i am in need of hints. please argue

[Puani Hicaucai]

hi all.

i was searching on the forum and found some people complaining of sgtrange problem with exporters for ogre .mesh+.skeleton+.material.

my question is:

1. for the people that use blender: what version do you use? why?

2. for those who use milkshape: what version do you use? is there a tutorial for exporting the stuffs from it without those freak geometry deformations?

3. for those who use any other modeller: what do you use? why?


you could harsh me: "why don't you try the demos" or something like that. learning skeletal animation with any modeller is not easy enough just for a simple test.
so i need the comments.


please, tell me about your experience.
thank you.

[Chris Jones]

i use blender 2.37 because its free, very powerfull altho is harder 2 get used to than most other modellers. its supported quite well with ogre, so the exporter isnt old and out of date. its FREE!!!

[reimpell]

1. for the people that use blender: what version do you use? why?

I recommend Blender 2.36 as 2.37 has problems with its armature python api.

[Lee04]

I use 3dsmax8 and are very intrested to start to use the new exporter for it see http://www.ogre3d.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11520

Why 3dsmax8 ? See notes on render cage http://www.ogre3d.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15417 but also animation is easier in 3dsmax 8.

The new exporter let's you have Ogre inside of a 3dsmax view port and define Ogre materials and assign them inside 3dsmax so you know exactlly what you get when you export sinice 3dsmax uses Ogre to render it....


If Max would be free and the exporter would cost 4000euro I gladlly pay it.
But know it's the other way a round...but I guess U might have access to 3dsmax anyway....

[Rixeh]

Maya, because I use it for more than just game development, and it's dynamics system simply can't be beat.

Plus mental ray doesn't exist in Blender.

[Puani Hicaucai]

wow! so many great answers.

i found blender amazing. and it is free
my friends and me bough gamespace and have moved onto ogre about a month ago. gamespace does not have ogre exporter

my friends and me 'used gamespace for ages. so this is why we are looking for a definitive tool.

I recommend Blender 2.36 as 2.37 has problems with its armature python api.

many thanks. really we will use blender for animations. only animations. will draw the things in gamespace and animate in blender.


thank you all people. you rock.

[Lee04]

Max also has Mental ray and great dynamics sysems for games like Havoks Reactor with a real time previewer. Export format for physics...

I havn't looked at Maya but I guess it dosn't have as much independent plug-in providers as Max, there are several complete sites with a lot of plug-ins and I am not talking about scripts...

There are sites about MAx scripts as welll know in 3dsmax8 they have a script debugger and a script access to data bases as well.

Finally what I like with version 8 of max is the new pelf tool that allows you to UV mapp characters and objects in minutes which before took three days... If you don't know what UV mapping is is suddgest you try that in different packedges and compare it to Max pelf tool.
It also lets you draw exactlly where you want your texture seams so you can hide them.

The last feature worth men tioning here is Valult which is a free database that stores all your assets textures, materials, models, UV files, figure files, sound files etc etc. In a version control system.
It comes with a viewer and manager and all.

Even really small 3D files tend to become hard to maintain. And sometimes
you find your self actually destoying something when you fix something else you didn't notice until way later..With version control and back ups like that you can save the day some times it also lets several people check out and lock things so they don't collide when working with the same files.

Yeh it's possible to connect Valut with Alien Brain and other systems as well...

Yeh a nother feature is ATI's ASHLI and ASHLI FX I think the name is which can c onvert most 3dsmax materials into FX files (real time shaders)
the FX version is actually screen post effect real time shaders so you can actually get the ecxactlly same look inside 3dsmax as in your game without havaing your 3D engine built inside 3dsmax.

Well over and out.

I don't have tiome to check out other 3D packs but I guess one of them have had the pelf tool for a while all ready.

XSI have a more modern render engine than Max.


But I really don't know much about Blender.
I guess it depends on how much graphics art work and what quality of work you are expected to do for your application.

I like to be geared up to the teath and know the tools I choosen very well.

Lee04

[Rixeh]

I like to be geared up to the teath and know the tools I choosen very well.

LOL we may not agree on Max vs Maya, but I'll say 'hell yeah' to that.