Does anyone use ANY software other than photoshop or gimp? Are you all that boring(joke!!!)

[Poenald Palen]

OK, game artist people use at least the following: Camera/photosource, 3D materials baked/rendered, editing tools and possibly black magic....like, eye of newt? right?

No one ever mentions baking when tools are mentioned. No one says (hey, don't forget that tablet...ok, some actually do mention this) and no on mentions any other neat adventures...I mean, I never see "I made a texture by scanning a image I made using a print out of the avatar mesh and orrange peals arranged and photographed...it was cruddy...but fun to try!" I mean...didn't anyone watch Heart Beat way back? No one wants to glue spegetti to some card and scan it to make images with? Ok, I am making fun of myself here....but lets get serious and stop making fun of me now.

OK, Blacksmith 3D anyone?

No one uses genetica for materials and only use photoshop plugins? How sad! Genetica has a great demo to!

3d Coat? It paints mesh...SL's avatar is mesh! PLus, you can always model up a piece and then clone paint from the render.

3D scanning? no one has a 3D scanner sitting around (ok, now I am joking again...but just a little this time!) and scanned a dress and made up a 3d model from that cloud of points and used this to make some model...render it and viola, something to clone from or warp onto the UV maps clothes makers paint over?

zbrush, mudbox, shade or ANY 3d software to bake or at least get render source from?

I started making bits in blelnder to peice together some clothing to match to the avatar, render it and then projection paint it on the av mesh. Then, bake that with even lighting and AO enabled...uh, then modify it in Gimp and maybe....well, maybe it might make clothes! But, I realised that many paint by hand via scribbling to lay down paint, blur/smudge and then bump, dodge and burn until it all looks right. I like to work in 3D, not so much into teh tablet scribble method..though it is fast and looks good IF you can do that well. I just don't have a tablet, don't feel like buying one and wish to enhance my skills with 3D. No, I will not be using a 3D scanner lol. Not so inrerested in them. Uh, but....yeah. modelling mesh, make materials, make textures to help bump map materials and render. Then fix any bits in gimp. Simple enough....ok, it is not.

But....is this basically excentric...no one is doing this in SL? I know in other games you go back and forth between baking and painting until it is all done. Is the av mesh that screwed up to where people hate working like this? How so? This brought me to the question....is there ANY workflow that is not basically bump map smudges, smudge some more and grad a few photo's to get bits from? What adventures did you have before you decided to stick with the proven path? Are you keeping it all secret and building a HUGE set of clothes that will destroy all others buisines and will never tell us how you do it? We will suffer in obscurity and wish we had never been rezz'd to even take a hand at creating any clothing at all...wiat...I don't make clothing. Still....will you take over the world and via selling little black dresses that are 1000X's better using secret software and technique....and we will never every know how you did it?

[WADE1 Jya]

Hehe great rant :matte-motes-big-grin-squint:

What about Illustrator? Do you think it is still boring if you're working with mostly Adobe?

I use some non-Adobe programs, especially certain ones for creating materials.... i don't know the ones you mention though, i'll have to check those out around the net, thanks for mentioning, always into checking out softwares :matte-motes-sunglasses-2:

Your description of artsy home SL projects like gluing spaghetti, it did make me lol & think of my own processes. I've put things like leaves into my scanner, or inked illustrations which are hard to clean off the scanner screen if the ink gets transferred onto the glass from going too fast. Also my robot cat blueprints, hand-drawn animation maps (with metadata annotations) & it might be something to share on the forum as an artwork, but then I thought it would be giving away too much secret technique :matte-motes-zipped:

 

[wrable Amat]

many people over the yearrs have used all  methods you have talked about in that rambling post.Maybe opening your magoos a little wider you might notice these types of style. A ton of shops use RL images render to the AV mesh.

[Imnotgoing Sideways]

Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8. ()y

 

 

[Poenald Palen]

@Wade Scanning hings is fun. Illustrator..uh, it does do 3d mor eor less. But I see this in video tutorials. I was not looking for any specific software, but is seems everyone who learned from online tutotirals makes them and so you see the same sort of things. Plus, sometimes there are tools that are just very easy to use or very little competition. I don't hate Adobe, but seriously...there are a lot of other tools I see and SL is all 3D. PS just had .obj model added a little while ago, but there is also Blacksmith3d and others around in this same past few years. It is like SL creators who know more about 3D just don't share, don't have time or whatever. Now, I say that and remember Robin is famous for tutorials, and uses lightwave! I also remember people speaking about blender and painting. One person baked shaded avatar images to help people clone paint bits onto thier clothes for quickness...I mean, but still...people are all GImp and photoshop with never a mention from anyone that they use like 10 tools! Camera, 3D object renders, Genetica for the shop textures,  and whatever.

