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Gmax...

Started by elis-cool Apr 7, 2002 at 11:08 PM 30 replies 750+ views

Original Post

107

Apr 7, 2002 at 11:08 PM

I just downloaded Gmax and what can I say, its awesome! I could see myself creating good content for 3D games and especially my own(when I get to that stage

) eg when you cant find modalers, but it only exports to .gmax and not a usable format so could someone tell me how it compares to 3Dstudio Max? gmax has a cool interface and a ton of features that make it real easy to use... I can never go back to openfx after using this! CEO Plunder Studios

elis-cool

Author

107

elis-cool

Apr 7, 2002 at 11:11 PM

I just realised how much of an infomerial that last part sounded like!

CEO Plunder Studios

Promit

Mod

1,082

Promit

Apr 7, 2002 at 11:13 PM

Well, you can use the Tempest gamepak to export to md3 files and then use those, or convert them to something else. Unfortunately, that''s illegal. 3DS Max does legal file exports, plus it does things GMax doesn''t I''m not sure exactly what; look in the help files, all the differences are listed in the GMax help.

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Direct3D vs. OpenGL

elis-cool

Author

107

elis-cool

Apr 8, 2002 at 12:18 AM

I know it would be illegal but its only for fun, and anyway, how would they know!

CEO Plunder Studios

Sly

Apr 8, 2002 at 9:59 PM

They would know from reading this thread.

Steve ''Sly'' Williams Monkey Wrangler Krome Studios
turbo game development with Borland compilers

pieman

Apr 9, 2002 at 5:16 AM

IIRC you can now get a copy of Maya (I think it''s called the "Learning Edition" or something) that''s free for personal non-commercial use. It isn''t available to download - you have to request a CD to get it.

Iain.

Maximus

Apr 9, 2002 at 9:57 AM

It was mirrored on several other sites as well, notably FilePlanet

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"When I have a problem on an Nvidia, I assume that it is my fault. With anyone else''s drivers, I assume it is their fault" - John Carmack

Moe

496

Moe

Apr 9, 2002 at 11:10 AM

After downloading Gmax twice on my 56k modem and not having it work either time (it wouldn''t instal), I don''t think I will bother a third time.

Moe''s Site

black_mage_s

Apr 9, 2002 at 4:18 PM

trust me on this, gmax is far less than it is cracked up to be, i mean, its like 3dsmax, but boring, and not as user friendly.

Gmx is a bitch to get to install properly, and has so features left out that would make it excellent. That, and the horrible legal issues, made me shell out a couple grand for my LEGAL copy af 3dsmax, chock full of exporty goodness

iNsAn1tY

120

iNsAn1tY

Apr 9, 2002 at 5:48 PM

I think you're all forgetting about the free version of Maya, Maya Personal Learning Edition, which has been released at www.aliaswavefront.com/freemaya.

It's supposed to better than 3DS Max (I emphasise the supposed, as I have seen it in action, but not actually used it) and there are none of the icky legal issues. You can only use it for personal use, and it has a file format which is specifically for the free version.

It's the full version, only free. If you want to use it for commercial purposes, then you have to buy the licenced version from Alias|Wavefront.

I know it's a 130Mb download, but you can also order it on CD. I'll be doing that when I get my version of Windows XP (Maya free doesn't work on ME, apparently)...

$0.02 added...

iNsAn1tY - the place where imagination and the real world merge...
Try http://uk.geocities.com/mentalmantle - DarkVertex Coming Soon!

[edited by - iNsAn1tY on April 9, 2002 7:20:36 PM]

spanish

Apr 9, 2002 at 6:53 PM

Yukk, 138 megs. I only got 56k lol.

Promit

Mod

1,082

Promit

Apr 9, 2002 at 6:59 PM

I ought to point out that GMax and Maya PLE are not exactly competing tools. GMax provides gamepaks, file exports, etc. It doesn''t have a renderer. On the other hand, Maya PLE doesn''t export to anything at all, but it has a raytracing renderer.

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Direct3D vs. OpenGL

iNsAn1tY

120

iNsAn1tY

Apr 9, 2002 at 7:18 PM

Oh right. That was something I didn''t know. However, when I was at the cinema, watching Lord Of The Rings, marvelling at the brilliant computer-generated scenes (check out the job they did on Rivendell, the House Of Elrond), I thought that I would like those kinds of models and scenery (albeit with a very much reduced poly count) in my game.

I believe that most, if not all, of the computer generated animation for LOTR was created using Maya, and if that''s the quality that can be achieved using Maya, and Alias|Wavefront are giving it away for me to learn on, then I''m going to accept their kind offer and make some fantastic-looking models.

