Amapi NURBS

[D.O.A.]

Hi everyone, I have just joined this forum. A friend on another forum pointed me to this forum when I said I was looking seriously at Amapi pro 7.5 for NURBS modeling.

Here is my question. I don't know alot about NURBS modeling yet but I am comparing Rhino and Amapi pro functionality. Can someone give me an objective comparison on how extensive the Amapi Pro NURBS toolset is compared to Rhino. I like model cars using polygon modeling with Softimage XSI and will continue to use it for poly modeling because its fantastic, but has a very weak NURBS toolset. I looked through the beetle bug tutorial on this forum and continue to like what I see. I am just looking for some experienced NURBS modelers to simply explain the Amapi pro tool set and its power.

Thanks to anyone who will take the time to assist me I greatly appriciate it.

-DOA

[Thomas]

(Sorry, I can't give an objective answer )
Can you tell us for what kind of modeling you want to do with NURBS?

[D.O.A.]

Sure, I want to model cars using NURBS. Not nessecarily the entire car but definately the body pannels.

I know your on the Amapi Dev team Thomas, so I know you will be completely objective right ?

Thanks

[D.O.A.]

Can/Will nobody answser my qustion?

[jbshorty]

It's going to be difficult to get any unbiased opinion on this subject. Ask people around here, they will probably tell you they like Amapi. Ask people in the Rhino forums, they will say Rhino. I am a Rhino user and so i would say Rhino. I demo'd Amapi 7.52 and feel that (Sorry Thomas just my honest opinion) Rhino has a far more developed Nurbs surfacing toolset than Amapi. Also it has one of the most developed nurbs curve toolsets available (compare it to anything out there). Rhino 4 should be released within a few months, and it's a big leap forward from Rhino 3 (both in terms of the toolset and the UI). Thomas mentioned Amapi 8 will be announced shortly as well. So you might want to wait a little before you buy. In the meanwhile, start using the demos and see which working style suits you. That might be more important than the power of a toolset...

[D.O.A.]

jbshorty,
Good advise indeed. In fact I have both demo versions (Rhino 3and Amapi 7.5) It's just overwelming to learn both apps in 30 days, with little knowledge about NURBS modeling to begin with. I mean learn them well enough to make an informed decision. In fact I liked the Amapi interface better, that was the biggest turnoff of Rhino for me. As far as workflow goes, I really dont have a prefered NURBS workflow yet as I only model in polygons now.

I will take you advise though and wait until Amapi 8.0 and Rhino 4.0 are released before buying.

Thanks for the input.

[Frenchy Pilou]

Moment of Inspiration
For a complete choice on the subject if you have a PC!

[Nate Owens]

My experience has been with Rhino. (Haven't used Amapi.)
I find it smooth and capable, it has great tools for blending shapes and fillets... I'm sure you have seen the examples.
It is my favorite for mechanical objects. I use other programs for organic work, sometimes combining both (importing/exporting).
Trying the demos is probably the best idea.

[Davidoff]

Hi D.O.A., welcome

Fyi, here is a great WIP of a car made by Gilles complety in NURBS with Amapi 7.5 :
http://forums.polyloop.net/travaux-c...cox-nurbs.html

[D.O.A.]

Hi Dave, I made it over here. The link you posted dosen't work for me. I did look through a beetle bug tutorial and a motorcycle that looked promising.

[jbshorty]

Originally Posted by D.O.A.

...I liked the Amapi interface better, that was the biggest turnoff of Rhino for me...

The UI of Rhino 4 has seen a major overhaul in customizability and also in programability. Of course, it ships with the old grey color scheme (pretty standard for CAD software). So many people may overlook this ability at first glance. My R4 UI feels very similar to Silo 2, there's almost no UI visible at all. I will post some examples of my setup around the time of Rhino 4's release (projected within the next few months). Hopefully a demo will follow shortly after, so you can try it...

jonah

[D.O.A.]

Hi jbshorty,
Yeah, I've seen glimpses of the UI. I like much more. I was watching T-Splines demos. It does look better. I am definately getting the demo when it is available. The T-Splines are most interesting. As far as the color goes, I read in one of my lighting and rendering books that graphic software has "grey" interfaces because the color of the interface can effect how you see the colors of your project, weather it's 3D or 2D. so they grey it out, so the only color that you see is you project color. (Interesting eh).

Hopefully, buy the time the demo is released I'll be up to speed on NURBS. I'm playing with MOI right now.

thanks, I'll keep an eye out for the screen shots.

-Steve

[laughingnome]

hi Steve,
Amapi 7.5 Pro and Rhino are probably the best of the Nurbs modelers in my opinion.
personally i find Amapi quicker but thats just a preference for me.
JBshorty gave the best advice which is wait till the demos are released and then decide.

stu