I am finishing up a store and some items. I used Gimp, inkscape, blender, and maybe some photo's as refernece ot look at or grab colors from with the little color selector. OH, I tried to work up pallettes in Agave as well. Forgot those though lol. I went with black, grey and white and kept it all easy for me lol. Uh...yeah, basically I used Audacity as well. I am using synth as well....sort of exploring making sci fi sounds. So, zynaddsubfx is one to mention...fun mod wheel in it's virtual keyboard! Uh....I use other software for non SL stuff. But, I am going to try demo's and have tried a few before. I watch tutorials and look for what to invest in when the time arrive I have enough money or a generous person to lend me it who will most likely be family....but that all didn't work. So I still use the old Gimp, blender and inkscape base with additional fun had in some other stuff. LMMS has some old school synths in it to! But yeah....Uh, have other software and have used other soffware in the past (Jasc was so much fun! I accomplished nothing but had fun lol That was way back though) and..wow, this is turning into a HUGE post agian.

You can see I have no money, right? I (sort of) programm and am learning it again. I sort of aspire to do more programming in the future, so I also see it as an investment in something I can script to do batch work and basically learn from. Yes, I have heard of imagemagick as well. Which is much easier and can do batch proccessing...Yes, PS does this as well. So does Jasc..well, it used to....I think. I worked up a website graphics set with Jasc for a personal homepage I never indulged in finishing or releasing...it was useless. GIrls, music and cars..I was younger then lol.

Not to mention Gimp can do stuff via command line or shell script! Hey, can't blender as well work from command line or script? OH, add that to a laszlo or flash front end...heck, html 5! and you can see a wonderful service for customizing car paint...no? So, you see....I hve big plans, not enough time, a slow mind and type to much and type to badly...sad in some ways. But, who needs a SL custom object painter that works online to allow you to add stuff all decal style and simple primitive shape modifiable vector style? It is used in games on consoles even, so you can use a controller to make this. But...yeah, nothing but some files and ideas and these thousands of words put into posts that lead to nothing and nowhere for me....wow, sad....I think I will go back and figure out the stupid texture roll thingy for the vanity plate thing. It is befitting of boredom and depression.

And, I do see stuff I think it photo sourced. But, I figure....well....what progs? No one says anything and they make mushrooms in zbrush, right! I mean, I figure many are keeping secrets is all. Which is why i was making fun of myself...but still, I think it is an interesting qeustion and not as much a troll post when you think about it. Some are new and don't explore. Plus, I think some software is new in the past 2- 3years...uh, 3dcoat, sculptris and blacksmith3d are all sort of new...aren't they? Mudbox...gosh, I don't know but all this is new to me the past 3 years or so! There are more to, I just can't remember them? Not many use solid works, right? But Wade mentions blueprints and I think it does bluepritns lol....so, yeah I heard of that to lol. Blueprints can be neat to put on a wall ...it reminds me of the studio I wanted to build in world. Put a few workstations in it, sort of a dream studio. A few monitors and big blueprints on the wall and stuff...nah, wate of time to amuse myself and dream. I need to spend that time reading and learning...so I can read those blueprints I guess lol.

[Poenald Palen]

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wrable Amat wrote:

many people over the yearrs have used all  methods you have talked about in that rambling post.Maybe opening your magoos a little wider you might notice these types of style. A ton of shops use RL images render to the AV mesh.

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I know some use other methods...but that is why the title is a joke!

[Poenald Palen]

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Imnotgoing Sideways wrote:

Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8. (

)y

 

 

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Yeah, I used a old old version of that when it wasn't an old version! It was fun, layers where a bit mystical back then. That is the one thing that pushed PS I bet! But, it did a lot and I had fun making stuff with that. I tried a newer version and it had this neat array of points you could deform an image with...neat stuff. I think layers where easy to get as well. Heck, even pheonix at aviary has layers..I think. That was fun to! But, wow what a bunch of lag with the brush I had lol. I made a fictional logo for a clothing company when I was joking to myself about how SL clothes where always seemingly mde with lots of smudging and it would taek forever to do that in this program...but, fun right in the browser. They say that this is the future of software, all through the browser. I say the brushes where to slow...so will wait for a faster pc and network lol.

