How do you guys afford this?!

#1 that i know of no there is not you have to pay 1000s or you have to go with blender or anything else thats free or cheap.

#2 That's kinda what I don't understand... Why would you 'not' use Blender? It's free, and seems to put out a high end product...

Keep in mind, I'm a noob so if the answer's really obvious, my aplogies...

#3 SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool 7.5 Pro is now free with an XNA Premium Membership and can be used commercially for XNA Game Content Creation (i.e. Torque-X 2d/ Torque-X 3d).

creators.xna.com/en-US/partners
www.softimage.com/products/modtool/

#4 because these other programs you pay for are much much better then blender. i used to use blinder for a long time i also used max for a long time as well and used some others but not all to long. after using lender for a long time i found XSI when coming here to GG site i looked into it and i will never turn back though i not using the mod took i payed for full version which cost alot but its worth every cent. :P i don't use the newest build though did not see it worth the money for that little add on though it makes it even easier to do textures but i fine with the way i doing it now with XSI.

basically you need to find what best fits you if you like Blender better then any of these high cost programs then stick with it but i find XSI to be easier and just alot better for makeing anything and faster and better quality for makeing my game assets and basically anything else i need as its a all in one package basically. :P


Matt Summers they did not release it yet its coming soon. :P if they stick ice in there i will be amazed they will go that far for the mod tool.

#5 People tend to shy away from Blender because of the user interface (welcome to StarTrek) but I've seen some renderings done with Blender that could hang with the best of them. For beginners like you and I, it's best if we start simple. Milkshape ($35) has a free 30 day trial period (actually the trial never ends but full features will be unavailable without purchase) which is one of the easiest modeling apps I've ever seen or used. Its relatively popular with game modelers and includes all of the basic features needed to get acquainted with 3d modeling. After you've mastered a TECHNIQUE...stressing technique because in alot of cases it ain't the modeling app that stinks, it's the artist...then I'd say move on to something like Blender, Maya, 3dsMax, etc (the list gets more and more expensive). These apps include all of the functionality of Milkshape plus about a zillion more. As with learning about web developement, I started with a basic text editor and browser, mastered the basics, and then moved on to VS. Worked great for me. Good luck!

#6 Houdini Apprentice - http://www.garagegames.com/products/houdini - $99.00

Silo - http://www.nevercenter.com/ - core - $99.00 / Pro $149.00

wings 3d - http://www.wings3d.com/

Milkshape - $35.00 - http://chumbalum.swissquake.ch/

There's more.. but here's afew.

#7 GMax, prettymuch same thing as max... but free

www.turbosquid.com/gmax

#8 Most people can afford a paid 3D application because they already have the skillset and talent with it to quickly get a return on their investment by doing a simple contract gig. It might seem pricey but these tools pay for themselves many times over in the long run of things. Many other individuals or teams will simply write the cost of the software into a contract.

There are plenty of free or cheap 3D solution on the market that are worth trying. The key difference primarily is that these applications are lacking features that make you as productive as the expensive software. However if you have true honest to god talent making art, you can make good art with any package, the software is just a tool, like a pencil, a pen or even a paintbrush.

The thing to keep in mind is that if you are really serious about making a game, the cost of software is pretty irrelivent in the grand scheme of things. It will cost you money to make a game, even if you use entirely free tools because you still have to spend money on marketing to web hosting, to buying computer parts, books/training, distribution costs, communication costs (internet, phone and mail), legal fees and most importantly your own time.

#9 Also keep in mind too the lovely words "Tax Writeoff" when you look at the cost of this stuff :)

#10 Houdini by SideFX.

Cheap, $99 for a pro version you can use commercially in your Torque projects.

Good, stable, proven program.

#11 Does Houdini allow for collada export?

#12 The 99$ version does not support collada export AFAIK. As it can import it, probably the more expensive versions could have the export function in addition.

#13 Blender does not lack any feature that you could need and use for games. It is simply not true. And the current dts exporter for Blender is among the best out there, if not simply the best. I can understand somebody who has already invested a lot of time and effort to learn another power tool (Max, Maya...) would not be interested in learning also Blender. But if you are new or realtively noob in 3D and games, I can ensure you will not need more time to learn Blender than to learn Maya or Max. Go with Blender and invest in T3D ;)

#14 @Gustavo, I have to point out that Houdini has a built-in DTS exporter that automates a lot but still gives you the option to manually do things if you prefer.

@Syn, I'm not sure, I'm not at my workstation so I can't check it from here.

@Emre, The other pro versions does export/import collada I believe.

#15 Here's my thing.... I want to go with one program and stick with it, it's the way I've always done things. I don't like starting with the 'small stuff' because I'm new, it's just how I learn.

That said, I'm not going to spend thousands on max or anything else for that matter. I already purchased T3D and now I'm looking for the most intelligent decision on a 3d modelling program.

I've heard great things of Houdini, but are there limits? Can Blender do everything that Houdini can do? Hell, Blender's free and from their website it's seems pretty damn powerful.... Can I "really" make models that look great in T3D?

Also, this may be the noob in me talking here, but why would I need the dts exporter for Blender if Blender supports export to Collada and T3D supports Collada? Were you assuming I was talking about TGEA (I didn't specify so that'd be my fault)?

#16 I was assuming TGE/TGEA, yes.
Most people use DTS, and I haven't checked out T3D (And probably won't for a good while).

Best choice might be to try out a few different free versions of different software and go with the one you feel most comfortable with.

Houdini comes in a free version, you can try it out all you want (No DTS exporter, and watermarked renders on the free version) but it can give you a good idea of how it is to work with it. It also supports Collada I believe but don't quote me on that, I haven't checked.

Blender is free, so try that out too, try as many as you can and compare how "useable" they feel to you.

That's my best advice.

#17 If you can learn Blender then yeah, you can make anything as great as you possibly can. The problem with Blender is that most people become frustrated with it's unusual interface and give up on it. But once you understand why it's done that way and can become acclimated to it (not everyone can) you can possibly do some things faster and easier than all those using the high-dollar tools. IMO I think that Blender, and the DTS exporter, is great (well worth a 4 digit price tag yet you get it for free!) and has never let me down.

The thing to remember is that the tool is the means to an end, and you have to use the tool that's most suited for the job and to you. For some people that is Max (can't justify the expense), others Milkshape (hate it), or Houdini (which rocks!) or fill in name here....

#18

Quote:
That's kinda what I don't understand... Why would you 'not' use Blender? It's free, and seems to put out a high end product...

How much is your time worth? Higher-end products have features that help you make complex shapes and animations pretty quickly compared to the cheaper alternatives. If your time is worth, say, $40 an hour, then if in the long run Max saves you 100 hours of time, it has paid for itself right there.

How much is avoiding stress worth? Easier to understand user interfaces, user-friendly features, and an abundance of tutorials, training videos, books and coursework makes life a lot easier for the Max user.

If you have more time than money and a high frustration tolerance, then a cheaper/free solution is probably for you. If you have money, limited time, and like things to be easy, then paying for a better product is probably the way to go.

Tool selection is all about what your needs and priorities are, and what compromises you're willing to make.

#19 Houdini has a free learning edition. Don't ask - do :)

#20 Houdini can do a LOT more than Blender I think and you don't need Collada support with Houdini as there is an excellent DTS exporter that comes with it. Granted a lot of those features are not needed for games, or are they? Well, for one you can make some great cut scenes.