Question: Can this be used to make HL2 models?

This program was recently posted at PFL. I felt it important enough to also post it here just in case it proves to be of any value.

[b]Anim8or[/b]

It doesn't look like it can support that high level of modeling. But that's just from conversations with a friend.

Anim8or can handle better models then the horribly awful looking site
suggests. Ive never used it but I remember something about sometime yea
etc.

I personnaly found it horrible to use, though thats me!

Still, no one has answered my original question. Can it make HL2 models?

If so, it might be a good teaching tool, even if it is substandard.

/me thinks my next crusade will be for modelers rights. They seem the most unappreciated. Then after I champion them, I will try for texture artists rights. :razz:

[EDIT] If you ever wondered exactly how the Sperm penetrates the egg.. Here's your answer.

Orph, any modeling program can make HL2 models. It just depends on whether you can get them converted through XSI or something as such to the proper, understandable, format. There's even problems when going from Maya (apparently).

Kay?

Crono said:
Kay?

Yes. I suppose. so if you convert it to a format that XSI understands, its OK?

What format is that?

Doesn't matter really. look for programs Animator exports to and see if those programs have exports to XSI (unless it does it directly, which I doubt). No need to understand formats. They'll be called something like "3DS -> XSI" or something like that. As far as I'm aware, there aren't many, because XSI is really obscure or something, I don't know, I'm not a modeler.

it says it can export .3DS files. milkshape can open .3DS files as long as they have less that 60,000 polys, and export them as .smd files. so in theory, yes, you could make a mesh in this that could end up in HL2.

and now that the source has been out for a while, i'd be surprised if there isn't a plugin for XSI users to allow importing .3DS files.

crono, you mentioned problems with maya. i don't know anything either way about that, but it reminded me of the valve teams promotion video for XSI. in it they claimed that they had only used XSI. i'm not sure if it was script files for models, but i remember opening files that clearly said they'd been generated by maya, and to remove that line of text if you edited the file. which makes the 'XSI only' claim bogus. obviously there's some sort of backscratching going on between valve and softimage, and it makes me wonder if rumours of problems with maya have their roots somewhere in this freindly arrangement.

I only mentioned it because I have friends of mine having immense amounts of trouble getting anything from Maya into HL2. I'm not personally doing it, so I don't know.

However, as far as I can see, what generally happens is Maya can't directly port to any game format. Probably because Maya uses an inefficient format, I don't know.

Blender is a free 3D modeling program for which I've found importing and exporting scripts for Doom III, but none for HL2. If you happen to know a guy who knows how to code in Python and who is willling to make an import/export plug-in for HL2 models for Blender, I would jump up and down in joy. Of course if you already know where to get a plug-in like that then please tell me immediately.

And don't mind me being gibberish I've just mached 40 kilometers in one night in full combat gear...