Hi Everyone, We're new to 3D gaming and we'd like some advice. We're making a game based on a gameshow, and we need to create a couple of dozen 3D contestants, and also a host. The contestants are generic people, but need to be a good cross section by age, gender, race, etc. The host needs to be an accurate model of the real-life gameshow host. (We can get good photos to help with this.) The contestants have a few animations like clapping, looking disappointed etc. and some specific to the gameshow. The host has some specific animations, and also need to lip-synch with recordings of the real host. What is the best way to approach this, and what are the most effective tools and techniques? There is a confusing array of options out there, and we'd love some clear advice from somewhere who's done this kind of thing before. Also, if anyone is interested in helping out on the job and has the skills to do it, please let us know. Thanks!

You can use Blender, 3DS Max, Maya, and add Lightwave. Probably either Blender or 3DS Max.

Of course you'd get better feedback on the proper forum, which is Visual Arts.

Thanks! I've posted it across to that forum.

Hmm, but wait, relevant to this forum: are animations done programmatically (say through the scripts), or can one generate executable sequences through blender as well, and incorporate them into the game or something? It sounds awfully time-consuming to specify each animation frame without the visual aid of blender... Something as simple-sounding as making a human walk sounds extremely tedious...

The animations can be pre-created, and triggered programatically. We've used Poser for this in a 2D game before, and pre-rendered the animations. Of course we can't pre-render in 3D because of the camera and lighting changes, so Poser doesn't seem to fit the bill now.

We're developing using XNA this time, and it looks like we can include the animation sequences in .X files. What we're wondering is how to bring together models, textures and animations and what are the best tools and techniques for the job.

Something specialised like Poser but geared up for 3D games might be the quickest way for us to proceed, but we haven't done this before.

Ah alrighty. It's just as I would have invented it then hehe.