Best 3D Graphics Generator

The animation of the 3d models in the actual game is handled by the game engine. Lots of C++ programming and that type of thing. It's not some point and click program that you can use to piece it together. You should maybe check out the mod community for an easier way to get into it. that way most of it is done already. Half-Life is one of the most popular to mod. And Half-Life 2 will be even better and easier to work with.

Yup, Dek's bang on there, plenty of C and C++. You don't want to get Cinema for 3D games, scratch that one out. Your best option now is either 3DSM, Maya or Softimage.

I'd just like to know...are you setting up a company or something? You're gonna need staff with degrees/diplomas in gaming you know. It' ain't an easy job

Originally posted by cybling boy
Yup, Dek's bang on there, plenty of C and C++.

Response: I've already taken a full year of C++ so i know a good deal about it and the code, i've also taken VB [if it helps], but not C.
My friend is into Quake and he has made over 100 mods to it, he began teaching it to me about 2-3 weeks ago and i'm learning quickly.

Originally posted by cybling boy
You don't want to get Cinema for 3D games, scratch that one out. Your best option now is either 3DSM, Maya or Softimage.
I'd just like to know...are you setting up a company or something? You're gonna need staff with degrees/diplomas in gaming you know. It' ain't an easy job

Response: No, no company or anything like that. Its a project that about 13 to 15 of my friends and I are working on, Just for fun. We want to make a game, or maybe a 3D movie, not sure. Thats only one of the reasons i want to get a 3D gfx prog. The Main reason I want to get one is because i want to be a graphics designer for videogames [make the game graphics] as a profession when i finish HS, and College. I want to get acclimated to the program so i can use it more effectively when i decide to make it my job.

Does that make it clearer?

and

cybling boy - u said something about softimage, i'll look into that if its better for game graphics and game related "stuff". So thanks again.

Vicious, one thing to remember when you start on your project, a building full of programmers, sound designers, and 2-d & 3-d designers make these games, like half life. So if it takes 2 years to make half life, for instance, there may have been a few hundred people working on that game. So if you are only 13-15, to make a game like half life on your free time would take a long time. I am not trying to be discouraging. Just something I was noting from your response.....

For game design, 3ds max is all you will need. It has havok dynamics(seen in Half-Life2 preview). 3ds max was used to make all the models in Warcraft 3. It was also used to make the game cinematics. But be aware, to do the best in the programs you will most likely need 1 or 2 plugins and a commercial render.

For example.....

Base 3ds max-----------------------------------------------------$3,495.00
Plugin 1-Realistic hair simulator(not needed for games)--$495.00
Plugin 2-Explosion,smoke genterator-------------------------$495
Render- Vray Advanced------------------------------------------$799.00

Total-----------------------------------------------------------------$5,284
*Remember this is before tax.

Its important to remember that max 5 now comes with a good render, but I have not tried it.

If you are going purely for low-poly game design, the the base 3ds max will be all that you need.

or there's maya, which gives you mental ray and a full dynamics and particle system for $2k

chris

Originally posted by Marble
Vicious, one thing to remember when you start on your project, a building full of programmers, sound designers, and 2-d & 3-d designers make these games, like half life. So if it takes 2 years to make half life, for instance, there may have been a few hundred people working on that game. So if you are only 13-15, to make a game like half life on your free time would take a long time. I am not trying to be discouraging. Just something I was noting from your response.....

Half-Life is good, but we dont plan on making something like that. We plan on making a 1 level small thing just to say we made a game.

After that, we'll probably chanbge focus to stills and 3-5min movies.

The other thing is I have seen some really cool mods based on the 3d engine used for the game. Like TacOps, for instance..... that way at least a bit is done for you already.