   DirectX .X and .FX files
  Hi,What is the best software to edit create .X and edit .FX files, regardless of the price between : 3ds Max 8, maya 7, and FX composer.I know my question could open a large debate and diverging opinions, sorry if.Thanx in advance   
  Hi... I'm gonna dive in :DAll modeling tools are almost the same thing, so pick the one you fell the best with. There are .X exporters for almost every modeling tools out there. And. there is even some that are pretty good and free, like MilkShape..And to generate my shaders, i do use RenderMonkey from ATI which is also free, and it can export to .FX...So you can get a pretty descent modelling package for free...Jonathan   ;Quote:Original post by LowRadAll modeling tools are almost the same thing, so pick the one you fell the best with.I am sure that any pro artist is going to greatly disagree with you here hehe.  However, for us coders (unless you are one of those freaks who can do art too [wink]), you are right, we will use anything we can get.As far as Shader IDE's go, I prefer FXComposer, simply because I think the UI is much more straightfoward.  It is also a lot less project-based, where you can just load an FX file and go.  I like to support Nvidia's dev products, because they put a lot of work into them and they really are high quality.  Be sure to check out their SDK also, if you haven't already done so.  It's loaded with tons of shaders.[Edited by - circlesoft on January 3, 2006 1:33:44 PM];  If price is not an issue, try Ginza's RTZen shader suite as a plugin for Max.Luck!Guimo   ;Quote:Original post by circlesoftI am sure that any pro artist is going to greatly disagree with you here hehe.  However, for us coders (unless you are one of those freaks who can do art too [wink]), you are right, we will use anything we can get.Hehe, well, i can do both. But, i'm way better at coding than doing models. I dont have the patience to do modelling ;) Even, if some might says, coding requires more patience, i found it more fun :PFor modelling package, i've used milkshape, 3d studio and softimage, the base of those software is the same. For sure there's differences between thoses products, but when you're using them to create game models, you won't use thoses differences. They are mostly used when creating highly detailed environment like in movies, commercials, ...Check 3dsmax4 and compare it to the lastest version, 7 i think, everything is the same. They add a few tools to make modeling quicker, new effects and such, but the base is the same.Anyhow, i'm not a professional modeler, but i know a few, and they can use any of the previously mentionned software. No revolution took place in this sector in the last few years, except for the quality of effects and post-processing.Jonathan;Quote:Original post by LowRadCheck 3dsmax4 and compare it to the lastest version, 7 i think, everything is the same. They add a few tools to make modeling quicker, new effects and such, but the base is the same.Anyhow, i'm not a professional modeler, but i know a few, and they can use any of the previously mentionned software. No revolution took place in this sector in the last few years, except for the quality of effects and post-processing.Yea, the new features added to Max over the years are quite pathetic.  It seems they are on a set schedule for releasing new editions, instead of basing it on adding a substantial amount of features.  And it's not like the upgrades are cheap, either.  The handful of new things and bug fixes added certainly do not warrant the cost.And don't even get me started on the Max SDK [flaming]