[Smoothie Perl]

I'm using a lot of different applications for a lot of different things.

JAsc's Paintshop Pro, Zbrush, AC3D, 3DsMax, Maya, Poser, QVimator, BVHacher, Adobe and Corel  (a lot of apps for graphics and sound) and ofcourse Photoshop

In none of the above I'm even descent....I'm tottaly idiot LOL

[Poenald Palen]

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Smoothie Perl wrote:

I'm using a lot of different applications for a lot of different things.

JAsc's Paintshop Pro, Zbrush, AC3D, 3DsMax, Maya, Poser, QVimator, BVHacher, Adobe and Corel  (a lot of apps for graphics and sound) and ofcourse Photoshop

In none of the above I'm even descent....I'm tottaly idiot LOL

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Yeah, this can happen.

If it takes 100 hours to master one then you sort of get a tenth done if you try to learn 10 applications in 10 hours. I imagine this is why people stick to PS or Gimp ect. BUT, I am betting some are keeping secrets and have awsome workflow....we will never know! So this is there chance....ok, they could have always posted a tutorial on youtube or something...ah well. I thought someone might like to share thier workflow...thanks Smoothie! You sort of answered my question. But Qvimator et al? This is for animation, so you are sort of putting out your whole set of uses lol. OH, you didn't try DAZ sutdio for anims yet? lol. THey have have a neato tool where you make key animations and then click on the little matrix,chart area and then when you go to the record mode you click the mouse and hold and whenever your mouse pointer comes close to a anim dot it moves into that animation. So you wiggle the mouse around and the av dances or swings or whatever! It is so neat, but I had to stop trying it becuase I couldn't get the hands around a wheel properly lol. I now blender more, so I used that. Arg, I need to work on those instead of being here as well! Yikes, I am behind on so many projects.

[Chelsea Malibu]

I really can't think of anything I can't do with CS5, 3DS Max, MudBox and Poser.  Maybe a bit of Illustrator from time to time and MotionBuilder or perhaps some Maya from time to time for certain files I can't render right in 3DS Max.

What's more important is the game platform.  SL actually is not my favorite platform to build in however, I enjoy the immersiveness (yes, I know this isn't a word) of it.  Unity 3D is my favorite game engine.

[Smoothie Perl]

I didn't mantioned DAZ?

my mistake

yes DAZ too

I "LOVE"d this machinima after all

LOL

[Poenald Palen]

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Chelsea Malibu wrote:

I really can't think of anything I can't do with CS5, 3DS Max, MudBox and Poser.  Maybe a bit of Illustrator from time to time and MotionBuilder or perhaps some Maya from time to time for certain files I can't render right in 3DS Max.

What's more important is the game platform.  SL actually is not my favorite platform to build in however, I enjoy the immersiveness (yes, I know this isn't a word) of it.  Unity 3D is my favorite game engine.

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yeah, I always want to try this. Sad story that is only sad to me, but I have a list of 1000 things I need to do, with a computer OR without. I will maybe get around to Unity when computers have brain interfaces and 30 CPU's and cost like 100usd$ at garage sales like that lol. BUT, I really should try this soon. This is part of why I stuck around in SL. I like 3d games a bit, but am not a hard core gamer type and like how they work. I used to watch the stuff on TV and the net and always never had a PC or the time...always tommorrow. Now I have some 3D stuff, tried a few demo's and read more stuff after sort of ignoring it a bit. I remember wanting to make a isomteric game a while back...heck, that was win95 lol. Some guy had a add on and it seemed to work well. But the 3D game maker studio I saw way back...that was so neat! I was thinking how it would be neat to make a PS (one) game...but heck, look at the credits and weap. Not many made games individually that went anywhere and it was only way back people got anything done with teams of two or three even. I mean, there was the old 8Bit days...sinclair spectrum, C64 and Amiga lol. Then consoles with cartidges cam onto the scene and the NES seemed to take over the world of gaming. Hours wondering how they did all that, then seeing some of it. I remember watching dudes with ping pong balls doing mocap and behind the scenes of playstation underground magazine cd's. Hilarous stuff. I am to slow at working for all this. I can type quick enough..sadly, inaccuracy plagues me with typo after typo and grammar seems a black art to my mind. Sadly...I like 3D stuff. But, I am to slow and don't want to do it sometimes lol. Those all sound like fun tools, great stuff. I like watching the videos and must try more demo's. But, I that will all be next year...hopefully. Thanks for you response, it is fun to hear you are using some neat tools other than just photoshop!!

