A list of some of the various tools I use to make things
Blender
- Free, available here.
- A copy of my blank file can be found here
- The list of plugins, tools, and scripts that I use can be found here, along with a brief explanation of why and how to use them.
Paint.net
- Free, available here.
- I use this for basic image editing. I tend towards fumble fingered idiocy with any kind of 2D art, so this fits the bill as lightweight, capable enough for me, and free.
xnconvert
- Free, available here.
- Deceptively useful. Basically, it does batch editing and conversion of the textures I use. Mostly used for changing over all the .dds files to .png, but it’s also good for editing the values of textures directly, or downscaling the quality to make quick minecraft textures.
ps2ls
- Free, available here.
- Buggy, guaranteed to crash, and about your only option if you want to grab assets out of the Planetside 2 files. If you’re planning on doing so, be sure to grab the HQ textures straight from Daybreak. The ones you get from ps2ls are optimized for the game, and you’ll get better results with the originals.
Websites I find useful
For Blender tutorials
- BlenderCookie
- BlenderGuru
- Sirrandalot
- Blendernation
- stackexchange
Resources for Blender
- cgtextures.com