(9.22.2009 edit by Kenneth_0f_Borg

Blender - here
The leading free program for models and animation

Rhino 3d -
Free trial - here

Not a bad program and good for building models up bit by bit using vertices and creating polys by dot the dot method. Poor texturing ability as in no uv mapping.


Milkshape3d -
Free Trial - Here

Easy for beginners but i never liked the extremely basic functions and limits. Texturing is better than Rhino3D and can create smoothing groups which is useful for making models intersect naturally instead of parts stuck together. Very useful for game modding as it supports a wide range of plugins to import and export.



3D Studio Max / Gmax -
Free Trial Gmax Here

Not used this before but its suppose to be good like a 3ds Max "lite" version.

About 3ds Max, Im sure Jiggy can tell you more than I can. But for me I just cant get around its interface its a bit complicated as its tool-button heavy and icons on buttons which would take ages to remember them all, Which is why i use Lightwave instead as the tool-buttons have text to describe in 1 or 2 words what that tool is.


Lightwave 3D -
Free Version Here

I use the non free version and it is very good. It has a very natural interface and easy to navigate using tabbing menu system. Fully customizable and easy to create stuff straight away and manipulate quickly. It has a great feature with the use of layers. Anyone who has used layers in photoshop knows how useful layers can be as you can make one part of a model in 1 layer while doing another part in another layer you can even have the other layer show but not editable using the half layer thing which shows the model in black outline so it can be useful as a guide when doing other parts. Using layers means better performance as well.

Lightwave isn't just a modelling program, no, it is split into 2 main programs. 1 is a modelling program and 2nd is for animation.

I find i could animate things easy in animator. And have made a few sci-fi movies before (just tests and short like a minute or 30 seconds) but at least there cool like a B5 battle hehe.

Oh and even tho 3ds Max is suppose to be the industry standard which i suppose it is as most modding games need it as plugins are mainly for max not LW. If you wondered how star trek animation like battles were done then LW was it. Which is why im a big fan of LW.

Texturing is also a breeze with uv mapping in lw. Oh and you can name objects like say you modelled a human you can name parts and apply different settings to each really easily..

Maya -
Free trial here

This is suppose to be top industry standard for most gaming these days. Homeworld was made with it and is required to mod homeworld 2. Its a bit hard to get into i think but its got some top end features.

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Well that's my short guide on 3D applications, there are others like autocad but the above are the main ones i know most modders use. I have provided free trials for each program so hopefully those that are wanting to start modelling can try each out and see whats right for them. Cheapest is milkshape 3d for about £30 i think and it gets updated often and milkshape is used for most part in st armada modding.

Have fun and show us some models you make if you can.

I've been helping out the people over on civ-fanatics with their Trek mod for Civ 3.

I found this website with all different plugins for MAX, which I think people might find useful:

http://www.cadalyst.net/extras/plugins/Importmax5.html

Truspace 6 - very easy to use
http://forms.caligari.com/ts5demo/form_ ... ce=&v=TS66

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civfanatics is a good site - not enough people playing CIV2 though... i cant stand civ3.

i use 3DS MAX 7 at home, and Calgari Truespace at school. Truespace is terrible for advanced users - though very very easy to use.

I've tried a few 3d proggies and lightwave feels the most intuitive to me.

even though i use autodesks products all the time for work, i found max/3ds/viz to have absolutely awful gui's that felt totally alien.

i believe all of these 3d programs can export to VRML

how do you mean watch them in a browser?

yes, with a plugin

there are many, for example the outmoded "cosmo player" or the "Anark Client" from this site http://homeworld2.sierra.com/gallery.jsp, were u also find the nicest VRLMs i ever saw

seems here http://www.karmanaut.com/cosmo/player/#other are some good VRML viewers linked.



EDIT:
i dont want to spam this (sticky) thread, so i'll edit here:

the best VRML player around ATM seems to be the Cortona VRML Client

i'd at least like to have the ship-designers respond to this.....

you can have a VRML with or without textures, it would be just one shipname.WRL file, viewable in the browser itself with the Cortona Plugin

i will ask about this in the staff room and i will look at what your talking about and make it clearier to the designers.

I want to double check about these 3d programs for modeling before spending some real Federation currency on software. The free download for MilkShape 3d looks easy to use at first glance. This is my first venture into 3d programs but I am a resonable freehand and 2d software artist. LightWave v9 full with PDF manual sounds like the best product but is 795.00 US dollars. 3D Studio Max / Gmax sounds like a bad idea for beginners as does Rhino 3d. Maya v7 is not out and you have to call for prices on earlier versions. (When they do not tell you what it will coast it is always a bad sign)

So my question is will the MilkShape 3d have enough gonads for me to make some models for the game? I am not looking at making a De Vinci or Gogan version of the Enterprise here. Will it be enough for me to fill in the crakes for say some usable but odd minor race ships and structures?

Inquiring minds want to know if the truth is out there. Rush Limbaugh is just out there.

Balok ship

You seen all them star trek armada ships well most of them were made with milkshape. Plus if you do a google then most ships of homeworld games startrek mod was made with milkshape so yes you can do some nice ships. Just takes time and patients and bit of artistic skill with textures.

Thanks. Warp factor five, heading 324.7, engage!



PS: The Balok ship looks like it use to be a disco ball.