Questions about Modding

If I wanted to create a new spaceship for the game, what 3D modeling program is best to use?

Is there a free version of this program or do I need to buy it?

If I need to buy it, is there a free program out there I can use to create and design completely new ships?

What about creating textures for new ships, what program(s) should I use for that?

Is it easy to create and add new ships to the game? Is there a guide out there that walks you through how to do it?

Is the game moddable enough that you have complete creative freedom when designing units? For example, can I place firing points anyhwere on the ships I want? Could I make it so there are multiple types of starbases (military, economic, diplomatic, scientific, space colonies for people to live on (think gundam), etc?) Could I make a new class of ships called super capital ships which are twice as big and powerful as capital ships now? Could I add 5 more capital ships to the game? Could I create a death star that could destroy planets and/or suns?

Would it be possible to mod the game so much that all planets exist within a suns grav well and that players can move anywhere they want within that suns gravwell including to the different planets (and moons if they can be added) so that each solar system was in essence a large map where you would move units around and you could build an etire line of defenses if you wanted to? Jumping would only occur between solar systems?

Just questions I have b/c I don't know anything about modding, but I have cool ideas, but I can't realize these ideas without the neccessary tools.

Thanks

modding

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If I wanted to create a new spaceship for the game, what 3D modeling program is best to use?

The simplest would probably be XSI as that's what the engine is designed to work with (the game's models were done with it). There's also a tutorial on how to get your model ready in XSI for import.

Is there a free version of this program or do I need to buy it?

Yup! http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/

What about creating textures for new ships, what program(s) should I use for that?

I believe most use photoshop?

Is it easy to create and add new ships to the game? Is there a guide out there that walks you through how to do it?

There is a guide included in the Forge Tools download (see Downloads button on top of the page).

You can place firing points anywhere, but there's a limit on the total number you can have. It's pretty high, however - the official quote is 10 per weapon so 30 total, but modders have said they went over 10 per weapon and it works fine. In theory you can make different kinds of starbases, but don't think anyone has tried yet. You can make pseudo-supercapitals. They would have to behave similarly to the way capitals do, but can be bigger, have their own abilities, and own stats. The capital factory can hold 9 ships (and no, it's not possible to add new factory types). You can't physically destroy a planet or star.

Nope, can't do that. Each planetoid entity has its own grav well.

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lol. well there IS limits to what you can do. yes you can have multiple kinds of starbasses depending on what you design them as. you cant really add/remove the current 3 currencies (crystal, metal, credits). your limited to grav wells as far as movement goes, although you can make the grav wells huge. you can have essentialy as many planets as your comp can handle, same goes for ships if you mod that in. you can mod planets but thats verry limited. you can redo the stats of all ships however you like. you can retexture ships, re rig ships (change where effects originate/fire from on a model/mesh). you can create custom descriptions for all ships as well as add in new ships. you can remodel any building you want if you got a 3d program with the proper extenchions. diplomicy is pretty much linear in the game, you can modify what missions they give, what tolerences you can do stuf, but when it comes down to it, no buildings affect this. as far as science is conserned, planet moduals (buildings) are essently the only way to research new items. as far as space colonies go, thats up to the person, you can create starbases that you build that can hold people on them, or you can create planet mesh/texture to look like a staarbase.

now for the fire few questions.

Modeling programs: (these all have HUGE leraning curves and take hundreds of hours to get good at)

SoftImage XSI - free version, verry limited. if you buy it, its a lot better

3DS Max - trial version, 30 days. my prefered program.

Maya - not sure about any trials or whatnot since i dont use it, not sure if you can convert the models from the program into sins, only 2 that i know of is the 3ds masx plugin for .mesh conversions as well as the XSI tool to change .xsi into .mesh.

Texturing programs:

Photoshop - 30 day trial. generaly the prefered texturing/editing program out there, probly one of the most well known as well. has a learning curve to it but what does not now days. easiest program to sue for .dds conversion (required for textures)

Gimp - a free version of photoshop, has a lot of simularities, not as powerfull but hey, its free, who can complain. may have problems converting textures to .dds though.

PaintShop Pro - not sure about this one, ive never used it before, hear it does have limitations though. dont think this one can do .dds format files but i could be wrong.

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thank you

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