Modding with Softimage|XSI for HL2

[flamz]

Greetings all,
I have a question for you guys regarding modding HL2.

As you may know, Softimage released a free, modified version of it's high-end 3D animation software, Softimage|XSI, tailor-made for HL2 modding.

Granted, the MOD community cannot start a serious project right now, lacking the HL2 SDK, but I saw several promising projects here and there and was wondering if the modders can share their thoughts on using Softimage|XSI for HL2 for modeling and animating HL2 characters.

Did you guys try it out?

Cheers!
Dom

:afro: <-- awesome icon btw.

 

[DavE0r]

should be in coding??? and modding section

urm.....i think models havea already been made, and tbh Valve is working "closely" with some hand picked mod teams, to perfect the SDK and make sure its ready. Good news for all i thinK!

 

[Platinum]

Greetings all,
I have a question for you guys regarding modding HL2.

As you may know, Softimage released a free, modified version of it's high-end 3D animation software, Softimage|XSI, tailor-made for HL2 modding.

Granted, the MOD community cannot start a serious project right now, lacking the HL2 SDK, but I saw several promising projects here and there and was wondering if the modders can share their thoughts on using Softimage|XSI for HL2 for modeling and animating HL2 characters.

Did you guys try it out?

Cheers!
Dom

:afro: <-- awesome icon btw.

NO idea what the heck you're talkinga bout but Welcome to the Forums ...

 

[Lobster]

Granted, the MOD community cannot start a serious project right now, lacking the HL2 SDK, but I saw several promising projects here and there and was wondering if the modders can share their thoughts on using Softimage|XSI for HL2 for modeling and animating HL2 characters.

Alot of people sounded like switching to the not so widely used Softimage after learning 3D max was a really annoying rubbishy experience they would rather avoid, however i started on XSI and found it quite easy for raw modelling but with all the meaty stuff hidden away in a thousand menus, material editing, and all that other good stuff.

 

[Ames]

You can also use the other 3D modeling programs out there.

Some people have also chosen to code some things in the HL1 SDK and have made maps in the current Hammer to test things out.

 

[flamz]

Indeed you can use other 3D packages.

But I'm wondering about the people that have tried XSI, the software that Valve choose to make HL2, what they think about it and what they would like to see in it, or improved on for modding purposes.

 

[hasan]

I think if you compare XSI to 3dmax, it's like photoshop to paintshop, or maybe linux to windows.

3dsmax is more user firendly, while XSI is more professional. XSI is also faster, it forces you to use the keyboard and not be lazy .. you know

since I'm not a really good modeller, I can't say much. I found XSI kinda hard at first, but you can do really cool things really quickly after a while.

by kool I don't mean kool, I just mean things that are kjinda neat, things you didn't think you can make.

 

[cadaveca]

XSI has a steep learning curve. When I've finishe playing with it, asi have been for a few months...actually, it must be good... i spend more time in there than in a game.

 

[Computer5k]

Pfft... XSI is for n00bs
Blender for teh win.

 

[Cole]

Ima check out blender, I've actually heard some good things about.
Since im on a 56k, I can't really dl XSI as i usually leave my downloads go during the night, and since its 160megs that would take 2 nights and if it does start going within the first 5 minutes i can't really get back into my download.

 

[fantasiser]

im a 3ds user - and i agree with hasan, excpet the opposite -
i think XSI is akin to paintshop and 3ds to photoshop
"3dsmax is more user firendly, while XSI is more professional. XSI is also faster, it forces you to use the keyboard and not be lazy .. you know"
So being user friendly and not having a shite interface that makes ppl remember 10000000 shortcuts is a BAD thing? I downloaded the XSI package and like the first poster sed, i found that learning it was a pointless excersise in tedium when i can continue to use 3ds, and if i would consider learning any other package, it would be lightwave, or POSSIBLY maya, definately not XSI

 

[NB.]

I really like XSI, but i'm using XSI v.4.0 so i dont know how crippled the EXP for HL2 is. I really like the interface myself, but from what friends have told me its very very different from other 3d packages out there, but seeing as its the first 3d app i have tried it feels quite natural to me. The subdivision modelling in XSI is particularly good for making high res models to bake normal maps off etc.. It really takes no time at all to make some fairly impressive things.

I'd definately recommend it myself

 

[flamz]

The idea behind XSI for HL2 is to give HL2-modders and the global Source-Engine community a way to get their hands on the same 3D package that Valve choose as the best out there to make Half-Life 2, for free.

The only thing missing in XSI for HL2 is saving to the standard file format version of Softimage XSI. But you can save, load, share your stuff or export to Source all you want.

You get the same toolset that Valve uses: kick-ass modeling tools, fast sub-d's, ShapeAnim for facial expressions, the Animation Mixer to create and blend film-like sequences, tailor-made-HL2 character skeleton rigs to get you going (which is close to what film companies like ILM and Weta use) to DirectX, CG and OpenGL shader builders to created your own materials.

For modding HL2, the learning curve is not steeper than learning 3dsmax modeling plus character studio. It's just different. And thank god it's different!

Anyway... I'm a huge fan of HL and of course HL2 and everything it will spawn (like CS for Source! :cheers: ) and I am interested in getting modders to use the right tools and to talk/work with them.

Cheers!
Dom
Graphics Engineer
SOFTIMAGE|Games Team


:afro: <-- still the awesomnest icon ever

 

[duke2]

XSI is a great program, and although I'm a lightwave user and would rather be using something else if it weren't for the modeller, I found XSI very bloated and hard to work with in some cases. For example, the fact that you can't use certain tools with certain object types, or have to use another tool that does the same thing, only for that type. I've had to use it a few times in a professional environment, and I was able to get my way around it quickly, but the workflow really isn't my thing.

My opinion of XSI is more to do with XSI itself rather than in the context of HL2 modding, so it may have zero relevance

 

[hasan]

What I mean by the comparison between photoshop and paintshop has to do with my own experience with them.

Paintshop was very easy to get started with, you could do alot of cool stuff.
Photoshop is very hard at first, you try to do things but you discover that you can't do anything!

Photoshop forced me to learn alot of stuff.
as for Paintshop .. I just learned the obvious stuff.

Plus Photoshop has alot more hidden stuff than Paintshop.
what I mean by hidden stuff is, advanced options behind 10 menues.

 

[cronholio]

XSI is OK, but I'm writing tools for Houdini->HL2. Houdini has some unique features that are quite well suited to game development (asset managment, UV mapping, attribute management, rigging) beyond anything I've seen out of Maya Max or XSI. This is coming from someone who has made games professionally for every console since the SNES.

 

[brisck1]

Well XSI is all well and good, but alot of the modding community uses other packages (max/maya) BOTH are professional products and alot of people, like myself hve spent years learning these packages and I just hope that Valve supports some of these (with exporters etc) and doesnt just expect everyone to migrate over to XSI...