Sorry your browser is not supported!

Hi all

I have made my first 2D game with Darkbasic. It was a contract game and I earned good money for it. My problem is that It did not have 3D and my image files were huge. The complete game with animations ended up to be 72Mb.

I have looked at 3D and it look scary. I have every 3D program avalible and want to know what is the best route to follow. I have 3d Max 6, Maya 5, 3D Canvas, Cartography Shop, Texture Maker, Body Paint v2, Deep Paint 3D , Deep UV, Lightwave, lightscape and many others.

I want to make 3D games with 2D content as well.

Is the best way to use the .X files and wrap them with the pictures. I have tried to use samples in 3DS format and .X format and found them slow to load. I have done some animation in .X format and wrapped it and it works well. I have had a problem when I have used 3DS 6 and its IK charater features and exported them to .X format. The .X file does not animate.

Please help with some direction.

I am sorry if I am in the incorrect forum.

Thanks

Peter

You're in the right place, but I'm not a Max user so I can't help you out that much.

The 'best' program is the one that you can use to do the job. Many people have their favorites and price/features has little to do with their choices.

As a hobby level developer, you're free to use anything. If you plan to become a professional and work for a studio, 3DS MAX/Maya/Lightwave are the top three to learn.
--
TAZ

To reduce image size look carefully at your picture formats.

For textures and graphics which are not sprites do your final export in .jpg at 100% quality - however I normally do my art 'developmet' in .bmp to keep absolute quality whist I am working away. The default quality for JPG export in most programs is 75% so be sure to pick a program that allows you to change this.

PSP is good because you can batch convert a whole directory with one command, and supports specifying the JPG quality.

JPG does not work well for graphics with tranparency or a background colourkey, for this I use PNG.

For 3D use what you are comfortable with. As a legitimate Lightwave user you should find the tutorial tape gets you much further into understanding the program than the other two, but if organic modelling is your thing then Max and Maya will yield better results in the right hands.

Now just so you know what you are getting yourself infor, the paragraph below is going to be a shock, but the timescales I give are based upon the experience of all the modellers I know:

Working full time, if you are reasonably artistic and already good with a computer, you can expect to learn 1 3D program to a good standard in around 2 years. You likely wont master any professional 3D program completely in less than 4 years working full time.

If you cannot work full time then either expect not to be able to produce professional results and keep your games simpler or concentrate on a simpler modelling package to reduce the learning time, Milkshape for instance.

Did I get you right?? You have buyed 3dsMax 6, Maya 5 and BodyPaint3d r2?? Hey guy maybe try them b4 buying them all
But BTW: it's not the program that is important, it's the user!!! I have seen many idiots buying gameSpace and then think that this is the only thing you need to make models!!!! You need to have imagination, talent and a loooooooot of patience to learn a program like 3dsMAX (not only 3dsMax, also all the other you've mentioned)!! I mean look at those 3d softwares: Cinema 4d, 3dsMAX, Maya, Lightwave!! Why do you think they are so popular?? Because they're all great and it does NOT depend which of those program you choose



No! the most popular 3d software on the game development market is 3DS MAX followed by MAYA which has nearly the same popularity! Then, not half as popular as those two programs, Lightwave and Cinema4D follow
But it doesn't mean there aren't any other programs on the professional game development market!!! If you're good at any 3d program no one cares which program you use!!

Personally, I doubt you have legal versions of most of those. Trust me, you wont get anywhere with pirated software, and if you do, you'll get caught, and have to pay a hefty fine. If they're learning editions though (which I can understand) you cannot produce any models for commercial products with them. As for your 3ds Max .x problem, as far as the information I have about it can say, most .x exporters are bugged. So, thats a loss. .X is indeed faster than .3ds, and DBPro's .dbo format is faster then that (look in program announcements for a .x to .dbo converter.



It may after your first few weeks with it. There are easier (and cheaper) 3D modelers out there. Go and find some, may I recommend Wings3D. Its easy to use, and a great subdivision modeller. But, anyway, after a few weeks with using 3D, you'll wonder why you didnt just start with it before.

Well then, thats all the information I can give.

Cheers,
Preston

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I do have evaluation copies of most of these programs. Some of these programs I have purchased in bundles. I wanted to find out the best way to go before I spend the heafty fees for some of the graphic programs.

I now believe that I should go 3D Studio Max route. This seems to be the best of breed and most popular in South Africa.

I am not however any type of artist so I might employ artists initially whilst I learn the package.

Thanks again

Peter