Good free software for movies - need advices.

[Inarius]

We are making a Sci-Fi short movie and use a lot of software like Ipisoft, Nuke, Modo and etc... But most of the software is trial, or free but not with all features. We liked The Foundry or Autodesk programs, but they are too expensive. What programs would you suggest that are free and good? Another problem is that many of them don't fully cooperate with each other, which causes bugs and performance issues. Those program issues slow our process really much.
What programs would you suggest for:
- 3D modelling (Maya, Modo, 3DMax or something else)
- UV texturing (Maya, Modo, 3DMax, Daz, Mudbox or something else)
- Camera tracking (Vodoo or something else)
- After effects (AfterEffects, Nuke or something else)
- Motion Capture (Ipisoft or something else)
- Calibration
and/or other purposes that you feel are going to be needed

P.S. Those technical issues are really annoying dealing with

 

[FantasySciFi]

We are making a Sci-Fi short movie and use a lot of software like Ipisoft, Nuke, Modo and etc... But most of the software is trial, or free but not with all features. We liked The Foundry or Autodesk programs, but they are too expensive. What programs would you suggest that are free and good? Another problem is that many of them don't fully cooperate with each other, which causes bugs and performance issues. Those program issues slow our process really much.
What programs would you suggest for:
- 3D modelling (Maya, Modo, 3DMax or something else)
- UV texturing (Maya, Modo, 3DMax, Daz, Mudbox or something else)
- Camera tracking (Vodoo or something else)
- After effects (AfterEffects, Nuke or something else)
- Motion Capture (Ipisoft or something else)
- Calibration
and/or other purposes that you feel are going to be needed

P.S. Those technical issues are really annoying dealing with

You should ask this in another forum (Making the Film/Post Production) to get the best results. This forum is strictly screenwriting.

Obviously, Maya and 3D Max are the most mid range and powerful for indie filmmakers. However, Blender (http://www.blender.org/) is a powerful freeware application that incorporates many if not all of those applications. However, it has a steep learning curve and often requires lots of steps to achieve what you can accomplish with a particular tool. There is, for instance, an add on for Blender that allows motion capture using the xbox 360 sensor. It also can be used in conjunction with markers. It's fluid and particle simulations are on par with many standalone generators that you would need with AE. It can be used for chroma keying shots into artifical scenes or doing motion tracking to insert CG objects.

All in all, Blender is a powerful tool, but not easily mastered. IClone and Daz are cut from the same cloth but I find IClone is a bit more user friendly. The ability to rapidly prototype in Google Sketchup and import it into IClone with its bridge (or even Blender without as many hoops) can be extremely useful. Once in Blender, additional textures and effects can be added. Blender also works in conjunction with MakeHuman, a free human modeling application that includes rigging. It also has add-ons that help provide bones to a model automatically if humanoid. It's worth checking out.

Don't undervalue Google's free Sketchup application. It can be extremely useful in creating quick set mockups and having access to a large 3D warehouse. Many real-world archictectures (as well as terrains courtesy of Google Earth), make it an awesome resource.

But as mentioned, this forum is aimed at screenwriting. You will probably get more suggestions in the appropriate forum from visual effects & CGI experts.

 

[Inarius]

Ok thanks. I'll create a topic in the Post Production sub-forum.