What can be used to skin?

[CDNFutballer]

Can you use paintshop pro or photoshop to skin 3d models? or can I just use a modelling program like Maya or 3dsmax?

 

[Incitatus]

Yes most objects (incl weapons) can me skinned using only a 3d prog, but it requires an intimate knowledge of procedural shaders, which, to put it lightly, is quite difficult.

easier and more flexible is to use a paint prog.

 

[The Dark Elf]

Most programs these days have a form of UV mapping (you'll need UV mapping if you plan to skin models in a game) the better apps will give you tons of control over how you setup the UV maps to make the most of the space within a texture (which is always square) Good UV mappers will use every little bit of space for as many available pixels to paint with as they can. Bad UV mapping will have lots of empty unused space.

If you plan on using procedural textures, you'll need to bake them to an image map before you can use them in a realtime engine as their calculated in the program when it renders, so isn't available initially as an actual image. Talented use of procedurals can get just about any surface effect, and as procedurals are mathematical and not pixel based, their resolution independant, so can be great for creating huge textures of any size. The randomness of them helps give a better result in some cases, more natural for example, than painting manually.. Course their not good for everything, just more chaotic surfaces, walls, rock, cloth, alien skin, skin in general, tarmac, water surfaces etc. etc. etc.

Some (including myself) prefer to paint directly on the models and using a different type of UV map. Unfortunately anyone hoping to edit those maps in Photoshop can't, cause its discontinuous and next to impossible to edit unless its directly on the model.

But beginners will be better setting up UV maps in the conventional way and painting in photoshop as the directly on the model method isn't as simple as it might sound

I think there are some free programs on the market as shareware or something that let you setup UV mapping coords for some types of object. Though if your using Softimage's XSI EXP it has a very very nice UV editor in there.. atleast I think its enabled in the freebie version.

If you would rather paint directly on the model. Best choice is Deep Paint, second is Body Paint. Neither are free. Would also recommend a Wacom tablet, painting with a mouse is an awful experience, especially directly on a model, but in general anyone intending on doing any texture work by hand should use a drawing tablet.

 

[PvtRyan]

Originally posted by Incitatus
Yes most objects (incl weapons) can me skinned using only a 3d prog, but it requires an intimate knowledge of procedural shaders, which, to put it lightly, is quite difficult.

easier and more flexible is to use a paint prog.

Perhaps, but for skinning with Photoshop you will need to unwrap the model, which is, a bigger bitch than using procedurals, and using procedurals isn't that hard actually.