[Blender]New environment for me - Polyloop

MKG · 21st January 2008, 12:38

I'm setting up a new 3d development environment on the basis of zero knowledge. Does Blender really do it all? Everything? Hmmm.
What about the games engine - is the Blender version as good as, for instance, Genesis3D (as in Reality Factory) or Crystal Space?
As you may have noticed, one of the criteria I'm using is free software. As I have no preconceived ideas, Blenders strange UI and complexity don't bother me - it's all going to be a long learning curve anyway.
So c'mon guys - throw some general advice at me, please.

Cheers, Mike

RedSquare · 27th January 2008, 00:41

Quote:

As you may have noticed, one of the criteria I'm using is free software.

Probably not what you're looking for but on the 30th Kerkythea 2008 is being released. It's free of course. Here's a taster......

http://www.kerkythea.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4085

MKG · 27th January 2008, 01:07

Thanks for the reply ... I was beginning to think this was one of those sites where tumbleweed blows across the forum every now and then. Although your renderer does look fantastic, I think I've made up my mind after a week of intensive (and I mean up till dawn, can't take any more coffee, have to sleep intensive) looking around.

Blender, as far as I can see, is pretty sharp for everything except rendering (maybe where your advice may come good) although POVRay seems to take over there. So the kit I'm looking at is:

GIMP for textures, blueprints.
Wings for simple low-poly stuff.
Blender for most work.
POVRay if I need it.
IRRLicht engine to deliver anything except static graphics.

All free, as far as I know, and all good at the job they're asked to do (again, as far as I know). Have I missed something obvious? Is this what I need to make my 12th century village? That's a real village, by the way - the one in which I live - for which I have a host of contemporary documentation.

I'm a lot further forward than I was a week ago, but I tell you - this 3D game is NOT simple. Oh no.

Believe me, any advice at all about anything at any stage would be most welcome.

Cheers ... Mike

bwtr · 27th January 2008, 01:58

You may want to have a look at a demo, at least, of Carrara6 versions--even Carrara Express version. It will cost but it is "complete" in one app and, maybe, as many seem to find, far easier to grasp the working methods of than Blender.

RedSquare · 27th January 2008, 14:57

Quote:

You may want to have a look at a demo, at least, of Carrara6 versions

Alternatively, buy next months '3D World' in the shops now, well at least in the UK, because they're giving away on a DVD the full version of Carrara 5 Pro plus other resource goodies.

MKG · 28th January 2008, 00:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedSquare

... because they're giving away on a DVD the full version of Carrara 5 Pro plus other resource goodies.

Thanks for that ... now everyone knows what I'll be doing all next week - trying to find a good newsagent in the wilds of Nottinghamshire.

graphinc · 28th January 2008, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by MKG

Blender, as far as I can see, is pretty sharp for everything except rendering (maybe where your advice may come good) although POVRay seems to take over there. So the kit I'm looking at is:

I think you're wrong when you say that blender is not good for rendering. The internal renderer is going better every day (almost...) and you can no do raytraced images, using ambiant occlusion, subsurface scattering.... Maybe its renderer is not as "graphic" as the Carrara one, but you can do nearly the same things using blender and blender has some powerfull features that Carrara don't have : the node editor is a very efficient way to create shaders and/or to composite images, modify some render settings..... Actually, you have more render controls with blender than with carrara : more antialiasing settings, more settings with soft raytraced shadows.... and if you want specific renderers (unbiased ones for exemple) you have now a lot of choice. I'm sure blender can now be described as more powerfull than Carrara, but of course it needs more work than Carrara to be effficient with it

MKG · 30th January 2008, 02:59

Okay - that's a good Blender argument, but it puts me back where I started. Except I've read a lot more now and played with Gigs of downloads (I hope my ISP will forgive me!!). My comment on Blender's capacity as a renderer was based purely on other people's opinions. Now I've tried it, and it doesn't look bad to me at all.

So I'm left with the Blender engine. Once again, the opinion of others is that this isn't great. I haven't tried it yet becasue I simply haven't had time. I HAVE tried Irrlicht, and I like it.

So, have I found a good combo - Blender and Irrlicht? Or is someone going to tell me that I'm overcomplicating things again? Is the Blrnder engine any good?

Cheers all

graphinc · 30th January 2008, 14:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by MKG

So I'm left with the Blender engine. Once again, the opinion of others is that this isn't great. I haven't tried it yet becasue I simply haven't had time. I HAVE tried Irrlicht, and I like it.

I don't know irrlicht but if you search for a renderer easy to use , maybe blender is not a good choice as you must tweak many settings if you want to improove the renders.
I 'm actually leaving Carrara to Blender and you can find here some of my rendering tries :
http://www.graphinc.com/galerie/thumbnails.php?album=7

none of them is really a final scene , they are tries (some are glass tries, some dof, some landscape....) but for exemple, for the raytracing , I find blender almost as good as Carrara

sueposer · 31st January 2008, 17:40

If you can get that free version of Carrara, that is the best freebie I have seen for render engine.
Daz Studio is an okay product and free. The advantage to it are the freebies custom-tailored for it. I don't use it because I already spent $$$ and time on Poser and Carrara.

