Graphics

What do 3DS Max, Lscript, Lightwave, Alice, Maya, Blender, Animation Master, TrueSpace, RenderMan, and Poser all have in common? Well, besides being graphic programs and 3D applications, they are all Python scripting interfaces. Python is ideal for the struggling artist; it’s able to link up to industry gear and is perfect for creating quick custom tools or automating repetitive tasks.

Alice

Alice is a tool for developing three-dimensional graphics, built around the concept of "3D for everyone." Most 3D engines require the programmer to know extensive trigonometry, vector algebra, and other painful math. Alice is designed to provide non-programmers with access to 3D programming and interactive worlds. One of the things that makes Alice powerful is that it has a very straightforward, easy-to-learn GUI (shown in Figure 5.4) for placing, sizing, tweaking, and animating three-dimensional objects and spaces.