Create 3D characters with QUIDAM Prime
by N-Sided · 05/18/2009 (9:04 am) · 31 comments
Hello,
QUIDAM 3, the new version of our 3D character generator, has been released a few days ago and we now offer a license dedicated to Game Developers.
So as to help independent developers, note that we offer a special version that is very affordable: €895 to integrate as many models as you want in all your games!
For all legal details, please check the new EULA here.
You may also have a look at the new features of QUIDAM 3.
The trial version is available here.
The N-Sided team.
www.n-sided.com
QUIDAM 3, the new version of our 3D character generator, has been released a few days ago and we now offer a license dedicated to Game Developers.
So as to help independent developers, note that we offer a special version that is very affordable: €895 to integrate as many models as you want in all your games!
For all legal details, please check the new EULA here.
You may also have a look at the new features of QUIDAM 3.
The trial version is available here.
The N-Sided team.
www.n-sided.com
#2
05/18/2009 (11:32 am)
$1207 doesn't seem very affordable for creating just characters... 
#3
05/18/2009 (12:34 pm)
@Neill - You need to check it out, it's quite impressive software. If I had the extra cash, I would definitely purchase it.
#4
When you have a Base 3D model in Maya/3DSmax/ect for male and female, your pretty much set on that.
Having a MAD expensive license just aimed at game devs is amazingly st***d, what other 3D program has that.
Not Maya, 3DSmax, XSI, Cinema4D, Lightwave, ect ect, so it just looks like greed to me, but thats fine, if you fall for that kind of thing.
Sell one for 1200$, or sell 15 for 100$, being more expensive, does NOT make you more money in the end (usually), especially not on the indie market.
Just my oppinion ofcourse.
05/18/2009 (1:38 pm)
While its quite impressive, its also quite expensive IMHO.When you have a Base 3D model in Maya/3DSmax/ect for male and female, your pretty much set on that.
Having a MAD expensive license just aimed at game devs is amazingly st***d, what other 3D program has that.
Not Maya, 3DSmax, XSI, Cinema4D, Lightwave, ect ect, so it just looks like greed to me, but thats fine, if you fall for that kind of thing.
Sell one for 1200$, or sell 15 for 100$, being more expensive, does NOT make you more money in the end (usually), especially not on the indie market.
Just my oppinion ofcourse.
#5
It's not the same sort of tool as 3dsmax or Maya - it's basically like "Poser" for game developers (but a bit more) - You get base models, and then adjust the features, sizes, hair, clothes, colors, textures, etc, to generally make an infinite number of models, fat or thin, etc.
Maybe to a great artist who already has a lot of base work to start with, it won't make a lot of sense. But for a developer who has mediocre 3D skills (like me), the cost of this outweighs the cost of paying for full development of individual models. I'm sure a great artist could save a lot of time with it as well.
05/18/2009 (1:56 pm)
@Bo - I have absolutely no affiliation with them, so I'm not trying to sell anyone on anything, but If you look at the site, you'll see ther are various versions (starting at 199). The 895 is for the full setup with distribution rights for the models. It's not the same sort of tool as 3dsmax or Maya - it's basically like "Poser" for game developers (but a bit more) - You get base models, and then adjust the features, sizes, hair, clothes, colors, textures, etc, to generally make an infinite number of models, fat or thin, etc.
Maybe to a great artist who already has a lot of base work to start with, it won't make a lot of sense. But for a developer who has mediocre 3D skills (like me), the cost of this outweighs the cost of paying for full development of individual models. I'm sure a great artist could save a lot of time with it as well.
Quote:Would I rather pay $100? Of course. But it doesn't mean I'm "falling" for anything if I want it. Plus - I'm not sure where you're getting your prices, but 3dsmax was cost around $3500 dollars last I looked.
Having a MAD expensive license just aimed at game devs is amazingly st***d, what other 3D program has that.
Not Maya, 3DSmax, XSI, Cinema4D, Lightwave, ect ect, so it just looks like greed to me, but thats fine, if you fall for that kind of thing.
#6
The 3DSmax thing ect was just a sample, however 3500$ makes you alot more then a couple of characters and you can use it for whatever you want (and look at XSI and Lightwave cost, the indie one) :)
All you need btw is a base skin texture, a male, and a female base character, and your pretty much set in "your 3d app".
