Game Dev Programs: Lookin' for input...

Im not seasoned nor am i educated but here it is:

I dont shop online, i use 3d studio MAX 2.5.
For 2d, i use Photoshop..

and i dont do any audio stuff..

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Game project(s):
www.fiend.cjb.net

1) Insight - excellent prices.
2) 3D Studio MAX because it''s more or less a standard, although it''s hard to learn.
3) Paint Shop Pro for basic 2D drawing and Photoshop for special effects.
4) WaveStudio - don''t do much audio editing though.
5) CakeWalk Pro - rarely use midi though.

Plus, Visual C++ 6 pro.

1) Never buy software online
2) Haven''t done any 3d modelling yet.
3) I''m not a gfx artist, but if I have to do something simple I use Paint Shop Pro, or Photoshop for more advanced things
4) Cool Edit.
5) If I would do some midi stuff, I''d use Cakewalk, but I don''t have it right now.

- Muzzafarath

Mad House Software
The Field Marshals

1) No.
2) Caligari Truespace 4
3) Paintshop Pro 6
Then again I suck at drawing and modelling. *grin*
4) CoolEdit
5) Cakewalk is all you need. Yamaha PSR-510 if I''m bored enough to set it up, but... Cakewalk is all you need.

-fel

the only piece of software I ever bought online was MSVC++ 6. I got it off of amazon.com for $50! I couldn''t pass up that deal since I then had MSVC++ 5.

JoeMont001@aol.com

1) dont buy software online
2) 3ds max - industry standart and good allrounder
3) any from Paint to Photoshop, depends on what I want to do
4+5) i dont create music

and for programming visual C++ 6.0

der_meista
New Age Interactive

Thank you to everyone who responded thus far.

Everyone seems to feel pretty strongly against buying software online. Why is this? ...a lot of bad experiences? I myself have only bought a few books online, so I don''t have an opinion on software either way, I''m just curious.

For 3D modelers, the resounding responce was "3D Studio MAX" as I knew it would be. I unfortuantely don''t have that kind of money, so it is out of the question. All I''ve seen in the ~$200 US range is "Ray Dream Studio v5.5". Has anyone used this? I know Corel recently(?) bought MetaCreations, so I assume support for old MetaCreations products is going become nonexistence if it has not already done so...because of this, I am hesitant to buy it.

For 2D I use "Paint Shop Pro 5" and for sound "Cool Edit", so that seems to be about the norm.

For the MIDI I am considering CakeWalk products. I would like to buy the "Pro Audio 9", but that was like $400. Is the "Home Studio 9" version entirely useless?

Thanks again,
-> Briar LoDeran <-

1) No credit card.
2) No 3D skills
3) Adobe Photoshop
4) No interests in ditigal audio
5) Cakewalk, I also happen to be a musician

Sorry I''m not much help in choosing your software. But it is input right?

>> Everyone seems to feel pretty strongly against buying software online. Why is this? ...a lot of bad experiences? I myself have only bought a few books online, so I don't have an opinion on software either way, I'm just curious. <<

I once ordered a T-shirt from the US, it took it three months for me to get it... If I order software online from a Swedish online-shop, it'll take it about two weeks for me to get it. I'd rather buy it in a "real" store and get it right away. That's why I don't buy software/anything online.

- Muzzafarath

Mad House Software
The Field Marshals

Edited by - Muzzafarath on June 30, 2000 10:51:01 AM

quote:

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Original post by BriarLoDeran


Everyone seems to feel pretty strongly against buying software online. Why is this? ...a lot of bad experiences? I myself have only bought a few books online, so I don''t have an opinion on software either way, I''m just curious.

---

Like Muzzafarath said, it could be a problem to buy software online if you live outside the US since many of the online sellers are US based.

However, if you want to buy books, software, or just about anything else and you live in the US, then amazon.com is a great place to use. Nice discounts. FAST deliveries. Plus, you can get tracking info on all your purchases and find out exactly where they are. I don''t want to sound like an Amazon.com representative or something, but I have had nothing but good experiences when dealing with them.

