Need openGL to model??? this is kind of a noob question but i dont care..

Before someone comes up and flames you like an idiot

I'll just say no, I don't think so.

No you don't. OpenGL is a 3D Graphics API which, in laymans terms, is just a programming languages used BY a 3D modelling program to draw the 3D stuff on the screen.

Most, if not all, current 3D cards support OpenGL in its most basic form and come with drivers for it.

To model, what you need is a 3D Modelling package such as Milkshape, some time, patience and some good tutorials.

I wrote a basic guide for beginners - it wont tell you how to model, there are plenty of other tutorials for that, but it will at least teach you the correct terms and how DoD models are put together.

http://www.wunderboy.org/tutorials/half-life-primer.php

- Jed

I've always wondered about OpenGL... It's compared to DirectX, but you don't have to download it... You just seem to have it... Is it simply something that games can come with automatically, without having this big separate installation?

I find games run in DX tend to be terribly blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh. CoD is a good example of this. Things feel hollow. Brittle. Fragile. Nothing really looks like it's even trying to sort of mimic reality. It's too fakely glossy. Too fakely smoothed. As far as I'm concerned, for the feel of things, one of the best renderings I've seen is DoD in OpenGL. Sure, it may be blocky, but things look like they have substance. Halo, Unreal 2, Haegemonia, anything on the Q3 engine... It's all disappointing. And I'm running an ATi Radeon 9700 Pro, so it's not like I've got a TNT2 or something equally old or unsuited to modern DX's.

OpenGL was around LONG before DirectX and OpenGL is a graphics based API which means it only needs one or two support files.

DirectX is a complete game/multimedia API covering sound, controllers, graphics, video, etc, etc. and gets revised a lot hence the big downloads.

- Jed

thanks for your help everyone