A sad day.
My modding adventures came to an abrupt end yesterday evening. After many years of almost flawless operation my modelling laptop turned itself off yesterday, I don't want to say it died, but I seriously fear that's what happened. Also this morning it gives me no response at all.
This is really bad news for my modding efforts, not only because I haven't made a backup for way too long and all my projects are on that machine only. But much more so because I won't be able to run my 3D modelling software any more because that won't run on newer Windows versions . I learned and got used to working with Autodesk VIZ 4 over the last 25 or so years and although I have learned a few tricks with Blender, I don't see me making models in Blender purely (I just don't like the UI enough).
So what are my options, I may try to find a way to try to install on my Windows 11 machine although I expect the chance of success to be less then 1% and I first need to find an external CD drive.
Then I do have 2 old machines that are capable and should still run, but that would mean I would either need to switch to a literally 25year old computer or a 15year old laptop that has some issues. Neither sound very tempting to be honest.
More realistic is to get a new version of Autodesk 3DStudio Max, but I also want to be reasonable and a yearly subscription fee of over 2000Eur is to me not reasonable for recreational use. If it were a one off price for life-time use I might consider it.
Last option with more chance of success is perhaps be to find a 2nd-hand replacement for my modelling machine, but there aren't many of such available. So if anyone has an old powerful workstation laptop in the category of the HP Zbook 17' laying around: I'm interested. Ebay US has something close to my machine;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/15335…U%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMuueS98ti
A few models were (kind-a) ready and hopefully don't need mesh changes and can still finish (BMW's 507, 850, Z1 and M1), these I have on my gaming laptop, albeit only with the mdl files, not the 3D models. The other models aren't done yet.
All that while I was on a flow , I just got an E34 in a first stage to my model editor, as well as my personal favourite of the 80's/90's; the Audi V8.
At least most of the Faller Autohaus is saved in Blender files I shared with PeugeotRacer, so I have hope that can be finished, only then with fewer cars than I was hoping to.
To be continued... though I may take a bit of a brake first to consider my options and recover from this mental set-back.