FSX Blender vs. 3ds

[hairyspin]

Sadly though, node materials are not compatible with Blender2FSX, which basically means that for FS modelling, one would have to create two sets of materials: the first for export to the sim and the second for texture baking with node materials

As far as I can make out it's the same in Max: build and map a model, apply procedural materials and render to texture. Apply FSX materials to the model and use the textures generated by Max for these FSX materials. There are lots of other refinements possible but developers are understandably reluctant to give away their best methods!

 

[Mr.FaosFX]

Hi Tom,

although Blender has few basic presets of procedural textures (compared to the amount of Max's materials), I have seen people create the most astonishing scenes with these only and the node compositor, which is a powerful tool for material creation in Blender. Sadly though, node materials are not compatible with Blender2FSX, which basically means that for FS modelling, one would have to create two sets of materials: the first for export to the sim and the second for texture baking with node materials (procedural).

So long

edit. Here is what the node editor looks like (go to the 4 min 36 secs mark):

(for some reason, the embedded video always starts from the beginning, even if I use youtube's "t=4m36s" parameter; and, you don't even have the possibility to post a simple link to the video, it always gets embedded ...)

WOW! perhaps in the future Blender2FSX will be updated to eventually support node editor operations in some sort of way, anything is possible!

 

[hairyspin]

I'm afraid I'm going to add a small grumble to the thread: could posters make sure they know what they're talking about? There's a remark about mirror in X above where moving a vertex on the right automatically moves its mirrored vertex on the left and this is impossible in Max? Horsefeathers! There's a whole tut supplied with Gmax which depends on doing that and I'm building a twin-engined model right now where the port engine's left exhaust is being followed by the right exhaust and the starboard engine's left and right exhausts, vertex for vertex.

Max can and is doing that for me without fuss.

 

[Mr.FaosFX]

I'm afraid I'm going to add a small grumble to the thread: could posters make sure they know what they're talking about? There's a remark about mirror in X above where moving a vertex on the right automatically moves its mirrored vertex on the left and this is impossible in Max? Horsefeathers! There's a whole tut supplied with Gmax which depends on doing that and I'm building a twin-engined model right now where the port engine's left exhaust is being followed by the right exhaust and the starboard engine's left and right exhausts, vertex for vertex.

Max can and is doing that for me without fuss.

Who ever made this remark has obviously never used gmax/max! With out mirrored instances modeling certain objects would be extremely tedious! In Blender you simply add a mirror modifier and anything you do on the left happens on the right inversely, depending on what side you are on.

 

[Heretic]

Who ever made this remark has obviously never used gmax/max! With out mirrored instances modeling certain objects would be extremely tedious! In Blender you simply add a mirror modifier and anything you do on the left happens on the right inversely, depending on what side you are on.

You might want to congratulate me on extreme perseverance and masochism in about a thousand hours or more of (G)Max then.

So there is an "X mirror" functionality in these programs then. Great. Must be buried somewhere.

 

[capt_x]

So there is an "X mirror" functionality in these programs then. Great. Must be buried somewhere.

Hey Björn, have you never used the Symmetry-modifier in Max?

 

[hairyspin]

Bjorn, you'll find the use of an instanced Mirror modifier with Gmax in the tutorial "Modeling a Head" and use of the Symmetry modifier with 3ds Max in "Modeling a Low Poly Character/Modeling a Low-Poly Head". These tutorials are in the help files for Gmax and 3ds Max: since I'm using Max 2008, only one version ahead of yours, I'd be astonished if they were missing from Max 9. I only learned about Symmetry this year...

 

[Heretic]

Hey Björn, have you never used the Symmetry-modifier in Max?

Nyet. My modeling so far made heavy use of "clone" and adding or removing a dash from the coordinates for the resulting vertex or poly.

Bjorn, you'll find the use of an instanced Mirror modifier with Gmax in the tutorial "Modeling a Head" and use of the Symmetry modifier with 3ds Max in "Modeling a Low Poly Character/Modeling a Low-Poly Head". These tutorials are in the help files for Gmax and 3ds Max: since I'm using Max 2008, only one version ahead of yours, I'd be astonished if they were missing from Max 9. I only learned about Symmetry this year...

