Blender3d or GameSpace and then what else?
by Joe Bestor · in Artist Corner · 09/30/2004 (4:19 pm) · 7 replies
I've never owned a 3d modeling tool but I've demo'd a couple (silo, milkshape) and really don't know what I'm doing. Looking at A. Swanson's DTS list, Blender3d and GameSpace practically seem feature identical. I'm definitely leaning towards Blender3d because of price, however, I like how 3dbuzz has created vtms for GameSpace.
Some questions...
Once I learn to use a 3d modeling tool, how easy or difficult is it to learn another? If it's like learning different IDEs then I shouldn't have any trouble and I'll start with blender3d and change if I want to once I've gotten experience.
Are there any valid points for why I would pay $270 for GameSpace and pass up Blender3d?
Once I have torque and one of these 3d modeling tools then what else, a level editor? Anything else I'll require short of tools for sound and music?
Some questions...
Once I learn to use a 3d modeling tool, how easy or difficult is it to learn another? If it's like learning different IDEs then I shouldn't have any trouble and I'll start with blender3d and change if I want to once I've gotten experience.
Are there any valid points for why I would pay $270 for GameSpace and pass up Blender3d?
Once I have torque and one of these 3d modeling tools then what else, a level editor? Anything else I'll require short of tools for sound and music?
#2
Quark is the free main program for interiors for now. Cartography shop has a plugin for .dif files. Deled is another free program as well... they are currently working on a plugin.
09/30/2004 (4:45 pm)
I have Blender and Gamespace. Gamespace has plugins for .dif(interior) and .dts files. I have seen impressive things with both. It depends on who the artist is. I heard that there is a plugin being worked on for .dif for Blender. It really depends on your budget. Both have good documentation and lots of tutorials online.Quark is the free main program for interiors for now. Cartography shop has a plugin for .dif files. Deled is another free program as well... they are currently working on a plugin.
#3
J. Caughran: Yes I'll be using VC++ .Net which I hear will work nicely with torque. Would UnrealEd be a tool for building interiors or in other words is interiors another name for levels?
M. Barner: Does the GameSpace plugin for .dif make GameSpace a fully functional interior builder that can compete with Quark?
Thanks!
09/30/2004 (7:05 pm)
After creating the thread I also recalled I'll need a 2d paint program such as paint shop pro for textures, right?J. Caughran: Yes I'll be using VC++ .Net which I hear will work nicely with torque. Would UnrealEd be a tool for building interiors or in other words is interiors another name for levels?
M. Barner: Does the GameSpace plugin for .dif make GameSpace a fully functional interior builder that can compete with Quark?
Thanks!
#5
The gameSpace DTS exporter actually has more feature support than the blender exporter, but some of the features for the 2.0 version of the gameSpace exporter on the DTS Exporter Matrix are not up to date.
In addition to the listed feature on the DTS matrix, version 2.0 also has: morph animation (vertex animation), AutoLOD, UV animation, additive and subtractive transparency, environment map and mip map control.
My thoughts on the Blender3d vs gameSpace matter is use what ever works best for you.
Blender is free so try blender out and see if it works for you. The only real problem with Blender is that it has a pretty steep learning curve. You're going to want to purchase a copy of the manual from the blender.org if you are serious about using it.
gameSpace is a lot less daunting to work with than blender and the video training manuals from 3d buzz are a great start for people that arent used to the icon based Caligari interface. The 2.0 version of the gameSpace DTS exporter works very well, I'm almost done converting the content packs from Bravetree for use with the gameSpace exporter, so there will be some really strong examples of what the exporter is capable of.
There are something like 3 .map exporters for gameSpace they each have their + and -. Overall they do 90% of the job, but you'll still need run your .map through Quark to tweak your texture placement.
Later,
Matt Summers
09/30/2004 (8:04 pm)
Hello Joe,The gameSpace DTS exporter actually has more feature support than the blender exporter, but some of the features for the 2.0 version of the gameSpace exporter on the DTS Exporter Matrix are not up to date.
In addition to the listed feature on the DTS matrix, version 2.0 also has: morph animation (vertex animation), AutoLOD, UV animation, additive and subtractive transparency, environment map and mip map control.
My thoughts on the Blender3d vs gameSpace matter is use what ever works best for you.
Blender is free so try blender out and see if it works for you. The only real problem with Blender is that it has a pretty steep learning curve. You're going to want to purchase a copy of the manual from the blender.org if you are serious about using it.
gameSpace is a lot less daunting to work with than blender and the video training manuals from 3d buzz are a great start for people that arent used to the icon based Caligari interface. The 2.0 version of the gameSpace DTS exporter works very well, I'm almost done converting the content packs from Bravetree for use with the gameSpace exporter, so there will be some really strong examples of what the exporter is capable of.
There are something like 3 .map exporters for gameSpace they each have their + and -. Overall they do 90% of the job, but you'll still need run your .map through Quark to tweak your texture placement.
Later,
Matt Summers
#6
For a 2d paint program... there is alot of free ones that you can use. The main thing is that it supports .jpg and .png files. This is a decision on what features and what you like best. I pefer use Paint Shop Pro.
Another thing you need to get is an editor. Jedit is free and is easy to use.
You also might want to use an unwrapper like Unwrap3D. For unwrapping textures of your models.
I would suggest if that you are on a tight budget... download trial versions of the software that cost money. Try them and see if they work for you. For the free ones...download them and use the ones you like.
10/01/2004 (1:41 am)
@Joe: As Matt said , you still need Quark to tweak things. Lot of people don't like Quark... but it is best to get it and learn it it. They just released the other day another mapper for Gamespace. I don't know how well it works yet. Best bet is to have Quark in your tool kit. As Matt also said, Blender does have a steep learning curve.For a 2d paint program... there is alot of free ones that you can use. The main thing is that it supports .jpg and .png files. This is a decision on what features and what you like best. I pefer use Paint Shop Pro.
Another thing you need to get is an editor. Jedit is free and is easy to use.
You also might want to use an unwrapper like Unwrap3D. For unwrapping textures of your models.
I would suggest if that you are on a tight budget... download trial versions of the software that cost money. Try them and see if they work for you. For the free ones...download them and use the ones you like.
#7
04/03/2007 (12:19 pm)
As far as an editor, I have been using Torsion for some time. It is not free, but it is a very good price for what you get. It is the most viable option for a Torque Script debugger that I have found. It is a lot better than a normal editor. 
Torque Owner JC