posted
I continue my search for a free, or almost free, reasonable quality 3D modelling program to use for generating objects in Rocket Club.
Today I stumbled across "MilkShade" (thanks, slashdot!) and installed in and though I haven't really used it yet, I like the way it looks.
It's not completely free ($20 one time registration), but that's pretty close.
It looks like it will do what I want it to do (and is written for compatibility with various popular game formats... and it wouldn't hurt if rocket club could use one of those formats)
Plus it comes with an SDK so you can make your own exporter (in case I need to export a special format for Rocket Club... in which case you could translate models from one format to another)
I find it visually more appealing than Blender, and definitely more 'open' than GMAX (which I couldn't get to even run on my PC)
I won't know for sure until I 'close the loop' (a model from MilkShade actually appearing on stage in Rocket Club), but I feel a small step forward has been taken.
And, as you know, the journey that is Rocket Club is an infinite number of small steps.
-------------------- He knows when you are sleeping. Posts: 10561 | From: California | Registered: Dec 1998
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-------------------- "Eye of twilight give us sight Take our offer, give us might Make our power tears of night" Posts: 794 | From: Somewhere in Argentina | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
They aren't exactly free, but they're pretty cheap..
Bryce 5
Lightwave
3DsMax
Maya
Cinema 4D
3Dsm
SoftImage XSI
SIGGraph
I personally think Maya and Lightwave are pretty good
-------------------- I drew the cute little pig in my avatar. You don't have a cute little pig in your avatar. I win! Posts: 10782 | From: Spammely Hills | Registered: Jan 2001
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-------------------- "If you can solve it, it is an exercise; otherwise, it's a research problem." - Dr. Richard Bellman Posts: 371 | From: Scottsdale, Arizona | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
Look at me! I are a 3D modeller! Where's my sk8board!
note the presence of a SKELETON. That means I am sophisticated! Although I admit to that bit not seeming to work yet.
I suppose I will need to publish the official skeleton node list for RC characters.. but that's a century away, I imagine. MilkShape comes with a nice human skeleton which I will probably start with. Then just add some extra arms and legs to.. (optional)
My goal is still to dynamically muck with the skeleton for walking/fighting etc (as opposed to formal animations) and then stretch the skin to follow the skeleton. MilkShape lets you associate individual vertices with skeleton joints, so it should be a piece of cake.
-------------------- He knows when you are sleeping. Posts: 10561 | From: California | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
That looks very very complicated for my little brain..
-------------------- I drew the cute little pig in my avatar. You don't have a cute little pig in your avatar. I win! Posts: 10782 | From: Spammely Hills | Registered: Jan 2001
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-------------------- But if we COULD use nails in the walls, I'd have a nail-bunny and I wouldn't need you! Posts: 6096 | From: Minnesnowta | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
MilkShape is easier to use than it looks (a statement made by someone with about 3 hours experience)
THeir site links to some cool AVI file tutorials (MilkShape has a built in AVI generator just to make tutorials with... you just talk into your microphone while using the program and the AVI shows the program screen with mouse clicking on stuff as you talk. it's pretty neat.)
Anyway, one guy made a whole bunch of tutorials which were REALLY helpful getting started.
---
I wrote a parser so rocket club can now load a milkshape model file (.txt file format), though I haven't actually TRIED it yet. Then I just need to convert the vertex formats to Direct3D and I should be able to render that teapot inside rocket club!
-------------------- He knows when you are sleeping. Posts: 10561 | From: California | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
dont supose you could drop me a link for their site dan? =P
-------------------- The difference between an insult and an opinion is it's wording. *a quote by aragorn* For all of those who do not belive this, remember they once punished a man because he said the world was flat. Posts: 443 | From: Garland,Texas,USA | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
um.. chumbalum or something like that. use google.com and look for "MilkShape"
-------------------- He knows when you are sleeping. Posts: 10561 | From: California | Registered: Dec 1998
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NimrodFunk
unregistered
posted
Have you tried Rhino? They have a fully functional demo version, but it only has a limited amount of saves, then it gets pretty expensive for commercial use... say $895. You can check that out here.