[Poenald Palen]

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Smoothie Perl wrote:

I didn't mantioned DAZ?

my mistake

yes DAZ too

I "LOVE"d this machinima after all

*poneald delted the video, no need to put it twice in this list....sort of lags the page..ok, I spent to mnuch time with like 30 or so audio players open at a soundfx website..so maybe 2 vids is not bad...but no need*

LOL

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That is funny, so I get the 'LOL' you mentioned. The poser and daz characters can be funny as heck, without even trying to be. They do show the composition though, so you can see the artistic direction. But the faces and sometimes the expressions are funny lol. I guess it is due to them being familiar if you used DAZ, to otheres maybe this is totally dramatic and such? Not sure. It makes me laugh a bit because I have used daz before. It is so neat all the stuff they have, animated fingers even! This is crazy stuff to work with, I get confused just a tiny bit and got totally messed up deleting animation points in the little animation pad thingy. But, it works pretty well enough, especially considering you can play with it for free! But was not free of crashes back then. Now they have even more advanced stuff. OH, bryce 7 looks neat to. I really do need to try this stuff out again!

[Smoothie Perl]

I agree for DAZ especially,

in many cases faces expressions, for example, are sheer frustration.

I think technology and art are the most difficult elements to combine. We will see better creations with these tools when real artists decide to play with this technology.

Technology itself it's nice but without the human talent it's an empty bucket tho.

 

As about your short biography? it is maching so close to mine Don't mention freq the C64 - Spectrum era, it reveal our age. LOL (that's a big one LOL heh!)

[HD Pomeray]

Tool Box List:  (from most used to least)

SL

CorelDraw Graphics Suite

ZBrush

AC3D

Carrara Pro 7

QAvimator

Daz Studio

[Naergilien Wunderlich]

For SL, /me is working with (also in the order of most to least used):

• DeepPaint3D;
• Blender;
• Adobe Photoshop CS4 extended;
• Ulead PhotoImpact 10;
• Poser 7 (or 5, if I'm working on my laptop - just a matter of laziness in installing the 7 upgrade on that one...)
• my camera (Nikon).

[Poenald Palen]

Hey, neat to see the Draw suite, plus AC3D! That one is pretty light, I tried the demo a while back. Good for older PC's, from my experience.

Of course, I should remember Neargilien from xstreetSl forums, you did tell us of another software. I think you said photoimpact was good for cutting out stuff...uh, lasso/pen select type of tools? Among other things. 

I suppose the camera is sort of not software, but yes...still a tool and a digital one AND some have editing rigth in the camera...even white balance is sort of editing!

I remember hearing a bike maker talk about using a cad program when I was standing around at mooz...not sure who that was...not HD Pomaray?...maybe not, I don't remember. He said he drew wheels in it! Autocad? something like that. Not sure. That is a interesting use! I do know I can get vectors from inkscape into blender. It has some neat tools for making complex vectors, and can be quicker for some things than blenders built in. Of was it gimp vectors and I converted them in gimp? Ah, not sure. I don't use this much and only tried it out. hhm. Anyway.

And, neat to see Carrera to! I must ask...how is Carrera used for SL? I mean, for the new mesh stuff, render source (like cutting stuff out of an image) or animations? I was going to try a beta of that, but never got around to it.

And, I see MotionBuilder earlier on...the name rings a bell. I will have to check this out!

Thanks for all the input!

[Willem Bruun]

I use PAINT.NET

[Maryanne Solo]

Here is a wildcard for you

I use... *trumpet fanfare> Macromedia Fireworks from 2002 Nuu don't laugh!

That is Pre Adobe, pre bloatware. It does not handle .tga but that is what I use gimp for.

Lightning fast on a 64bit big ram system, uncluttered, uncomplicated and user friendly. I timed an update to an item the other day which comprised of combining 4 split layers into 2, adding another layer and copying content from old to new, checking and adjusting the transparencies of 3 layers and saving as a new item: less than 2 minutes!

Wooohoo! 

yes I has adobe stuff too.