,go with Ms3d for now like I did!).
The best and arguably Biggest advantage with modeling in Wings3D is it's ease of use and full customizability give the user the capability to concentrate on the Modeling Work itself rather than having to deal with the software's tools which involves of course and inevitably,more steps(a simple example is moving something in Ms3D involves...Select a sub-component Mode,Select the Sub-Component itself and finally Move it which is only performed in one action in wings3D via Tweak Mode)
1:Lighting:there is no easier way to get a good looking surface than with a good set of well placed diagonal lights(2) and rotating them as you work to get the shadow planes or shading as realistic as possible.
*There is no lights in Ms3D*
2:3D Viewport Editing:This is a priceless function that any modeling program should be equipped with and to quote Bay Raitt<<
-To avoid adversely affecting the silhouette while changing it in another,it's best to constantely adjust the camera position while you're working,many artists end up working on x,y and z planes,especially when the model becomes too complex to spin around freely,fortunately,that object or control object should never become so complex.
*In Ms3d,to recreate this age-old useful scuplting method,you would have to rotate the perspective viewport around the whole model/group only(no sub-selection(verts,face) can be Framed) and edit either using the Top(Y) Camera or by editing in Both X and Z viewport which is a rather old and slow method*
3:Use of Edgeloops:No Polygon-Modeling method can achieve simple muscular deformations or preparation for Morph Targets than Edgeloops.As some may have heard it is a series of inter-connected edges forming the shapes of muscular structure to be deformed such as the radial area around the mouth/eyes(either Sub-D or Low-Poly).
*In order to create edgeloops efficiently,you need to use non-triangulated meshes which Ms3D does not allow.While it is possible to create them loop shapes in it,keeping an eye on the right topological structure is really a useless pain since ALL points in a mesh are connected by one or more edges in Ms3D and also note that to make edgeloops,it is rather useful that the software actually supports Editing them(Ms3d only edits Vertice,Faces and Groups) *
5:Selectability:Wings3D excels in that matter.First,the 'Tweak' mode,by entering this mode,you can select and move any components when hovering the cursor on one of them.The Editing Planes(ZYX,XYZ...) will depend on which orientation your camera is in.It not only allows for editing the silhouette in the many angles but also has a Magnet options which,for instance,when the meshe's area is rounder(ex;breasts),allows for pulling vertice with a customisable weight in order to keep the smoothness.It is also useful for simulating deformations around the mouth or torso for allowing much more realistic deformation freedom to the mesh.
Selection being the number one tool in wings,it has it's own menu which has functions such as Selecting an Edgeloop(useful to verify their correctness),Selecting an Edge Ring(parralel edges),grow/shrink selection and more which again,like many of wings3d's dynamic tools,decreases the workflow dramaticaly.
*Ms3d has a non-dynamic select component function*
6:Box-Modelling:While the beginner may think it is a limited and hard technique,the fact is,it is the best way of learning digital sculpture you will come across and as you use it,you will understand why it is most widely used method for low-polygon modeling,myself using point-face-creation and edge-extrude techniques when using High-End softwares such as Softimage Xsi have had to re-adjust/re-adapt my workflow and methods but I learnt a great deal more than I thought I would by doing so...Never overestimate yourself,ALL artists have good and bad ones
*Milkshape,while allowing box modeling via extrusion and splitting edges,isn't an ideal choice for it can only work on one sub-component at the time,so if you ever needed to achieve a very simple operation such as adding an edge all the way around a model's leg to add details,it would implicate several(depending on the number of faces to Cut) Spilt-Edge,Turn Edges and Move the Vertice and the right point(ms3d splits edges evenly which isn't always what you will want)...while in Wings,selecting an edge,hitting the 'G' shortcut-key for Edge Ring selection would select ALL adges across a mesh,Cutting the faces would be as simple a hitting 'C'(connect),note that you can decide to place the newly Cut vertex by right-clicking over the Cut function instead of left clicking,a simple right click will confirm and finalize the position.*
7:Subdivision Surfaces:Although this is in a game devlopement context,having high-detail/Resolution Graphics is important in most of the cases where games will require pre-rendering stills or highly detailled models,Wings allows for working in Subdivision mode meaning you can model on a surface and see it's derived-smoothed version updated in the same viewport one over the other.It is also called other names depending on the software but the most comparable ones are Lightwave's and SoftimageXsi or Maya Unlimited.
*Milkshape1 will never have that implementation for it needs both the use of Quadrilateral Faces,Support for Edges,a better Renderer and many other'Under the hood characteristics that I probably don't know about but that will available when you'll pay for the next version*
TO BE DEMYSTIFIED:The use of a 'Hole' Component/material(like Gmax's Border Sub-Object ):It is very useful to clear/fill components areas of a mesh that needs welding/shaping or needn't be exported,it has come to my attention that many people think it isn't impossible or hard to achieve in Wings3D,this isn't true.Wings3d can also export geometry with 'Gaps'
thank you,
Modeling Tip of the Week:The more details you put on a model,the more you will learn from it!
If I've seen it all before,why's this bus taking me back again?
