Game Model Design System Questions... IAN, PLEASE READ...

#1 I think milkshape is not anymore than that, however I would give Blender a chance, it gets quite addictive after a certain point of usage, I would never bother looking at another 3d tool, they all look and feel far to clunky compared to Blender, with the exception of XSI, which I dislike because it seems to hate every virus killer on the market.

#2 Well Ian, I have been having trouble with Blender. Are you good at it? If so, can you show me how to create a simple gun. Every time I try I always mess up. I have created a UZI before but it is too blocky. So, I am looking forward to hearing some advice on creating a simple gun.

#3 For really simple weapon modelling, try out the free Wings 3D I don't know what formats it exports to, but I've managed to whip up some gun models in about 10 minutes.

Wings has a very different method of creating objects, mostly by extruding faces, but it's very quick once you get the hang of it.

Here are some examples (made by yours truly) of what you can do very quickly in Wings.

#4 Thats pretty good. If it takes 10 minutes, can you create a simple Vulcan Minigun? That might be a challenge. I would like to see the results though...

#5 If you want smooth faces then set them to smooth.

As for advice you would need to get used to extrusion modeling, creating faces, merging vertices, etc.

I am no Blender expert but I am familiar with all the hotkeys and features for polygon modeling and Blender, once you understand these then its just a matter of intuition.

#6 Is there a tool where you draw with a line and then can extrude? Can you select certain parts and smooth? Did you start with simple shapes and add on? If you don't know the format is exports to, then how do you put it into TGE? Can you add textures on? I would like to know what makes it so easy and fast and would also like to know how to export into TGE before I start modeling.

#7 Yep, Blender supports everything you mention, but so does every 3d modeling tool I know of (Max, Maya, XSI)

Blender can be a pain when you first begin but once you get it, its difficult to put down!

start here http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro

If you want more then there are 2 books available, but at least give it a try for a few weeks and if you still do not like it then move on :)

#8 Matt - I am curious about your models. Are all the weapons modelled from one block, or are there seperate objects making up each weapon, the the spikes on the hammer?

#9 I think you can save yourself a lot of polys by not trying to make things all one mesh, I suspect Matts hammer is like that but I will leave him to answer that for sure :)

I got this information from a friend who optimised one of my models, I guess its a common thing to do?

#10 Lightray3d is an excellent tool...and has working torque dst / dsq exporters...

is really really easy to use... its similar to 3dsmax....


unfortunately costs more than 40 dollars... it costs like 70 euros..but if you have the money.. it does worth it...

you can try the demo here :

http://www.sxcreations.com/lr3d/lightray3d.php


Cheers

#11 How do I export it? I don't wanna pay big for another system that is exports to.

#12 Ian, I will use Blender but how do I trace? I know you know..

#13

Quote:Matt - I am curious about your models. Are all the weapons modelled from one block, or are there seperate objects making up each weapon, the the spikes on the hammer?

Wings works exclusively with extruding faces, so most of those models were originally designed as one solid mesh (it's alot quicker to build that way) and then where possible, pieces were disconnected to optimize the number of polygons.

Wings gives you the ability to "delete" individual edges which in most cases just hides them. What you see of those models is hiding alot of the actual geometry that is there so separate parts in the guns look like they are all part of the same mesh. You would be able to notice the difference if I had used the smooth render mode.

Usually I just make raw shapes in Wings, then export to 3DS to rip the model apart, assign smoothing groups and skin.

#14 I second LightRay3d, with DodongoXP. You cannot get better software for the money. I have export weapons, crate, sign, billboard and player models with animation, etc. It is much eaier to learn and there is tutorials for it.

#15 @Les

I am not sure if I understand what you mean by trace, I will assume you mean build a mesh according to a background image.

If that is the case then in 3d mode from the View menu you can choose 'Background' which will bring up the background image dialog, you need to be in orthographic camera to see the background image and in one of the front, left or top views.

in edit mode (use TAB to swap between Edit and Object mode) you can add vertices by CTRL + Left Click

Really, its not going to be beneficial to you if I explain small steps because there is a bigger picture and the only way to learn it, is to read through the guide that I linked in my previous post, or purchase a book with that 40 dollar.

I do not want to push Blender on you, I am just saying to give it a chance because Blender has a habit of capturing people after a certain threshold.

Blender is considered a pro 3d tool these days and is really pushing the envelope, it has one of the best UV Unwrappers and rigging / animation is top class (IMO)

Wings3D looks like its coming along nicely also.

I Must say there are lots of things that can appear to go wrong in Blender, however this is mainly due to fingers slipping and pressing a hotkey by accident that causes it to go into some unknown mode to the user, at these moments, its best to understand this fact and try to correct it without freaking out, this has happened to me many times, like being stuck in the game engine mode or accidently switching to another layer and the model vanishes :)

Here is an article from the blender wiki book that explains how to set a background image and create a mesh with vertices more clearly than I can tell you
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro/Turning_a_Cube_into_a_Puppy

#16 Oh by the way, here is a book I am currently learning from, it covers modeling before it gets into the animation stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Character-Animation-Blender-Mullen/dp/0470102608

I am not sure about you but I always learn better from a good book.

I am primarily a coder but I have decided to put coding aside to learn how to model, and model well, so in my spare time now I will just dedicate my time to modeling and hopefully in a couple of years I will be very competent at it :)

#17 Ian, I have a 1 click mouse so how do I try it with 1 click?

#18 Ok, I figured out that problem. Now my next problem is every time I get a drawing and extrude, it has vertices only...

#19 Here is a link to where the image is located:

Click Here


Please check this link out, as it contains the image of the problem I am experiencing on Blender whenever I draw a gun with the points and then extrude...

#20 Unfortunately I cannot view that image because I do not have a myspace account, and I do not want to tarnish my geek reputation by getting one!

It really depends on how you are approaching building the mesh, you can extrude vertices, edges and faces, to use a combination of all three and choose the right extrusion for the job, you need to swap modes, you can do this by clicking the appropriate icons, but this can be cumbersome so use the hotkeys, SHIFT + TAB and numbers 1-3 or just click which mode from the menu that pops up when you press SHIFT + TAB, this will allow you to swap modes quickly.

If you build a mesh with just vertices then you will need to create faces, you can do this by selecting 4 vertices and press F to create a quad, or 3 vertices to create a triangle.