Which tool is right when working with contract 3D modelers?

#1

Howdy. I’m expecting to work with some contract 3D artists in the coming months, and I wanted to ask your opinions about which modeling package would allow me to best work with them.

For the most part, I expect to simply be converting their low-poly models from whatever they’re using into 3DGS’s .MDL/.MD7 format. However, I also want to make sure that, if necessary, I can edit/tweak their models as needed. I asked the folks in the 3DGS forums, and they were able to help me narrow things down to packages such as 3DS Max, Maya, Lightwave, and Softimage. Is there one package in particular that would best suit my needs? I’m mostly concerned that a) if I select one, I might be unable to read in models from another without degrading them (e.g., if an artist works in 3DS Max and I have Maya, will I lose bones or UV mapping?), and b) some of these packages may be overkill for my purposes.

My last real contact with 3D modeling software was Truespace 4, so I’m a bit out of date. :slight_smile: Any help you can offer would be appreciated.

Thanks!

#2

Depending on how much tweaking you need to do, you may not need a full 3D application at all. I’d first recommend you take a look at “Ultimate Unwrap 3D” ( http://www.unwrap3d.com/index.aspx ) and download their demo. This program supports just about every game format out there, has very good uv mapping and some model editing tools. I’ve got Maya and Max and still find UU3D useful (and well worth the $50 I paid for it).

Another budget application geared towards gaming that’s worth looking at is “Fragmotion” ( http://www.fragmosoft.com/ ). Very easy to use character animation tools and supports a number of game formats, definitely worth $20.

If you still need to get a full 3D application and are using it strictly to be compatible with contractors to develop a game, then the one to get is 3DS Max. I use Max, Maya, Truespace, Carrara, Blender and a number of others, but for the game industry Max is pretty much the standard… that’s not to say that it’s my favorite or that it’s the best application, but you’ll find more game developers use Max than anything else.

Hope this helps…

#3

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve been using UU3d for some minor editing, but I’m beginning to suspect that I’ll either have to go with Max or Maya in the end.

#4

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.