The Carrara 5 that is the free version is really worth the effort to learn (they are on to C6 now). The carrara 5 handbook by Mike De La Flor is available in libraries. Daz has a few carrara tutorials on their site.

RedSquare · 3rd February 2008, 01:27

Whoops a bit late in the day but....

Quote:

trying to find a good newsagent in the wilds of Nottinghamshire.

WH Smiths have it in stock!!

MKG · 3rd February 2008, 01:38

In civilised parts of the world like Norfolk - maybe. Believe me, my part of Nottinghamshire is a rural as it gets, and that particular magazine hasn't appeared in the nearest WHS for a good few months - for goodness sake, the campaign to get the yokels to take the straw out of their ears hasn't been completed yet.

But I'll wander further afield and keep trying ...

21st January 2008, 12:38	#1 (permalink)
MKG Vertex Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9 My Photos: (0)	[Blender]New environment for me I'm setting up a new 3d development environment on the basis of zero knowledge. Does Blender really do it all? Everything? Hmmm. What about the games engine - is the Blender version as good as, for instance, Genesis3D (as in Reality Factory) or Crystal Space? As you may have noticed, one of the criteria I'm using is free software. As I have no preconceived ideas, Blenders strange UI and complexity don't bother me - it's all going to be a long learning curve anyway. So c'mon guys - throw some general advice at me, please. Cheers, Mike

27th January 2008, 01:07	#3 (permalink)
MKG Vertex Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9 My Photos: (0)	Making up my mind Thanks for the reply ... I was beginning to think this was one of those sites where tumbleweed blows across the forum every now and then. Although your renderer does look fantastic, I think I've made up my mind after a week of intensive (and I mean up till dawn, can't take any more coffee, have to sleep intensive) looking around. Blender, as far as I can see, is pretty sharp for everything except rendering (maybe where your advice may come good) although POVRay seems to take over there. So the kit I'm looking at is: GIMP for textures, blueprints. Wings for simple low-poly stuff. Blender for most work. POVRay if I need it. IRRLicht engine to deliver anything except static graphics. All free, as far as I know, and all good at the job they're asked to do (again, as far as I know). Have I missed something obvious? Is this what I need to make my 12th century village? That's a real village, by the way - the one in which I live - for which I have a host of contemporary documentation. I'm a lot further forward than I was a week ago, but I tell you - this 3D game is NOT simple. Oh no. Believe me, any advice at all about anything at any stage would be most welcome. Cheers ... Mike

31st January 2008, 17:40	#10 (permalink)
sueposer Vertex Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 7 My Photos: (0)	Carrara renders are very good If you can get that free version of Carrara, that is the best freebie I have seen for render engine. Daz Studio is an okay product and free. The advantage to it are the freebies custom-tailored for it. I don't use it because I already spent $$$ and time on Poser and Carrara. The Carrara 5 that is the free version is really worth the effort to learn (they are on to C6 now). The carrara 5 handbook by Mike De La Flor is available in libraries. Daz has a few carrara tutorials on their site.

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27th January 2008, 01:58	#4 (permalink)
bwtr Brian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: South Australia Posts: 2,064 My Photos: (6) Images: 49	You may want to have a look at a demo, at least, of Carrara6 versions--even Carrara Express version. It will cost but it is "complete" in one app and, maybe, as many seem to find, far easier to grasp the working methods of than Blender.

30th January 2008, 02:59	#8 (permalink)
MKG Vertex Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9 My Photos: (0)	Okay - that's a good Blender argument, but it puts me back where I started. Except I've read a lot more now and played with Gigs of downloads (I hope my ISP will forgive me!!). My comment on Blender's capacity as a renderer was based purely on other people's opinions. Now I've tried it, and it doesn't look bad to me at all. So I'm left with the Blender engine. Once again, the opinion of others is that this isn't great. I haven't tried it yet becasue I simply haven't had time. I HAVE tried Irrlicht, and I like it. So, have I found a good combo - Blender and Irrlicht? Or is someone going to tell me that I'm overcomplicating things again? Is the Blrnder engine any good? Cheers all

3rd February 2008, 01:38	#12 (permalink)
MKG Vertex Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9 My Photos: (0)	In civilised parts of the world like Norfolk - maybe. Believe me, my part of Nottinghamshire is a rural as it gets, and that particular magazine hasn't appeared in the nearest WHS for a good few months - for goodness sake, the campaign to get the yokels to take the straw out of their ears hasn't been completed yet. But I'll wander further afield and keep trying ...