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Best modelling program for Amnesia?
MaGicBush Offline
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#1
Best modelling program for Amnesia?

I have seen people using 3DS Max(heard of problems importing), Maya, and Blender. Which is the best and easiest to learn for models in Amnesia when I decide to do so since right now I will specifically be making models for this engine?
(This post was last modified: 08-07-2012, 04:17 AM by MaGicBush.)
08-07-2012, 04:16 AM
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lolmaster Offline
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#2
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

I use 3DS Max, and I have used Maya before. I don't use Blender, however. I don't know why.

Take a look at this page.

http://machinimart.com/maya-vs-3ds-max/

I haven't used Maya or 3DS Max enough to know which is easier to learn.


(This post was last modified: 08-07-2012, 12:46 PM by lolmaster.)
08-07-2012, 04:22 AM
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Your Computer Offline
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#3
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

There is no "easiest" (though i find Blender to be easier than the other two to do what i want to do), but if you plan on exporting armatures, Maya is the way to go.

Tutorials: From Noob to Pro
08-07-2012, 04:22 AM
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MaGicBush Offline
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#4
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

(08-07-2012, 04:22 AM)lolmaster Wrote: I use 3DS Max, and I have used Maya before. Maya and 3DS Max have errors if you import Amnesia models. Nothing major, though. They still open properly. I don't use Blender, however. I don't know why.

Take a look at this page.

http://machinimart.com/maya-vs-3ds-max/

I haven't used Maya or 3DS Max enough to know which is easier to learn.
Very good read and thanks both of you! I have free access to both Maya and 3DS through my school(networking degree, which is kind of odd but they have a page I can download a lot of the professional programs from for free) so very thankful for that. Looking at that page 3DS seems to be the proper choice, and I would be mostly using it to make monsters/furniture when I feel confident later on(not sure what armatures is, I looked it up but not sure what I was reading lol and how that would be different from what 3DS can do). Am I correct in that assumption? Also whichever has a higher tutorial amount for learning would be beneficial to me, I would use Blender but I am not sure since I have read other places it's actually got a steeper learning curve compared to 3DS max(since I posted that first topic though that may not be so with what I am using them for).
(This post was last modified: 08-07-2012, 04:41 AM by MaGicBush.)
08-07-2012, 04:36 AM
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Traggey Offline
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#5
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

I also use 3Ds Max, however for amnesia specific modeling you should go with Maya.

Max has exporting issues when it comes to models and animations into the OpenCOLLADA .DAE format, Maya does not have these issues.
08-07-2012, 08:51 AM
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MaGicBush Offline
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#6
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

(08-07-2012, 08:51 AM)Traggey Wrote: I also use 3Ds Max, however for amnesia specific modeling you should go with Maya.

Max has exporting issues when it comes to models and animations into the OpenCOLLADA .DAE format, Maya does not have these issues.
Are those issues something that is easy to get around(also note I would be using a more recent version of 3ds so maybe it fixes that issue)? From the multiple sources I have read about maya vs. 3ds max everyone I have read says max is much easier to learn starting out and is made as a low-poly program for models specifically for games. Whereas Maya is more made to make models/animations for films/short cgi scenes/etc(at high poly counts). I am just wondering if 3DS Max would be better to learn if I did decide to model for other games in the future as well. Though it would be cool to animate scenes for youtube(cartoons I tend to see on youtube for instance) in the future.
(This post was last modified: 08-08-2012, 03:50 AM by MaGicBush.)
08-08-2012, 03:42 AM
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Traggey Offline
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#7
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

(08-08-2012, 03:42 AM)MaGicBush Wrote:
(08-07-2012, 08:51 AM)Traggey Wrote: I also use 3Ds Max, however for amnesia specific modeling you should go with Maya.

