Creature Creator from Caligari? Comments?
by Dusty Monk · in Artist Corner · 08/08/2007 (3:50 pm) · 6 replies
Has anyone used this product? Curious to know what peoples thoughts are. The information page is suspicously sparse of decent screen shots, or even details in general. $139.00 doesn't seem to steep, but I really would want a much better idea of what exactly this package offers.
If anyone's used it or knows about it, comments would be greatly appreciated.
http://www.caligari.com/store/Plugins/tS_CreatureCreator_17.asp
If anyone's used it or knows about it, comments would be greatly appreciated.
http://www.caligari.com/store/Plugins/tS_CreatureCreator_17.asp
About the author
Dusty Monk is founder and president of Windstorm Studios, an independant game studio. Formerly a sr. programmer at Ensemble Studios, Dusty has worked on AAA titles such as Age of Empires II & III, and Halo Wars.
#2
My personal wish-list for creature design would have at the top of the list:
*drumroll*
The creature editor from the upcoming Spore!
Yes, I doubt it'd ever happen. But could you imagine if we could get our hands on some of the sub-features of Spore?
MWAAHAHA!
08/09/2007 (10:39 am)
Might not be fully on topic, but just had to shoot this out there.My personal wish-list for creature design would have at the top of the list:
*drumroll*
The creature editor from the upcoming Spore!
Yes, I doubt it'd ever happen. But could you imagine if we could get our hands on some of the sub-features of Spore?
MWAAHAHA!
#3
I've already licensed gamespace, and am hopeing to use it for the most part as a full solution -- modelling, rigging, and animating. I'm not a modeller (or animator, for that matter), so I'm willing to spend a little more if there's something that can cut the work load down.
Silo *does* look pretty sweet. Without having downloaded it yet, can you tell me do you also rig and animate in Silo, or do you only model and texture in it, then export to something else for rigging and animation?
I'm lookin to learn as *few* interfaces as necessary, obviously. ;)
08/10/2007 (9:29 am)
Yeah, looking at the screenshots, I tend to agree with you Aaron -- which was part of why I was hoping someone might jump up and say it was the best thing ever. I've already licensed gamespace, and am hopeing to use it for the most part as a full solution -- modelling, rigging, and animating. I'm not a modeller (or animator, for that matter), so I'm willing to spend a little more if there's something that can cut the work load down.
Silo *does* look pretty sweet. Without having downloaded it yet, can you tell me do you also rig and animate in Silo, or do you only model and texture in it, then export to something else for rigging and animation?
I'm lookin to learn as *few* interfaces as necessary, obviously. ;)
#4
Before buying Creature Creator, you should make absolutely sure that it can be used in GS. It is a newer TS plug-in that may not be compatible with older products.
I like GS alright, but my mind doesn't gel well with the interface. I prefer Lightwave, Max, Maya, and XSI for their interfaces. I especially prefer Modo in terms of a modeling and texturing interface. Silo is extremely intuitive as well.
EDIT:
I hear you about as few interfaces as possible, but sometimes it can boost your productivity like crazy if you find the right workflow. For example, I now do nearly every aspect of my modeling and texturing in Modo because it has a very elegant interface. Then I rig and animate in Lightwave. Even though I've used LW for years, Modo has boosted my modeling and texturing productivity greatly. It clicks well with me.
08/10/2007 (10:10 am)
Silo does not have rigging and animation features.Before buying Creature Creator, you should make absolutely sure that it can be used in GS. It is a newer TS plug-in that may not be compatible with older products.
I like GS alright, but my mind doesn't gel well with the interface. I prefer Lightwave, Max, Maya, and XSI for their interfaces. I especially prefer Modo in terms of a modeling and texturing interface. Silo is extremely intuitive as well.
EDIT:
I hear you about as few interfaces as possible, but sometimes it can boost your productivity like crazy if you find the right workflow. For example, I now do nearly every aspect of my modeling and texturing in Modo because it has a very elegant interface. Then I rig and animate in Lightwave. Even though I've used LW for years, Modo has boosted my modeling and texturing productivity greatly. It clicks well with me.
#5
It's funny, because it doesn't matter if you're a team of 30 developers and artists, or a team of 1, you still end up having to figure out the same content workflow issues, lol.