Then there's maya which does a little more than modeling. You can get the free ummm... personal learning edition from their website, here. That particular edition is fully functional with unlimited saves as long as you're learning or something. Hehe.
These are both pretty top of the line, and many many online tutorials are available. Now go make us some cool ships!
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posted
Now the quandry... do I make the ship smaller, or pull the camera back... it's time to stick a fork in the sand and cut bait! What ARE the units of Rocket Club Models?
I kind of like 1.0 = 1.0 meters.
-------------------- He knows when you are sleeping. Posts: 10561 | From: California | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
That looks so pretty (too bad I'll never be able to do that )
-------------------- I drew the cute little pig in my avatar. You don't have a cute little pig in your avatar. I win! Posts: 10782 | From: Spammely Hills | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
It's so...beautiful. I don't know if you need to waste the time to put out a demo yet, though. You should probably just wait until we can actually interact with other players, or something.
By the way, is Dan Santa Claus all of a sudden? That's really freaky.
posted
All I can think to say is awesome, cant wait to see some more. Keep up the good wokr, Dan. Take it easy
-------------------- Hi, I'm a signature virus. Copy me into your sig and help me spread. Warning: Alcohol Impairs your ability to right thins lick shish. Posts: 359 | From: Midland, Texas, USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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-------------------- "If you can solve it, it is an exercise; otherwise, it's a research problem." - Dr. Richard Bellman Posts: 371 | From: Scottsdale, Arizona | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
Vue DeSpirit is a good 3D proggy, i found my copy of it on kazaa i have no clue where the homepage for it is.
-------------------- Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. Posts: 3038 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
YESSSSSSS!!!!!! Rocket Club is coming to town!
-------------------- Any and all velca will be added to your personal hahta in Angamando. Posts: 711 | From: Chanhassen, Minnesota | Registered: Oct 2001
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The background is the ocean texture (looks much cooler if you think of it as a gas giant, or some cool nebula)
The texture on the ship is just the texture of the planet mars (that white bit on top is the south polar ice cap :-)
The ship itself is basically a sphere pulled out in various directions and though I intended it to have the pointy bit in front, I think it actually looks cooler with the point in back.
Obviously what you are SUPPOSED to do is make a texture which actually makes sense, has pipes and windows on it or whatever :-)
But you know me, grab what's at hand. The work was all in the loading of the dang model file and converting it into direct3d materials, vertices, and triangle meshes.
-------------------- He knows when you are sleeping. Posts: 10561 | From: California | Registered: Dec 1998
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-------------------- I drew the cute little pig in my avatar. You don't have a cute little pig in your avatar. I win! Posts: 10782 | From: Spammely Hills | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
I made a nicey ship model with milkshape. I dont have any place to upload the scrshots, tho
-------------------- "Eye of twilight give us sight Take our offer, give us might Make our power tears of night" Posts: 794 | From: Somewhere in Argentina | Registered: Jan 2000
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-------------------- "Eye of twilight give us sight Take our offer, give us might Make our power tears of night" Posts: 794 | From: Somewhere in Argentina | Registered: Jan 2000
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-------------------- Any and all velca will be added to your personal hahta in Angamando. Posts: 711 | From: Chanhassen, Minnesota | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Good work, Dan! Milkshape looks like about the perfect software for modeling things for Rocket Club. This coming from the local Blender zealot. And it can import .DXF files, which is very good, I'll have to convert some of my blender and wings models .
P.S. Blender is soon to become open source, currently there are discussions on how to change the UI to make it more newbie friendly, perhaps by the time Rocket Club is released the UI will be less intimadating.
[ 08-07-2002, 05:52 PM: Message edited by: Thunderbolt16 ]
Posts: 57 | From: Colorado Springs, CO, USA | Registered: May 2000
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posted
/a has 3DStudio max 5.0 Luna if anybody wants it /a also has: Bryce 5, Poser 4, Lightwave 7, Photoshop 6 (7 is not a really important upgrade), and some other stuff too. Pity I deleted maya, I couldn't figure out how to use it on the fly >.<
posted
Who needs all that stuff when you have Bryce 5?
-------------------- I drew the cute little pig in my avatar. You don't have a cute little pig in your avatar. I win! Posts: 10782 | From: Spammely Hills | Registered: Jan 2001
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