Introduction
There are plenty of choices out there when it comes to 3D modeling and animation programs. The only problem is that most of them cost an arm and a leg – and that doesn’t include the computer required to run them. If you’re one of those fortunate enough to be on a project endowed with a magnificent seven figure budget, you’re all set. But if you’re one of us less fortunates, you can be faced with a handful of choices that range from bad to worse.

That’s the story that many have been faced with, myself included, as they search for some way to create 3D art content for their games and engine tests. The first option that many attempt is to create a custom 3D modeling package. The only flaw in that plan is that it takes months, if not years of staring into your monitor to create such a masterpiece. In the same period of time, anyone with an arm or two can make enough money to purchase 3D Studio Max or the like by squeegeeing windshields at the closest stop light. For me, at least, neither option seemed too appealing.

Another option is to purchase a commercial 3D-modeling program. However, finding one that can do all of the required tasks can be a pretty daunting challenge. In case you don’t already know, it goes something like this: search for a modeler, read up, download demo, figure out how it works, become frustrated by lack of features, delete. Repeat 20 times or until you decide to crawl under a rock and die.

This article will go through some of the aforementioned features, and show exactly what it is that makes trueSpace 4 such an excellent tool for any game developer on a budget. This is not meant to be a tutorial on how to use trueSpace 4 specifically, but rather, an overview as to why this often under-rated piece of software makes such a great game development tool.

Please take notice, that for the rest of this article, I’ll refer to trueSpace 4 simply as tS. Therefore, be forewarned that some of the features discussed here are not available in earlier version of trueSpace. However, depending on your needs, an older (and therefore considerably cheaper) version of tS may suffice for your particular needs.

The Interface
We’ll start out with what most people seem to think is the worst part about tS. Of all things, the biggest complaint has got to be the rather unconventional user interface. People tend to stray from things that are different, or out of the ordinary, and tS’s user-interface definitely fits this category quite nicely. To be perfectly honest, I consider myself to be pretty anal when it comes to this sort of thing. I like standards. I dislike any program that forces me to use a skin to cover up the standard Windows interface.

About 6 months before I realized what a great tool tS was, I downloaded a demo, and was completely turned off by the interface alone. I deleted the demo and never looked back. That is, until 6 months later when I was in a bit more of a pickle. I needed a 3D modeler more than ever, so I forced myself to give tS another shot, and I have to say that I’m very glad that I did.

After using the interface for a few days, I actually began to appreciate it. Sure, it doesn’t fit into the standard Windows paradigm, but it definitely stands on its own two feet when it comes to quick access to features and ease of use. And when it comes right down to metal, that’s all that really matters.

tS also includes a very interesting and relatively new interface paradigm which Caligari refers to as Widgets. Widgets are real-time 3D user-interfaces which exist within the 3D work environment. Almost every tool that exists in the standard 2D interface is also available through the Widgets interface. Fortunately, Caligari realized that some people might prefer one interface over the other, so they allowed the welcome option of turning Widgets on or off.

So if you’ve ever given tS a shot, and turned away, or you’ve never even tried it at all due to its non-conventional interface, you may want to consider giving it another shot. Although it’s true that the interface doesn’t use the standard Windows setup, it does manage to reduce the amount of uneccessary clutter in the workspace, and ultimately, gives an over-all faster and easier access to features. Test it out for a couple of days, and maybe you’ll begin to see the whole thing from a new perspective.

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