I''ve been to the far corners of the internet, downloaded several different packages, and failed miserably to find a single 3-D modeler at a cheap or no price. I turn my attention now to Milkshape and wonder--could the first modeler I''ve downloaded be the answer to my prayers? YOU must answer that question! Anyway, I searched the forums like you all want me to, but I couldn''t really find the specific answers I''m looking for. I hope this isn''t redundant, but if it is, I''m sorry. 1) Low-poly models? What''s that mean? Suppose I want to make something with many, many, many polygons? Someone going to stop me? 2) Is this thing well suited for simple architectural models? Like the outside of a simple house? Or are there some magical restrictions placed there as well? 3) I want to make a 2-D game, and I want to go all Age-of-Empires-like by rendering characters in 3-D and then using their renders in the game as 2-D sprites. Is this possible or what? I know there''s no renderer, but judging from the screenshots at the website, it would appear as though the fully-textured models would do just fine if I had a way to convert them to images. 4) Do you know of another graphics program that would be better-suited for what I''ve described above? Many thanks if so. I''ll think of a signature later...

I''m not all the great with milkshape but I have used it to do a fair bit of stuff, I will answer all your questions to the best of my knowledge...

1) Low-poly models? What''s that mean? Suppose I want to make something with many, many, many polygons? Someone going to stop me?
Milkshape is no 3DS Max, its basicly used to make models that will evently be imported into games, i.e. Half-Life, Quake/II/III. These games have low polygon counts, the characters are boxy and do not look real to life. Milkshape is ment for making one cahracter at a time, a character usualy is not HIGH polygon because lets say you had ten in one room the game would really start to lag.

2) Is this thing well suited for simple architectural models? Like the outside of a simple house? Or are there some magical restrictions placed there as well?
NO, NO and NO! Milkshape is not for making simple archetectural models, it is ment for making people, guns, small plants, basicly as I stated above it is just ment for exporting into games, if your looking for somthins like your above question try to get the 3D Studios Max student edition, or try Auto-CAD

3) I want to make a 2-D game, and I want to go all Age-of-Empires-like by rendering characters in 3-D and then using their renders in the game as 2-D sprites. Is this possible or what? I know there''s no renderer, but judging from the screenshots at the website, it would appear as though the fully-textured models would do just fine if I had a way to convert them to images.
No again, sorry. I did make a 2d based game using milkshape, it was very hard, involed making a screen shot, then using paint, and took all of way to long...

4) Do you know of another graphics program that would be better-suited for what I''ve described above? Many thanks if so.
Auto-CAD, 3D Studios Max, and GMAX

Ok, I''m done ;-) I hope I answered your questions. I do beleive I said a lot of stuff that does not even relate to you, although it may help other readers. Good luck funding what you need.

AS i work exclusivly with milkshape 3d and bryce to compose most of my 3d art, I have developed a sense of how effective this program is in its simplicity.
Ms3d allows someone who hasnt had any experience in 3d modeling to quickly get into it and its interface is simple to pick up and fly with. Generally, ms3d is regarded as a editing engine for games like half life and unreal as it can export to these model formats very painlessly. Its plug in based build allows ms3d to be customized to your application how you like it so you can work on anything from a mod for quake 3 to your own stuff by writing your own plug in.



Low poly modeling is the term used to describe creating 3d models while working with the faces individually. A 3d accellerator card is only able to render one shape, a triangle. low poly modeling is building your creation useing linked triangles. idealy, we would like to use as few as possible, but it is not unlike modeling with a mesh based model in max or what not.
your question about architecture is also related to this. so yes.

as for your thoughts on on the 2d game. ms3d is geared to making real time characters for direct 3d and open gl. you can export your models to another format and pre render them but ms3d has no built in rendering engine beyond open gl. so everything you do is designed to be displayed on a hardware accellerator card.

for a rendering package, you might look to blender as it has a built in rendering engine.

>I am not text, I am not organized pixels, I am not killed by turning off your monitor, I am not isolated by turning off your computer. I just am.

Alright, thanks for the input. Thing is, I''ve looked at Blender, and I think it has potential and everything ... except the guys who made it just went bankrupt and I''m not sure if that will have an effect on the actual program or what. Should I learn to use it if there will be no future updates or anything? I dunno. I''ll figure something out. Thanks.

I''m a Greek advocating the resurrection of the Byzantine Empire. Join me.

I wouldnt recommend it. I dont use blender so i had no idea that that had happened.
oh well.
ms3d is cheap and the licence applies to all in the 1.xxx series. so if you baught it, you wouldnt have to buy it again till 2.0 which is a long way off. ill tell you though, I am soooo buying 2.0 when it comes out. its $20 and for what the program is capable of, thats a steal in my mind. also, stay away form gmax. its free. but its limited to the point of making it garbage.

I also heard there is a free version of truespace and maya out. for your application, this is probably better as you do not need models to appear in real time. if you want to work in open gl and direct 3d. i would only be able to recommend ms3d, but this is because i use it for my current open gl application. hope i helped you some.

>I am not text, I am not organized pixels, I am not killed by turning off your monitor, I am not isolated by turning off your computer. I just am.

I''ve heard alot about this free Maya-thing. My only reservation is that it renders with a "watermark." How would this influence my trying to use renders as sprites, or would it even be legal on that version (I assume it''s educational, but what do I know?)?

I''m a Greek advocating the resurrection of the Byzantine Empire. Join me.