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Silo - 3D Modeling Zen (Apparently)

iClone Custom
ToonMaker 2 Character.
I've been looking around for a 3D modeling application for some time now after slowly making some headway into the world of 3D animation with Reallusion's iClone. iClone is great for 3D animation but much of the time you're a slave to whatever content you can buy from various online market places and libraries - which is pretty darn extensive I must say.

However the one thing I can't buy is my own 2D character designs re-imagined as 3D characters. I can sort of make my own toon characters with Reallusion's ToonMaker and ToonMaker 2 but it's not quite the same. Whilst I'm not in a hurry to start cranking out 3D animation with my own characters it is something I'm interested in tinkering with now and then and I'd rather build my own characters.

Anyone who's signed up to SmithMicro's mailing list (the makers of Anime Studio and Manga Studio) may have come across special deals on Never Center's 3D Modeling Software, Silo, often being sold for half price or less.

Compared to other modeling programs Silo seems to live up to its tagline, '3D Modeling Zen'. The way you build and sculpt models seems very natural, almost like working with digital clay. See the demo video below.



Before making my purchase of Silo I did a quick search of the internet for people's opinions on the software. Most seemed to agree the User Interface and approach was really very good but the program had a tendency to crash on complex models. I'm not planning to make anything much more complex than my ToonMaker2 character above so I hope I'm going to be fine.

There were also some concerns that Silo is no longer receiving updates or development. I don't know if this is true. I just figure if the software works and I can import finished models into iClone through Reallusion's 3DXchange software, that's good enough for me.

I've yet to work with this software extensively but I must say it's very easy to get started and to begin modeling right away. The online video tutorials on Nevercenter's site are all very easy to follow and won't strain your mind with too much complex jargon.

Hopefully over the coming months I'll get to use Silo much more extensively and maybe even show you a few of my models in action. For now, I just wanted to tell you about the latest addition to my animation tool box.

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Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 26, 2015 at 9:43:00 AM GMT+9:30

    Why not use blender3d? Pixar use it. Dreamworks use it. It is free and open source and powerful . You can bring in a 2d image and start working straight awsy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TET (David Arandle)May 26, 2015 at 11:43:00 AM GMT+9:30

      I'm a big fan of Blender but it has a much steeper learning curve and more complex UI. Anything that can get me up and running with the basics quickly will always get my attention... which Silo does well.

      Delete
  2. amaya barriosJune 3, 2015 at 6:44:00 AM GMT+9:30

    Silo seems pretty good and sounds awesome. It's just like you say "playing with digital clay". 3D animation is always an excellent way to show creativity and a different side of videos. I love the way they can boost communication and deliver a message. What I've seen in sites like hungryhamster.com is that these animated videos can sale at a good price and the results are incredible.
    I'm going to leave you there information so you can check it out and tell me what you think.
    Facebook: HungryHamsterVideo
    Twitter: hungryhamsterv
    Instagram: hungryhamstervideo

    The most important thing in animation is attention and coolness... Silo seems to do it perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. VelmaMay 7, 2016 at 6:33:00 PM GMT+9:30

    great 3ds max work...

    GameYan Studio

    ReplyDelete

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