Favorite Free Trial terrain generation product is worldMachine2,
Try World Machine 2 for FREE!
http://www.world-machine.com/basic_edition.html
Get your feet wet with the Basic Edition
Try World Machine risk-free by downloading the Basic Edition! This fully-featured version contains all the power and functionality of the Standard Edition, with two restrictions:
- The maximum resolution output from the Basic Edition is limited to 513x513 pixels.
- You may not use the results of the Basic Edition commercially. Resulting heightfields and textures may not be used in a commercial project, nor integrated into for-sale artwork.
- Freeware and noncommercial projects are allowed and encouraged to use the Basic Edition!
- Download the Basic Edition Now!
- Within the terms of use above, the Basic Edition is free for unlimited use.
Worth mentioning in this category is:
terragen2
Http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/tg2/index.shtml
Terragen 2 Technology Preview is available both as a free download and as a
pre-purchase option for Terragen 2
.
The free version may only be used for non-commercial purposes and is limited in the following ways:
Render Size Maximum: 800x600
Render Detail Maximum: 1.0
Antialiasing Maximum: 3
Number of Rendered Populations: 3
For liquid simulation something like realflow / scanline (nLiquid) are good choices:
http://www.realflow.com/
Demo
Before you buy, you have the opportunity to "test drive" our software and the supported plug-ins via a fully functional evaluation copy.
http://www.realflow.com/n_try.php
There's not enough time to cover:
http://www.flowlines.info/software01.html
Also see:
http://www.vfxworld.com/index.php?atype=news&id=15464
Then there's crowds simulation (like Massive) See:
http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/7267
Also:
http://www.massivesoftware.com/massive-3-5-debuts-at-siggraph-200/
And of Course: Thee Home Page:
http://www.massivesoftware.com/
This one you gotta buy:
http://www.massivesoftware.com/locate-a-reseller/
As a side note: 3ds Max has a great built in Crowd simulator. I'm not familiar enough with Maya and Soft to tell you what they have.
For Demolition: estreme load
http://www.tsnstudios.com/Demo_Reel.aspx
For Max Users : RayFire:
http://www.mirvadim.com/
Note: You can use 32 bit versions on 64 bit PC, but only with 32 bit 3ds Max
IMPORTANT: RayFire Tool 1.43 32 bit installation unstruction
Changelog
Then there's BlastCode:
http://www.blastcode.com/
Get your trial version by:
Filling out the customer information form.
Reading and accepting the Software Trial Agreement.
An email with download information will then be sent to you.
See:
http://www.blastcode.com/productinfo/trial.php
A real good and usefull script editor with colored syntax, quick help etc.
For the Super Geek in you:
http://tarzworkshop.com/
Or...:
http://www.maxliani.com/technology/MelStudioPro_MainEn.html
Mel Studio Pro is a Maya plug-in written for MEL script developers.
Something for the Maya Folks:
The concept of the script is to make the basic Maya Render View much more efficient to use and make rendering related modifications easier. (Things like adding data to images, render text onto the image, render / load and save multiple frames, modify render settings and approximations and lots of other stuff.) See:
http://highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/rendering/mental_ray/2132.html
While I like Combustion... There's also the stand along boujou 4.1... the latest point release of the Emmy award-winning, industry-standard camera and object tracking solution.
See:
http://www.2d3.com/product/?v=1
Download:
http://www.2d3.com/download/?action=view&ac=cdf8f181238034cc46cf2c4c988c9dc3&at=392736643
Then there's retopology tools like in topogun or 3D Coat.
See:
http://www.topogun.com/
And See:
http://www.3d-coat.com/
15 Day Free Trial:
http://www.3d-coat.com/login_form.php
Modo has nice modeling tools: See:
http://www.luxology.com/trymodo/
I like Rhino too: Ask me for a Rhino CD, I've got a LOT of them!
http://download.rhino3d.com/eval/?p=25
Also Check out highend3d
See:
http://www.highend3d.com/
This cut's to the Quick on a lot of these issues.
That's it for now.
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Murph
Edited: May 17, 2009 10:10AM