And im not saying your "falling" for buying it, im just saying, i sure would not use that amount of money on a "poser" for characters, and all the people i know around the business of indie developers (personally), would surely not buy it aswell, and i can say that fairly confidently.
While yes, there is 199$ license ect there, with out rights to your models, why the h... use it in the first place (beside wasting time ?) :o, it just seems like greed towards game developers, like people expect indie developers to have alot of cash for some reason..
On a side note, noticed it does quad's for models, torque uses tri's (might be able to do tri's in the program, didnt see that).
Arguing license cost will probably get ignore anyways, usually does in these matters, but never the less, i had to say it, now its out and i dont sit and regret never saying anything :)
05/18/2009 (2:15 pm)
@JaimiThe 3DSmax thing ect was just a sample, however 3500$ makes you alot more then a couple of characters and you can use it for whatever you want (and look at XSI and Lightwave cost, the indie one) :)
All you need btw is a base skin texture, a male, and a female base character, and your pretty much set in "your 3d app".
And im not saying your "falling" for buying it, im just saying, i sure would not use that amount of money on a "poser" for characters, and all the people i know around the business of indie developers (personally), would surely not buy it aswell, and i can say that fairly confidently.
While yes, there is 199$ license ect there, with out rights to your models, why the h... use it in the first place (beside wasting time ?) :o, it just seems like greed towards game developers, like people expect indie developers to have alot of cash for some reason..
On a side note, noticed it does quad's for models, torque uses tri's (might be able to do tri's in the program, didnt see that).
Arguing license cost will probably get ignore anyways, usually does in these matters, but never the less, i had to say it, now its out and i dont sit and regret never saying anything :)
#7
But hey - I'm not here to judge the quality of the program or deter anyone from purchasing it. Just wanted to share some of my immediate opinions, as it seems others have been doing. :)
05/19/2009 (8:07 am)
I'm not going to judge this program itself as I haven't even tried it, but I checked this resource out of curiosity, and my first thought was that the post didn't seem too.. User-friendly. No screenshots, no real attempts to connect to the community, not a lot of information altogether. Not to mention that the user whom posted this resource hasn't contributed anything to the community before (in fact, they only made their account yesterday, presumably to post this advert), and there are no signs of them even coming back here yet to check this page for user feedback, concerns, support, etc etc.But hey - I'm not here to judge the quality of the program or deter anyone from purchasing it. Just wanted to share some of my immediate opinions, as it seems others have been doing. :)
#8
But I don't think n-sided is too far off the mark on their pricing.
The questions you need to ask yourself are:
What is a custom avatar worth? Normally you'd have to pay a 3d artist hundreds of dollars in labor.
Do you want to purchase static content packs (What I call "Indie 1.0 style") and have your game looking like everyone else's?
Does your game need the custom artwork? If so, this is a less expensive / time saving alternative.
05/19/2009 (3:00 pm)
This is a whole lot like IndieZen's Zen Studio / ZSpace tool-chain. You can see a write-up about it here.But I don't think n-sided is too far off the mark on their pricing.
The questions you need to ask yourself are:
What is a custom avatar worth? Normally you'd have to pay a 3d artist hundreds of dollars in labor.
Do you want to purchase static content packs (What I call "Indie 1.0 style") and have your game looking like everyone else's?
Does your game need the custom artwork? If so, this is a less expensive / time saving alternative.
#9
We do care a lot about your opinions, and we're reading all your comments carefully every hour. So, thank you for all your positive feedback.
As Tony Richards said, QUIDAM is a "time saving" tool.
Just a precision: QUIDAM does not *replace* the graphic artists. But it's a tool for them to go faster, because they can start with a shape (by combining parts) that they naturally model (smooth brushes) and paint (realtime 3D paint). Yes, they can still start with cubes and spheres in every common modeling tool... but it will take longer and it will cost much more than the QUIDAM license. We do respect artists' choices, we simply propose another way to work that is faster and cheaper for your productions.
Please continue to post your comments here, our ears are wide open.
Best regards,
N-Sided Team
www.n-sided.com
PS: sorry if our entry were not "user friendly", that's our first post here, we'll do better next time. We promise!
05/20/2009 (3:29 am)
Hello all,We do care a lot about your opinions, and we're reading all your comments carefully every hour. So, thank you for all your positive feedback.
As Tony Richards said, QUIDAM is a "time saving" tool.
