3D modelling - HELP!
 

AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Oh the fruSTRAtion!!!

OK, so being an artistic person, I've been wanting to try my hand at this modelling thing, cuz I look at what TC, AT, & David do and I just drool! So I went thru the links that Nodachi posted in the Rag-Tag-Fleet thread and decided to download the demo of Cinema 4D.

O...M...G... I am so lost.

Should I have started with a different program that's less sophisticated? Is there something else I can do to get a jump on the learning curve? Should I go and get an Associate's Degree in computer drafting before I try this seriously?

I am so friggin lost.
And frustrated.

Turin[img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon42.gif[/img]

(and again I ask, "Why do you have to mis-spell 'shield' as 'sheild' to get the graemlin to work?" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

Re: 3D modelling
 

Have you tried Doga (http://www.doga.co.jp)? Or Wings (http://www.wings3d.com)? Or Art of Illusion? (http://www.artofillusion.org)? Or Blender? (http://www.blender.org) I even hear that BRL-CAD was released as open-source but it's mainly geared toward UNIX/Linux and so I've never got a chance to try it out...

Re: 3D modelling
 

Everyone mentions DOGA. I'll try that first.

Thx.
Turin[img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon42.gif[/img]

Re: 3D modelling
 

When I started using DOGA I knew nothing. If you look at my very first set, The UFA and Doppleganger (On the SEIV Gold disk) and compare them to the latest ship set I have done, the Saturians you can see I have come a long way.

DOGA is very easy to learn. All of the parts are pre-made and all you have to do is combine them in such a mannor as to make the image you want. The trick is to not rely upon the prefabbed parts so much as using the basic parts to form the designs you want.

Modeling in DOGA is like playing with lego's. It is a hell of a lot of fun.

Re: 3D modelling
 

Will current software for SE4 models be usable for SE5 models?

Re: 3D modelling
 

You might want to skip Doga and start with a modeler that will be capable of making ships useable in SE5 (such as Wings3d)...

Depends. Doga is not, but a large portion of modelers (hard to say whether it is the majority or not) have used "game" modeling programs that will be capable of making models with low polygon counts, thus will be useable in SE5.

Re: 3D modelling
 

I've not used it, but you might try GMax. It is basically a scaled-back Version of 3D Studio Max that is offered for free, for game modding. It can model, but lacks the rendering capabilities of 3D Studio Max. Just something to look into.

EDIT: Maybe not, I looked a little closer and it appears that it will only export to specific game formats. Whether or not one of those formats is .x or a format that can be convert to .x easily I do not know.

EDIT2: I know for a fact that it will export into M3D.

EDIT3: Look what I found, GMax to X-File. I appears that gmax can be made to export to x-file. Happy Modeling. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: 3D modelling
 

Or you can try http://www.gentrycitylimits.com/DemoSoftwareA.htm for a demo of Bryce 4. The setup the guy's got for downloading/installing it is a bit annoying, but I'd personally recommend it for beginners. It's only real drawback is a lack of export capability, so there's really no way of getting Bryce models into .X format. I've just posted a question on the Bryce forum to see if the upcoming Version will address this or not.

Re: 3D modelling
 

K-3D (http://k3d.sourceforge.net) supports .X, is free, and is quite powerful (there are some advanced matrix features and stuff I don't even UNDERSTAND http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif); unfortunately I can't stand the user interface (it seems to take about 40 clicks in various arcane places to get ANYTHING done! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif). However, the developers are working on a new UI for Version 0.6 of the program, and I'm going to try out the CVS Version; if I can make a Windows build of it and it seems useful even in its development state I'll let you know...

Re: 3D modelling
 

Thanks for all the support and replies folks. I started DOGA and have already built a Troop for the ragtag fleet. (Oh wait... do we still need a troop?)

The question is: Now that I've modelled it in DOGA, how do I turn it into a file that can be viewed here? I know next to nothing about this stuff. I think this does .X whatever that means.

So now what?

Thanks,
Turin