InsideQC Forums

scar3crow wrote:I know of many people who will speak up for Blender, which is free. I never got the hang of it, but many have, and have been quite successful with it.

r00k wrote:Free: Blender

Commercial: Autodesk 3DS Max

xtremetrooper wrote:I heard that Blender is not that good for modeling on old engines such as Quake and Half-Life 1, that's why I didn't put it there.

leileilol wrote:

xtremetrooper wrote:I heard that Blender is not that good for modeling on old engines such as Quake and Half-Life 1, that's why I didn't put it there.

That's totally bull! Whoever you heard that from should be slapped in the face and more random acts of tcp-ip violence.

MauveBib wrote:However, the blender interface is certainly not to everyone's taste.

MauveBib wrote: Leilei's right here, blender is fine for such games, and probably a lot easier to export for such games than MAX is these days.

However, the blender interface is certainly not to everyone's taste.

For a good basic modeler that is easy to use, go with MilkShape 3D. Gmax is good, but it's hardly supported since discreet (now autodesk) dropped it a few years ago.

Also, most modern Quake clients like DarkPlaces support many different model file formats, many of which are far superior when compared to the old quake mdl file format (examples include: Quake 3 MD3 and Half Life MDL, although the later needs to be converted into a another file format to use with Dark Places, but I dont know for other clients).

A good basic setup combo for a beginner 3D artist (on a tight budget) would be:

Milkshape 3D - Good for modeling and exporting to many different file formats, bad for animation and UV mapping. Costs $35.

LithUnwrap (the free version, because Ultimate Unwrap 3D costs $50, I think) - Absolute must of any sort of UV mapping, doesnt do much else though

Fragmotion - Good for animation, has nice features like Inverse Kinematics, quirky UI though, in my opinion, costs $25.

CharacterFX - Free. Same as above, but more simpler and straight to the point

Gimp - Unless you like paying for Photoshop, try this. Free.

Blender- I hate the UI, but its free and many claim that it competes with the professional 3D packages. Has everything.

Photoshop - You might think about investing in this some day, a must for any serious 2D graphics work

Alternatively, if you want to be serious about 3D modeling, texturing and animation, then you need to get hold of any of these (either legally or otherwise ):

- Maya - You can get the PLE version for free, but it is pretty useless, in my opinion. Original Quake models were made with Alias PowerAnimator (the precursor to Maya), many many years ago. Most professionals use this, and it's thought in many colleges that teach 3D art.

- LightWave 3D - My personal choice. Good overall features.

- 3ds Max - Overall good software

- Softimage XSI - Same as above

- Huidini - Dont know much about it, but many pros calim that it is THE 3d app


And either of these two are needed for any serious high-polygon/high-detail modeling:
- Zbrush - Again, my personal choice. Best for organic hi-detail 3D sculpting
- Mudbox - Never used, but again, many pros use it


Finaly, get a graphics tablet if you can. It will speed up your workflow dramatically. If you have around $500-$600, get a Wacom one, otherwise, try the Trust ones (cheap but good, around $100 - $180). Make sure that is has atleast 512 pressure levels. Also, a scanner is not a bad idea either...

Good Tutorials (for beginners using the budget 3D software I mentioned first):

- http://www.planetfortress.com/tf2models/tuto.htm - Old, but helps with the basics

- http://www.psionic3d.co.uk - Also some good basic tutorials, including 2D art

- http://www.dosfx.com/tutorials.asp - More in-depth MilkShape 3D tutorials

- http://www.iinit.com/tutorial.cfm?source=2&tutorial=5 - Another basic MilkShape 3D tutorial