Serious discussion. Blender 3D
- Thread starter Barry
- Start date
You might be better off posting this in the content creation forum.
But in answer to your questions - off the cuff.
Quite a few use Blender. I know of about 10 or so. But there are probably more that use GMax and 3DS Max.
Some find the interface difficult but then GMax is difficult as well. Learning any 3D modelling program from scratch can be difficult.
Cannot answer the third question since I already use Blender.
Angelah makes warships but in GMax.
Yes, we know that drivable ships are possible. There is a pending project I am aware of that will use barges to transport rolling stock. Not exactly a ship but the same principle.
Being ex navy I have some interest in ships but not enough to build any. I prefer locos. I did build a route with a harbour and it would be nice to include some moving ships. So if they were available I would use them.
HTH
Cheers
But in answer to your questions - off the cuff.
Quite a few use Blender. I know of about 10 or so. But there are probably more that use GMax and 3DS Max.
Some find the interface difficult but then GMax is difficult as well. Learning any 3D modelling program from scratch can be difficult.
Cannot answer the third question since I already use Blender.
Angelah makes warships but in GMax.
Yes, we know that drivable ships are possible. There is a pending project I am aware of that will use barges to transport rolling stock. Not exactly a ship but the same principle.
Being ex navy I have some interest in ships but not enough to build any. I prefer locos. I did build a route with a harbour and it would be nice to include some moving ships. So if they were available I would use them.
HTH
Cheers
I created 1 big project and a few tiny items.
All content I created, I made in Blender and I intent to keep doing that as it is open source (so free) with a decent community behind it.
I can only assume a lot of youngsters consider Blender too difficult as having patience to learn a 3D tool seems to be a rare thing these days. But I assume this goes for all serious 3D tools (not considering tools that produce high poly assets as serious).
Hi Barry,
In fact I only started creating items for trainz when it became possible to do that with blender. That would be somewhere in 2007 I suppose.
I did use the blender 3D suite already for a long time since it became available on the internet and it was used as an in house development tool of a firm called "Not a Number", NaN for short. I believe that was version 1.2.something. It had no interface in those days, all commands where given using (hot)key combinations.
I can't really say if it was hard to learn in those days, you needed to remember the key combinations obviously, after that hurdle I can't recall I had much problems using the program. Most keyboard shortcuts of that era are still in use today, so all in all it was time well spend learning most of them. :hehe:
Talking about creating hulls, I remember there was a method in blender to use curves representing the spans and with the press of a key you created the actual hull from those, but sadly I forgot how that exactly worked, or what the keys where. Maybe I can find it for you in the old 1.5 manual that I have here somewhere...
Greetings from sunny Amsterdam,
Jan
In fact I only started creating items for trainz when it became possible to do that with blender. That would be somewhere in 2007 I suppose.
I did use the blender 3D suite already for a long time since it became available on the internet and it was used as an in house development tool of a firm called "Not a Number", NaN for short. I believe that was version 1.2.something. It had no interface in those days, all commands where given using (hot)key combinations.
I can't really say if it was hard to learn in those days, you needed to remember the key combinations obviously, after that hurdle I can't recall I had much problems using the program. Most keyboard shortcuts of that era are still in use today, so all in all it was time well spend learning most of them. :hehe:
Talking about creating hulls, I remember there was a method in blender to use curves representing the spans and with the press of a key you created the actual hull from those, but sadly I forgot how that exactly worked, or what the keys where. Maybe I can find it for you in the old 1.5 manual that I have here somewhere...
Greetings from sunny Amsterdam,
Jan
All my content, finished or unfinished, originates in Blender. I've found no other modeling tool to be as efficient.
Blender has a steep learning curve, and there is a lack of tutorials that focus on the features needed for modeling/texturing Trainz content.
Once you get past the modeling aspect, all that really is necessary to learn is the UV Tools, material setup, and maybe texture baking (I find it more effective to draw my own shadows though).
The exporter has a bit of a learning curve because it can be tricky to get rid of the errors it throws up.
Cheers,
John
Blender has a steep learning curve, and there is a lack of tutorials that focus on the features needed for modeling/texturing Trainz content.
Once you get past the modeling aspect, all that really is necessary to learn is the UV Tools, material setup, and maybe texture baking (I find it more effective to draw my own shadows though).
The exporter has a bit of a learning curve because it can be tricky to get rid of the errors it throws up.
Cheers,
John
Hello John I remember you explained a few things to me with illustrations about Blender years ago on these forums.
It is quite a complex program but the beauty of it is that you can use it so many different ways. It is ideal for walk-throughs or the way I use it. Using it for Trainz though may need detailed tutorials for people to get to grips with it?
Zeldaboy14
Owner of ZPW.
Uhhhhh, Barry. You misspelled many as may...
Hopefully I will stay on this earth enough time to make many more spelling errors
Zeldaboy14
Owner of ZPW.
yep, and also, i going to be making content in Blender soon, just need to learn more about blender before i can.
I think there is a lack of documentation that explains how to model specifically to work with the exporter. For instance, edge-split modifiers and how to work with linked duplicates and double-side/single-side faces.
Keeping polygon counts in check are important as well (as I've learned over the years). Many need to learn to put the details in the textures more than in the modeling.
It's a process that takes much time to pick up and do correctly.
Cheers,
John
I am glad you have put the links to your site back again, Barry. I had looked at it earlier this year. I currently am learning Blender and it's game engine. I have previously used Sketchup, then graduated to Gmax, for making MSTS and Trainz content, and am in the middle of creating a route in North Kent around Richborough in TS2012 using Transdem, for which I want to make content, not only for the East Kent Railway, but also the barges on the River Stour and vessels which would have used Pearson's Wharf.
I was interested in the use of Blender's Game engine because at present I work a lot in SecondLife, where in-world building is a large part of content creation, and I find that method of working far more suited to my temprament than the GMax/Blender import approach, plus, I also find having an avatar in-game to move around and meet other people also makes creating things an easier process. As I can't see TS201x achieving this in a hurry I would be interested to see if the Blender Game engine could be adapted to have several concurrent presences in it.
But since this is a Trainz-based forum and I have a strong interest in still displaying my creations in TS2010/2012, I would like to perhaps take the following approach, and would appreciate your advice on how practical it might be:
I would like to develop the river and sea-based vessels, buildings, wharfs and the like in Blender, and view them in Blender Game engine, to finalise all the details, and then export them from Blender to Trainz.
Can you offer any advice on that?
I was interested in the use of Blender's Game engine because at present I work a lot in SecondLife, where in-world building is a large part of content creation, and I find that method of working far more suited to my temprament than the GMax/Blender import approach, plus, I also find having an avatar in-game to move around and meet other people also makes creating things an easier process. As I can't see TS201x achieving this in a hurry I would be interested to see if the Blender Game engine could be adapted to have several concurrent presences in it.
But since this is a Trainz-based forum and I have a strong interest in still displaying my creations in TS2010/2012, I would like to perhaps take the following approach, and would appreciate your advice on how practical it might be:
I would like to develop the river and sea-based vessels, buildings, wharfs and the like in Blender, and view them in Blender Game engine, to finalise all the details, and then export them from Blender to Trainz.
Can you offer any advice on that?
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