Max has exporting issues when it comes to models and animations into the OpenCOLLADA .DAE format, Maya does not have these issues.
Are those issues something that is easy to get around(also note I would be using a more recent version of 3ds so maybe it fixes that issue)? From the multiple sources I have read about maya vs. 3ds max everyone I have read says max is much easier to learn starting out and is made as a low-poly program for models specifically for games. Whereas Maya is more made to make models/animations for films/short cgi scenes/etc(at high poly counts). I am just wondering if 3DS Max would be better to learn if I did decide to model for other games in the future as well. Though it would be cool to animate scenes for youtube(cartoons I tend to see on youtube for instance) in the future.
I prefer Max over maya simply because the program functions better with myself.
Maya being made for highpoly movie stuff is a load of bullshit, both programs handle low poly modeling just aswell and Maya happens to be the leading program used by game developers right now, atleast here in sweden.

The problems of exporting can not exactly be worked around, you can fix the scaling issues by simply exporting the model several times untill it's the size you need it to be.

So far we have no fixes for the animations.
08-08-2012, 09:09 AM
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EXAWOLT Offline
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#8
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

did you guys pay $4,040.00 for maya? its quite expensive :/

simply nuff said




08-08-2012, 10:39 AM
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#9
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

No, you can get a non-commercial license for free if you're a student.

Now the thing is, both programs are very powerful tools, so there's almost nothing you can do in one tool that you couldn't also do in the other one. I've worked with both programs for two years now, using Max mainly for modeling and Maya mostly for rigging and animating. I'd say they're both equally hard to learn...maybe Max is a little bit more intuitive but not much.

Quite frankly, once you've gotten the hang of the whole 3D thing, it's actually just a matter of knowing where the buttons and functions are, because most modeling programs work very similar at the core and most functions can be found in every program (they're just sometimes named a bit differently or hidden somewhere else). So what I'm saying is, once you know one of them, you can learn the other one pretty quickly, too. It's not a choice for life which one you start with, unless maybe you're a VERY slow learner. Wink

Now the biggest difference between the programs (in my opinion) is, Mayas scenes are entirely node-based. This doesn't really matter that much as long as you're just modeling, but it becomes VERY important once you start rigging, because it makes it a lot easier to create cool control rigs by connecting nodes wih mathematical operations and whatnot. (You may be thinking "WTF?" now, but if you dig into rigging a bit you'll see what I mean Wink )
Mayas Animation interface (Graph editor etc.) is also less cluttered and easier to use than Max's and it has some cool functions Max is lacking (Infinity animation curves for example if I'm correct...haven't animated in Max for a while.) So that's why Maya is my choice for rigging and animating.

Max on the other hand is more intuitive in the modeling departement, especially with the addition of the Graphite modeling tools in the 2012 version (or was it in 2011 already?) and with the possibility of stacking modifiers onto each other. Maya is for example still lacking the possibility of having several symmetry axes on your model while you work. The Graphite modeling tools are also great for doing retopo (= creating an optimized lowpoly on the surface of a highpoly) and they have other cool functions that make modeling a bit more comfortable overall.
Another great strenghth of Max is that you can easily implement realtime viewport shaders like Xoliul or 3Point shader to give you a preview of what your model might look like in an engine. (Rendering your real time model with mental ray or whatnot doesn't tell you anything about that Wink )

Also, if you're planning on working in the games industry one day, I wouldn't recommend using Blender. From what I've heard it's pretty damn good for a free program, but I've yet to meet a studio that actually uses it. Most are using Max or Maya, sometimes Modo, Softimage or Cinema4d.

Btw...That article there seems a bit weird to me...it lists features like "Manipulate each individual vertex" for Maya as if Max didn't have that too...and leaves out much more important features. Besides those are such basic features, EVERY 3D program has them. (How could you model something without being able to manipulate vertices?!)

Quote: The problems of exporting can not exactly be worked around
Hm...I've read somewhere that there's a seperate little tool that can convert fbx files into the collada format. Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried exporting fbx from max and then using that?
08-08-2012, 11:47 AM
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Traggey Offline
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#10
RE: Best modelling program for Amnesia?

(08-08-2012, 11:47 AM)Hirnwirbel Wrote:
Quote: The problems of exporting can not exactly be worked around
Hm...I've read somewhere that there's a seperate little tool that can convert fbx files into the collada format. Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried exporting fbx from max and then using that?
Yes I have actually, it creates a set of different issues which are no more comfortable to deal with, neither function works properly.

If you wish to model with Max I suggest you also have Maya to which you import your max models and then export into dae from there.
08-08-2012, 12:52 PM
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