Affordable Way to Create Mesh?

[Awfully Artful]

Hello :)

I'm a newbie to mesh and I really want to learn. But I don't know where to get a good affordable program. do you need expensive software to make nice looking things?

 

[Fluffy Sharkfin]

If you're looking for a free alternative to Blender, DAZ3D are currently giving away DAZ Studio Pro and Hexagon (along with Bryce).

[Nalates Urriah]

Its hard to know which program has more features and is easier to learn. If you go on the 3DS, Maya, or Blender forums the fans talk about what is right with their fav and wrong with the others. Short of some gigantic mathematical effort to compare and rate features, we'll likely never know which is objectively "best.".

However, visit Youtube and search on any 3D modeling program's name and the word tutorial. See which program has the most tutorials. That tells you which program will give you the most support. Notice I used the word 'most' not 'best.'

I will point out that two long time SL dev's are working with Blender open source teams and writing code and the Lab is a registered stake holder in Blender. It is reasonable to believe the Lab will do all it can to support and be compatible with Blender. Support for other modeling programs is secondary to Blender.

DAZ3D is an intersting program. But, the number of people in SL using it seems small. That limits support.

However, use whatever works for you.

 

[Maeve Balfour]

I would strongly recommend you try out the various 3D modeling software DEMOs, and go with the one you feel most comfortable with. Generally, it comes down to the software interface and personal preference.

Overall, 3D mesh modeling follows standard workflows - so as long as your chosen software package (or combinations of packages) can handle this, then you would be set to create mesh models for SL. General workflow tends to be: Modeling a mesh / UV-mapping / Material mapping / Rigging (if applicable (clothing etc)) / Exporting to required file formats (Collada in the case of SL).

Although you may not be a big fan of Blender, if you persevere with the current version (having had a much-needed interface update), you would have the benefit of a pretty large user base here on the forums for times when you get stuck. Worth considering on that point alone.

Software itself doesn't need to cost a fortune, either. There is a wide range of free or relatively low cost packages out there. Some which come to mind which would be suitable for SL would be Blender, Carrara, Hexagon (which I use, but it lacks a Collada exporter though, however it's currently free until the end of April), Wings3D, and quite a few others. As long as they are proper 3D MESH modelers, you would have a good starting point.

So yah, just find a DEMO or free modeler you are comfortable with, and then work from there. If your chosen program doesn't do EVERYTHING you need to get your model into SL, there are plenty of ways via exporting to get it to the required final format (Collada) to upload.

:matte-motes-smile:

[Awfully Artful]

Thank you all for replying..I will check out the Daz Studio. Can this be used to make rigged clothing?

I have another question..can you create things as nice as this couch with Blender? And can use Blender to make shiny realistic textures like that, for your mesh in Second Life? I wouldn't mind giving Blender another try, if it can do something like in the pic below. I love the texturing and lighting on ths couch, and I'd love to learn how to make mesh clothing or objects with textures like that.

[Pamela Galli]

I did make that entirely in Blender (with Nacy Nightfire's help, of course).

Blender is affordable as long as you have plenty of blood, sweat, and tears. :-)

 

[Awfully Artful]

Wow, you made it? It looks very nice. I saw the picture on this forum, but I thought it was made in a more expensive program like, 3Ds Max. Does it looks like that when imported into Second Life?

[Pamela Galli]

That pic is what it looks like sitting in my store.  My assistant had shadows turned on for the pic.  Nacy mostly made the tables and lamps in the pic, tho there is very little that we don't collaborate on in some way.

[Awfully Artful]

Ahh, ok. Well now I feel stupid for making this thread :matte-motes-big-grin-squint:

I always thought that Blender could only be used for simple sculpties/meshes, and even simpler texture baking. The Blender tutorials I have seen show simple things, like how to make a sculpty vase, or an apple..so I just assumed that the more complex sculpted/mesh objects (such as your couch) must have been created with super expensive software. But now that I see you've created objects in Blender which look great (with the realistic shadow and highlight baking), I'm happy to see that its possible.

[Luc Starsider]

If you're unsure what can be made using Blender, have a look at this:

And the official website for the movie is here: http://sintel.org/

All Blender, all the way!

- Luc -

[Masami Kuramoto]

---

Awfully Artful wrote:

I always thought that Blender could only be used for simple sculpties/meshes, and even simpler texture baking.

---

Short films made entirely (modeling, rigging, animation, rendering, editing) in Blender:

As far as Second Life is concerned, there is hardly anything you can't do in this program.

[Alexi Reggiane]

The user interface in the newer versions of Blender (I'm using 2.62 now) is much better. I had taught myself how to make sculpties on my own using it and now I am having good success working in mesh. There are so many tutorials and videos on using blender plus a lot of users who are willing to give advice in the forums. Sure I get frustrated in figuring out how to do what I want sometimes, but I guess I am also stubborn. Sometimes I have to put a project away for a couple of days until a different I idea of how I want to do something comes to mind or I google for more info.

Blender can look daunting to someone who has never used it before but really any 3D building program would. Blender can do some amazing things. I guess the thing is to take it in baby steps. Since it is free there is no reason not to give it a try. I am learning new things every time I create something. I love that "AHA" moment when I overcome a hurdle. I may have a bit of an advantage being from a graphic art background but Blender is the first 3D building program I have tried. If I can do it, I think anyone with enough motivation, willingness to learn and determination can do it also.

[Ashasekayi Ra]

There has already been a number of great suggestions made in this thread. However, I don't think anyone mentioned Zbrush and 3D-Coat which are under 1,000$. I personally adore Zbrush, but you really should couple it with a 3D modeler for the best results. Sculpting programs (for traditional sculpting not SL sculpt maps) like Zbrush and 3D-Coat offer a totally different workflow style that is easier to get into for some people. Pixologic (makers of Zbrush) also have a free program called Sculptris that will let you get your feet wet.

