Creating you own 3d units
- Thread starter MattJek
- Start date
The Great Apple
Big Cheese
No, not yet - however it has been hinted that tools will be released in the coming months which will allow us to do so. It's not clear yet though what form this tools will take.MattJek said:
As for them being hard to use - I would say that if you've had no experience with 3D design software before, it'll probably take you quite a while to get to grips with it.
Leonel
Breakfast Connoisseur
Would basic Bryce modeling count as 3D experience? I've done texture maps and height elevations in it as well as opacities and stuff.
n003lb
Warlord
leonel said:
I don't know if Bryce would count or not. From what you list (textures, height elevations, opacities, etc), no, it is not really the same as 3D modeling. I personally use 3D Studio Max and Gmax for my modeling. I have never used Bryce, so I don't know if it can do 3d modeling or not. As far as I know, I think Bryce is more of a raytrace program for doing landscapes and such, not modeling, but I may be wrong.
[EDIT] If you have ever dealt with manipulating meshes and verticies, then that would be 3D modeling experience. I don't mean just changing the textures and such.
As far as I know, the tools for this are supposed to be out sometime around late January, but of course this is not set in stone. They'll release the SDK when they feel like it and not a moment sooner, in my experience. Most likely, the main thing the SDK will include for modeling will be a plugin for something like 3ds max that will allow us to export models into a Civ readable format. You'll still need a modeling program to make the models. One problem here is I don't have any idea what programs will be supported by the SDK. I won't be able to do any models if it doesn't support 3DS Max. Hopefully it will actually be a file converter that will support many different file types, instead of a plugin for just a single program.
I would suggest looking into getting a copy of gmax, if you can. Discreet just stopped gmax last month, so you may not be able to find it. Thing about it is it's free. Problem is I can almost guarentee that it WON'T be usable for Civ modeling. Thing is, I think it is a good tool to learn on. It may take you quite a long time to learn it, but once you master it, you'll be able to handel most other 3d modeling programs out there, especially the more affordable ones (NOT 3ds max).
The other option is to go buy one of the cheaper modelers out there. I can't think of any at the moment, but I could find them fairly quickly. Problem with this is you may buy a program that the SDK doesn't support and then you've wasted the money for the program.
Seems like there might be another free modeler out there, but I can't think of it right now.
EdCase
Defender of the Faithless
I am expecting the SDK to contain at the very least Max plugins..version 6 or higher. Its possible Firaxis used Maya though.
If Firaxis are truely committed to the moddability, they should include at least one example unit...which would give modellers a size reference plus required animation structure.
Yes the version of Gamebryo (.nif format) is new and plugins for previous versions will not be compatible.
If Firaxis are truely committed to the moddability, they should include at least one example unit...which would give modellers a size reference plus required animation structure.
Yes the version of Gamebryo (.nif format) is new and plugins for previous versions will not be compatible.
