Need advice; best ways to get art and animation
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 5:31 pm
Howdy.
I'm a programmer trying to hire and pay artists. I'm no artist and I appreciate that talent is required
However, I'm still confused by all my options for the technical side. In particular, if I'm paying for the art - I want it to be flexible and last In other words, i want it to be something that in 3 years I can improve a bit but will still look good. ((Better graphics cards in 3 years should do a better job of rending if my artwork is done correctly)).. But How do I achieve this?
A couple things I think I've figured out:
-- I want very high quality artwork, which means high poly count. However, I also want to get low-poly versions of the same characters so I can produce Normal or Bump maps and sort of have the best of both worlds. Right?
-- The most popular modeling tool seems to be 3D Studio Max in terms of userbase... and I'm focused on Blender artists too. For now, I've concluded that "in general", most tools are OK as long as the artists likes them / knows how to use it. A bit of flexibility is good... ?
Questions, things I don't understand:
1) Should animation be done within the model tools or should I get specialized programs? Or should I focus on animation separate from the models? Say I'm working with Blender, am I best to have a character animated in blender or should I focus on doing some of the animation within Ogre?
2) What techniques are most flexible in terms of lighting and skinning? Is all UV Mapping equal?
3) Rigging and animation... should I again get special tools or not worry, is this easy to rework later?
4) overall, making a highly detailed (state of the art) set of game characters... what steps are involved and what takes the most effort? What areas should I take time with and what parts are easy?
I'm sure like anything else, there are short-cuts... I don't want that, I want to make sure I'm having the artist do things so I get the most bang for my buck.
I know there is no one "best way" to do things, I'm looking for general feedback on what has worked best in your experience. I am still a nube, your experience (good or bad) is what I am asking for.
Thank you.
I'm a programmer trying to hire and pay artists. I'm no artist and I appreciate that talent is required
However, I'm still confused by all my options for the technical side. In particular, if I'm paying for the art - I want it to be flexible and last In other words, i want it to be something that in 3 years I can improve a bit but will still look good. ((Better graphics cards in 3 years should do a better job of rending if my artwork is done correctly)).. But How do I achieve this?
A couple things I think I've figured out:
-- I want very high quality artwork, which means high poly count. However, I also want to get low-poly versions of the same characters so I can produce Normal or Bump maps and sort of have the best of both worlds. Right?
-- The most popular modeling tool seems to be 3D Studio Max in terms of userbase... and I'm focused on Blender artists too. For now, I've concluded that "in general", most tools are OK as long as the artists likes them / knows how to use it. A bit of flexibility is good... ?
Questions, things I don't understand:
1) Should animation be done within the model tools or should I get specialized programs? Or should I focus on animation separate from the models? Say I'm working with Blender, am I best to have a character animated in blender or should I focus on doing some of the animation within Ogre?
2) What techniques are most flexible in terms of lighting and skinning? Is all UV Mapping equal?
3) Rigging and animation... should I again get special tools or not worry, is this easy to rework later?
4) overall, making a highly detailed (state of the art) set of game characters... what steps are involved and what takes the most effort? What areas should I take time with and what parts are easy?
I'm sure like anything else, there are short-cuts... I don't want that, I want to make sure I'm having the artist do things so I get the most bang for my buck.
I know there is no one "best way" to do things, I'm looking for general feedback on what has worked best in your experience. I am still a nube, your experience (good or bad) is what I am asking for.
Thank you.