I, too, use Max, but I''ll tell you a piece of REALLY good 3d software that''s not real well known -- Hash''s Animation Master. It''s about $200 and you can get amazing results, as you can see from their website at http://www.hash.com

Also, check out Blender -- it''s free, and for several OS'' (including BeOS) at http://www.blender.nl/

-Greg

PS - I''d avoid RDS... if you learn it, that won''t really help you w/ other 3d programs.. invest your time and money in animation master.

PPS - For a GREAT program instead of photoshop, go with PhotoImpact. I''ve been using it for several years, and you can get it under $100. (usually $50-$70) -- see their site at www.ulead.com

quote:

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Original post by BriarLoDeran

Thank you to everyone who responded thus far.

Everyone seems to feel pretty strongly against buying software online. Why is this? ...a lot of bad experiences? I myself have only bought a few books online, so I don''t have an opinion on software either way, I''m just curious.

For 3D modelers, the resounding responce was "3D Studio MAX" as I knew it would be. I unfortuantely don''t have that kind of money, so it is out of the question. All I''ve seen in the ~$200 US range is "Ray Dream Studio v5.5". Has anyone used this? I know Corel recently(?) bought MetaCreations, so I assume support for old MetaCreations products is going become nonexistence if it has not already done so...because of this, I am hesitant to buy it.

For 2D I use "Paint Shop Pro 5" and for sound "Cool Edit", so that seems to be about the norm.

For the MIDI I am considering CakeWalk products. I would like to buy the "Pro Audio 9", but that was like $400. Is the "Home Studio 9" version entirely useless?

Thanks again,
-> Briar LoDeran <-

---

1) I don''t buy software online, I order stuff online however.
2) Truespace 4, POV-Ray.
3) Paint, Photoshop.
4) -
5) -

"Paranoia is the belief in a hidden order behind the visible." - Anonymous

If the on-line software vendor is based in your country, for instance, Insight also offer a service where I live in the UK, then ordering on-line should be ok.
I would have reservations about ordering anything online which could be broken during delivery, or that could become faulty and need to be replaced, like PC hardware for instance, but for books/games/software that''s extremely unlikely.

Darkor:
Input is input my friend .

jaxson:
The few books I''ve bought online have been from Amazon and I too was most pleased with their service.

Ascent:
I checked out Hash''s Animation: Master site and it looks wickedly cool! The most recent version retails for $300. I couldn''t find a demo/evaluation version available, is there one? Since you said you have used both this and 3D Studio MAX, how exactly do the two compare? Can Animation: Master really hold its own against something 10x its price?

Does anyone else have any experience with Animation: Master, good or bad?

Thanks again,
-> Briar LoDeran <-

1) I dont. Everything I need can be bought a software store so i don''t bother. Plus, I dont have a credit card which makes things difficult.
2) Havent used 3D much, but I have experimented with Truespace (download version 1.0 free off the net)
3) Paintshop Pro 5. It does everything.
4) I don''t.
5) I don''t.


- Daniel

Home Studio 9 will basically do everything you need it to (that''s what I use). Not sure what the professional has that''s better. A mixer perhaps?

-fel

i like inet-shopping ... but just order from shops that are located in your country -)

i prefer maya over 3dsmax at our university ... though im bad in doin modeling and i think maya is more expensive

im still lookin for an "easy" triangle - based 3d-modeler to make my models to import them fast to my game. gotta check out blender and the other one from the posts above since i dont have the money to buy maya / 3dsmax to work at home.

1) Where do YOU go to buy software online?

Nowhere specific. I go to BUY.COM and look for whoever has the best price.

2) What software do you use for 3D modeling, animation, etc...?

I''m not big into it; I only use Bryce3D, Poser 4, and POV-Ray (A freeware Ray-Tracer.)

3) What do you use for 2D image editing, etc...?

Photoshop 5.5, and the internal bitmap editor in Microsoft''s Visual Studio 6.

4) What do you use for digital audio sound effects editing?

Sound-Forge 4.5; probably the best program out there (that I know of.) But if you want to get fancy, and hi-tech, look into external sound mixing and DSP rack-mounts.

5) What do you use for MIDI recording/input, editing, etc...?

For MIDI work I use CakeWalk Pro Audio 9, and MIDI Quest. External, I just have a Roland JV-30 keyboard.

// CHRIS