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I have a couple of questions for you pros out there cause I am startig out and need some basic help.

1st:
I would like to know what is the best way to import objects or scenes made with truespace so
I could use them with directX through vusual c++.

2nd:
What is the best way to make textures fit to your character?
For exemple if I make a guy and I want to make it's texture with a face,some clothes, etc.
Is there a good prog or something so you can have your object flattened <6
Maybe flattening is not the good technique? What is the best way to do this??


Thankx guys
I know I am starting but I want to learn and join you up as sson as I can!

mmm.. truespace.. I don't think that's an open scene format editor, so you'll have to convert those to one of the more documented formats - like 3ds or lwo. and converting stuff usually gives veeery unexpected results.. so I'd say you better learn 3dsmax or lightwave and do your stuff there.
as for second, I dunno how it's done in truspace, but in max or lw there are plugins that unwrap your character - you select your mesh (or part of a mesh, like arm, leg, etc), and then the plugin gives you a flat projection of that mesh, you dump it into a bitmap and paint over it in photoshop (or its likes). then you load that mesh again and wrap your texture arond the mesh. that's just the basics.. hunt the web for in-depth tutorials (many gaming enthusiast sites have related materials available, just search for 'skinning').
good luck. 8)

The best way nowadays to work with 3D for realtime engines is to use progs like MAX or LightWave. But those are expensive, and piracy is bad. So you might try some free modeler (there must be some around), most of them use "standard" file formats, or at least support them (to help 3D artists to import 3D data from other softs).
Easy file formats are 3DS and LWO/LWS. I think that 3DS is easier than LWO/LWS, but that's a personnal opinion.

piracy is baaad, mmmkay? 8)

I dunno if it'll help you, but try www.zmodeler.com - it's a free mesh editor and texture mapper. I've never really figured out how to use it, and I don't really know if it uses the right formats, but it's worth a shot.

Right now, it's mostly used for editing cars for racing games.

Let me know if anybody here uses LEGAL lightwave or 3DSmax =))

piracy is bad?

haha. if it wasn't for piracy, sceners wouldn't have any tools to make demos with.
serioisly, how many paid for their vc, max or photostop? <g>.

That doesn't mean we should promote piracy as well, since there's a bunch of free tools out there (GNU tools for coders, GNU tools for gfx). Many artists said that The GIMP was quite cool (and thus they use it instead of Photoshop). Many coders use GNU C (CygWin for Win32 platforms). Some interesting IDE for coders are out there now (not yet perfect, but it's only the beginning).
BTW, I'm legally using my Visual C++. And my Win2k. And so on. Sorry dudes...

Yeah! The GIMP is really rulez. IMHO it is much better than Photoshop and so on.

how about usin maya aye?

and piracy.. well, companies got ENOUGH money for their stuff and we dont use their tools for commercial purposes, so i think, it's 'kay!

ehh, much better on 8-bitters where the best tools are made by sceners as well ;)

but fasttracker and buzz!!! scene ownz

thankx for all thos advices I think I will go with 3dsmax ( legal version for shure hehe) and plugins.
Got any good plug-ins for max for texturing?

thankx

hmm. so no-one knows any other free "quick and dirty" 3d-editors, preferably for x? (zmodeler pages apparently had some buggy js refusing to work so i outright ruled that as multimediacrap)

bill gates has enough $$$ to run a small nation. if he would lose some (pocket money) due to piracy, it wouldn't break my heart.

Lightwave modeler rulzzZzZzzz!! 4ever! =) IMHO 3dsMax suxxX near the LIGHTWAVE

What about LEGALLY using Softimage XSI?

Yeah. We have two Gfxmen doing this :)

milkshape 3d is a decent "quick and dirty" 3d-editor. it's only for windoze tho <g>. can export many different formats, and it's own format, .m3sd, is a good and simple format.
http://www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/

the user interface is a bit cumbersome tho if you ask me.

well not cumbersome maybe, but has a few annoying things about it.

You can use 3DWin4 to convert 3d file format !!!!
3DWin4 convert 3ds -> x and x -> 3ds
and many other format...
i'll post da URL if i found it ! :)))

Ok ! i found it !!!
he's real name is 3DWinOGL and you can find it here :
http://www.stmuc.com/thbaier/
i use it because one of our 2 GFXmen use 3d studio max and da other use lightwave ! :))
(sorry, my english is too bad ! ;) )

if you're still looking for a free modeller, you can try blender (http://www.blender.nl)
btw it doesn't export to any cool format like 3DS or LWO, but you still can code a script in python to do that, it's very easy ... you even can code a script to your own format specially designed for your own 3d engine, which is best imo ...

lol

rotfl