Week 2

Blender

Blender is an open source software development program and created by the Blender Foundation. Due to it being open-source, it is also free to download, and with the download you also get a development license, allowing you to create and release content as soon as you have the software. This software is available on all versions of Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and FreeBSD, making it very portable. Blender is an advanced modelling tool, with lots of utilities and tools built into it, and the ability to have others imported into it to improve productivity. The tools necessary for a project such as this would be Modelling, Rigging and Animation. The modelling has got a lot of detail in Blender, with lots of modifiers to add quality to the models, such as NURBS. It also has the ability to sculpt, with tools such as paint, smooth, pinch, inflate and grab, which would all be used to make realistic looking landscapes and character models. The rigging within Blender has also got some useful extra features built into it. Mirror editing is something of great use, as it can save time and also leave a more accurate skeletal model, especially if that model also happens to be mirrored. One feature that blender exclusively has is Double Quaternion deformation, which:-

reduces shrinking and other bone deformation errors. [1]

A feature like this is useful because it helps minimise incorrect rigging, which can make animations and overall quality look sloppy. Blender can output to two separate file formats, .blend and .obj. The blend extension retains all modifications made to it, but isn't supported by any game engines, it is just for exporting to render with another renderer. The obj extension retains some of the modifiers, but is a standard that works in most game engines.

Maya

Maya is another product from Autodesk, which focuses on animation after the models themselves have been created. Introduced in 1998, it is now in its 12^th release, and is available for use on Linux, Mac OS and all Microsoft Windows OS's. The main features that Maya has are all to do with post production, such as Cloth, Fluid and Hair effects. The cloth effects are especially useful if you are going to have characters wearing light weighted clothing, or going to be in a high wind situation, as it properly simulates each cloth movement before hand. Fluid and hair simulations are also pre-baked, so they are affected properly and affect the surrounding items around themselves. Unfortunately, none of these effects can be exported to a game engine, and, even if they could it would take up too many system resources. This would most likely make the game run exceptionally badly, if not at all on not so powerful systems.

This software currently costs $3,495 for a proprietary licence, but with access to a student license, you can get the software for free.

zBrush

zBrush is a 3D Modelling and Sculpting tool, which uses its “pixol” technology to create depth on the models, which results in exceptionally realistic models. Zbrush is available for use on Mac OSX and all variants of Windows OS. Being more of a sculpting program, you start with a block that looks similar to clay, and from there you sculpt your desired shape. This leads to a much more detailed model overall in comparison to most modelling programs. A new feature which was introduced recently is called GoZ, which allows the user to export the mesh they have created to another program, such as 3D Studio Max. This model can then be recreated, but with a lower polygon count which would be desirable for things such as games. Along with the mesh, a normal map is exported, which has all the detail from zBrush giving you an overall high quality model. Along with the standard 30 brushes you get with zBrush, it has the option for more to be added if the user wants.

Ideally this program works best when partnered with another 3D modelling program, as this doesn't have the functionality, such as scripting or bone rigging. This software costs $699, and doesn't have any student programs, so if I were to chose this, I would need to pay full price.

Final Choice

With all considerations and reviewing the research that I have done, I have come to the conclusion that the best Graphic Modelling program for this project will be 3D Studio Max. If I had more time and funds, I would have also chosen zBrush. The reason I didn't chose zBrush is that I would need to learn how to use it in the allotted time, as well as spend the $699 on the software itself. The reason that I chose 3D Studio Max over the others is that I already have 3 years experience using the program, and we were introduced to a student program, where we get a years license for free. For these reasons, it was obvious that 3D Studio Max was my choice of program.

I will continue on to do 3D Engines, then that should be my research section complete