Which software for animation ?

[Anzor]

Hi guys i'd like to develop my own adult game on renpy, i'm already a developper and i have experience in writing, but nothing when it belongs to 3D stuff.

I know that daz3d exists, but what about doing the animation ? Creating new models ? Which software should i use for these cases ?

Thanks

 

[OsamiWorks]

Hi guys i'd like to develop my own adult game on renpy, i'm already a developper and i have experience in writing, but nothing when it belongs to 3D stuff.

I know that daz3d exists, but what about doing the animation ? Creating new models ? Which software should i use for these cases ?

Thanks

Im not knowledgeable on DAZ but i know a big reason people like it is because there are a number of assets to help get you started and introduced to your first render engine. Most people use Genesis 8 to create characters and for compatibility with marketplace assets. If you actually want to create new models and animations thats a whole other topic.

 

[Eezergoode]

For what it is worth, coming from someone who has only dabbled in 3d animation... Daz is not the best choice for animating. From what I have seen, Blender is a much better choice, at least if you are looking to use free/cheap software. My understanding is that you can export daz models into Blender, and animate them there, but I can't even begin to explain how that works, since I am still just a (more or less) total beginner with 3D.

 

[MissFortune]

Daz is not the best choice for animating. From what I have seen, Blender is a much better choice, at least if you are looking to use free/cheap software.

Daz isn't the best choice, but it's by far the easiest. Animating manually is free in Daz. Which you basically need to do to make unique animations that haven't been seen 500 times. For a beginner who's never touched 3D in any form, Daz is the way to go.

Blender has a completely different UI in and of itself, with its own quirks, that OP would have to learn. So, on top of learning Daz itself along with lighting/posing/framing/etc, he'd have to learn how to use Blender competently (at the very least) and animate within it. Then there's transferring Daz assets to Blender, which can be a chore in and of itself.

 

[Deleted member 5132390]

I suggest you to before jumping to the 3D animation learn 2D animation. I use Photoshop, which is available in Windows and Mac, but there's also Clip Studio Paint; The animator Kamuo makes his animations with that software if you're looking for references. Also, for 3D animation, I suggest you Blender. Blender have some high quantity of references and tutorials too, and most of them are, in my opinion, better done than the Daz tutorials. Also, using Blender you'll get used to the UI and to the keyboard commands, which will be a key part of learning animation in Blender.
Now, if you have a good PC and want even more tools than Blender, consider using Autodesk Maya, but learn Blender first because is easier than Autodesk Maya. Also, I have understood Blender is free, while Autodesk Maya costs $450 per three years. If you are interested in using Autodesk Maya, then first learn Blender, principally because the tools are more complex, so it's not a good idea for a novice. Not so much animators use this software, so you'll have less references.

 

[OsamiWorks]

For what it is worth, coming from someone who has only dabbled in 3d animation... Daz is not the best choice for animating. From what I have seen, Blender is a much better choice, at least if you are looking to use free/cheap software.

The render engine doesnt matter, whats important with 3d animation is that they get used to working with fk and ik rigs. I know a little about animating in blender, unity, and unreal since I've made one in each now but Im also really new to it myself. Looking at some vids of DAZ, the process is similar. You can always go deeper, the main thing right now is OP just needs to be functional, he can ask questions and get help with DAZ here.

I suggest you to before jumping to the 3D animation learn 2D animation. I use Photoshop, which is available in Windows and Mac, but there's also Clip Studio Paint; The animator Kamuo makes his animations with that software if you're looking for references. Also, for 3D animation, I suggest you Blender. Blender have some high quantity of references and tutorials too, and most of them are, in my opinion, better done than the Daz tutorials. Also, using Blender you'll get used to the UI and to the keyboard commands, which will be a key part of learning animation in Blender.
Now, if you have a good PC and want even more tools than Blender, consider using Autodesk Maya, but learn Blender first because is easier than Autodesk Maya. Also, I have understood Blender is free, while Autodesk Maya costs $450 per three years. If you are interested in using Autodesk Maya, then first learn Blender, principally because the tools are more complex.

I want to expand on this a little. I personally dont believe maya is better than blender, they are just tools, and the artist matters more. Maya is an industry standard and my understanding is that the main advantage over blender is painting and sculpting. Sculpting in zbrush feels really really good compared to blender, and substance painter is like photoshop on steroids, so he can circumvent Maya entirely. Its also a big of a cost for something that wont be profitable

The main reason I reccomended DAZ over blender is the accessibilty to props, character designs, clothes, other items, just things that will have issues when trying to just get them working and avoiding problems with licensing.

I tried 2d art for a little bit but its difficult and only a small part of things, I think if you want to be really good at art in general, you should do both because they work together to help you build different related skills that improve eachother. Understanding and doing 2d animation is really useful and a separate skill from 3d animation, but there is a lot of work involved to even get to that point. Unless OP is a 2d artist it could make a larger barrier for them. They should pick one or the other for now, and be aware that the bar for both is extremely high

 

[Anzor]

But can you do everything with daz3D ? I mean modelling new models, animating ?

