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wrath2552
wrath2552
Join Date 02/2009
+2

what modeling/texture programs should i use?

April 13, 2009 8:31:34 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

What modeling and texture programs should i use for my own models? I have no idea where to start, and the forge tools documentation seems to assume i already have it figured out. I obviously don't. What programs do you modders use that would be easy/simple enough for a beginning model/texture creator like me?

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wrath2552
StCobalt
Join Date 02/2008
+21
Reply #1 April 13, 2009 8:42:12 PM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

i use 3ds max and photoshop myself. but generaly speaking most go with Softimage XSI (theres a free version available but it has some limitations). you can also use gimp or some other program for texturing. theres auite a few out there to use. and thers no "easy/simple" programs to use in this field generaly speaking. modeling has a HUGE and i mean HUGE learning curve and will take you hundreds of hours to make good looking models, most modelers spend around a week fine tuning and textureing a model.

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wrath2552
wrath2552
Join Date 02/2009
+2
Reply #2 April 13, 2009 10:27:46 PM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting StCobalt,
reply 1
i use 3ds max and photoshop myself. but generaly speaking most go with Softimage XSI (theres a free version available but it has some limitations). you can also use gimp or some other program for texturing. theres auite a few out there to use. and thers no "easy/simple" programs to use in this field generaly speaking. modeling has a HUGE and i mean HUGE learning curve and will take you hundreds of hours to make good looking models, most modelers spend around a week fine tuning and textureing a model.

 

Thanks a lot!

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wrath2552
JasonFJ
Join Date 11/2008
+39
Reply #3 April 14, 2009 1:20:47 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

If anyone has a write-up on texturing editting in GIMP I'd love some tips as it's my preferred gfx editor. I'm running Gimp 2.6 and I installed the DDS plugin.. .but I'll be damned if I can load up Sins DDS files into it.

I've tried flicking through Channel views, viewing/flattening different layers, using the Script->Colors to convert using Alpa or scaled etc. but I just can't get a valid texture to edit. I was expecting 4 channels/layers (R,G,B,Alpha) but importing as a single mipmap I get an bad image... and import as separate MIP layers I get 11 or so, none of which can be viewed properly!

P.S. I also use 3ds Max, and as the above poster writes: it will take dozens of hours to learn the complex process of importing/exporting/editting/texturing, polys, vertices, bump maps, specular maps... ZOMG you gotta be keen to learn it!

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wrath2552
StCobalt
Join Date 02/2008
+21
Reply #4 April 14, 2009 1:59:30 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

you got to WANT to learn it, i have fooled around with dummy points and whatnot but ive never went head first into creating models from scratch yet. maybe some other times. i know nVidia had a DDS plugin for photoshop. not sure if it works for gimp.

 

on another note, not sure what plugin options you have, but generaly speaking for the photoshop one, you do not load mip maps. (tired and didnt read what you sad correctly). should probly wait for someone elce to answer this since i dont use gimp myself and a lot of people i know prefer photoshop, id say look for another plug in or google tutorials on it.

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wrath2552
neterw
Join Date 03/2009
+4
Reply #5 April 14, 2009 3:00:28 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting JasonFJ,
reply 3
If anyone has a write-up on texturing editting in GIMP I'd love some tips as it's my preferred gfx editor. I'm running Gimp 2.6 and I installed the DDS plugin.. .but I'll be damned if I can load up Sins DDS files into it.

i installed gimp 2.6 with dds plugin on my pc and my notebook too, and unfortunately just on my computer can I open dds files... on my notebook it crashed... but i installed both in the same way... I dont know whats the problem (btw the dds plugin works only for 32bit version)

after that I recommend you to use photoshop with nvidia's dds plugin, when I made new race logos, I could easily alter the 4 channels (R,G,B,Alpha)

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wrath2552
JasonFJ
Join Date 11/2008
+39
Reply #6 April 14, 2009 8:04:19 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Did you manage to get Gimp 2.6 32bit correctly show the DDS in your PC?

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wrath2552
neterw
Join Date 03/2009
+4
Reply #7 April 23, 2009 4:16:23 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

jepp I did, and now I removed and reinstalled gimp

i used this installer: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=121075&package_id=250052&release_id=669746 (gimp-2.6.6-i686-setup.exe)

and this dds plugin: http://nifelheim.dyndns.org/~cocidius/dds/#download (win32 binares)

place the dds.exe in C:\Program Files\GIMP-2.0\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins

it's working correctly, i hope it will for you, too

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