What programs to use for making mods

Hi, I'm a junior modder that uses sketch-up to make mods upon occasion. I would like to know what programs to use to make mods for BeamNg. If you could help that d be nice. Thanks -Mike

 

For modeling, you just need a program that can export to Dae/collada file format I think. not sure on anything else

 

sketchup would work (i think) but it's not exactly a modelling program as it is a drawing(or something)

 

I would love to know what people have against Sketchup, If its used properly its really quite good

 

First of all, Sketchup only exports into only a handful of extensions, unless you buy/download anything else.
if you want to make models for CNC, you can't use sketchup.
I've found it to be buggy, and to me missing some features that much more capable modeling software often has (IE: Blender.)

Naturally, Modelling software like Maya is going to have the most features, but it also has a high price tag.

However, I prefer blender the most myself and do plan on getting back into mapping and modding with it.

 

What are the bugs & missing parts? Just curious.

 

I didn't say its bad, rather it's not the same as most modelling programs. Sketchup doesn't use vertices like every other program but it uses edges and faces, ok: what I mean is, you can just drag it into place, you have to move it and you can only select faces and edges. Also sketchup requires learning to make actual useable models.

 

It doesn't take much to learn.

 

Ok cool?
I was just saying how with sketchup you don't really have all the control and sometimes to make something work as a 3d model when exported it might be a bit of work. Also if you model in sketchup you are disrespected because people think it's not a true modelling software, but if you want to use it then do it, and you don't have to show off while you're at it.

 

Well as they say "Haters gonna Hate" & Dont think i was trying to show off

 

No offense meant in what I'm about to type, but this^ is exacty why people hate on Sketchup so much. Hear me out:

Sketchup is VERY easy to create "stuff" with. I would even go as far as saying it's easier to create a decent looking vehicle in Sketchup than in 3dsmax/Maya/Blender. However. Decent looking doesn't always mean it's immediately suitable for in-game use. In many cases, people will create amazingly detailed stuff in Sketchup, but fail to realise the way they use the detail is just killing for performance in a game.

In Sketchup, you can pretty much create curved edges. This doesn't work in a game engine. Edges will always be straight. If you don't set the curve detail on some curved shape in Sketchup, it'll give your nice curved surface an insane amount of straight edges(and thus polygons) to simulate the curve, as soon as you put it into another modeling program or a game.

99% of the Sketchup users who think they can model very well, don't realise they need to turn the curve detail way down on every single curved shape they make. They think their model looks great, and it sometimes it does. Thus they say "no I will not switch to modeling in another program because that program is harder to learn"...

People who are used to modeling in another modeling program know that edges can only be straight and polygons will always be rendered as triangles(and not curved surfaces, like Sketchup can count curved surfaces as 1 polygon, thus giving the illusion that the model is low poly). Thus people who are used to other programs will say "don't use sketchup cause you'll probably never learn to model properly".

When I was sent the Audi 80 model for RoR, it had about 150.000 polygons. After I remodeled the entire car(and didn't delete a single object! just made them less detailed), it had about 40-60.000... And you wouldn't be able to tell the difference ingame. The door hinges for example were about 30-sided cylinders... I made them 6-sided or something.

So in short, many people using Sketchup think they can model very well, even though they really don't get half of what modeling is about..

Also, you can't UV in Sketchup. So people will start making detail in 3d that could otherwise be done with texture very easily...

 

What you CAN do though, is use Scetchup to build the basis of the car. If you only know that program. And then use some other program to import that model to retopologice the model to get it "game-ready". Its way easier to learn to retopologize in a program such as blender, modo, max, maya etc than to learn how to model something from scratch in those programs.

I actually use zBrush to build my cars, and then use 3ds max to import the high-poly zbrush model to retopologize it simply because its way more efficient to do it that way. Rim's for example is so easy to do in zbrush because of the radial mirror tools. Just shape your rim out, use som proboolean operations and do the retopo in max. A really complex rim can be done in 10-15 minutes that way

 

Also bump mapping, which will be something you SHOULD use in BeamNG