What is the best 3D solution for me?

zasgard

I have a question to all the 3D modellers out there. There is a program on Steam called Table Top Simulator that allows to you play table top games. There are a couple games I'd like to play but I know nothing about 3D modelling.

 A few interest searches brought me to Blender but I read a lot of UI horror stories and the steep learning curve. I know ANY 3D program is going to have a very steep learning curve for me :)

 So, my question to this forum is this. Blender, I think is just going to be too much of a time commitment for me, however, I've read about other more "noob" friendly 3d programs. For what I'm wanting to do, what program is out there that will allow me to make decent looking 3d models that I can import into Table Top Simulator to play my games? Or is what I'm wanting to do just going to be too complex for someone like myself who has no image creating knowledge? Should I just stick to 2d?

I don't need any animations, just a desire to make some decent looking 3D models of various humanoid types for the games I'd like to play.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

SixDs

"decent looking 3D models of various humanoid types"

Well, there are certainly many forum members that are far better qualified than I to answer your questions, but I'll give you my two cents worth while waiting for one to happen by.

First, if you want an idea of what is involved without making a big investment and using a modeller that is easier to learn than Blender (or many others), you should try Hexagon. It is available here from the DAZ store for free. You still need an account and have to "purchase" it, but it is zero charge. It should give you a pretty good idea of what is involved.

Secondly, the part of your post I quoted at the outset - a decent looking humanoid is quite possibly the most difficult task anyone, even a seasoned modeller, could undertake. That is a project that is best left until you've really mastered modelling.

zasgard

SixDs

I appreciate your comments and suggestions.

I have another question then. Is there a way to take an existing 3d image, say of a human male and place a skin/mesh (sorry, I'm unsure of the correct terminology) on it? Would that work?

Thanks again

SixDs

I.m not sure what you mean by "3d image". An image is usually 2d. An object created for virtual 3d space has dimensions just as the same object would in the real world - height, width and depth. The 3d objects in such a virtual world are all composed of meshes - hollow wireframes. To represent some facsimile of their real world counterparts, the meshes are covered in "skins", variously referred to as textures, materials or surfaces, by filling in the spaces between the intersection points of the meshes. The latter are referred to as polygons or faces. If you are referring to the ability to take a photograph or drawing of a character and recreating it using a 3d figure, then yes, that can be done and often is. There are two approaches: either an existing 3d human figure or model is morphed (vertices deformed as required to modify the base shape), or, in some instances a complete, custom figure or mesh might be created from scratch (subject to what I said earlier). The effect is completed by applying an appropriate surface texture to that figure. It is a combination of those morphs plus the surface applied that determines the success of the transformation. The application of a surface alone to the unmorphed model or figure is unlikely to produce a convincing result. The 3d models offered by DAZ, many of which are included with the free DAZ Studio application, are designed to be used in this way. They can be used as-is "straight out of the box", but most people tend to customize them by either purchasing character morphs for them, morphing them into new characters themselves, or downloading free character morphs occasionally offered by content creators. The use of any 3d resources that you do not create yourself are always subject to some form of copyright, however. The licencing terms can vary and it is important to be meticulous about the End User Licence that applies before using them in a game or similar distributable form.