concretebob
New member
Hi all,
could someone that knows how to use gmax show me how to use it?
thx
Concretebob
could someone that knows how to use gmax show me how to use it?
thx
Concretebob
Gmax
- Thread starter concretebob
- Start date
Learning any 3d design application is a very slow, time consuming process. Each of us learn at our pace. Start with the tutorials illustrated on Paul Hobbs site: http://www.44090digitalmodels.co.uk/ Paul illustrates everything you need to know to get something into the game.
If you need further tutorials a great place is "Gary's Brick box". A very simple, straight forward item which will teach you 90% of what you need to know (if not all) to produce scenery items. Advance through as many tutorials as you have time. There are very many available - a quick search of the development forum will reveal this question asked (and answered) over and over again.
Check out the Trainz Resource directory for lots of links to development related items. Use the Content Creation Guide (CCG) available from the development forum (at the top).
Once you work through the tutorials that are available, come over to the development forum (search tools are great) and ask questions there where you will get a larger audience.
have fun
Bricey
If you need further tutorials a great place is "Gary's Brick box". A very simple, straight forward item which will teach you 90% of what you need to know (if not all) to produce scenery items. Advance through as many tutorials as you have time. There are very many available - a quick search of the development forum will reveal this question asked (and answered) over and over again.
Check out the Trainz Resource directory for lots of links to development related items. Use the Content Creation Guide (CCG) available from the development forum (at the top).
Once you work through the tutorials that are available, come over to the development forum (search tools are great) and ask questions there where you will get a larger audience.
have fun
Bricey
Hi,
If you are a newcomer to content creation and have to learn how to use 3D drawing programs, you better start using the blender software right away. It is a state of the art 3D drawing software, which is constantly further developed. There are numerous tutorials available, including ones on how to use it to create trainz content.
All adresses of sites can be found in this forum, if you are searching a bit.
Gmax is a demo version of 3DMax, which is no longer developed, the current version dates from about 2003. Unless a miracle occurs, it will not be usable in a few years time.
Cheers,
Konni
If you are a newcomer to content creation and have to learn how to use 3D drawing programs, you better start using the blender software right away. It is a state of the art 3D drawing software, which is constantly further developed. There are numerous tutorials available, including ones on how to use it to create trainz content.
All adresses of sites can be found in this forum, if you are searching a bit.
Gmax is a demo version of 3DMax, which is no longer developed, the current version dates from about 2003. Unless a miracle occurs, it will not be usable in a few years time.
Cheers,
Konni
Last edited:
narrowgauge
92 year oldTrainz veteran
Gmax is not a demo version, it is a cut down version of 3DSmax 4, and was specifically created to allow content creation for games. It is not time limited, and when used with the Trainz exporter is perfectly satisfactory for content creation.
Before you make your choice, try them both, Blender is not the saviour that it is made out to be. It is a difficult interface best suited to someone who can remember and use a lot of arcane 2 and 3 finger key strokes. Gmax is menu driven which a lot of people prefer.
Both need patience to overcome the steep learning curve that both present.
Peter
Before you make your choice, try them both, Blender is not the saviour that it is made out to be. It is a difficult interface best suited to someone who can remember and use a lot of arcane 2 and 3 finger key strokes. Gmax is menu driven which a lot of people prefer.
Both need patience to overcome the steep learning curve that both present.
Peter
Hi,
It does not really matter if you call gmax demo or cut down. There are, however two important matters that cannot be stressed too much. One, that it is not longer developed, meaning there is no chance to have the known bugs ever rectified. Second, it is not supported by Auran for content creation in 09 and 10 any more. Content creators have found ways to work around this, but that will only serve to push the inevitable change away from gmax a further bit into the future.
Presently there are two options: 3DMax, which is very expensive, and blender which is free and offers much better options for trainz content creation than gmax. I am not in a position to compare Blender to 3DMax since I never worked with the latter software.
Blender offers both options, keystroke commands and menues. For the experienced user, keystroke commands may be the preferred option, since they allow faster working. Personally I am using both.
Clearly Blender differs considerably from gmax, meaning it needs getting used to if you switch from gmax to blender.
For a necomer with no previous experience to gmax this is, however, irrelevant. This is the reason why I recommend beginners to start with Blender right away.
It may be bitter for a content creator with years experience using gmax to switch to blender, especially since there is no way to convert gmax files into the blender format directly. I perfectly understand that experienced content creators are reluctant to take that leap, but what about beginners?
Cheers,
Konni
It does not really matter if you call gmax demo or cut down. There are, however two important matters that cannot be stressed too much. One, that it is not longer developed, meaning there is no chance to have the known bugs ever rectified. Second, it is not supported by Auran for content creation in 09 and 10 any more. Content creators have found ways to work around this, but that will only serve to push the inevitable change away from gmax a further bit into the future.
Presently there are two options: 3DMax, which is very expensive, and blender which is free and offers much better options for trainz content creation than gmax. I am not in a position to compare Blender to 3DMax since I never worked with the latter software.