Just a precision: QUIDAM does not *replace* the graphic artists. But it's a tool for them to go faster, because they can start with a shape (by combining parts) that they naturally model (smooth brushes) and paint (realtime 3D paint). Yes, they can still start with cubes and spheres in every common modeling tool... but it will take longer and it will cost much more than the QUIDAM license. We do respect artists' choices, we simply propose another way to work that is faster and cheaper for your productions.
Please continue to post your comments here, our ears are wide open.
Best regards,
N-Sided Team
www.n-sided.com
PS: sorry if our entry were not "user friendly", that's our first post here, we'll do better next time. We promise!
#10
Simply throwing in some screenshots will give some immediate "eye-candy" to the post and get more attention than just text.. It certainly works when I look at posts ;) It's great to see that you are taking feedback from the community and keeping in touch. Apologies for making such assumptions, and best of luck with your product! :)
05/20/2009 (3:56 am)
Ahh, now I feel bad! I hope my post didn't come across as a rant - hopefully it can be taken as a suggestion. I really think that the presentation of a post such as this can have a big effect on how it draws users in. I also believe that it is very important to keep connected with the community, to assure the users that they can get support when they require it.Simply throwing in some screenshots will give some immediate "eye-candy" to the post and get more attention than just text.. It certainly works when I look at posts ;) It's great to see that you are taking feedback from the community and keeping in touch. Apologies for making such assumptions, and best of luck with your product! :)
#11
I mean, I could just open a 3d character in my 3d modeler of choice, or even just use Zmax with a default character model, and go from there as many times as I like. I mean, sure 3ds max might cost 3 times the price of your program, or more, but I can use it to do whatever I want, not just model characters.
Not a rant, I just don't understand. Haven't had time to try the product.
05/20/2009 (3:18 pm)
Well now that you guys are responding to comments, I just want to understand, what makes this a quicker tool to modeling a character?I mean, I could just open a 3d character in my 3d modeler of choice, or even just use Zmax with a default character model, and go from there as many times as I like. I mean, sure 3ds max might cost 3 times the price of your program, or more, but I can use it to do whatever I want, not just model characters.
Not a rant, I just don't understand. Haven't had time to try the product.
#12
Thanks for asking. The main difference with "starting from default character" is that QUIDAM offers many (ie millions) different default characters!
The first step in creating a character in QUIDAM is mixing body elements. Each database ("model pack") in QUIDAM is a set of parts that can be mixed together. This combination feature is described in this first video.
Then, still in QUIDAM, you can deform the mesh with natural 3D tools which are much easier to use than in common 3D software.
Finally, you can add props, change textures, paint them. You can also edit the skinning weights. This may sound like an usual task, but all the power of QUIDAM here is speed and simplicity to learn and use.
You can check for yourself with this second video. It shows a complete process of building a character.
You are all welcome to ask questions about our products. We are glad to help and answer.
Best regards,
N-Sided Team
www.n-sided.com
05/21/2009 (1:09 am)
Hello,Thanks for asking. The main difference with "starting from default character" is that QUIDAM offers many (ie millions) different default characters!
The first step in creating a character in QUIDAM is mixing body elements. Each database ("model pack") in QUIDAM is a set of parts that can be mixed together. This combination feature is described in this first video.
Then, still in QUIDAM, you can deform the mesh with natural 3D tools which are much easier to use than in common 3D software.
Finally, you can add props, change textures, paint them. You can also edit the skinning weights. This may sound like an usual task, but all the power of QUIDAM here is speed and simplicity to learn and use.
You can check for yourself with this second video. It shows a complete process of building a character.
You are all welcome to ask questions about our products. We are glad to help and answer.
Best regards,
N-Sided Team
www.n-sided.com
#13
The price looks fine for me but I wouldnt buy it unless it gets a Torque Exporter by default which allows me to skip the Max/Maya pipe as I dont have licenses for those apps.
Otherwise, I would need a step by step tutorial in how to move the model from this app to Torque.
05/21/2009 (5:55 pm)
I think the package is worth its price in models alone. Consider that you may be able to export the props by themselves. The price looks fine for me but I wouldnt buy it unless it gets a Torque Exporter by default which allows me to skip the Max/Maya pipe as I dont have licenses for those apps.
Otherwise, I would need a step by step tutorial in how to move the model from this app to Torque.
