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Why do we love anim8or?

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fromsoysauce:
My brother and I were having a talk about why we've been using this freeware program for a decade.
We've always found Anim8or to the program we use the most. Even considering the fact that when we make our games we do everything from modeling, music, to programming without help.

The only other 3D program I use is Maya, but I don't model in it, I just use it for animation because it is very easy to run it's FBX animations in Unity. But my models are always made straight out of Anim8or.

My brother added that the maya forums have an unusual feeling to them, since he would ask about if Maya had a tool, basically he tried to describe An8's cut edge tool. The reaction he got from the people there was basically : "Why would you ever want to do something like that?" Without actually addressing the question to solve it as a problem.

From what I understand, people who primarily use Maya treat 3D modeling as digitally sculpting things. Where as, at least for my brothers and I, Anim8or let's us make models by what feels more similar to making a drawing but in 3D (a-la our collectively most used tool "add-edge") or otherwise a digital form of origami, a-la cut-edge tool (our second most used tool).

Maya on the other hand, as far as 3D modeling, seems to require some rudimentary understanding of sculptural principles.

Besides how much I appreciate how An8 simulates 3D drawing + Origami, here are some other reasons I love it personally.

1) It's a tiny file, that can be installed like nothing.
2) It loads up pretty much instantaneously, even on lower-end computers.
3) The Arc-Rotate tool. It can do everything you need a camera to do and is easy and intuitive to maneuver.

What about y'all? Why do you love anim8or?

Steve:
Thanks, fromsoysauce

ENSONIQ5:
I do all my modeling with Anim8or, transferring models to Carrara for rigging, animating and rendering.  While it's not the most advanced modeler (Booleans would be a cool addition) I appreciate the ultra-clean, uncluttered workspace and simple but effective tools.  Frankly, it leaves Cararra's very weird modeler for dead!  I'm not much of an organic modeler, most of my work leans towards the mechanical/technical/science fiction genre, with lathe and extrude being my most used tools.

The recent updates to Anim8or, embodied in the much-anticipated Version 1, have brought Anim8or much closer to a 'complete' package.  The IK function is excellent, particularly the ability to lock IK terminators to the 'world' to allow skate-free walk cycles (genius!).  The main reason I don't work in Anim8or alone is the render speed which is significantly slower than Carrara, mainly due to Carrara's multi-thread enabled renderer.  I do prefer the quality of Anim8or's renders though, the ART renderer is capable of some truly stunning output if you're prepared to wait for it.

The other thing I LOVE about Anim8or is the workflow, separating out Objects, Figures, Sequences and Scenes, with unlimited numbers of each.  This simple separation of functions allows for a modular approach to production, and is conspicuously missing from Carrara with its single cluttered workspace.  It's basic features like this that have been in place since the beginning that make Anim8or stand out, along with its tiny impact on resources, shallow learning curve, and of course the fact that it's free :).

EDIT: I should also add that Anim8or has NEVER crashed on me...ever.  I'm looking at you, Carrara....

thecolclough:
i can second pretty much all of the points you guys just made there  :)

ronaldefarmer:
The best thing about Anim8or is that it is easy to use for beginners. I would never have stayed with it long enough to learn anything useful if I had started out with Blender or Maya. I tried several other modeling  programs before I found Anim8or. All were awkward and confusing. Then I downloaded Anim8or. Within fifteen minutes or so, I was able to render a cool picture of some cubes and spheres. The immediate gratification encouraged me to continue. After a while, I learned to use some of Anim8or's more advanced features. And it never seemed like work--just having fun.  I think that's likely the case for a lot Anim8or users.

Also, I have enjoyed knowing that Anim8or is a work in progress. I always look forward to the improvements and new features that the next version will bring. I appreciate that the the author strives to make improvements and include features that are important to Anim8or's users. That's pretty cool. Thanks Steve.

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