Blender offers both options, keystroke commands and menues. For the experienced user, keystroke commands may be the preferred option, since they allow faster working. Personally I am using both.
Clearly Blender differs considerably from gmax, meaning it needs getting used to if you switch from gmax to blender.
For a necomer with no previous experience to gmax this is, however, irrelevant. This is the reason why I recommend beginners to start with Blender right away.
It may be bitter for a content creator with years experience using gmax to switch to blender, especially since there is no way to convert gmax files into the blender format directly. I perfectly understand that experienced content creators are reluctant to take that leap, but what about beginners?
Cheers,
Konni
What do you mean it's not supported? I still use it with no problems.
Also- demo and cut down are two very different things.
Demo= Features locked (normally including save function), time limit applies to this program
Cut down= Program in it's own right. Not all the features of the full version, but no time limits are on this program
Regards,
Phil
johnwhelan
Well-known member
I've used both GMAX and Blender, creating items for TRS2004-TS2010 and seen a lot of newbies get frustrated using both.
GMAX can be used to create content that runs in TS2010 however although the newer graphic cards and TS2009/10 does better support for normal mapping GMAX in its normal configuration does not support it.
As the complexity of the models increases Blender is easier to work with. GMAX does have an undocumented system feature such that it sometimes corrupts the model on saving or doesn't save. The bigger and more complex the model the more likely you are to hit this.
Trainz works best with fewer texture files. UV mapping is one of the most complex bits to do with GMAX, many models just use a single texture file for a face, you don't need to do the UV mapping part in quite the same way, but each person who runs the model suffers as more resources are used than need be.
On the GMAX side there are a number of tutorials such as Tafweb's bank and the community has had some experience with them so can point in the direction of ones that work. Blender has fewer tutorials but certainly the one I wrote here http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Trainz/Tutorial_for_Blender#Newcomers_start_here is in wiki format so can be clarified if need be and it builds on a single model. A moving house on the track might not be ideal but it does show you the differences needed to create a wagon.
Blender was developed in house by a company that went under. It was made to be productive. I can do things much faster in Blender than I ever could in GMAX. It is fairly simple to copy in an existing model into Blender.
So if you are content to make simple low end scenery content GMAX will work. Even then if you want to make content such as Hotel Railway 09 Blender is a better choice. If you think you may wish to move on to making more complex items then I really think Blender is a better starting point. Note that Whitepass, Paul Hobbs, Konni and myself are among the creators who have moved on to Blender from GMAX. I do not know of any experienced creators who have started in Blender then moved onto GMAX, which tells its own tale.
Both products have far more features than you need and one problem is picking out the ones you do need. So stick with Trainz specific tutorials or tutorials mentioned in the wiki.
My personal view is Blender is easier to pick up than GMAX from scratch, which means more chance of a finished model which might even be something I like. The forum is too full of part built models that have been abandoned, its a waste of time.
Cheerio John
GMAX can be used to create content that runs in TS2010 however although the newer graphic cards and TS2009/10 does better support for normal mapping GMAX in its normal configuration does not support it.
As the complexity of the models increases Blender is easier to work with. GMAX does have an undocumented system feature such that it sometimes corrupts the model on saving or doesn't save. The bigger and more complex the model the more likely you are to hit this.
Trainz works best with fewer texture files. UV mapping is one of the most complex bits to do with GMAX, many models just use a single texture file for a face, you don't need to do the UV mapping part in quite the same way, but each person who runs the model suffers as more resources are used than need be.
On the GMAX side there are a number of tutorials such as Tafweb's bank and the community has had some experience with them so can point in the direction of ones that work. Blender has fewer tutorials but certainly the one I wrote here http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Trainz/Tutorial_for_Blender#Newcomers_start_here is in wiki format so can be clarified if need be and it builds on a single model. A moving house on the track might not be ideal but it does show you the differences needed to create a wagon.
Blender was developed in house by a company that went under. It was made to be productive. I can do things much faster in Blender than I ever could in GMAX. It is fairly simple to copy in an existing model into Blender.
So if you are content to make simple low end scenery content GMAX will work. Even then if you want to make content such as Hotel Railway 09 Blender is a better choice. If you think you may wish to move on to making more complex items then I really think Blender is a better starting point. Note that Whitepass, Paul Hobbs, Konni and myself are among the creators who have moved on to Blender from GMAX. I do not know of any experienced creators who have started in Blender then moved onto GMAX, which tells its own tale.
Both products have far more features than you need and one problem is picking out the ones you do need. So stick with Trainz specific tutorials or tutorials mentioned in the wiki.
My personal view is Blender is easier to pick up than GMAX from scratch, which means more chance of a finished model which might even be something I like. The forum is too full of part built models that have been abandoned, its a waste of time.
Cheerio John
Most of which are mine
I have been thinking for a while now about moving to blender. I think I'll have a go at the tutorials sometime soon.
Regards,
Phil