Plus, id Software are using Maya for the models in Doom III, and if it''s good enough for them, it''s most definately good enough for me. Have you seen the Doom III demo video, from the Apple convention? Damn! You can get it from www.gamespy.com

Then again, they did use 3DS Max for Quake III...

iNsAn1tY - the place where imagination and the real world merge...
Try http://uk.geocities.com/mentalmantle - DarkVertex Coming Soon!

invective

Apr 9, 2002 at 10:43 PM

Maya personal uses a proprietary format, and i haven''t seen anyone publish the specs yet, so its useless for programming. 3D studio Max is prohibitivly expensive for personal use. Your best bet is probably truespace, which has always been pretty cheap (~$100 especially if you lag 1 generation behind). Caligari also always offers new versions at a steep discount to registered users of the old versions, and I think the interface is better than any other modeling package.

FuzzyBunny

Apr 9, 2002 at 11:21 PM

GMAX is the most elegant modeling tool I''ve ever used, besides 3D MAX, but GMAX is free, so for in-game 3D models/animations, in my opinion, it''s the best damn piece of software out there. Since it''s also free, I don''t see a reason not to use it.

I doubt Autodesk would do anything about you using GMAX exported models in your games, the software is free, and I don''t think anyone would know where a 3D model came from.

I prefer 3D MAX (GMAX) over other pacages for in-game modeling and texturing, the tools are just so accessable and anything can be done fast. I''ve used Maya, Softimage, Lightwave, 3D MAX, and trueSpace; and I find MAX the best for in-game stuff.

Who cares if Maya was used for LOTR, it doesn''t mean that you will be able to make even anything remotely resembling the quality of the movie''s graphics. Im not putting anyone down, but I really believe GMAX would be the best choice for small, and not so small, games.

My $100.00

iNsAn1tY

120

iNsAn1tY

Apr 10, 2002 at 3:14 PM

Well, if this post is still around in 4 - 6 weeks, when I recieve the version of Maya Personal I just ordered, I'll post here and tell everyone how good or bad it is.

I'm not bad-mouthing 3DS Max. Far from it. It's a great piece of kit, but very expensive. I'm just saying that Alias|Wavefront have released Maya, free of charge, and it should be considered over gmax, due to the legal and technical difficulties with gmax...

iNsAn1tY - the place where imagination and the real world merge...
Try http://uk.geocities.com/mentalmantle - DarkVertex Coming Soon!

[edited by - iNsAn1tY on April 10, 2002 4:15:08 PM]

black_mage_s

Apr 10, 2002 at 3:39 PM

quote:
Original post by FuzzyBunny
GMAX is the most elegant modeling tool I''ve ever used, besides 3D MAX, but GMAX is free, so for in-game 3D models/animations, in my opinion, it''s the best damn piece of software out there. Since it''s also free, I don''t see a reason not to use it.

I doubt Autodesk would do anything about you using GMAX exported models in your games, the software is free, and I don''t think anyone would know where a 3D model came from.

I prefer 3D MAX (GMAX) over other pacages for in-game modeling and texturing, the tools are just so accessable and anything can be done fast. I''ve used Maya, Softimage, Lightwave, 3D MAX, and trueSpace; and I find MAX the best for in-game stuff.

Who cares if Maya was used for LOTR, it doesn''t mean that you will be able to make even anything remotely resembling the quality of the movie''s graphics. Im not putting anyone down, but I really believe GMAX would be the best choice for small, and not so small, games.

My $100.00

Gmax isnt the kit for any games, if you read the previous posts.

FuzzyBunny

Apr 10, 2002 at 4:03 PM

Why would a court ask to see my original 3D models? All im saying is that GMAX is good. I doubt alot of you will go commercial, so there are no worries over using GMAX.

TerranFury

Apr 10, 2002 at 4:09 PM

A legal alternative exists. My favorite freeware 3dsmax-esque modeler: Anim8or. Go to www.anim8or.com! It exports to OBJ, 3DS, C source (arrays of verteces, faces, etc), a cusom and easily-loadable ASCII format called *.vtx, and several other formats. It also supports keyframes skeletal animation. Try it.

For converting between file formats, a program called Crossroads is good. It shouldn''t be too hard to find.

My favorite bezier spline based modeler is SPatch. It''s a beauty to work with. Unfortunately, it''s really can''t do anything but model, it isn''t really suited to low-poly game models, and, even more unfortunately, I can''t find it anywhere on the web anymore. However, it is a great tool, and if you can find it, get it.

A cheap spline-based modeler which seems to work very much like Spatch is called Animation Master, and it''s made by Hash. It''s $300 last I checked, and that''s pretty good. I''ve never used it myself though. You may want to look into that.

Most importantly, though, try Anim8or! And good luck with your modeling.

Tylon

Apr 10, 2002 at 6:28 PM

So, the people who download warez versions of maya and 3d studio max can distribute their models without any worries, because it was made with a full version of the software ?

While the people who download the free software can get cought when they release models .. ?

note: im not disagreeing, i want to know answers to theres questions

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