Alright, so I am downloading 3ds max 2014 right now, I was wondering what all will I need to begin? I was looking for a gbx importer and anything else I may find useful. What do I do after the 3 year trial is up? a perpetual license is 4.7 thousand dollars, and 1.4 thousand per year for a non perpetual. It's absolutely insane!

yea.. the full liscense is expensive (i bought the full suite)

but the nice thing aobut that 3 year liscense is that when it runs out you can just get the latest version of 3ds max (assuming the students program still is around by then)

id get the latest version of bluestreak, the post bsp converter, the bluestreak .gbx importer, and the animation importer

http://ghost.halomaps.org/bluestreak/

dont use that .jms exporter. use this one: http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=3819

http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=6054


Edited by killzone64 on Apr 28, 2015 at 01:52 PM

Ah thank you, I also plan to purchase it eventually, It could be what I do for my career, or a hobby, however I would really love it. It's more or less timeless. 3d modeling will be around for a long time.

The educational version is fine for non-commercial uses.

Don't complicate things. 3ds max and maya are industry standards for 3d modeling. Even if you have the slightest thought of mind to do this in the future as a career, you should learn 3ds max or maya. Plenty of scripts for Halo CE are made for 3ds max or Gmax. The educational version is a free 3 year license for non-commercial uses.

Long post related to halo ce incoming.

I honestly have no idea what I want to do in the future, there are a few things that cross my mind, and some of them pay absolutely squat, I want to live in a house not an apartment. Is modeling a good career?
If there was even the slightest chance of me becoming a graphics designer and whatnot, should I purchase 3ds max. I am on a deadline to purchase it by january 2016, as that is when the perpetual license ends, and I can tell you right now I am not paying for subscriptions. I would say I could get the money, but it wouldn't be easy. I'm 18 right now, have no idea what I want to do for a career, it's awful.

tl:dr should I purchase 3ds max if I have even the slightest thought of doing this for a hobby or career?

No. Get the educational version of 3ds max. It's free and you don't even need a student email. http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all

It's meant to be free and easily attainable for these reasons. That way people will learn their software so when people go job seeking, they already have autodesk experience.

Yeah, free for 3 years. i would like to have a copy for my own hobby/freelance work is what im saying. Should I buy it? I can't make the decision myself.

you can renew it after those 3 years for free w/o cost. Even if you want to do freelance work (and if you want to sell your model), the only way anybody would be able to tell would be if they had the .max files as its simply the files that carry the student version watermark. If you were to export to OBJ, FBX, or any other standard export format, theres no way to track that and you can still sell the model as you wish

Which is illegal, point being is what do you mean by renew it? you mean get a later version?

/\

If your thinking about venturing into the modelling/game dev career department I would like to impose on you the distasteful side just to balance out any future "Oh yeah go for it" posts.

First of all you have to factor in your skills. You have none. Which means you either need to enroll into a college or university which implies student fees and so on....

Your alternative would be to sign up for some online courses, which in some cases can be exceptionally convenient and on par (in some areas) with the quality you receive from educational departments.

However you will have to factor in the tools e.t.c

For example the first thing you'll need to mark into your budget would be your pc. Don't think "I don't need a super awesome rig, i'll just wing it with my i3".

YOU CAN'T!

Whilst I strongly disagree with the need to buy an expensive pc RIG just to take up 3D as a hobby I will admit you will occasionally come across certain area's which demand more than what the average teen has laying about beside his bed.

Your options here are to either:

. Buy A Pc Rig > There are many out there! Make sure you do your research.

. Make your own Rig > Much more cheaper! Sourcing your own parts means infinite customization options. But you will need to research how to build your own pc. And remember if anything goes wrong you have no insurance policy. (Unless you pay for one)

I did touch upon your educational options but what I haven't mentioned yet is the time scale.

On average 3/7 people take 3 years to soak up everything there is to know about 3d and all it's wonders. (And wrinkles!)

Now I'm basing my average on those who were taught at an institution, not those who are "self made"

In technology terms 3 years is a very long time. The game industry it's self as a constant evolutionary organism. Which means by the time you have learnt all you can learn the chances are some game changing breakthrough will have happened and you'll find your self learning that too!

As for the 4 people 5 years+ should be more than enough to become a 3D ninja.

However you must take into account up until this point and perhaps even further you will have made zero amount of income. (unless you have a job which pays your bills and tution fees)#

Because of this it's almost vital that you take upon your self a job that pays well enough to support you and your dream 3d needs.



Now after you've received your master's degree in game dev. Your probably thinking who is going to employ me?

The answer is no-one. Unless you are particularly outstanding by which I mean whatever you touch turns to GOLD.

Your fortune may take a turn if you adopt your self with a start up funded project. But the chances are you are never going to get the line of work you dreamed of until your making a decent buck.

Now the major developers and publishers. Treyarch, Bungie, Microsoft, Havok, Ravensoft, Activision, EA e.t.c

All have what they need under there roof's. (Please don't be fooled by those pesky "were hiring!" posts on various websites. I say those because there not looking for someone fresh out of college.

There looking for industry veterans.


It sounds all doom and gloom and that's partially because it is. There are so many people employed in the 3d industry that to barge your way in, as I said before would be a miracle or a sign you are something really special.

By the way....

You can achieve perhaps sweeter results if your a self taught individual....The attraction is quit beneficial.

. Learn only what I want. (if it's available)

. Learn whenever I want.

. No tuition fees. (More flexible but it's the same difference between being home schooled and vice versa.


Now I can't say for sure how many self made individuals are out there at the moment but I can bet my bottom dollar that they are are far outnumbered by those who were tutored at an educational institute.