Thanks for the tips!
08/18/2007 (11:08 am)
Thanks, that's actually very good advice. I continue to be unhappy with stock asset solutions, and I find myself needing more and more to just go ahead and model and animate my own stuff. Coincidentally to your recommendation for Modo, a promotional offer for it dropped into my inbox. Seems like I should check it out. It's funny, because it doesn't matter if you're a team of 30 developers and artists, or a team of 1, you still end up having to figure out the same content workflow issues, lol.
Thanks for the tips!
#6
I do like the gS GUI, and once you get past the 'curve'....it's a good modelling tool, but not for animation. Tons of mesh manipulation tools...very robust commands to sculpt shapes. The Library/Project building feature is very nice, as is gameSpace's Axis tool...you can do anything you want to a pivot point in gameSpace....
I actually use, fragMOTION, for most things Torque[this program WILL speed you along]...great animation tool! Best I've evaluated for a very, very low price. Customizable UI, LUA scripting...very solid wrench in the toolset. It has a firm handshake with Milkshape3D, which has a very robust exporter and can handle the final pass to DTS/DSQ.
I wouldn't 'wait' on Caligari to do something about the 'issues' in gameSpace, and produce a better version[perpetually promised gameSpace2]. They're still hammering on the Parent trueSpace7.* With no real answers how this will translate to the 'lowend' game developers who are 'waiting' for an improved 'Game' content creator.
Have you tried MakeHuman? That will do a lot of things via morphTarget type mesh.....will give you a 260# male body builder or a very sexy female, from the same mesh.....now, that's a creature creator! Fangs, pointy elf ears...
I think the true bottom line is that you probably will need to get down to a vertex level and sculpt, rather than banking upon a 'programmed solution'.
08/19/2007 (8:55 am)
My own opinion[I hold a gameSpace license], your dev time will increase and things will bog down if using gameSpace for animation. The Skinning schema is downright funky, you don't get multiple bone influences; only Caligari's weird idea of what weighting is....it does do good objectAnimation[no bones or skeleton], or what I call, "rigid animation".I do like the gS GUI, and once you get past the 'curve'....it's a good modelling tool, but not for animation. Tons of mesh manipulation tools...very robust commands to sculpt shapes. The Library/Project building feature is very nice, as is gameSpace's Axis tool...you can do anything you want to a pivot point in gameSpace....
I actually use, fragMOTION, for most things Torque[this program WILL speed you along]...great animation tool! Best I've evaluated for a very, very low price. Customizable UI, LUA scripting...very solid wrench in the toolset. It has a firm handshake with Milkshape3D, which has a very robust exporter and can handle the final pass to DTS/DSQ.
I wouldn't 'wait' on Caligari to do something about the 'issues' in gameSpace, and produce a better version[perpetually promised gameSpace2]. They're still hammering on the Parent trueSpace7.* With no real answers how this will translate to the 'lowend' game developers who are 'waiting' for an improved 'Game' content creator.
Have you tried MakeHuman? That will do a lot of things via morphTarget type mesh.....will give you a 260# male body builder or a very sexy female, from the same mesh.....now, that's a creature creator! Fangs, pointy elf ears...
I think the true bottom line is that you probably will need to get down to a vertex level and sculpt, rather than banking upon a 'programmed solution'.
Torque 3D Owner Aaron E
Default Studio Name
With the right tools and a little bit of practice, you can build your own army of unique creatures.
There are a number of easy-to-use and low-cost modeling and sculpting tools available that can help you create high quality characters for games. You should test drive some of these programs before jumping into Creature Creator. Silo, Sharp Construct, Blender, Modo (not cheap), Hexagon, and 3D-Brush all have organic sculpting tools that make character creation a lot easier.
As for me, I was a longtime Caligari TrueSpace user before I switched to Silo about a year ago. It's an excellent modelling app and I recommend it highly. You can download a full-function 30-day trial from here . . .
www.nevercenter.com/download/
No matter what you end up using, once you start sculpting your own characters, either from base meshes or subdivided primatives, you'll be hooked for life. It truly is that much fun.
If you decide to try out Silo and need any help with it, let me know.