weapons and armours building from from start

[netson]

so ive been trying to figure out how does people can make weapons and armours from 0 with programs like 3ds max because wen i attempt i actually can't so to avoid this i ended up into scrubling over the net and find a way around and what ive been looking for ive finally found its possible to use solidworks as base program (as long as you still have 3ds max) to to make weapons or armours and then export to stl and import in 3ds max then i just need to make the conversion (you can even texture the item in solidworks though im still in the middle of some experiences and after changing from 3ds max to nifskope ill see if the textures stay.

 

as for me solidworks was the easiest 3d program that ive learned about in school.

 

what id like to know is what you use and what do you think its the best 3d modeling program for totally free modeling XD

[ghosu]

Check out the tutorial in my signature to get a rough idea of the whole process, you can replace the programs with free versions like Blender/Sculptris/GIMP.

[la6213]

One quick question, are programs like Cinema 4D and 3ds Max more suitable for beginners?

I didn't touch a modeling program in 5 years or so (so I forgot all about it...or did I just slept through the class?)

And I'm interested to start from the absolute beginning.

 

Right now I'm following instructions from "Creating an armour for Skyrim. Part 1" in Nexus Wiki,

and it directed me to the page "http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro"

Both are good materials, but I still find them a bit difficult, and Blender 2.4.9 isn't really helping either.

 

Will Blender + GIMP + Nifskope be enoguh? Or should I get those programs (cinema 4d and 3ds max)?

Edited September 21, 2012 by la6213

[ghosu]

It's enough...from all editors i've used (C4D, Blender, 3DsMax, Google Sketchup) i prefer C4D - it's much easier to use FOR ME (!).

Though there is no nif import/export plugin for C4D so you need an editor that supports the format for skinned stuff = items, that are animated like bows or attached to player/NPC's skeleton like armor and clothing. So i create stuff using C4D and do the skin work in 3DsMax, Blender comes with a nif plugin as well.

[Urwy]

I guess finding the right program to use depends on which one suits you best.

Ghosu mentioned that hes using C4D, which is fine if thats the one he likes best. I personally prefer Blender 2.63, which is a lot more user-friendly than 2.49 even though it lacks the nif-plugin for skyrim. 3dsMax is (afaik) one of the few programs that fully support Skyrim nifs, so i too am using that one to do the skinning.

 

Try some of them and pick the one that feels right to you. =)

[doctorhr2]

I started messing around with TruSpace back in the late 90's and found that when I switched to Max a few years later, it had a similar workflow, plus there are a lot of tutorials for Max. But it is such a personal thing. There is no 'easy' 3D modelling software as it all takes time to learn and get your head around what you are trying to accomplish. Thankfully all of the main programs have trial versions you can freely download and play with. See what suits you best.

 

As for creating armours and weapons from scratch, yes it's possible as it's only a mesh; but it's worth taking the time to look at existing models in the game to see how they were put together and UV wrapped. This can really help your workflow when you come to do your own.

[la6213]

> As for creating armours and weapons from scratch, yes it's possible as it's only a mesh; but it's worth taking the time to look at existing models in the game to see how they were put together and UV wrapped. This can really help your workflow when you come to do your own.

 

One of my aim is to create a large mane for my Khajiit character (yeah I know it breaks the lore, but somehow it's there in Morrowind).

 

And so far I don't see any existing mod that change the hair/facial hair of beast races. :wallbash:

I thought I can just get around that by making human/mer's beards available to them,

but apparently it's also impossible because there is no "all" option, just "all except beast races"

(According to Blazer, who made the mod Beards UNLEASHED on Steam Workshop)

 

In fact, I've just realized that no one has done it, even in Oblivion (despite the number of request).

So before I do anything stupid and try to climb Mt.Himalaya, may I just ask...is it possible? :psyduck:

Edited September 22, 2012 by la6213

[doctorhr2]

I don't know if it would be possible to cheat and create it as a piece of clothing or armour? A helmet perhaps? Maybe try swapping a beard mesh and tex for a helmet and seeing if they appear correctly on the character? I'm fully in the 'theoretically possible' zone as it's something I've never tried, but to my mind it's only a matter of finding the trick to it.