The reason for this is very simple if you narrow it down to industry specs.

. First of all those who were taught know what to expect and are also molded into what the industry needs.

. Second you have your various academic achievements supporting you.

. Third those "free spirits" out there tend to make up there own rules and if you don't go with the industry flow your no good at all.

What ever your decision would be please take into account what I have mentioned. I'm not trying to dissuade you from entering the 3d world but I do what you to understand what is required. (Perhaps there are a different set of rules now?!)


I my self am a recreational 3d enthusiast. I've never had the please of learning in a renowned university dedicated to game design/development but that doesn't mean I have festered my time foolishly tapping away at my keyboard trying to replicate something I saw in a game.



(/\ Part of my portfolio)

What I'm trying to press is, Yes you can learn at home but in most instances it will leave you with more questions than answers. Regardless of what online package you find.


So if you really, really, really are passionate about 3D then go for it but keep in mind the HARD facts!

3ds max is free and is the clearly superior option, not just in 3d modeling but also for Halo as people make more scripts for it.

This statement is so dull. Do you even know modeling ? Some techniques, what it involves, what kind of features are contained in blender or 3ds max ?

Honestly I wouldn't listen to someone who speaks the sophist way, and uses huge sentences that means little. Like for example that this guy is young and can't take correct life decisions. Who are you to say that ? And what is a "logical person" ? Your static reflection is what locks you in a mentality that brings up those statements.

Anyways, what I recommend is do what you like, no matter what, when you can.
Example : you like modeling ? Start modeling !
There are several modeling tools that haves different features you may like or not, and get more or less the handle of them, find your best one.
3ds max allows you to try it, and if you fear losing that 3 year license, just ask your dad/mom or whatever to register for you, it won't be illegal.

Also give a try to blender, or maya, or other alternatives to see how they work, but don't give up in the beginning. The real question that always comes when modeling, is "how can I make that easier". Answers resides in using modifiers like bend, twist etc, copying and pasting areas, and trying to understand what simple shapes your models should be built of.
Edited by bourrin33 on Apr 29, 2015 at 12:22 PM

Edit : Oh,(@sparky) so the word for your dialogue is "specious", I didn't know in english, that's why I referred to it as sophist at first.

Edited by bourrin33 on Apr 29, 2015 at 12:39 PM

I have made a tough decision to purchase it around October. I will need like 4.3k, I'm working on that now.

Thank you for your help, any modeling tips for halo ce you can give me?

Doing so is not a very good idea as you can learn to use it before buying it, and if you work in a company they will get it for you.

For modeling in halo CE, there is not much to say at first, besides importing GBXmodels to see how they work and that you have to use JMS exporter and watch basic tutorials that you can find everywhere

Yeah I'd like to have my own copy for hobbies and other work, maybe freelance. I will basically be getting the money from one of my relatives that well, has gave my brother a lot more than what I need. I really appreciate everything everyone has said and helped me decide.

To each his own.
But I still strongly recommend getting a student license, and learning how to use the actual program before buying anything. The time taken until you've mastered things to your liking might be a while. When that day comes a newer 'cooler' 3DSMax might have been released.

Do this. Don t be dumb paying that much wean you don't even know how to use it
.look at it this way 3 years is a long time get to know 3ds max or you my lose this one i mean that is a lot to pay take more time to think it over. That's what i would do
Edited by DOOM899 on Apr 30, 2015 at 07:07 AM

yea. the only reason i have the whole suite is that it came with my autocad liscense that i got from college. (gotta love those college discounts. its was only 150 bucks :D)

id say work with both max and blender for a while and see what you like to use. youll still need to have max for exporting purposes.

blender has less gui buttons and is more hotkey based (if you really wanted to you can change every single hotkey in user preferences) and the first thing you will want to do with it is go into preferences in the input tab youll want these mouse settings on the left side bar

otherwise blender has this really weird trackball style view which is really disorenting.

the emulate numpad function allows you to use the number keys to change views. i personally like to use it even if i do have a numpad.

the veiw keys are normally
1 for front view
2 rotates the camera down
3 is right view
4 rotates the camera left
5 switches between orthographic and perspective views
6 rotates camera right
7 is top view
8 rotates camera up

some people like to change those around but i peronalls like to leave them how they are.

here is a nice cheat sheet for the standard hotkeys


i found those helpful when first learning.
Edited by killzone64 on Apr 30, 2015 at 10:55 AM

All threads should be as helpful as this from now often.

i wish they were...

I really do not know how to say this other than flat out, I have a very loving family that supports my decisions, and my relatives will loan me some money for this, I have tried using blender and my brain implodes from the UI

My workflow is honestly better in 3ds max, I am starting to remember a lot of things from 09.

You have no idea how much it means to me for people to actually give me advice that could affect my future career and I truly appreciate every word of it.

C4D is also a good option as is 3D Coat.

Edited by Maniac1000 on Apr 30, 2015 at 02:26 PM

Mainly out of curiosity, but what kind of modeling-based career are you thinking about?

If you're thinking of gaming-related jobs, then like what everyone else is saying, you made a good choice in going for 3DS Max and its 3-year educational license (though, if I'm understanding it right, you can really extend those three years for as long as that program exists).
But if you're leaning more towards engineering (like me), there are other standard programs like Dassault SolidWorks, and I've seen SketchUp and Maya pop up here and there for architecture and communications-related fields before.

Freelance and game related jobs hopefully.

also random note, my mothers in surgery right now for a sacral colpopexy, so I hope she does alright, I haven't heard anything from my father yet and I'm worried but I hope she will be alright.
Edited by S12Spark on Apr 30, 2015 at 05:24 PM

I hate the UI!

And the material editor is too complex.