What combination of programs should i use? "beginner"

Community Community & Industry Discussion
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Hi, thanks for reading my thread.
This is my first post, i am not sure if this is the right section to post in, please feel free to move it to where it is apropiate.

I am relatively new to game development, only having experience with Gmaemaker from Yoyogames in the past. But it has always been my dream to reale create a fantastic 3d game. so when i saw UE4, i imediatly jumped at the oportunity, and started learning.

So to the question on topic. As stated, i have almost zero experience with game development, and would like to get my skills and knowlegde up as fast as possible, so i can start creating the games i have always dreamt of.

So here is the question: what programs should i use, in the beginning and in the long run, to really make high quality games. I have set myself a budget of 100$ per month, to pay whatever program is required. At the moment, i am learning Blender & UE4, but as i have read, seems like there will be many difficulties importing from blender to UE4, and that they are not very compatible. so i am considering switching to Maya LT by paying the 30 dollar a month subscription.
i am Also considering to Subscribe to Digital-Tutors to aid me in the learning process, which is another reason for me to consider Maya, as they have at time of writing, 34 maya tutorials versus 6 blender tutorials.

So should i invest in Maya, or stick to blender and try to get over the hurdless? Does maya create normal and displacement maps from a picture? what other features does maya have over blender? if anything at all.

Also, what are the other programs i am required to use in order to create a high quality 3d game with realistic graphics? I will probably invest in Speedtree in the future. but for now, what should i do or learn, besides 3d modeling, animation and using UE4?

Thanks for your patience in reading this lengthy thread.:slight_smile:

(PS: i have also downloaded Krita as my 2d paint program)

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Use blender and gimp to create your assets -> with that combination you can create high quality assets. Those programs are for free and as good as the paid ones. :slight_smile:
You can find some examples of assets made in blender and gimp here:

3

For texturing, I’d seriously recommend Allegorithmic’s Substance suite of programs. I’ve found it extremely user friendly.

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As a 3d modeler I’d say in the long run it doesn’t really matter. Maybe 10 years ago it would but now with all the updates/new versions/new tools it really doesn’t. That said I’m using Maya and can’t recomend it enough. It’s a huge program with tons of features and chances are you are never going to learn 100% of Maya’s abilities.
Maya LT is really good for starters but keep in mind you’re not going to be able to release paid content with it.

As for learning now, DT is good for beginners. When you feel quite confident I’d suggest you switch over to Gnomon Workshop (it’s pay per dvd last I checked). Another good site is Simplymaya.
For texturing I went the Photoshop road and I’m using Crazybumb or Quixel NDo2 (both free) for generating normals (and other kinds of maps based on a picture). Allegorithmic’s Substance is really good as suggested but it’s a bit overwhelming for beginners.

And once you find how to manage materials/shaders from Maya to UE4 in order to achieve a photorealistic result, I’d really like to know, or even better if you find a good tutorial for it :wink:

5

Check out this thread, you might find some of the tools listed here to be useful :slight_smile:

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That’s not true. Maya LT can be used to release paid content. And it comes with “Send to Unreal” plugin and if you use it you will not have problem with the 65k polions limit. Or, you can buy MODO Indie on Steam, the monthly subscription costs €10-15/month. Blender is a good software too, but it requires time to be learned. I am learning sculpting in Blender and it’s very powerful.

Gimp -> it’s a very powerful software but it’s extremely hard to use.
Visual Studio Express -> Free
PhysXLab -> You can create breakable meshes here, and it’s free.

If you’re an one-man-team, you will need a software to produce audio. FL Studio is a good software, but not very cheap.

Anyway, welcome :slight_smile:

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Hey man don’t be turned down by Blender i was long time Maya 3D user but then i switched to Blender (I still use Maya Key layout in Blender as you have option to do that ) , its really good and there is no big problem working with blender to UE4. I make all my Assets in Blender , Static meshes , Armature Meshes, Animations and all other Imports works well in UE4, I agree that you need to Read a little bit about how to prepare you models and animations to work well in UE4 but when you do that it will work for you like charm. Blender have all the packages u need Modeling, Sculpting, animation , Uv layotus, Baking your maps, Coloring your textures right on your models and lots of more and its all for Free :slight_smile:

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Thank you for the reply(s)!

Hi everyone, i was very surprised to see that i got responses overnight!

: I have taken a look at your game , it looks great, is everything really made with just GIMP and Blender? Also, i have listened to the audio tracks and really enjoyed the music, (btw, what DAW and audio packs does your composer use to produce the music?). You have all done a very good job. its impressive what a team of just 6 people can do.

I Unfortunately do not have money to buy Substance Yet (100$/month budget, remember?), And as i still have a lot to Learn in terms of Using Blender and UE4 (have only gone through Modeling and Sculpting in Blender) and honing my skills, i wouldnt find time to Learn Substance for a while. But it is definately something i will look into in the future.

: Is PhysXlab like some kind of free substitute for Houdini? I am a one-man team for the moment, but dont need FL studio, as i already have Cubase Elements 7.

I Think i will stick to blender until i have learned it thouroughly and gotten the basic notion of Creating assets, and later experiment with other programs to see what i like best. I will take a better look at list of free software to see what else is availeble.

And last, can anybody indicate me, if such thing exists, a program to create sound effects, such as to swords being bashed together, gunfire, walking steps, and such?

I Sincerely Appreciate all who has taken time to answer my questions, thank you very much!

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Yep, everything was done in blender and gimp. I will have to ask the composer which packs he uses :slight_smile:

PhysX = a free tool which allows you to create destructible meshes + cloth simulation -> ?v=f51dzGXyYIg ?v=I7ESwjlOZkY You can either use the SDK or the plugin for 3ds or maya

I personally use real world sounds for such stuff -> then I cut them in sony vegas (probably not the most professional way, but it works :p)

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PhysXLab is a standalone software in which you import FBX models and then you subdivide them. PhysXLab exports the FBX as .apb. Unreal Engine is able to recognize that format and the assets can be used for destruction simulation. :slight_smile:

Software to make audio -> no, you can’t create specific sounds with your computer. You can download royalty-free sounds, or you can record real-life sounds and filter the noise in Audacity. LOL :slight_smile: