I'm trying to figure out what would be the best choice of software,
given what I've got already, that will enable me to create a 3D
simulation of sorts involving 2 animated characters (1 human, 1
animal) and a marine environment (need realistic looking
water--surface and also subsurface seascapes). The characters
themselves can be licensed
from existing characters--I may not have to build them myself from
scratch, but the environment the characters are in I will need to
create myself. I will then programmatically manipulate the 3D object
models using the features of Director MX to create an animated
simulator of sorts. This is my current system:
Hardware: P4 2 GHz chip, 512 MB RAM, 120 GB HDD, graphics accelerator,
128 MB vid card
Software: Macromedia Director MX for multimedia content development
(Shockwave 3D authoring environment).
Also have: Adobe premiere, Adobe Photoshop Elements, MS VB.NET,
digital audio workstation for sound recordings
What I want to do:
Create multlimedia interactive CD-ROM with "Click here to learn about
yadaydyadyada (for my company), click here to play video of xyz, etc"
AND "click here to use the simulator" and the simulator will be a
Shockwave 3D video created in Director. However, Director supports W3D
format--it only allows creation of primitives (basic polygonal shapes)
from itself. To create the 3D scenes and models themselves (the ones
worth looking at, anyway, it's necessary to use a 3rd party 3D
rendering program, such as:
3D Studio Max (too expensive for me at $2,900).
Maya
Shapeshifter for Macromedia.
Is there an equivalent to Dreamscape's 3DS Max plugin, which allows
creation of elaborate seascapes?
I don't want to spend more than $500 at the most.
Shapeshifter, which is only $129, is what Macromedia says is totally
compatible with and made for Director MX, but it seems to simplistic.
What software should I use that will let me import pre-made, licensed
characters such as those that can be purchased on the web from sites
such as squid, and place them against a 3D environemt-type background,
where I can then import as a 3D scene (models) into my Director
project cast?
I'd like a run-down on the features and COMPATIBILITY (what file types
they can export to) along with some typical exam[ples of projects
created from them. |
