Starting modeling for cs:go

[Vinneri]

Hey, I'm planning to start a new map project with hammer and this time I want to make props to it. What program would you recommend for that? 3Dmax or what? Thanks!

[DrywallDreams]

Check out Maya with Autodesk's student deal (http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all).  Seems like Autodesk is starting to phase out Max.

[tomm]

give Blender a try it's free, and if it doesn't click with you then look for some other options, 3ds max, maya, modo

[shawnolson]

The rumors about the demise of Max are far from true. Yes, Autodesk has been pushing Maya for the last couple of years, but that isn't the writing on the wall for Max. Right now, AD is trying to condition you and me into thinking of Max and Maya as apps for two distinct markets. It's BS, and everyone who's been watching for years sees it for what it is. They are trying to condition people to thinking that Maya is for animation, Max is for visualization, etc.

 

I would not be betting on any scenario where AD phased out Max (or Maya). What is being phased out is the marketing idea that Max and Maya do the same thing. But that is just marketing. Eventually, consumers will decide where development goes--not marketing executives.

 

What this means for CS:GO modeling is this: use whatever application that you feel most comfortable using and accomplishes your goals to your satisfaction as fast as possible. Because I'm a Max guy, that is what I promote. If I were not so invested in Max, I'd probably promote Blender. And of course, a lot kids coming out of school are all hyped on Maya. Whatever you choose will continue to be viable for years (and possibly decades) to come.

[text_fish]

I use Blender because it's free and I don't do piracy anymore, but if you are rich/pirate/student I would advise going for one of the more professional suites because as great as Blender is, the skills you'll learn from it don't translate easily to more traditional 3D tools (in my experience anyway) which are often (a) more powerful/up-to-date and (b) recommended or required in industry job applications.

[Skibur]

I've used 3ds max with Shawn's plugin tools to help easily export models from 3ds max straight into Source (Without the coding of QC, thank god!)

 

Honestly, any program that you can create something more than a quad faces will do the trick. It's only a matter of middleware tools that you have to watch out. You still have to do the research of finding the right tools to export your models for something Source can read and accept.

[Anduriel]

Same here, I'm trying to learn 3D modeling to get better at mapping and be able to create unique environments in the future. Will be a long way to go, but I hope it's worth it Talked to a guy recently, he told me to choose one of the big three (3DS Max, Maya, Blender) and stick with it. Because I can't pay like 4000€ a year, the choice was easy for me: Blender. The advantage is that you've always got the most recent version and yeah, it's free. But if you're planning to get a job in the industry some day, then you won't get far with Blender. You'll have to learn the expensive professional software from Autodesk then.

 

Anyway, I wanted to ask if someone here knows good tutorials for Blender which especially help with creating static props for games like CS:GO?

[tomm]

Anyway, I wanted to ask if someone here knows good tutorials for Blender which especially help with creating static props for games like CS:GO?

 

I'd go slowly, first learn how to model some basic shapes and what UV mapping is, and then worry about getting it into cs:go

source engine can be annoying in some aspects, one is definitely importing of custom assets, although I believe 3ds max makes it easy with some tools.

 

anyway it's good to do it the hard way(by hand), to see what's going on under the hood and what really is the process of getting it into the game.

[paranoidMonkey]

But if you're planning to get a job in the industry some day, then you won't get far with Blender. You'll have to learn the expensive professional software from Autodesk then.

 

That's completely BS.. sorry

 

You can use any 3d app you want any time, of course there are studios that use a certain software in their pipeline, but is still just a tool, your modelling skills will remain with you, no matter what.

And you can go as far as you want with blender.

There's people at VALVE using blender.. so it's just a matter of preference.

I used maya as my primary 3d tool for 7 years, and now I'm a blender user.. I don't see any limitations in here. Just use what suits you better and create some awesome art.

 

Now about the tuts:

 

I love Zak Parrish and the way he teaches.. I learned lot's of stuff from him.

So here you go, zak and buzz teaching you blender.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0O6ms6A_9M

 

Blender cookie is a nice website to learn blender as well http://cgcookie.com/blender/ just search for game modeling and stuff.

 

There are a lot other sources to learn how to modelling, it's just a matter of how much you want it.

Edited July 9, 2014 by paranoidMonkey