Mention 3D graphics and people think of programs that cost in the thousands of dollars. However, Wings 3D is a powerful modeler that is totally free. It was created by Björn Gustavsson, Dan Gudmundsson and the rest of the Wings 3D Development Team.
It’s a sophisticated program, capable of modeling human figures, creatures, vehicles, and so on. The program uses a graphical interface instead of icons. You use the keyboard and mouse to change an object’s geometry. Four selection modes are available: Body, Face, Edge and Vertex. Make no mistake about it; Wings 3D has a lot of tools. Each mode comes with its own set of modelers and editors. Its auto-UV feature makes adding textures easy.
There are a lot of mesh and selection tools plus lights, materials and colors. You can export objects as OBJ and other popular formats. Standard features include weld, cut, bridge, bevel, extrude and rotate among others. Advanced features include inset, shear, bend, intersect, circularize etc. You can use its Smooth Preview to assess your model. Other advanced tools like sculpt, tweak and Virtual Mirror are perfect for modeling symmetrical objects.
There are a lot of options, but you can configure its interface. You will find more commands with its right-click menus. Keep your cursor over the mouse over a menu, a brief explanation will pop up. It can import ndo, 3ds, ai, .lwo/.lxo, .obj and other popular formats. You can export to 3ds, ai, obj, pov and many others.
Wings 3D is available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. It is continuously being updated. The software uses OpenGL for rendering. However you can export and render with YafRay, POV-Ray and other software.
Related Links:
Download Wings 3D
Wings 3D on SourceForge
Wings 3D on Facebook
Wings 3D on YouTube
Wings 3D Development Forum