I only ever did the P-38 tutorial and went from there.
The first video tutorial I watched for Blender (modeling a car) mentioned the "x symmetry" function and thus I started using used it for, well...modeling a car.

 

[Mr.FaosFX]

You might want to congratulate me on extreme perseverance and masochism in about a thousand hours or more of (G)Max then.

So there is an "X mirror" functionality in these programs then. Great. Must be buried somewhere.

After some thought and thinking I finally understand what you are talking about. This has nothing to do with mirroring an instance of an object an editing it. For example in gmax when you create an instance, the instance is a duplicate part of the mesh or half of it at least and anything you do on said side happens on the other. Now with x-mirror which, is supported in Blender, you can take a shape that has symmetry, for example and hour glass shape and anything you do on said side happens on the other side with out having to mirror or instance the mesh!! I have been able to do this on Blender ONLY!

I was confused as to what feature was being referred to! Nope, you cannot do this kind of thing in Gmax, this is more a luxury feature that comes with Blender and for Max I can't comment on that since I haven't used the more feature pack suits.

 

[hairyspin]

This seems a good example of programs which can do the same thing albeit with sightly different tools? Rather like photo editing in Photoshop and Gimp - both are very capable and each have their fans but I defy anyone to tell which software was used to produce a finished graphic. We now have a choice and that's welcome!

 

[Mr.FaosFX]

This seems a good example of programs which can do the same thing albeit with sightly different tools? Rather like photo editing in Photoshop and Gimp - both are very capable and each have their fans but I defy anyone to tell which software was used to produce a finished graphic. We now have a choice and that's welcome!

Yup and these "VS" threads usually just start wars in the end. I believe there is nothing more to be said here.

 

[capt_x]

Yup and these "VS" threads usually just start wars in the end. I believe there is nothing more to be said here.

Well, I thought this thread was actually quite benign and factual... An example of what a "vs." thread could be. In the end, I think Tom brought it to the point: We do have a choice (not alluding to the financial aspect) and that's welcome!

 

[mmann]

This seems a good example of programs which can do the same thing albeit with sightly different tools? Rather like photo editing in Photoshop and Gimp - both are very capable and each have their fans but I defy anyone to tell which software was used to produce a finished graphic. We now have a choice and that's welcome!

Even if you use both tools it will still boil down to which interface works best and feels most comfortable to you.

I use Photoshop when working on Windows and Gimp when I'm working on Linux; but I can get things done quicker in Photoshop simply because to me it has the more productive interface. To someone else the opposite could just as likely be true; so a "vs." thread is really just people stating their own preferences. Which is why there is so much money involved in product endorsements; if the cream of the crop uses a particular product it has to be best...not!

 

[Heretic]

Been using GIMP for years and tried Photoshop once. The ability to work at fractions of pixels was good, but I couldn't for the life of me draw a straight line without using that bloody spline/curve/vector tool.

 

[n4gix]

Been using GIMP for years and tried Photoshop once. The ability to work at fractions of pixels was good, but I couldn't for the life of me draw a straight line without using that bloody spline/curve/vector tool.

Photoshop: Left-Click at beginning of line, move cursor to end of line, Shift-Left-Click to draw straight line...

 

[Heretic]

Photoshop: Left-Click at beginning of line, move cursor to end of line, Shift-Left-Click to draw straight line...

Has ist always been like that?

I'm really not good with these commercial tools...

 

[hairyspin]

Even if you use both tools it will still boil down to which interface works best and feels most comfortable to you.

Forgive me Mike, but few of us here have used both Max and Blender to anywhere near the full abilities of either. I don't think we can answer the OP's question with any accuracy: I'm certainly no expert on Max – one day?? – and I haven't used Blender (although it's been interesting reading up on it).

 

[n4gix]

Has ist always been like that?

I'm really not good with these commercial tools...

At least as far back as Photoshop SE (1998)...

 

[OleBoy]

Blender has entered my modeling thoughts now for quite some time. My slight peeve would be learning the new GUI interface and the lack of roll-outs!
Better choices, so little free time to venture outside a comfort zone.

I enjoyed this topic.