I need proffessional art for my games. I have artistic skills but I don''t know how to make them in reality. Are there any programs/techiques that I should use? What if I needed a small 32 x 16 charakter for a RPG game, how should I do this in the most easy way possible with good result? /MindWipe "If it doesn''t fit, force it; if it breaks, it needed replacement anyway."

There are lots of programs you can use depending on the type of game and the game engine being used. Regardless of whether you''re making a 2d or 3d game you''ll need a image manipulation program. Adobe Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro are two good ones.

For 3d models and animation 3ds max and Lightwave are both solid tools. However they cost a lot. If you''re looking for some free programs check out a list I''ve compiled. I think Strata3D has the best features and is easiest to use of the bunch.
http://www.3dcgi.com/learn/free/free-3d.htm

As far creating a 32x16 character there might not be a best way. If it were me I would create the character as a 3d model and animate the model. If the game is 2d you can render the animation to create a 2d sequence of images that are 32x16 in size. 32x16 is very small so this method might be overkill for something with that little detail.

--
Todd
http://www.3dcgi.com/

Thanks!

"If it doesn''t fit, force it; if it breaks, it needed replacement anyway."

well, hard to say as I have difficulty with this topic myself. mainly, the engine will dominate how you do your graphics but other than that, anything you put in the space provided can vastly effect the outcome.
I use photoshop and ms paint a lot together as paint allows for fast pixel art (sprites) while photoshop will allow me to do anyhing i would want with that sprite. it allows you to apply texture to the image if you wish and change an entire set of colors with only a few clicks. to tell you the truth, i dont like photoshop for drawing though as it does not have a very nice interface for it. I do a lot of mouse drawing. no, not vector based graphics, acrtully drawing with the mouse as if it were a pencil. this would prove very difficult but i am a great supporter of microsoft intellieye tech on this one.
there should be a assignableright click in photoshop so i can set it to erase when the brush tool is selected.


anyway, as for the 3d side, im not really a 3d artist so i cant help you there too much. yes, you could get lightwave but im assuming that you really dont want to shell out that kind of cash. that and 3d studio max are rediculous programs and with their high cost of ownership, it is very hard to get a copy outside of a school environment. I use a combination of lower tech programs for 3d. Milkshape 3d for making complex free form models and bryce for rendering them in scene. Dont sell bryce short, it is a very cheap program but with the right user behind it, it is extremely powerful and in some way, better than terragen i think. im not into making realistic bg''s for games as that sort of detracts from the whole gaming eperience i think. but,then again, you philosophy on gaming might be very different from mine.

I am not text, I am not organized pixels, I am not killed by turning off your monitor, I am not isolated by turning off your computer. I just am.

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