#14
We could develop a Torque Exporter, but then you would need to create animations within the Torque tools and world builder. I'm not sure if that's what you're asking? Know that QUIDAM exports meshes with textures, UVs, skeletons and skinning weights but there are no animations.
The common pipeline to game engines is:
QUIDAM ==characters==> 3D animation packages ==characters+anims==> Torque.
Best regards,
N-Sided Team
www.n-sided.com
05/22/2009 (6:12 am)
Guimo,We could develop a Torque Exporter, but then you would need to create animations within the Torque tools and world builder. I'm not sure if that's what you're asking? Know that QUIDAM exports meshes with textures, UVs, skeletons and skinning weights but there are no animations.
The common pipeline to game engines is:
QUIDAM ==characters==> 3D animation packages ==characters+anims==> Torque.
Best regards,
N-Sided Team
www.n-sided.com
#15
I do not have Max or Maya either -- those are NOT indie tools! The price ranges there are far beyond what the average indie developer can afford.
I think the QUIDAM Indie price is a bit steep as well; I don't consider that to be "indie" priced. Below $500 would be more appropriate, IMO. Of course, that's based on my budget and knowing that I can create my own models as needed.
So given that A) There seems to be no clear way to actually get a model into Torque, and B) The price is outside my budget range, why would I want to purchase this product?
05/22/2009 (2:47 pm)
@N-sided: I think what Guimo said is pretty clear, actually. He doesn't have Max or Maya, so exactly how is he supposed to get a model from QUIDAM into Torque, if QUIDAM only exports to Max or Maya?I do not have Max or Maya either -- those are NOT indie tools! The price ranges there are far beyond what the average indie developer can afford.
I think the QUIDAM Indie price is a bit steep as well; I don't consider that to be "indie" priced. Below $500 would be more appropriate, IMO. Of course, that's based on my budget and knowing that I can create my own models as needed.
So given that A) There seems to be no clear way to actually get a model into Torque, and B) The price is outside my budget range, why would I want to purchase this product?
#16
05/22/2009 (9:57 pm)
@Kevin - there is collada export, which should import straight into T3D.
#17
You're right Kevin: our COLLADA export is also used for direct import into game engines! (formerly we wrote it mainly for Blender support).
N-Sided Team
www.n-sided.com
05/23/2009 (12:44 pm)
Thanks for your comments.You're right Kevin: our COLLADA export is also used for direct import into game engines! (formerly we wrote it mainly for Blender support).
N-Sided Team
www.n-sided.com
#18
COLLADA export -- great! Then I can bring the model into Blender (or whatever) and animate it there. (BTW, this is something that should have been listed right there at the top.)
However, QUIDAM's price is still not at a point where I'd be willing to purchase it.
@Jaimi: It will import straight into T3D, but since QUIDAM doesn't provide any animation capabilities (correct?) that still doesn't seem terribly useful. (And since I don't own T3D ATM... kinda moot anyway.)
05/23/2009 (3:05 pm)
Thanks for the info... COLLADA export -- great! Then I can bring the model into Blender (or whatever) and animate it there. (BTW, this is something that should have been listed right there at the top.)
However, QUIDAM's price is still not at a point where I'd be willing to purchase it.
@Jaimi: It will import straight into T3D, but since QUIDAM doesn't provide any animation capabilities (correct?) that still doesn't seem terribly useful. (And since I don't own T3D ATM... kinda moot anyway.)
#19
That was dissapointing
05/23/2009 (5:15 pm)
We purchased Quidam studio last year , its great but not sure it's worth what we paid for it , it is easy to use , bug free BUT when exporting meshes it keeps N-gons....which is a real pain , so if we want a base mesh to take into Zbrush we have to retopolgize a bit first , I would have expected it to be N-gon freeThat was dissapointing
#20
I agree with the disappointment of only polygons, and no way to get triangles, as that is how TGE, reads geometry.
05/24/2009 (12:13 pm)
I took a COLLADA "KORK" file[DAE] and used the new TSShapeConstructor to load it with the stock SDK .dsq files[presumably by Max]and didn't notice any oddities, so as long as the naming convention, hierarchy, and transforms generated by GUIDAM are compatible with TGE's coordinates, there may not be a need to be an 'animation' tool to be of some use...for T3D at least.I agree with the disappointment of only polygons, and no way to get triangles, as that is how TGE, reads geometry.
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