What are the limits of this software ?

Its basically a tool where you have to play with existing assets and do animation on it ?

How daz3D characters animations looks compared to blender one ?

 

[OsamiWorks]

But can you do everything with daz3D ? I mean modelling new models, animating ?

What are the limits of this software ?

Its basically a tool where you have to play with existing assets and do animation on it ?

How daz3D characters animations looks compared to blender one ?

Idk, I dont use DAZ because my focus right now is learning to make things that are meant to end up in a real time engine. DAZ and blender are just 3d software that have render engines attached to them, so you can use octane if you really dont like the way DAZ renders look which is fair imo. Also lol, those questions, do you really need me to answer stuff you can google? As a developer you need to do everything, and you dont seem to realize this but art is a small part of that. DAZ will build you up and make a transition to blender smoother when you need those extra functions. You should learn how to be a developer in small palpable amounts. Those questions are bad, im not going to answer them and just say if you want to learn blender then just ignore my advice and do it

The biggest advantage for switching to blender and rendering scenes there would be extensive community support, geometry nodes, and the principled bsdf shader imo, the disadvantage is the amount of work it will take for you to become competent as a 3d artist to use it in the way you want.

 

[Anzor]

Idk, I dont use DAZ because my focus right now is learning to make things that are meant to end up in a real time engine. DAZ and blender are just 3d software that have render engines attached to them, so you can use octane if you really dont like the way DAZ renders look which is fair imo. Also lol, those questions, do you really need me to answer stuff you can google? As a developer you need to do everything, and you dont seem to realize this but art is a small part of that. DAZ will build you up and make a transition to blender smoother when you need those extra functions. You should learn how to be a developer in small palpable amounts. Those questions are bad, im not going to answer them and just say if you want to learn blender then just ignore my advice and do it

The biggest advantage for switching to blender and rendering scenes there would be extensive community support, geometry nodes, and the principled bsdf shader imo, the disadvantage is the amount of work it will take for you to become competent as a 3d artist to use it in the way you want.

I couldnt find a specific answer for 3D modeling/animation for only renpy game that's why i asked these questions, i'm looking for the best and most efficient solution for this particular context.

 

[OsamiWorks]

I couldnt find a specific answer for 3D modeling/animation for only renpy game that's why i asked these questions, i'm looking for the best and most efficient solution for this particular context.

I think at this point the best solution for you to is to actually do it

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Take a few hours and complete this, then decide. You dont know enough right now to realize you are asking about a few hundred hours learning before you will be competent enough to be making those assets. You'll use more tools than blender if you want to make something in less than a day and I hope no one encourages you to sink that time into it unless art actually is your primary focus and your game is just to showcase it

 

[Synx]

It depends on what the end goal is for your game, how much time you want to sink into it, and your ambition. DAZ and Blender both are render programs, but completely different in their approach.

DAZ is like IKEA. You pick the items you want, you put them together, and you got your end project. It has a very large library of assets to chose from. Easy to use and learn, but limited flexibility in altering assets and flexibility in general.

Blender on the other hand is a massive hardware store. The store has pretty much everything you might need to create your scene (and much more stuff you don't need), but everything is in raw materials. You can create exactly what you want, but require a significant more amount of time and effort then just buying stuff from IKEA.

So what program to pick is up to you. DAZ is great in what it does. It has a large library with thousands up thousands of assets, but you don't have much tools to create your own. This in general isn't a problem for modern/nowadays settings, but might be a bit of an issue if you want to venture in historic or fantasy territory as their library is a bit limited in that regard. It's easy to use overall for just creating nice looking renders, but lacks the depth to make complexe stuff. Animation specific isn't great in DAZ, but it's usable.

Blender gives you total freedom in what you want, but requires a lot more time and effort investment before seeing any results.

My advice is to just look through the DAZ store. See what assets they got, and if this is up your alley. You dont have to buy all these assets, the vast majority of them can be find pirated on this website in the Asset release section, or on other websites (There should be a stick post somewhere what thise sites are).
Maybe look into animation to check if what they offer is enough for you since that seems something you really want to focus on.

If what DAZ has to offer isn't what your looking for, go for Blender, but be aware Blender has a much steeper learning curve than DAZ.

 

[KiaAzad]

If you're aiming for lots of animation, a game engine is your best bet. even with a powerful computer, you're looking at hours of render per minute of animation if done in Daz, or subpar lighting in most other software.

 

[Domiek]

But can you do everything with daz3D ? I mean modelling new models, animating ?

What are the limits of this software ?

Its basically a tool where you have to play with existing assets and do animation on it ?

How daz3D characters animations looks compared to blender one ?

Blender is a full DCC like Maya, C4D, Max, etc. Daz is a posing software with premade assets. It has some limited tools in animation and other user customization, but it's not really similar to the others listed.

If your goal is to make pretty renders with pre-existing assets and possibly make some simple sex animations, Daz is more than enough for this. It won't necessarily have the best tools for the job but it's by far the easiest and most straightforward.

You can further expand what you can do in Daz by adding other software into your pipeline as your ability and needs grow.