What do i need to create my own models?

[Bromenasai]

To keep it short I want to be able to make new/ recreate characters but im not sure what software I need. Ive seen daz, blender, and unity mentioned but do i need anything else? are all 3 of these needed? what resources would i need to get for these to be VAM compatible? Thanks. sorry if its been posted elsewhere, my subpar google ability didnt yield much

 

[TToby]

Hi, and welcome!

You will need different tools for different tasks in character creation.

It all depends on your expectations

Most simple case: For morphing a character and building an advanced custom look,
you will maybe need some more morphs than the build-in ones.
There are some good morph packs at the download section
Though, you can go a long way with only the build-in morphs.

Creating custom morphs: If you get stuck and need a very special morph that only can be done by yourselve,
then you will need DAZ3d and a 3d tool of your choice like Blender.
Remember, VaM and DAZ are using the same "Genesis 2 base figure", so the morphs are somewhat compatible.
You will also need the Morph Merger plugin and the VaM-to-daz morph exporter tool.

For editing and/or creating your own textures, you will need a good painting tool lthat can use "layers" like Photoshop, for instance. Those VaM (or netter DAZ Genesis 2) textures are somewhat simple to understand.
But keep away from those seams if possible! They are horrible to match.
To paint over seams you will need a 3d texturing tool like Substance painter.

For creating clothes completely from scratch, you will need all of those tools and maybe more.

You can create hair styles completely within VaM.

For creating face textures from photos, IMHO the FaceGen tool is very helpful.
Though, forget about "one click and it's ready". You have to edit the results,
and the automatically generated head morphs (which are theoretically compatible to VaM) are not good enough and will need a LOT of post-processing in VaM.

You will need Unity only for creating assets/environments/accessories

 

[TToby]

-DAZ3d is basically free. You can use almost any version.
-Blender is basically free. You can use any (not so old) version.
-Photoshop is expensive. You can use almost any version from CS 3 onwards.
Sometimes you can buy early versions like CS3 or 4 very cheap. There are some free alternatives.
-Substance Painter is expensive.
-FaceGen is somewhat expensive. You will need the "Artist" version which can do exports to DAZ/VaM.
There is a free testing version, that will add an watermark to the forehead. This can be used at the beginning for face textures. You will need to mix and edit them with existing face textures, anyways.
-Unity is free to use for non-commercial usage. Mind to exactly use the one compatible old version for VaM. Follow the tutorials closely.

 

[Bromenasai]

Thanks for the info! I imagine Corel Painter should do the trick if it just needs layers. Ill tinker around.

 

[ernyisbest]

-DAZ3d is basically free. You can use almost any version.
-Blender is basically free. You can use any (not so old) version.
-Photoshop is expensive. You can use almost any version from CS 3 onwards.
Sometimes you can buy early versions like CS3 or 4 very cheap. There are some free alternatives.
-Substance Painter is expensive.
-FaceGen is somewhat expensive. You will need the "Artist" version which can do exports to DAZ/VaM.
There is a free testing version, that will add an watermark to the forehead. This can be used at the beginning for face textures. You will need to mix and edit them with existing face textures, anyways.
-Unity is free to use for non-commercial usage. Mind to exactly use the one compatible old version for VaM. Follow the tutorials closely.

When you say non-commercial use, do you mean you can't use it for Patreon subscribers?

 

[TToby]

When you say non-commercial use, do you mean you can't use it for Patreon subscribers?

Yes, if you take it serious, then this is the meaning of "non-commercial"
BUT, first of all, this whole VaM-and-Patreon thing is a "gray area". It plays with the therm "patronage" instead of "shop".
In most countries there are rules how much you are allowed to earn without having to register a business.
Just be a bit cautious, or even better, maybe consider to share your stuff for free.