MeshCreator is a free 3D model creator, and 3D model editor. It has been especially designed to be simple to use to create basic 3D models. As per the developer of this 3d model creator, this software was created to fill the void between programmer and designer. And looking at the ease of use of this software, I concur with that statement.
MeshCreator lets you create a 3D models using simple shapes. For example, if you want to create a chess piece, you start with a cylinder, and then keep modifying it to make a chess piece.
MeshCreator does not expects you to be a good graphic artist. You just need to be able to visualize how you want your final 3D model to look. Then you can create any 3D model easily with MeshCreator. Here is one example model created with MeshCreator:
To understand more about this free 3D model creator, I saw a tutorial (included below) that shows how to create a 3D model. It was quite fascinating to see that. I have worked with advanced CAD software like AutoCad, IDeas, Pro*E during my college time, but I found MeshCreator one of the most intuitive to use.
Also check out other free 3d modeling software, including Seamless3D, and Sculptris.
What I especially liked in MeshCreator is the way it emphasizes on vertices for any operation. You can stretch, resize, and perform many other operations on objects by just grabbing its vertices. You can select single or multiple vertices.
Here are some of the operations that MeshCreator allows on vertices:
Move Vertices: You can grab a vertex and move it to any position. You can move a vertex in two axes at a time. To move a vertex in 3 axes (x, y, z), you need to first move in first two axes (x , y). Then you can switch to another viewport to move the vertex in third axes (z).
Rotate Vertices: You can select multiple vertices to rotate them. Select at least 2 vertices, and then drag them to rotate around each other.
Scale vertices: Similar to rotate, you need to select at least 2 vertices to scale (you can select more if you like). Then scaling is done around center point of the mesh by converting each vertex to a vector. In this way, all the selected vertices are scaled proportionately.
MeshCreator also lets you lock and unlock vertices. This is especially helpful if you do not want specific vertices to be impacted by the operations that you are trying to perform.
Another feature that I really liked is that MeshCreator shows you various views of your 3D model live in multiple viewports while you are editing it. So, while you are working on top of the model, you can see how it is impacting the side view and front-view of your model. This is a really useful feature. Of course, you can at any time turn off this feature to see just your selected view in full model screen. There are lot of other features also available in this free 3D model creator.
If you want to do 3D animation, try Muvizu or Art Of Illusion.
MeshCreator video tutorial:
Here is a video tutorial that explains how to create a Chess Piece with MeshCreator. This gives you a good idea of various features available in this 3D model creator:
MeshCreator is under continuous development. The developer of this program has already laid down features of next 2 releases. I am really impressed with what this free 3D modeler is able to accomplish already, and look forward to its progress in future. Download free here.
