Mesh Creation Tools

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Opensimulator: Content Creators: Mesh: Mesh Creation Tools

Tools for creating and editing your meshes.

3D Modelling Software

3DS Max

(No info yet)

Blender

  • Link: http://www.blender.org/ (confirmed 2023-05-25)
  • Type: Program
  • Use: Mesh models, Materials, Terrain, Animations
  • OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
  • License: Open source (GNU GPL)
  • Price: Free

Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License. It is mainly known as a mesh editing/creation program but is also a powerful tool for creating animations, materials and terrains.

Blender add-ons

Maya

(No info yet)

Monster Mash

This may be more of a fun gadget than a useful tool but it is really fun and may have some practical uses too. You draw a shape on the screen and then Monster Mash inflates it into a 3D shape. The shape can be animated and distorted and exported as a mesh in obj format. The mesh you get is very high poly so it shouldn't be used in OpenSim as it is, it needs to be cleaned up in BLender or another modelling program first.

SketchUp

  • Link: (missing)
  • Type: Program
  • Use: Mesh models
  • OS: Windows, MacOS
  • License: Propietary?
  • Price: Free?

Entry level mesh model editor/creator software. SketchUp is CSG based which means it tends to generate rather "dirty" and render heavy meshes. As the name indicates, it was made as a 3D sketching tool and never intended for making models for real time rendering. Use it carefully!

Wings 3d

  • Link: http://www.wings3d.com/ (confirmed 2023-05-28)
  • Type: Program
  • Use: Mesh models (and to some degree sculpts)
  • OS: Windows, MacOS, Linux
  • License: Open source
  • Price: Free

A simpler and less developed free 3D modelling program. This is a good alternative for many since, unlike SketchUp, it offers all the functions you really need to create mesh for opensim and much fewer of the often confusing mass of functions not relevant for our purpose than Blender and the big commercial programs.

Unlike the other 3D modelling programs Wings 3d also has some limited support for sculpts, limited since it only supports 32x32 format sculpt map. This function is a bit compromised though since it requires special templates that can be hard to find.

Zbrush

(No info yet)

Other tools

MakeHuman

Realistic 3d humans, open source for Windows, OSX, Linux.

MeshAnything

A tool for converting point clouds into mesh. The result tends to be fairly low poly but usually not low enough to be used directly in a virtual world so be prepared to do some cleanup.

SuperShapes

Generates a wide variety of abstract shapes based on mathematical formulas. The output is very high poly and needs serious optimisation to be used in a virtual world.

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