Importing objects to games
 

Hi, everyone!
As you probably already guessed i am quite a newbie in this domain. Just started a few months ago 3D graphics on Maya 2008. I want to get specialized on car designing (already bought myself some tutorials about this-wouldn't hurt if u can direct me to the best car-design tutorials cuz' im not to impresed about this one). I Heard something from some friend that its posible without to much effort to import such models (made in maya) to compiled and ready to go games.
EXAMPLE: i can import one of my cars into a car game.
i dont really know how this is done. I have pretty low knowledge in programing and how things work.
Can someone tell me how this would work? what would i need to know? what programs/tools would be involved and if its possible with low programing skills!?
:confused:

unless a game has easy mod/editing tools and can just straight up take .obj files or something, you need more than just Maya to get anything into a game. You'd need access to at least changing file names and such within the code to point to your assets instead of the game's.

As Mike said, this is not as easy cut as your friend has made out.

I have worked on an Indie Games Project a while back and found Maya to be quite useless at exporting models, animation, texture information out to the required file formats the game engine needed.

Nothing for a 3D app out to a game is ever as simple as Export from Maya Import into the game or Game Engine, usualy there requires some 3rd party application or convertor thats required to get the model and data out (this can be a very specific process). And therefore Games Studios usualy develop bespoke (in house) software or tools to do this for them, and these are generaly not available to the public.

On the other hand you must realise that there are software houses that will hug and kiss the MOD community and give them no end of help in creating ammending or improving their relase titles. Two of which are Valve and recently Infinity Ward.

Valve used Softimage XSI for the developement of their characters, objects and assets in general for Half Life 2 and wrote their own plug ins for XSI to allow reasonably simple import/export processes, all of which is free to download including a free version of XSI for use with Half Life 2 Modding. Infinity Ward recently released their SDK for COD4 and they have used Maya for Animation, and modeling of weapons, characters etc...

But be warned Maya is not the predominent application used in the Games Industry, 3DS Max is the application used by most Studios along with XSI and more are now turning to Maya for their needs. And you will find very little in the way of support for the major games and using Maya. Some studios do frown hugely on modding of their games (Rockstar being one).

So if its Games Assets and Maya, please do not be disheartened, I just ask that you fully research what you want to do and what engine you want to put it in to.

Good Luck in your future learning.

Oh BTW, the SM Ferrari Remastered Tutorial is good and so is the Digital Tutors - Maya Modelling Techniques - Automotive Tutorial. Both can be bought at the respective websites.

thanks
 

Thanks alot guys :)