No doubt at some point in your game development journey you are going to be in need of 3d assets. At this stage you are faced with the choice of buying models from an asset store, finding someone to do it for you, or choosing to make them yourself. If you are anything like me you have chosen the final option and Blender seems the obvious choice as it’s free. But can it be used for game development? From my experience this is an astounding YES!!!
Blender can absolutely be used for computer game development. Blenders role in game development is through creating game 3d models whether its environments, objects or even characters. With Blender you can model texture and animate models that can be exported for use in game engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine.
In this article we will discuss exactly how Blender is used in game development along with the various questions you will undoubtedly have before you make the inevitable decision to use Blender (nudge nudge).
What is Blender Used for in Game Development
Blender is great for creating game models. It is important to understand there is a lot that can go into creating one and fortunately Blender can do it all. In broad terms there are 3 main functions that Blender is capable of when creating a 3d game model they are modelling, Texturing and Animating.
Modelling
The process of modelling is about creating a 3d mesh that resembles what you are trying to create. This can be done in various ways but the most common methods are Box Modelling & Sculpting. Both of these functions are in Blender with quite extensive toolsets.
Box modelling is a method where you manipulate each of the polys of a mesh individually or in groups to shape the model the way you want it to look. Blender has lots of tools that can make this really easy to do.
Sculpting typically involves manipulating the mesh as if it were clay, until its in the shape you are trying to achieve. Once again Blender is great at this and is well known for its sculpting functionality.
Texturing
Coloring and applying textures such as leather to your 3d model is extremely important and Blender has a toolset that can also do this. This process can get a bit technical, but for game assets you require what are referred to as UV’s, which is a 2d representation of a 3d model. These can be made and painted using various methods within Blender. For more information on this please check out my article here.
Animating
Finally but not least animating your model for example a character. This requires what is referred to as a rig which is basically placing bones in your model so you can deform or move the different parts of the character. Blender has a toolset for this.
Once you have a rig you can also then proceed to animate the character within Blender or even in some game engines.
Why Use Blender for Games
Firstly there is the obvious answer is that its FREE!! It is open source meaning you can use it for commercial purposes and modify it to your hearts content. This also means other people have made some really useful plugins that can help a lot when creating game 3d models.
Its constantly being updated and improved. A lot of big companies are heavily invested in its development including AMD, Unity & Adobe. You can find the full list here. It is by far not a niche piece of software that few use.
Being free means there is a lot of useful resources available to help you learn and improve. Just about anything you need to know can be found on Youtube.
Finally its in it for the long haul it is unlikely to have development cease. Its been around since 1994 and is still going strong keeping up with industry trends and seeing some pretty substantial updates as of late.
Is Blender Good for Game Development
Blender is a good option for game development. The entirety of a game model can be created for free and to a professional quality within Blender. With Blender you are capable of accomplishing most of what you can with a paid 3d software.
While you can exclusively use Blender, more specialized software such as Zbrush for Sculpting and Substance Painter for texturing can make the process of creating a 3d game model a lot easier and faster, but it is far from necessary and it comes at a cost. No paid software is required.
How to Export Game Models From Blender
Any model created in Blender can be Exported to common 3d file formats such as OBJ & FBX that can be imported to most game engines including Unity & Unreal Engine. Files such as FBX also carry extra data for example animations.
Files simply need to be imported into the relevant game engine like other game assets. From there you should have access to animation or any additional data stored within the game asset itself.
What Game Engines Does Blender Support
Blender supports almost all game engines capable of using 3d models. These include the bigger more popular engines such as.
- Unity
- Unreal Engine
- Cryengine
- Lumberyard
Provided the engine is compatible with OBJ or FBX file types you should not have an issue.
Where you could possibly have some issues is when it comes to textures. There are various different textures you can apply to a model for example textures required for Physically Based Rendering and not all game engines support this. The most popular game engines support this but this is something to be mindful of.
Does Blender Have a Game Engine
Blender did at one stage have a game engine built into it, however this stopped being supported and removed from official releases. You can still access this in various versions of Blender but the lack of support means any bugs you come across may not be fixable.
Blenders main focus is primarily on 3d modelling when it come to game development.
Do Professionals Use Blender for Game Development
A lot of professionals use Blender. It is free and for a budget constrained indie game this is a fantastic resource. Its constantly being updated and can do most of what a paid 3d program is required to do for game development.
It may not be as popular as Maya or 3ds Max in a studio but it is still very much a relevant and comparable piece of software being used in the Industry.
Conclusion
Hopefully I have convinced you to give Blender a go if you new to 3d modelling for game. I cannot stress enough how useful it is for beginners and experts alike. 3d software can be expensive and I think Blender does a great job making such cutting edge technology accessible to the wider public at absolutely no charge at all.