I don''t... I actually didn''t see your reply before I posted mine I thought it was interesting that we both independantly recommended software. From the renderings I''ve seen with Bryce it looks to be much more photo realistic (as evidenced by the screen shots you hyperlinked) than truespace 1.0 which was written when pentiums still couldn''t divide. And although I''ve never used Bryce, I haven''t seen animations with it which is possible with Truespace 1.0. AVIs might be nice for cutscenes between levels. If Bryce is free/cheap, I would suggest d''loading both and seeing which fits your development needs.
There are many other 3d rendering programs that are worth looking at too, although I find that most are either very expensive or difficult to use 3dsMax, and Pov-Ray are respective examples of this.

Yes, Truespace 1.0 was written quite a while ago. Still, it''s an impressive program. I''ve still got a client who is using the logo I raytraced in Truespace 1.0 for him when I bought it, which is when it first came out.

Oh, and Bryce is nowhere close to being free.

A really good (and more current) free 3d program is Blender. Before I give the link, let me just say, go through the tutorials on the site to learn how the software works after you download it. If you do not go through their tutorials, you absolutely, positively will not figure the program out. It''s got an interface that''s quite different from anything else out there, but quite powerful and intuitive once you get the hang of it. Again, go through the tutorials. Also, see their gallery for impressive stuff. The link it http://www.blender.nl

Truespace will probably be a little easier to catch on to, but blender can do quite a bit more if you''re willing to invest some time. You can probably pick up a Truespace book on ebay for next to nothing, btw.

-Ascent

If I do need art, I use 3dsMax. IT is a lot easier to draw on the comp than with pen and paper, and I can do most of the stuff I need, the bigges tproblem is with people. But if the game is isometric, then that becomes a lot less of a problem.

It''s just close ups of faces really, but also animating is a pain....ah ill worry bout it later, but 3ds is an excellent program for all that stuff, with textures from Adobe Photohop

Bryce runs about $200, although they offer a $50 upgrade incentive (at least they did when it was MetaCreations -- not sure if Correl has the same policy). We did that to upgrade from Bryce 3 to Bryce 4 -- and I know we have Bryce 5 now but I''m not sure if we got the rebate (my partner handles purchasing).

Bryce does animations -- in 4, it''s either as a series of images, or as an AVI (your pick). Bryce 5 might support other animation formats (maybe MPEG?) but since I haven''t checked it out yet, I wouldn''t know.

Bryce can do VERY realistic stuff -- I''m not good enough to make full use of its features, or even really show off the features I *do* know how to use. But, I''ve been really impressed with it (it makes my shabby attempts at artwork at least look passable).

If you''re on a very strict budget, Bryce probably isn''t for you. If you''re wanting to work on models you could import into a 3D game''s engine, I don''t think Bryce is the right tool either. It''s best, IMO, for doing scenery and artwork for RPG/Adventure games that *don''t* require real-time animation.

Mike Snyder
Prowler Productions

By the way, Bryce lets you import models in a variety of formats. I know Bryce 4 supports .3DS files (I use those quite a bit) but not .MAX files (maybe version 5 supports that -- not sure). You can use your modeling program to make your models, then import them into Bryce to apply textures and render in your scenes.

Mike Snyder
Prowler Productions

I can also attest to Bryce''s merits. I''m still using version 3 and love it. I picked it up two years ago off of ebay for 50$ so you can get a good copy of Bryce pretty cheap if you know where to look.

Another program you might consider is Hash Animation Master. It''s specifically designed for character modeling and animation. I''ve never used it but it looks like it''d be worth a look into. Some of the things created with it are extremely nice.

Only other suggestion I have, since your main problem seems to be with humanoid modeling, try picking up a book such as Modeling a Character in 3DS Max by Paul Steed.

And finally, just a question for you. What''s it like using MAX? I''m on such a tight budget I doubt I''ll ever get to use it so I have to use it vicariously through someone that has it. One thing I can say with certainty is that low end modelers are a pain in the ass!

I realize financial incentive is nice but why does everyone have to sell their games? People will definately be more likely to like game if its free. Maybe I''m just too idealistic but unless I''m getting paid to create the game I find it more satisfying to give the things away.

quote: Original post by Elixir
I realize financial incentive is nice but why does everyone have to sell their games? People will definately be more likely to like game if its free. Maybe I''m just too idealistic but unless I''m getting paid to create the game I find it more satisfying to give the things away.

That is the reason the Linux world will never be competative in gaming. There is not enough incentive to spend countless hours making a game without the "possibility" of some form of return on it. Face it, time is an asset that is limited and very few people in the real world want to waste it. Now I applaud your effort to "give" things away but my time is worth more than that.

quote: Original post by Elixir
I realize financial incentive is nice but why does everyone have to sell their games? People will definately be more likely to like game if its free. Maybe I''m just too idealistic but unless I''m getting paid to create the game I find it more satisfying to give the things away.

It is certainly satisfying to be able to give things away, but it''s probably more satisfying knowing that you can do what you love as a living, instead of having to fit it around your annoying day job.



[ MSVC Fixes | STL | SDL | Game AI | Sockets | C++ Faq Lite | Boost ]

Nothing sounds sillier to me than somebody who says "I program for the love of it, not the money" --- while they''re flipping burgers and selling fries. It''s absurd to have a talent, to enjoy doing something, and *not* try to make it a career. You''ll be pretty miserable doing something you *don''t* like, just so people think you''re cool in "giving away" your games. ;-)

Good programmers love to program. It doesn''t mean we''d rather do something else to earn a living.

What has worked for me is charging for my large projects (currently online "subscription-based" games), and giving away the smaller stuff (single-player games, etc). It doesn''t have to be all or nothing.

Mike Snyder
Prowler Productions