Easiest way for a solo game dev to make 3d figures and animations?

[ablackcatman]

I would like to know how I can create realistic 3d models and make realistic animations for them.

I am thinking about a fps game with 3d models. Or 3d might be an overkill, maybe at least 2d animations with 3d characters?

I have some experience in Daz studio but I see that it is close to impossible to make a
good quality animation in it.

I see that for a solo dev it can take big time to make everything custom and from scratch, so maybe there are some frameworks or other hacks?

 

[Winterfire]

FPS Game? With realistic 3D Models? That's not how it works.
If you use "realistic" 3D models in real time 3D, you are going to kill the framerate.

DAZ Studio models are good enough and you can get get away with a few more polys as well, but the rest is done through a good lighting setup and post processing.

As for animations, to make realistic ones you will need to use mocap or be really good at animating things manually and spend more time than you should on each and every animation your game will have.

 

[recreation]

Well making animations in Daz has some drawbacks, but the general concept, the way you animate isn't that much different from other software. Animating is simply no easy thing and while other software can make your life a bit easier, especially when it comes to the ik, it won't make the animating process easier.
Also what Winterfire said.

 

[anne O'nymous]

If you use "realistic" 3D models in real time 3D, you are going to kill the framerate.

Not necessarily, used correctly Unreal can surely deal with this at a decent framerate. The time needed to process realistic real time close up sex scenes would be compensated by the fact that there's really few to do in the background.
But to effectively achieve this, he'll need an AAA studio team and budget, because there's a lot of works to do on the physics.

As for animations, to make realistic ones you will need to use mocap or be really good at animating things manually and spend more time than you should on each and every animation your game will have.

I suggest the first one, but it would be funny to see how pornstars deal with motion capture

 

[Winterfire]

Not necessarily, used correctly Unreal can surely deal with this at a decent framerate. The time needed to process realistic real time close up sex scenes would be compensated by the fact that there's really few to do in the background.
But to effectively achieve this, he'll need an AAA studio team and budget, because there's a lot of works to do on the physics.




I suggest the first one, but it would be funny to see how pornstars deal with motion capture

It still limits the accessibility of your game.
Unreal and Unity can both do it because they are meant to be used for renders, not actual real time 3D games.

When it comes to actual games, you want to bake the high poly model into a normal map and there'll be almost no noticeable difference, but your game will be more accessible even on weaker machines.

What you are talking about is LOD, which is another good way to increase your game's performance for the times when maps aren't enough to add as many details as you need in a model.

 

[anne O'nymous]

Unreal and Unity can both do it because they are meant to be used for renders, not actual real time 3D games.

Excuse-me, what ?
Unreal is an engine purely meant for real time 3D, and used by many 3D AAA games, like by example Borderland 3. As Epic wrote on the Engine site, "Unreal Engine is the world's most open and advanced real-time 3D creation platform for photoreal visuals and immersive experiences."
As for unity, it's not necessarily it's initial purpose, but a game like Abandoned: A tale for forgotten lives, proved that it can deal with real time 3D ; it even use some old DAZ models. I haven't played it since a real long time, but I assume that Vikings Daughter also prove this, and do it better, now that it have more than two years of development behind it.

 

[ablackcatman]

Unreal and Unity can both do it because they are meant to be used for renders, not actual real time 3D games.

 

[ablackcatman]

This looks awesome

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and this

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[recreation]

Unreal and Unity can both do it because but they (the models) are meant to be used for renders, not actual real time 3D games.

There, fixed that for you
Make sure to type what you mean next time, otherwise Anne will eat you alive

Regarding the models, they're only heavy if subdivisions are on, the base models aren't that heavy.
and the textures of course^^

 

[ablackcatman]

Regarding the models, they're only heavy if subdivisions are on, the base models aren't that heavy.
and the textures of course^^

Yes, i have encountered that problem in other discussions. And they say that reducing polygons also breaks the clothing fitting to the figure.

 

[Winterfire]

Excuse-me, what ?
Unreal is an engine purely meant for real time 3D, and used by many 3D AAA games, like by example Borderland 3. As Epic wrote on the Engine site, "Unreal Engine is the world's most open and advanced real-time 3D creation platform for photoreal visuals and immersive experiences."
As for unity, it's not necessarily it's initial purpose, but a game like Abandoned: A tale for forgotten lives, proved that it can deal with real time 3D ; it even use some old DAZ models. I haven't played it since a real long time, but I assume that Vikings Daughter also prove this, and do it better, now that it have more than two years of development behind it.

My bad, it was a typo. I meant the models.
Even AAA games make usage of the maps for details as opposed as to doing everything by poly.

Both Unreal and Unity can use high poly models, but their usage is only meant for rendering. You do not want high poly in an actual games, AAA companies take a step further and actually have a budget of poly you can use.

 

[Winterfire]

Regarding the models, they're only heavy if subdivisions are on, the base models aren't that heavy.
and the textures of course^^

DAZ characters? Yeah, those are fine.

By realistic models and what I was talking about is most stuff you can find in turbosquid, for instance.
Most of those models have a gigantic polycount and they are not game ready, they are meant to be used for rendering.

 

[anne O'nymous]

Make sure to type what you mean next time, otherwise Anne will eat you alive

I'm not this bad... hmmm, right ?

My bad, it was a typo. I meant the models.

No worry.