Despite the great ways Vue 6 is improved, there is one area where I felt that it still needs to be massively overhauled. This is in how it imports Poser files, as many low-budget animators will be very interested in combining Poser characters with Vue Environments directly in Vue. As it stands right now, you can currently open up Poser files directly in Vue 6, with fewer options than you have in Poser and with a slower interaction than you would expect, or you can have Vue open up Poser directly inside of Vue, which seriously slows down even fast computers. I would really like to see them come up with a more streamlined approach that is more similar to DAZ’s Carrara 5 Pro, which imports Poser models directly without this performance slow down.
Value
While we reviewed (and would most recommend) Vue 6 Infinite, there are a truly large grouping of Vue 6 products, from basic starter packages like Vue 6Easel, which will allow you to create some basic environments, for $99 to Vue 6 xStream, which allows you to render Vue environments inside of 3D packages like 3D Studio Max and Lightwave, for $899. The reason I would recommend Infinite is because it has the most realism options which make a digital background able to blend with a photographic foreground, but doesn’t require you to go up the extra $200 to xStream; this would only make sense for folks who are already doing most of their 3D work in application like Lightwave or 3DStudio Max and want the environmental creativity of Vue 6 available within those applications. (To read the specifics of what is in each package, check out E-On’s comparison breakdown here)
Final Comments
Vue 6 is absolutely amazing for the quality with which it does what it does and the price point it comes in at is really good with that in consideration. While it isn’t as robust as a more general-purpose 3D application like Lightwave or 3D Studio Max, it’s infinitely easier to use and could easily fulfill any needs you may have for creating background environments for special effects and greenscreen work for your upcoming films. (Tune in this fall when we do a shootout between a variety of 3D programs to see which composites the most seamlessly with live footage and see how Vue 6 stacks up in this regard.)
If you’ve ever wanted to have beautiful mountains in the background of your shots or do a fly-in credit sequence through rolling clouds, then you owe it to yourself to check out the amazing trailer that’s linked to the top of this review and then go download the free Personal Learning version of Vue 6 Infinite! (Unlike most demo versions of software, E-On’s PL version of Vue 6 Infinite doesn’t stop working after 30 days, but will work permanently with all the functionality of the full Vue 6 Infinite. While a watermark does appear on any of your renders after 30 days, you will have all the time you need to learn the software and decide if Vue 6 Infinite can do all you need it to before you buy it!)
Ease
of Use
9.0
Depth
of Options
10.0
Performance
9.0
Value
10.0
Overall
Score
9.5
The
director of two feature length films and half a dozen short films,
Jeremy Hanke
founded Microfilmmaker Magazine to help all no-budget filmmakers make
better films. His first book on low-budget special effects techniques, GreenScreen Made Easy, (which he co-wrote with Michele Yamazaki) was released by MWP to very favorable reviews. He's curently working on the sci-fi film franchise, World of Depleted through Depleted: Day 419 and the feature film, Depleted.