Also, I'd have to agree with others that you might want to give Blender a second look, especially if you haven't used the latest Blender. The program has more than you need to make high-quality, professional content for Second Life. Plus, you'll find a ton of support for on the forums and in tutorials.

Some resources:

• http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/
• http://www.youtube.com/user/ashasekayi#grid/user/2A3AF00B41F652ED
• http://www.blendercookie.com
• http://www.youtube.com/user/cannedmushrooms#grid/user/2BA5BDF79FF50122
• http://www.youtube.com/user/cannedmushrooms#grid/user/AB4DF1F21A33CB3B
• http://www.blenderguru.com/

[Johan Laurasia]

I have to go with the crowd on this one.  Blender is much improved in the UI, there's strong SL to Blender / Blender to SL support, more than any other program, and Blender is more than capable of producing meshes and textures that translate perfectly to SL.  There is a learning curve with any new package, but Blender is far more worth it with recent improvements to Blender combined with strong support from the SL end.

[Nacy Nightfire]

lol, THAT looks familiar .

As Pamela mentioned, she and I have been working together in Blender getting her up to speed in  building with mesh.  Pam however is superb texture artist as well as an experienced builder and business owner in SL.  The beauty of these piece are directly related to her eye for good design and her texturing skills.  The 3d program she is using has no real bearing on the results she's achieved.  I've helped out here and there by building some foundation meshes, such as the beginnings of the couch, tables, etc.  But Pamela took them over, reworked the meshes and textured them beautifully.  Her work is doubly impressive since she's starting out here with the introduction of Mesh in SL as a beginner learning a whole new way to build in such a short amount of time.

As a learning tool, the main advantage of using Blender is its a program many people use here to create in SL so you are very likely to find someone in SL here on the  Mesh Forum who can lend a hand when you have specific issues as you go up the learning curve.  Eventually Pamela may choose to switch to a commercial program (I myself also own Modo, Zbrush and Lightwave 10), but I'm mostly working in Blender because I enjoy it and because Pamela and I can speak the same Blender "language" which is helpful for learning.  All programs do essentially the same things and some do it better then others, but I'd recommend you first learn what these "things" 3d programs  are suppose to do using a free program before investing your money.

And again, geometry for games has to be fairly low poly so I can't emphasize enough how important texturing skills are to get professional effects that override this limitation.  That means your skill in a graphics program like Photoshop or Gimp is equally as important to get the results you see on these items from Pam's store.

 

[Drongle McMahon]

I endorse the importance of texturing. In fact, I would go so far as to say that texturing is even more important than modelling in determining the final quality of the product. Good texturing requires geniuine artistic talent, as well as technical knowhow. That's one of the reasons I don't sell stuff (except a few things left over from more naive days).

[Nacy Nightfire]

Asha, all of those are terrific Blender tutorial sites and are at the top of my favorites list.  I'll also add a few more:

– All tutorials by Ira Krakow are terrific. 

 

http://blendernerd.com/   

 

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/

 

http://gryllus.net/Blender/3D.html

 

http://blenderunderground.com/

 

http://blendertips.com

 

http://www.tutorialtrack.com/?series=Blender crash course

[Gavin Hird]

If you are on a Mac, Cheetah 3D is an excellent choice for non rigged modelling. The UV mapper in Cheetah works pretty well and DAE export is solid. 

[Luc Starsider]

Interesting.

It seems, from the info on their site, that rigging too is possible in Cheetah 3D

- Luc -

[Gavin Hird]

Rigging is possible and works provided you run the resulting dae through a filter to replace a small section of the file that the viewer does noe understand (version 1.4 vs 1.41 COLLADA problem.)

The new scripting API should make it possible to write custom output files, so it may be possible to create SL friendly rigged files directly. 

 

 

[Nacy Nightfire]

Lol Pamela. I just noticed you wrote:

"Blender is affordable as long as you have plenty of blood, sweat, and tears. :-" 

I noticed you modestly left out the most important component - talent.  And I'm not sure Drongle isn't being unnecessarily self-effacing by claiming his level of texturing talent holds him back from joining  in the merchant arena, but it's certainly the case with me.

I'd say the secret formula for making an object such as that lovely leather couch is:  10 percent blood, 10 percent sweat, 10 percent tears,  10 percent insomnia, 20 percent tenacity and commitment and 40 percent innate talent.  I hope that adds up to 100.  Even my most basic math skills are weak.

[Awfully Artful]

I can do textures, but meshes look even more complicated, with all the stuff about polygon limits and collada files and rigging, etc. sounds confusing.

[Pamela Galli]

It is horribly confusing. I have never done anything so difficult in my life, or felt so stupid, as trying to use Blender. If it was not for Nacy, I would be where I was for two years -- just sitting staring at my computer, hopelessly stuck, while trying to follow some tutorial.

[Braydon Randt]

I say this very tongue in cheek ( as im a blender user)  do what 98% of the devleoper world does .....  like on CG portfolio,  or polycount ..  or even Sl ...  and STEAL  IT!!!!!  *lol* zbrush  is nearly $1000  maya is £4000  and in real terms ,  if you dont use blender and gimp ....  you are ultimately going to be doing something ..  you are either a professional  in which case  why are you selling your meshes in Sl  for 50c  rather than $100  on turbo squid,  or you are using a rather " iffy"  version of a professional  package  that in real terms ,  cant give you any better reslts than blender. I would suggest though ,  on a serious note ,  that you do check out autodesk ,  as i believe they offer extream discounts for the unemployed.