"Tom Melly" <tom### [at] tomandlucouk> wrote in message
news:3e9e625f$1@news.povray.org...
> This month's PC Pro has a free full version of Amapi (I can't remember
which
> version - sorry).
>
> As far as I can tell, it is the complete program without restrictions, and
has a
> full range of import/export plug-ins.
>
> Anyone know much about Amapi?

Get it if you can. Interface is extraordinary, but it's a
powerfull  modeler. It was in version 3, also, when I first tried it. Beside
NURBS, it support subdividion surfaces, probably the best way for organic
shapes today. As I can see from their site, version 7 can have a clasic
interface.
Well, as i can see, you need some extra tools for another half of work, uv
mapping, suggested tool is UV mapper - this isn't good, really.

Blender have some nice things about subdividion surfaces, and modeling at
all (automatic creation of surfaces between objects), but don't have
undo-redo functions, and have a weak export.

Metasequia ( http://www21.ocn.ne.jp/~mizno/ ) is one of the best tools for
polygons at all, subdivdion surfaces, UV-mapping, but the only educational
version is available outside of Japan, with some export restrictions, for
formats like a 3ds, LWO, etc, but you can export UV-mapped models to
DirectX, and toPOV-Ray through 3d win. Complete, customizable interface is
available in English, but docs are not - however, it's enough intuitive. I
think there are some plugins for uv-mapped POV export, today.

HamaPatch is a powerfull bezier patch modeler, but UV mapping works only
with direct POV bezier patch export, which isn't smooth as exported meshes
in POV.

Some most important modeling things, probably, are: easy adding or removing
elements from your model, support for hardware accelaration, symetrical
modeling, and UV mapping editor. Only Metasequoia can do all of these
things, between mentioned modelers.

Some of free or cheap modelers are equaly powerfull as a high-ends 3d's,
esspecialy in cases of organic modeling. Subdividion surface models can be
exported and animated almost everywhere.

For organic models, POV-Ray SDL is, in my opinion, just a good toy for
spending time.
Anto
http://www.matkovic.com/anto

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